Intro
The Giara horse native to the island of Sardinia, Italy and they are found on a large, basalt plateau in the south of the island. Recently a small number of animals have been re-introduced into other parts of Sardinia in the hopes of growing their numbers. They among the few Italian breeds that have not been influenced by English Thoroughbred.
Origins
The origins of this breed are uncertain, some say that they came from Greek animals in the 4th or 5th century BC. However, fossil records indicate that horses have been domesticated by people on the island since close to 6000 BC. There are other theories about their origins, they could come from Arabian and North African Horses which were later infused with Andalusian blood in the late 15th or early 16th centuries. However by the early 18th century horse breeding in the area declined.
These animals lived in the wild all over Sardinia until the Middle Ages and for the most part they were completely isolated which protected their bloodlines. The breed is raised semi-feral and live in family groups that keep to their own territory. Today, according to the DAD-IS lists them as critical and as of 2023 there were 273 animals left.
Features
Average height 11.3 – 12.2
Physique
Head is wedge shaped with a straight or slightly convex profile
Eyes are large and expressive
Ears are small and pointed inwards
Neck is medium in length, muscular and arched
Shoulder is muscular and sloped
Back is short and can be hollow
Chest is deep and wide
Legs are slender with strong joints
Hooves are small and sound
Traditional Colors
Temperament
Strong character and tend to be restless
Use
Preserving bloodlines
Riding horse