Introduction to the Mangalarga Marchador
The Mangalarga Marchador is a gaited breed indigenous to Brazil, with a rich history, royal blood and a future as exciting as its past time. Although Mangalarga Marchadors are considered a rare breed in the United States, over 200,000 carefully bred and hand selected horses are registered in Brazil. The characteristics unique to the Mangalarga Marchador are widely sought after by cattlemen, endurance riders, sportsmen and pleasure riders around the world.
Mangalarga Marchador Breed History
The Mangalarga Marchador breeder’s organization (Associação Brasileira dos Criadores do Cavalo Mangalarga Marchador or ABCCMM), was founded in 1949 to document the lineage and preserve the traits that were intentionally bred into Mangalargas for over 180 years. To this day, Mangalarga Marchadors that are accepted into the ABCCMM must go through rigorous testing and meet certain guidelines that have been set to continue the precise breeding program that began in the early19th century.
The breed originated from one of the best young stallions bred by the Royal Alter Stud in Portugal, Sublime. Sublime was an Alter-Real stallion of pure Iberian descent brought to Brazil when the King of Portugal, D. Joao VI and the Royal Family were forced to leave the peninsula during the invasion and attack of Napoleon in 1807. Sublime was among the select Alter-Real horses that were immediately evacuated from Portugal and taken to Brazil for safety.
In 1812 Prince Pedro I presented Sublime to his friend, The Baron of Aldenas, Gabriel Francisco Junqueira, owner of the 70 year old breeding farm Hacienda Campo Alegre. Sublime was bred to select stock horses native to Brazil that were known for their smooth, fast, ground covering ambling gaits... the Barb... and the now extinct, Spanish Jennet. The outcome of this influential cross that was first called The Sublime Horse, paved the road for what we now know as the Mangalarga Marchador.
The name Mangalarga Marchador originated from the Hacienda Mangalarga, which was a working ranch located in Minas Gerais, Brazil that obtained several fine horses from Campo Alegre. Hacienda Mangalarga earned crucial notoriety for the new breed, when townsmen and fellow ranchers showed an interest and admiration for the qualities that set this breed apart. The locals began calling the Sublime Horse, Mangalargas, after the namesake of the Hacienda Mangalarga. Marchador derived from the work “Marcha” which was used to describe the smooth, ground covering, marching gait.
Gaits of the Mangalarga Marchador
Perhaps the most distinctive trait of the Mangalarga Marchador is their sought after gait that is unlike the gait of any other breed of horse. Mangalarga Marchadors have two gaits that are specific to the breed, as well as, a regular walk, canter and gallop. The “marcha” gaits are the marcha batida and the marcha picada. Both gaits are comfortable, ground covering, rhythmic and cadenced.
The marcha picada, which translates to “light touch” in Portuguese, is a lateral four-beat gait where the horse moves both legs on one side of its body at nearly the same time. The appearance of the marcha picada is similar to a pace, but the well seasoned horseman can see that the pace is broken by a fraction of a second when the rear leg touches the ground immediately before the front leg. Although it is strictly opinion, many Mangalarga Marchador enthusiasts say that the marcha picada is the smoother of the two gaits.
The marcha batida, Portuguese for “to hit” is also a four-beat gait, however the footfall is diagonal rather than lateral. This gait is similar in appearance to a trot. As mentioned above in the description of the marcha picada, the marcha batida also has a brief moment when the hind foot touches the ground before the front foot, hence the smooth stride.
Mangalarga Marchadors are the only breed of horse in the world today that can perform both lateral and diagonal gaits. In the marcha picada and the marcha batida, there is a short period of time within each stride where three hooves are on the ground at the same time. The longer three hooves remain on the ground, the smoother the gait, making Mangalarga Marchadors one of the most comfortable riding horses.
Mangalarga Marchador Characteristics
The ideal size of a Mangalarga Marchador is 15hh-16hh. In appearance, Mangalarga Marchadors closely resemble their Iberian ancestors. Their body lines are very smooth and set off by well defined musculature with the noble stature and presence of the royal horses they are. Their heads are slightly convex with a refined muzzle, tippy ears similar to those of an Arabian and large, soft eyes. Mangalarga Marchadors have well proportioned, large hooves and legs and are known as a hearty breed with very few health or lameness issues. Most Mangalarga Marchadors are kept barefoot for the duration of their life, even during rigorous riding regiments.
In Brazil, not only are Mangalarga Marchadors revered for their gait and durability, but also for their kind, trainable temperaments. Mangalarga Marchadors are often seen being ridden by very young small children, due to their calm, unflappable nature.
They also hold a title in the Guinness Book of World Records for the incredible feat of two 60 year old riders that completed an 18 month ride that spanned over 8,600 miles on two Mangalarga Marchadors! The endurance in the Mangalarga Marchador is comparable to an Arabian, but the ride is in pure comfort.
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Mangalarga Marchador History and Breed Information
by Leigh Hampton