Windt im Wald Farm
Geauga County, Northeast
Ohio
since 1995
THE SHAGYA ARABIAN
Everyone
has heard of the purebred Arabian horse, but what in the
world is a Shagya Arabian? The Shagya takes its name from a
dapple-gray purebred Arabian stallion bred in Syria and born
in 1830. Shagya was sold by a tribe of Syrian Bedouins to
the Austro-Hungarian Empire ruled by the Hapsburg family in
the early 1830s. By 1836 he was the chief breeding stallion
at eh Hapsburg Imperial Stud in Babolna, Hungary. Since the
Hapsburg rulers were interested in producing a supreme
cavalry horse that looked elegant but was bigger and
stronger in battle, Shagya was bred to native Hungarian
mares. Ultimately, the end products of these breedings
looked a great deal like purebred Arabians but were often 16
hands tall and measured as much as 7 inches at the cannon
bone. Grey became the dominant color, although Babolna
produced black, chestnut, and bay Shagyas as well. The
Shagya Registry is said to be the second oldest registry in
the world, started about 1789, second only to the English
Hunt Club. Although Shagyas have been the prized cavalry
mounts of European soldiers in many wars and the cherished
carriage horses of European royalty, they still remain
relatively unknown, compared to their purebred Arabian
relatives. There is a movement in the United States to
popularize them and to increase their availability, but
obviously their prices are still far above average due to
their "newness" on the American scene.
Everyone
has heard of the purebred Arabian horse, but what in the
world is a Shagya Arabian? The Shagya takes its name from a
dapple-gray purebred Arabian stallion bred in Syria and born
in 1830. Shagya was sold by a tribe of Syrian Bedouins to
the Austro-Hungarian Empire ruled by the Hapsburg family in
the early 1830s. By 1836 he was the chief breeding stallion
at eh Hapsburg Imperial Stud in Babolna, Hungary. Since the
Hapsburg rulers were interested in producing a supreme
cavalry horse that looked elegant but was bigger and
stronger in battle, Shagya was bred to native Hungarian
mares. Ultimately, the end products of these breedings
looked a great deal like purebred Arabians but were often 16
hands tall and measured as much as 7 inches at the cannon
bone. Grey became the dominant color, although Babolna
produced black, chestnut, and bay Shagyas as well. The
Shagya Registry is said to be the second oldest registry in
the world, started about 1789, second only to the English
Hunt Club. Although Shagyas have been the prized cavalry
mounts of European soldiers in many wars and the cherished
carriage horses of European royalty, they still remain
relatively unknown, compared to their purebred Arabian
relatives. There is a movement in the United States to
popularize them and to increase their availability, but
obviously their prices are still far above average due to
their "newness" on the American scene.