Sanfratellano

Italian breed of horse
  • Cavallo Sanfratellano
  • Razza di San Fratello
Country of originItalyDistributionSicilyUse
  • riding
  • harness
  • agricultural
  • meat
TraitsHeight
  • Male:
    152 cm[1]: 142 
  • Female:
    150 cm[1]: 142 
Colourdark bay or black
  • Equus ferus caballus

The Sanfratellano or Razza di San Fratello is an Italian breed of riding horse.[2]: 500 [3]: 71 [1]: 141 [4] It originates in the comune of San Fratello, in the Nebrodi Mountains in the province of Messina in north-eastern Sicily. It is one of three Sicilian breeds or types, the others being the Purosangue Orientale and the Siciliano Indigeno.

History

The history of Sicily over the three millennia preceding the Unification of Italy in 1861 is one of repeated conquest and strife, with many different peoples and powers achieving total or partial dominance over the island for a time. These have included the Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals, Ostrogoths, Byzantines, Muslim North Africans, Lombards, Normans, Swabians, Angevins, Aragonese, Spanish and Bourbons. It is likely that many of these invaders brought horses with them – from the Middle East, from North Africa, from the Iberian peninsula and from Northern Europe.[1]: 141  The Muslims who were present in the island from 827 to 1091 brought very large numbers of horses of Oriental type,[1]: 137  while the Lombards brought heavy war-horses.[1]: 141 

The San Fratellano is named for, and is believed to have originated in, the comune of San Fratello, in the Nebrodi Mountains in the province of Messina in north-eastern Sicily.[5] The town is believed to have been founded by the Lombards in the eleventh century; a Gallo-Italic dialect with Lombard influences is still spoken there.[1]: 141 

The modern history of the Sanfratellano began in 1864 with the establishment of a Deposito Stallone or military stud at Catania; this later became an Istituto di Incremento Ippico or horse-breeding institute. Specialised studs were established in 1925, but all breeding records for this period are lost.[1]: 141  Shortly after this date, records show Oriental and English stallions in use to increase the size of local stock. Substantial use was later made of Maremmano stock. Five Nonius stallions were imported from Hungary in 1959, and remained in use for ten years. Further use was then made of Maremmano stallions, some of which were by this time significantly influenced by cross-breeding with Thoroughbred stock.[1]: 142 

Its conservation status was listed by the FAO in 2007 as 'endangered';[3]: 71  in 2024 it was listed in DAD-IS as 'at risk/endangered'.[4] A breed census in 2022 found the population to be 'stable' at 1494 head, including 973 brood mares and 260 stallions.[4]

Characteristics

Use

The Sanfratellano is used as a riding horse, as a harness horse, for agricultural work, for meat and for the production of mules.[5][6] Approximately half of all Italian mules are bred in Sicily.[5]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sanfratellano.
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Daniele Bigi, Alessio Zanon (2008). Atlante delle razze autoctone: Bovini, equini, ovicaprini, suini allevati in Italia (in Italian). Milan: Edagricole. ISBN 9788850652594.
  2. ^ Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016). Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding (sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. ISBN 9781780647944.
  3. ^ a b Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN 9789251057629. Archived 23 June 2020.
  4. ^ a b c Breed data sheet: Sanfratellano / Italy (Horse). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed June 2024.
  5. ^ a b c Cavallo Sanfratellano (in Italian). Ministero dell'Agricoltura, della Sovranità Alimentare e delle Foreste. Archived 6 April 2024.
  6. ^ Breed description: Sanfratellana. Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, School of Veterinary Medicine Hannover. Archived 14 October 2007.


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These are the horse breeds considered in Italy to be wholly or partly of Italian origin.
Many have complex or obscure histories, so inclusion here does not necessarily imply that a breed is predominantly or exclusively Italian.