Maremma horse

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The Maremma horse is a native breed found in an Italian region in the south of the Toscana.  We find here some similarities with the Iberian cowboys the Spanish vaqueros, and Portuguese vaqueiros and campinos and with the French Camargue horses and riders. These are the last remnants of European cowboys, their traditions almost lost, but some idealists still cling to them; with their special type of equipment, and their regions special breeds of cattle.

A large part of the Maremma is marsh, or swamp, and the semi-wild maremma cattle are well adapted. With their whitish, solid color and long horns they look somewhat like Hungarian steppe cattle. The riders working them are called butteri , and the Maremma horse they are riding is a native breed that is claimed to be the only true Italian horse breed. A certain Iberian influence can be seen in many Maremmans, although today an obvious Thoroughbred influence can also be observed. This is a very old breed, which has its roots in indigenous stock, but was obviously exposed to a certain amount of outside blood. Today we do not know what the original Maremman actually looked like.

The breeding takes place mostly in semi-wild herds, in rough country, so that there is still a survival-of-the-fittest effect responsible for the vigor and toughness the Maremma horse has always been known for. With the close ties Italy has had to Iberia, which, after all, led to the foundation of breeds there like the Napolitano and the Lipizzan, both built on Iberian blood, it stands to reason that the Maremmans were at one time considerably influenced by Iberian horses. Today, they look rather like a somewhat coarse but not heavy warmblood, or a Thoroughbred cross. The Maremman s head used to be of convex profile, and often still is. The neck is slender and set fairly upright, the withers are prominent. This horse is rather long-legged, lean-muscled, and the Maremma horse has short pasterns. The color is black or brown/bay, with none or sparse white markings. Although the horse shows a lot of blood, it still does not show a lot of refinement. Especially the head does not have the charme found in, for instance, the pure Iberian.

The Maremman s reputation was built on his toughness and endurace. He also shows considerable talent for jumping. In 1977, Graziano Mancinelli won the Italian jumping championship on a Maremman named Ursus del Lasco. The cross between Thoroughbreds and Maremmans is still practiced to produce jumpers.

A studbook was founded in 1980 for the Maremma horse, the Associazione Nazionale Allevatori Cavallo di Razza Maremmana , and since 1993, stallions are inspected and must pass a performance test. Since 1996 even the mares are being inspected. These measures have already resulted in an upgrading of the breed, and beside the traditional herd work in the fields, the Maremman now finds many uses in sport and recreational riding.

  
Article by Hardy Oelke, photos Oelke or archive Oelke, if not otherwise stated. For information regarding the Sorraia horse, the Vale de Zebro Wild Horse Refuge, and the Sorraia Mustang -- visit sorraia.org

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Other sites that offer information about the Maremma horse:
Associazione Nazionale Allevatori Cavallo Di Razza Maremmana 
The Butteri d'Alta Maremma Association