The Tolfetano or Cavallo Tolfetano is a breed of horse from the northern part of the

Lazio Lazio ( , ; ) or Latium ( , ; from Latium, the original Latin name, ) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy. Situated in the Central Italy, central peninsular section of the country, it has 5,714,882 inhabitants an ...

region of Italy. It is indigenous to the

Monti della Tolfa The Monti della Tolfa (or Tolfa Mountains) are a volcanic group in the Anti-Apennines of the northern part of the Lazio region of Central Italy. They are bounded by the Tyrrhenian Sea coast to the west, by the Monti Sabatini to the east, and b ...

range of hills which lie within the Maremma Laziale, and which give the breed its name. The harsh terrain and limited resources of the area are thought to have contributed to the resistant and frugal nature of the breed. The Tolfetano is one of the fifteen indigenous horse "breeds of limited distribution" recognised by the AIA, the Italian breeders' association. At the end of 2008 it was present in 15 Italian provinces, with a total registered population of 1085.

History

The horse is thought to represent the original version of the better known "

Maremmano The Maremmano is a breed of horse originating in the Maremma area of Tuscany and northern Lazio in Italy. Traditionally a hardy working horse used by the Buttero, ''Butteri'' for livestock management, it is today principally a saddle horse. Exte ...

", before the introduction of

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

blood in the Maremmano breed. According to some the Tolfetano derives from

Mongolia Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...

n horses that found their way into

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

following the hordes of Bulgarian invaders who accompanied the

Lombards The Lombards () or Longobards () were a Germanic peoples, Germanic people who conquered most of the Italian Peninsula between 568 and 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written betwee ...

in their conquest of the northern half of Italy. According to others it originated as a mixture of indigenous horses, barb horses and Spanish horses. Whatever the origin the Tolfetano of today is a working horse, the favorite mounts of the local

cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the ''vaquero'' ...

s (called " Butteri" in Italian) in the " Maremma Laziale".

Characteristics

The Tolfetano's physique is stockier than its Maremmano cousin and is well-suited to carry weight. Most Tolfetanos stand to and have a

cannon bone The limbs of the horse are structures made of dozens of bones, joints, muscles, tendons, and ligaments that support the weight of the equine body. They include three apparatuses: the suspensory apparatus, which carries much of the weight, preve ...

circumference of .

References

External links

Tolfetano national Horse Society

Tolfetano Horse Association

Tolfetano Stallion
Horse breeds Horse breeds originating in Italy {{Horse-breed-stub

History

Characteristics

See also

References

External links