Italy – The Sanfratellano dei Nebrodi horse, the Sicilian breed par excellence

The Sanfratellano dei Nebrodi horse (or San Fratello breed) is an Italian breed which borns from the Messina area. Majestic and rustic, docile and proud, the Sanfratellano horse has been the undisputed master of the Nebrodi mountains for centuries. Discover now all our trips, tours, holidays and horse trekking in Italy. Its origins are very ancient, a mix of history and legend come together increasing its irrefutable charm. It is said that its origins directly come from the Sicilian horses (equus sicanus), which were famous in ancient times and mentioned by the Greeks and Romans. But a lot of people believe that they descend from the horses that the Lombards had left in the wake of Regina Adelaide di Casale Monferrato, third wife of Ruggero I, who remained in the old San Filadelfio, today San Fratello, from which the name also originates. This horse lived wild and free in the woods of San Fratello, enduring the harsh and long winters and the hot and sunny summers, living with what nature offered it: this resulted in a natural selection of the species, allowing only stronger and healthier animals to survive and reproduce.

Beauty, strenght and adaptability soon attracted the interest of enthusiasts and scholars, who, thanks also to the serious and fruitful work of breeders with the precious collaboration of the Istituto Incremento Ippico of Catania, have favored several crosses with Arabian and Maremman horses which have allowed us to obtain a splendid animal from a morphological point of view, resistant to fatigue and adaptable to different attitudes. The characteristic features of these specimens are the uniform color coat in the morello, bay and chestnut bay varieties. Nowadays the Sanfratellano horse is successfully engaged in trekking, sport and hippotherapy activities . It is loved for its beauty , proud spirit and great adaptability . Breeders have hoped for official recognition of the breed for years but this still appears to be a mirage to date.