The Bardigiano horse does not reach a height of one and a half meters on average and because of its small size it is often called Pony. This breed is Italian and takes its name from a town, Bardi, located in the province of Parma, on the Tuscan-Emilian-Ligurian Apennines. Born in the mountains, this horse is used to living in this environment and we can still find some herds that live in a semi-wild state, while other specimens are in breeding farms, given that it is a useful and trainable animal. Today there are about 3,000 Bardigiano horses registered in the Genealogical Book.
Bardigiano Horse: Origins
This breed was born and nurtured in the Ceno valley, in Bardi, and has characteristics that recall other horses from which we can hypothesize its origins. For example, it has the appearance of the Asturian Pony and the Exmoor, both breeds deriving from Celtic ponies. Some think that these animals are its ancestors, but there are also other theories that are good to know.
In fact, there are those who trace its origins back to the Roman era , when animals were imported from Belgian Gaul that would have been used for cavalry and the transport of materials and among these there would have been some ancestor of our Bardigiano. Other sources still support yet another theory that states that the Bardigiano arrived on the Apennines, later, around the 5th century, after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, following the Frankish warriors, who brought it through Liguria. The current breed would be the result of crossbreeding with other local horses.
Over time there were other changes to the breed, for example between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries some local nobles tried to modify the appearance of the breed, to make them more refined , through crossbreeding with stallions of the Friulian breed. In the following centuries the horses were bred by local farmers who kept them in the wild.
Let’s jump forward in time to the post-war period when the Bardigiano went through a period of serious crisis, risking extinction but the breed was saved by the State by crossing it with Haflinger and Franches-Montagnes stallions.
It would not have been a virtuous rescue because these breeds would have “dirtied” the Bardigiano one, local breeders were well aware of this and managed to oppose it, clandestinely mating their mares with native stallions. It was thanks to this rebellious act that today we can still admire this equine breed with its real characteristics.
In the following years, the Comunità Montana dell’Appennino Parmense, in collaboration with the Provincial Breeders Association, started a new selection and recovery program that in 1977 led to the establishment of the Bardigiano Horse Genealogical Book (LG), through a specific Ministerial Decree. The same year, the Bardigiano National Show debuted, which has continued to be held in Bardi (PR) since then, every first weekend of August.
Bardigiano Horse: Characteristics
Average height at the withers, 145 centimeters (Height at the withers: – Males: 140–149 cm – Females: 135–147 cm), this horse can show off a decidedly robust physique, perfect for facing a life in the mountains, with many slopes to climb and descend, even impervious ones. Its head harmonizes well with the rest of the body and is equipped with a broad forehead, also typical of ponies, but a tapered muzzle with a slightly snub profile (inherited from the Arabian).
The ears stick out even if they are small and mobile, the nostrils are small and have very long breathing channels , this characteristic is linked to the mountain nature of the breed because in this way when the air passes it has time to warm up before entering the lungs. The neck is short and muscular and equipped with a decidedly very thick mane, the shoulders are strong and straight and the chest is broad.
It is no coincidence that this horse was used to carry the pack because it has a strong and also long back that seems made especially for that. The quarters are round and muscular, the tail is bushy and set low while the legs are short and well placed and have well-pronounced joints and strong and elastic tendons. The hooves are rather wide and have a rounded shape, they are also solid and seem made especially for climbing difficult mountain paths. As for the coat colors, we find bay, dark bay or black specimens.
Rather recently, breeders have revised the selection criteria, starting to prefer specimens with a lighter structure and more elegant shapes. To obtain horses with these characteristics, crosses with Bardarab stallions have been made , which introduce a low percentage of Arab blood into the breed, which helps to improve the physical structure and make the gait more elastic.
Bardigiano Horse: character
As we can imagine, in addition to the mountain physique, the Bardigiano also has a mountain character, so it is a sweet and obedient horse but not particularly expansive, but never afraid of fatigue, cold and bad weather. It is determined and courageous.
Bardigiano Horse: Aptitudes
Tireless as only he and few other horses can be, the Bardigiano has been used very often throughout history both as a pack horse and as a draft horse. Today it is no longer used in this sense but with the latest morphological developments, an animal has been obtained that can be used well for horseback riding , especially in the most mountainous or impervious areas. At times it is also used as a light draft horse and, taking advantage of its sweet and willing character, it is also used for hippotherapy or to teach horse riding.
Bardigiano Horse: breeding
In Italy we can find several Bardigiano farms , in its area of origin but not only. One of all is “Bardigiani di San Bartolo”, but online you can find several suggestions. There are also farms outside Italy, for example in Germany and Hungary.