Shagya Hungarian Arabian

The Turkish conquers brought early stock into Hungary, similar to those which were taken into Poland. However the main foundation for today's stock is also from the desert horses collected from the desert during the 19th century.

The Shagya is the famous and superb Hungarian Arabian which is bred in Babolna. More than two million of these Arabs were produced at the end of the 19th century, prior to the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Some of these were the greatest studs worldwide. Hungary's oldest stud farm was founded in 1785 at Mezöhegyes, and the stud at Babolna was established in 1789. Babolna Stud has become the famous center for Arab breeding in Hungary, having such great sires as Shagya and the Bedouin stallion, Kuhaylan Zaid.

Concentrating on the production of purebred "desert" Arabians after 1816, the Babolna stud also produced part-breds, which were called Arabian Race. These were the progeny of purebred stallions which were crossed with mares which had a very oriental appearance. These mares carried Spanish, Hungarian and Thoroughbred blood, and they are the foundation of the Shagya Arabian. As well as in Hungary, today the Shagya is bred throughout Central and Eastern Europe. The foundation stallion of this race of horses is Shagya, a horse of the Kehil/Siglavi strain. Shagya was a cream-colored horse and he was born in 1830 and imported to Babolna from Syria in 1836. He was big for an Arabian at 15.2 1/2 hands high. He became the sire of many successful stallions and direct descendants of Shagya are found at Babolna and at studs throughout Europe.

The Shagya is typically Arabian in every respect, possibly displaying more bone and substance than the modern "straight" Egyptian type. The Shagya is a practical horse which is used for every sort of purpose in harness and under saddle. Originating from Hungary, he is now found in Austria, Germany, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Yugoslavia, and the United States. He has an aptitude as a riding horse and for light draft with the qualities of speed and stamina and an energetic and lively temperament.

Shagya was noted for his beautiful head, and his descendants inherit this quality. His profile is pronouncedly dished, with a small and tapered muzzle with exceptionally fine skin, and his very large eyes dominate the head. His beautiful head is dominated by large eyes and he has a remarkably wide forehead. He has the necessary oblique shoulder that contributes to the freedom of movement and length of stride required for saddle horses, which is more conventional than those of the Arabian. His withers are more prominent that many other Arab strains. Like purebred Arabians, he has 17 ribs, 5 lumbar bones and 16 tail vertebrae. This accounts for the distinctive line of the back and the high carriage of the tail. His outline is identical to that of the purebred Arabian and quite unmistakable. He is generally bigger and more substantially framed that the purebred Arab.

As a practical riding horse, the Shagya Arabian has a cannon bone measurement, taken below the knee, that will rarely be less than 7 1/2". His hooves should be, and usually are, near perfect in both shape and size, as are those of the great majority of other Arabian horses. While the Arabian has a largely undeserved reputation for having poor hind legs, but little criticism can be made of the notably correct hind limbs of the Shagya Arabian.

The Shagya's predominant color is gray, but all of the Arabian colors occur. O'Bajan XIII, the "Black Pearl of Hungary" and his son were black, which is the rarest of Arabian colors. Both of these stallions were at Babolna following the World War II. Since it is customary throughout Europe to brand stock on the quarter or shoulder, the brand denotes the family and the stud of one horse's origin. (For example, the 6-rayed sun over the number 38 is used in my book.)

The free and elastic action of the Shagya is like that of all Arabians, as though the horse were moving on springs. It is customary for stud farms to allow small herds of mares, often accompanied by a stallion, to run at liberty most of the year. This is done under supervision of the state stud farm breeders and handlers.

Look for an update on this breed in the future.

For more information on Shagya Arabians, visit:

• Dr. Jessica Jahiel's response to one of her reader's questions
• The Shagya Arabian Horse
• Shagya Arabians
• Oklahoma State University, Shagya
• Bibliography

For information on the Arabian, visit:

• Elite Arabian