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Breeds of Horses - A to Z | |
Furioso
Bred at the famous stud farm at Mezohegyes, Hungary, founded in 1784 by the Emperor Josef 11, the Furioso was one of the most significant breeds developed there. The foundation sires were; firstly an English Thoroughbred stallion 'Furioso' foaled in 1836 and acquired by the stud in 1841; secondly a horse known as 'North Star' foaled in 1844 and imported there in 1850, his blood lines traced back to the Norfolk Roadster and he was descended from a 1793 Derby winner called 'Waxy' grandson of 'Eclipse'. These two stallions were crossed with mostly local mares of Nonius type. In the beginning both bloodlines were kept separate, the 'North Star' progeny being particularly suitable as harness racehorses. At the end of the nineteenth century the two lines were merged and the Furioso strain became dominant. Since then more thoroughbred blood has been added to the breed making it a quality all-purpose riding horse. The Csikos horse herders of Hungary, World famous for there displays of trick riding, often use the Furioso horse.
It is usually black bay or brown, though any solid colour is permissible. It
stands at about 16 h.h. with fairly good conformation; the head is fine like
a thoroughbred; the neck is elegant; it has a good sloping shoulder and a
fairly well pronounced wither; a short strong back; a fairly deep girth and
chest; strong sound limbs and good hard feet. The movement is free and
slightly exaggerated, it is a handsome saddle or carriage horse and large
herds may be seen roaming free on the grasslands of Hungary where they have
been raised for over a hundred years.
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