Shagya

Shagya breed of horses are used for riding and pulling carriages.  It's among the Arabian breed, but is very rare and therefore not known worldwide.  Shagya was first developed about 150 or 200 years ago- from military stud farms of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy.  They originated from purebred, desert living Arabians, and lived a fairly isolated life.  Today's shagya's are not as pure as previous generations because of consolidation in the breed.

Shagya's are elegant and born with a friendliness towards humans.  They have the advantages known to Bedouin Arabian horses, including hardiness, endurance, toughness and being easy to keep.  Shagya's meet the requirements of good riding horses; they are tall, have smooth and comfortable movements for riding, and jump well.

When shagya's were developed, their purpose was to provide military with a good riding horse as well as carriage horses, and a breed that would supply breeding stallions that could be used to improve other breeds of horses.  They were created in the Austro-Hungarian military stud farms, mostly in Babolna, Piber, and Radautz; but also in Bulgaria, Romania and czechoslovakia.

In addition to being military horses, Shagya's were also used by European royalty.