The Hungarian sport horse (MSL) is a half-breed horse created on the basis of Hungarian half-breed breeds (Kisbéri half-breed, Gidrán, Furioso-North Star, and Nóniusz) and the Mezőhegyesi sport horse ("Hungarian half-breed for sporting purposes"). Its breeding program focuses on performance, following the example of the Holstein, Hanoverian, and KWPN breeds.
Hungarian sport horses successfully serve the increasingly popular equestrian sports, predominantly in show jumping and eventing, but also in carriage driving. This breed produced the horses that competed in Hungarian colors (Kemál-36, Zsizsik) and with foreign riders (Yamato (e.:Timpex Corall), Ó-féltíz, Parancs) were classified as Hungarian horses and participated in the Olympic Games. The Hungarian national anthem has been played several times at the World Championships for Young Horses in honor of Hungarian horses registered by the MSLT (Colombo, Keve, Timpex Centes). Hungarian sport horses form the backbone of our adult and junior national teams. In 2013, the children's national team won the bronze medal at the European Championships, with three of the four horses (Bognár Jen-Cor, Viador, Kitara) being MSLs. Among them, Bognár Jen-Cor (Coriander – Justboy), bred by Imre Bognár after Coriander, who was raised in Hortobágy, won an individual gold medal with Virág Weinhardt in the saddle. In 2015, two Hungarian sport horses contributed to our youth show jumping team's best team result to date (tied for 5th place with France): Prima (Justboy – Goliath) and Price (Carthago's Lucky Boy – Narcos II.). At the 2015 European Championships in Aachen, our show jumping team was also able to rely largely on Hungarian sport horses: Isti (Istafan – Lord Major), Timpex Bölcsész (Timpex Cabale – Hargita) and Zordon (Ginus – Goliath). Isti was among the top 50 riders and qualified for the third round, finishing in an impressive 32nd place, just missing out on the final.
The development of the breed
Between 1958 and 1962, Hungarian agriculture underwent a decisive change. Agricultural production, which had previously been based on small farms, became large-scale, resulting in significant job losses. At the same time, there was a need to find new uses for the remaining horse population, primarily to improve performance in sports, especially show jumping. To achieve this goal, the traditional breeds developed in Mezőhegyes (Nonius, Gidrán, Furioso-North Star) were transferred to other stud farms, and a new sport horse stud was established in Mezőhegyes from mares of mixed origin, but predominantly those that had been tried and tested in sport. These mares were mainly covered by Hanoverian, Holstein and English thoroughbred stallions. In the 1970s and 1980s, more and more German, Dutch, Belgian and French stallions were imported into Hungarian sport horse breeding, and today it can be said that almost all of the recognized sport horse lines in Europe are represented in the Hungarian sport horse population. The Hungarian sport horse breed is the result of crossbreeding traditional Hungarian half-breeds with Western European sport horse breeds.
Characteristics
Despite the wide genetic variance, the breed is relatively uniform in appearance, as the breeding objectives of the breeds used are similar. The desirable characteristics are a large frame, a straight head in proportion to body weight, a broad forehead and nape, a medium-high, high-set, long, well-arched neck, a blurred shoulder line, a long back, a medium-high croup, a medium-length but well-muscled back, a short, tight loin, a broad rump, a fairly deep, moderately barrel-shaped chest, broad joints, and a more or less regular leg structure.
The primary goal of the Hungarian sport horse breed is to breed horses suitable for riding, especially show jumping. In addition, suitable individuals from this breed are also selected for other equestrian sports. In addition to physical evaluation, tests for ideal riding characteristics are conducted during stallion and mare inspections and competitions. During the tests, special attention is paid to rideability, temperament, stride length, trot and canter, momentum, impulsion and regularity. In the case of young horses, jumping ability and style are assessed in a free jumping corridor.
Performance-oriented breeding and conformation assessments ensure that the characteristics of the breed are preserved. Mares can only be entered in the main stud book on the basis of a favorable assessment by the regional assessment committees or on the basis of their own performance and that of their offspring, and are classified into stud book classes (premium, preferred, elite). Stallions that have undergone stallion selection and performed well in their own performance tests can only obtain a final breeding license after demonstrating adequate sporting performance and producing approved offspring. Objective evaluation allows stallions that have had a difficult start to gain ground if they prove themselves through their performance. The issuance of a public breeding license is hereditary and subject to screening for diseases that significantly affect performance and usability.
Present and future
The Hungarian Sport Horse and Half-Blood Breeders' Association (MSLT), which maintains the breed, currently registers around 1,700 mares, with nearly 200 stallions licensed for breeding. Among the stallions, there are a significant number of foreign imports (mainly German, Dutch, French, and Belgian), English thoroughbred stallions, and offspring of imported stallions born in Hungary. Imported fresh and frozen semen from the world's best sport horses is often used in the breed. Embryo transfer is also a common breeding technique for excellent mares. A significant part of the stock is linked to the two state stud farms (Mezőhegyes, Hortobágy) and private stud farms (Mr. Tárbály's Timpex stud farm, Mr. Mihály Pataki's stud farm, Mr. István Bognár's stud farm, Rádiháza – Kabala stud farm, Enying – Sáripusztai stud farm, Mr. János Kocsi's Kincsem Lovaspark stud farm, the Varga family's Kabókapuszta stud farm), but small-scale breeding activities involving 1-5 mares are also significant.
