The Mangalarga Marchador in Endurance Events

Tags: Mangalarga Marchador Horse, Training, Endurance, Competition

 

The Mangalarga Marchador is a Brazilian horse breed with unique characteristics of a typical gait and high levels of endurance. Being the National Horse of Brazil, the Mangalarga Marchadors possess a rich historical background and are basically a product of the agricultural area and its haciendas.

One of the most popular horses in South America today, the Mangalarga Marchador was basically developed by Gabriel Francisco Junquiera in 1822. He bred Sublime, an Alter Real Stallion to the native mares of Spanish Jennet and Barb blood to evolve the breed gradually.

The horses of this breed have an attractive appearance, having a height between 14.2 and 16 hands and weighing around 1,000 pounds. With a triangular head, straight profile and medium-length neck, these horses are quite reminiscent of the Barb horses.

The most common colors in these horses are grays, bays and chestnuts. These horses are also well known for their unique set of gaits, including the Marcha Batida, which means 'to hit' and Marcha Picada, implying 'light touch'.

Endurance Levels

The horses of the Mangalarga Marchador breed hail from the agricultural pastures of their native land. The farmers of these regions have always regarded these horses as animals of high versatility and endurance and have used them accordingly for a variety of functions.

Owing to their high endurance levels, these horses have been trusted with a variety of tasks including the management of large agricultural farms and cattle ranches, along with cutting, endurance riding, trail and pleasure riding, jumping and polo.

There are a series of endeavors and efforts that are basically done in order to preserve and perfect these essential features and characteristics. Annual tests and competitions are organized where the conformation, type, gait and functional performance are judged.

Apart from performing well in other activities, the horses of the Mangalarga Marchador breed have also been known to perform extremely well in various equestrian games including the likes of horse polo.

The importance of such endurance levels in these horses can be judged from the fact that an endurance test is one of the main rigorous tests that are carried out as a part of the conformation tests at various shows.

Guinness Book Record Holder

Owing to its amazing endurance levels and wonderful performances in such events, the Mangalarga Marchador horse has also earned a space for itself in The Guinness Book of World Records. As per the record, in 1994, two 60-year old Brazilian men completed a whopping 8,694 miles trail ride in order to prove the stamina levels of the Mangalarga Marchador. For an entire span of one and a half year, they rode all day and rested at night, that too with the same horses.

This feat later found a much-deserved mention in The Guinness Book of World Records, thereby bringing the breed a lot of attention and appreciation.

Owing to such amazing performance levels, these horses continue to be a much sought after breed for both purposes, functional as well as for shows and competitions.

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