Italy – Breeds: the horse symbol of the Bourbon Kingdom, the Persano

Italy – Breeds: the horse symbol of the Bourbon Kingdom, the Persano

The origin of the Persano horse is traditionally traced back to the year 1742, when Charles III of Bourbon started the selection to give life to the ” governing breed of Persano “. To this end he began to cross, in the Persano estate in Campania, mares of the Neapolitan, Sicilian, Calabrese and Pugliese breed with stallions of the oriental-turra breed and subsequently also Andalusians to improve the breed. For more than a century the Persano was considered one of the finest breeds existing in Italy, until 1874, when it was officially suppressed with a decree issued by the Minister of War Cesare Ricotti . All the animals were thus sold in the animal markets of Salerno. This act was wanted by the Savoy dynasty, in an attempt to erase the marks left by the Bourbon dynasty in the Kingdom of the two Sicilies, over the years the Persano horse had in fact become one of the symbols of the Bourbon Kingdom (today a trace of it remains in the coat of arms of the province of Naples where it is represented in a rampant position dominated by a crown).

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It was only in 1900 that the breed was officially rebuilt, thanks to a new decree issued by the then Minister of War: the mares, chosen by a commission of high cavalry officers and veterinarians, were found among the neighboring farms and the regiments and schools of Cavalry.

Following the suppression of the Quadruped Supply Center, which took place in 1954, the Persanos were reduced to about fifty mares, transferred to the Quadruped Collection Center in Grosseto, under the authority of the Ministry of Defense.

Speaking of conformation , the breed features an elongated head with a long neck. The shoulder is rightly inclined, the withers are pronounced and the back-lumbar line is short; the loins are short, the rump is sloping and short; the chest is broad and the chest is deep.

The limbs are regular, rather slender; the joints are regular, and the gait is very harmonious and elegant; the aplombs are regular.

Thanks to its docile and courageous temperament, the Persano is now used not only for equestrian sports but also for horse-riding .