Many common horse breeds originated from breeding programs that produced horses to meet the needs of mounted soldiers in previous centuries. One such breed is the Shagya Arabian. These are not purebred Arabians, because they have some ancestors that were not Arabians. Different breeds are no longer introduced into the bloodlines however, and these horses can be referred to as purebred Shagya Arabians, although not purebred Arabians.


Confusing? No horse with bloodlines that are not pure Arabian can ever be registered as an Arabian no matter how small or distant an out-crossing may be. Shagya Arabians are regarded as a distinct breed however, and have their own registry. But they are always regarded by any Arabian horse registry as a part-bred or Anglo-Arab.

Body Type

The Shagya Arabian is heavier bodied, and larger boned than most Arabians. This made the Shagya Arabian more suitable for cavalry, while retaining the agility, stamina and intelligence of the purebred Arabian. Breeds like Lipizzaner, Thoroughbred, and native horses of the Austro-Hungarian empire where the breed originated from were used in developing this breed. As a result, Shagyas have the high tail and neck set of the Arabian, but tend not to be as ‘typey” as purebreds.

Size

Perhaps the most distinctive feature of these horses is their size. While the Arabian breed standard specifies 14.1 to 15.1 hands as the correct height, Shagya Arabians are taller and heavier, with individuals of 16hh quite common.

Rarely are Shagya Arabians smaller than 15 hh.

 

Colors and Markings

Despite the introduction of bloodlines other than pure Arabian, the Shagya Arabian is mainly grey, with some chestnut, blacks and bays.

  Origins

The Shagya Arabian was developed in the the Austro-Hungarian Empire during the late 1700s to early 1800s. The Imperial Hussars of the empire required a sturdy, agile and intelligent horse, capable of carrying a cavalry officer over long distances. Eventually, the breed was used as both a riding and driving horse. Although many horses have been introduced in the development of the breed, it’s named after one particular grey stallion ‘Shagya’, Today, Shagya shows up on the pedigrees of most of individuals of the breed.

Five major studs within the Austro-Hungarian Empire were involved in creating the breed. Shagya Arabians appear in the pedigrees of many other riding horse and warmblood breeds in Europe. The did not appear in North America until the 1980s, even though their registry is one of the oldest in Europe.

Unique characteristics

The Shagya Arabian was developed to retain all of the qualities of the purebred Arabian, but with greater size. These horses were bred to be slightly larger than a purebred, to carry a cavlary rider with equipment over long distances.

 

Uses

This breed was originally developed to provide suitable mounts for the cavalry and officers. It was used both as a riding horse and as a driving horse. Today it is regarded as a sport horse and used for many disciplines. As an endurance horse, it is able to carry greater weight than smaller Arabians, with the same surefootedness, and stamina on the trail. Many people feel it is a better at jumping than purebreds. With it’s natural carriage and elegance, it is a good choice for dressage. And, it can still be found in harness in everything from pleasure driving to combined driving events.

Arabians have long been used in the development of many light horse breeds—in fact all light horse breeds will have an Arabian in their bloodlines. The Shagya Arabian, with it’s greater size and sturdiness has been used to improve many warmblood breeds and types. Breeds like the Trakehner, Westphalian, Hanoverian, Holstieners, Dutch and German Warmbloods and other European breeds can have Shagya Arabians in their bloodlines.