The development of the breed began in 1841, following the establishment of the Imperial and Royal Stud Farm. The aim was to produce large, bony, heavy individuals with good working abilities, suitable for military service. The founding stallions of the breed were Furioso Senior and North Star Senior, both English thoroughbreds with good bone structure, lean legs, and outstanding appearance, whose good qualities were passed on to their offsprings, making them suitable to become dominant stallions in the horse breeding program at Mezőhegyes. Furioso Senior, a bay English thoroughbred stallion, was born in 1836 in Count György Károlyi's stud farm in Derekegyháza. His sire, Privater, imported from England, carried in his genes the advantageous traits of the famous Herod-Eclipse mating combination, which were also evident in the stallion's galloping performance. He won significant races in both England and Hungary. His dam, Miss Fury, also from an exemplary pairing, was born in England to a sire named Whalebone, who belonged to the Eclipse line, and was triple-related to one of the grandsons of the excellent Matchem. She proved to be a fertile mare with good breeding qualities. She had fourteen foals, many of which performed well on the racetrack.
Furioso also won difficult races, and in 1841 he was transferred, undefeated to the Mezőhegyes half-breed stud farm, where he sired 95 colts and 81 fillies during his ten years of breeding. Compared to other thoroughbred stallions, Furioso's offspring stood out from the half-breed stud farm with their nobility, robustness, and solid build. They clearly reflected their sire's strong bone structure, flawless physique, and slender legs.
North Star Senior, a black English thoroughbred stallion, was born in England in 1844 and bred by Lord Fitzwilliam. His sire, Jaques – the half-brother of the famous Newminster – represented the powerful Eclipse line with excellent performance. His dam, Ringlet – also a stallion belonging to the Eclipse line – was the daughter of Whisker. This mare was repeatedly inbred to the Herod line. North Star arrived in Hungary in 1852 and stood at stud in Mezőhegyes from 1853 to 1861 in a bay English half-blood stud, where he sired 53 colts and 61 fillies. He was a large, lively, handsome horse with good movement and exceptional stamina. His offspring typically matured late, which is why they were paired with more robust, vigorous furiosos.
The two founding stallions, Furioso Senior and North Star Senior, have similar pedigrees and share many similarities. Both stallions were used for breeding, and after a few generations, the two lines were separated and four genealogical lines were established (Furioso "A", Furioso "B", North Star "A", North Star "B"), whose systematic combination ensured the genetic diversity necessary for breed improvement. Any undesirable faults and deficiencies that arose were corrected with the help of carefully selected English thoroughbred stallions. The Furioso-North Star, or Mezőhegyesi half-breed, breed can be traced back to 1867.
The breed was extremely popular for military use and agricultural exploitation. Over the next hundred years, historical events caused the breed's development and spread to suffer several setbacks, until the late 1980s, when it was decided to start breeding traditional Hungarian breeds again, separating them genetically and phenotypically. The year 1989 was a decisive one in the life of the breed, as by then a significant number of horses were in private hands, but the cooperatives and farms that were still in operation also joined the work of the Furioso – North Star National Horse Breeders' Association, which was entrusted with maintaining the breed. The Association is still responsible for the organization of breeding and breed maintenance today. In the early 2000s , after lengthy preparations, an agreement was reached among breeders in Hungary and beyond its borders on the need for international cooperation, which today helps to promote the breed and breed it according to uniform breeding objectives by organizing regular international inspections and consultations.
The Furioso – North Star breed was declared a National Treasure in 2004!
Due to its low population, which numbers around 500 brood mares and 80 stallions, it is classified as a protected native breed!
