PHILOSOPHY

Our stud farm is in Alto Adige, in a small village called Vanga, near Bolzano, on the Renon plateau at a height of 1,000 meters, and it’s probably the highest stud farm in Europe.

The background of this plateau are the Dolomites, with their magnificent and inaccessible peaks, the last refuge for the few superb birds of prey remaining; and it is certainly one of the most beautiful and impressive landscapes in the entire Alpine range. On our plateau the sun shines all year long, the climate is never extremely rigid, and the winter snowfalls rearely cause any damage to the agriculture. All these situations put together mean that the flora flourishes, the woods are neverending, the grass grows healthy and abundant, full of those nutritional substances that are so necessary for the breeding of our horses.

The altitude, the climate, the sun, the light but constant humidity due to a dyke situated at the foot of our farm, the richness of the water, the pure and uncontaminated air, all mean living a healthy life. The horses remain outside in spring, summer and most of the autumn, free and under the sunshine, feeding on the grass that emanates a heady perfume and that for them signifies strenght, health and vitality. Twenty large loose boxes and free stall for the foals, a riding school, a small arena and separate stables for the stallions. Some stables have small individual paddocks so the horse can go out as it pleases. Other much large paddocks, spacious and in the open air, are located all over the farm so that even in winter season our horses can always have their daily outing.

When hundred of years ago a man, from the sedentary and humble herdsman that he was, started to look towards the horizon and to feel the desire to know better the immense and unknown space that spread before him, his attention fell automatically and logically on the lean and swift legs of the horse, the only thing that could help him make this dream come true. And so man tamed the horse, which became on one side a faithful, irreplaceable and docile companion, on the other side an accomplice in war, violence and destruction. A hymn dedicated to the horse by the Arabians, the people that certainly more than any other have loved and celebrated the horse almost to the point of making it legendary, reads: “Eagle, come down or I will rise towards you”, almost like a challenge from the horse to the bird of prey, ruler of the skies.

Throughout the history of the horse, for the Arabian people it was not only a work tool or a war machine, but also a faithful companion, the only perfect being that Allah gave to man, their national pride, the symbol of their pride as warriors and free man. The Arabian horse, derived from Syrian and Iranian stock, arrived in Arabia in about the third century BC. Here it found an inhospitable climate, parched and torrid, that together with a dry and scarcely green ground, contributed to make it become smaller. The soft and dry ground of the desert made the hooves become small and strong and consequently the legs slim, agile and swift.

Obliged to do long gallops and rapid changes of pace to grant the wishes of the Arabian tribesmen, the horse developed a deep chest and consequentily long-distance resistance as well as incredible speed, reinforcing the muscles of the rear part of the body that, miraculously, always remaned light and in perfect harmony with the slim and receding stomach. Add to this perfect physical body the docile and friendly character of an animal that certainly seeks and wants man, that sees in him not an enemy but a companion that takes care of him and defends him.

The Arabian horse need man’s words, caresses, and encouragement in all those situations that it does not understand and is afraid of. This is the reason why we breed Arabian Thoroughbreds, that still have the qualities of the original desert horses, because they are the only horses amongst all the breeds to possess a perfect and powerful physical harmony, and a character that is both docile and proud at the same time. The Arabian horse is more than a simple animal, it is a unique harmony, almost a symphony of bauty and strength.