It is the shagya horse from Bábolna, a Hungarian city near the Austrian-Slovak border. In 1789, Commander Joseph Csekonics founded the Bábolna stud with a cross between the Arab thoroughbreds and the mares of the Transylvanian breed selected for dressage who had stood out for their resistance, tenacity and courage. Its purpose was to get a strong, fast and brave cavalry for the imperial army. A Bedouin stallion named Shagya , imported from Syria in 1836, emerged as the most suitable for this purpose.
The shagya is ideal in very diverse equestrian disciplines : complete, jumping, trec, raid, hitching and dressage. In addition, he has an excellent character , a lot of frankness and respect for man . The Bábolna stud farm can be visited, and its magnificent shagya specimens are joined by a museum where the names of the most illustrious parents of this breed are collected.
