Pictures courtesy of Rudolphi Archives

The air whistled with arrows, the ground shook under the horses’ hooves.
Arrows fell on the riders and shrieked past their ears. A man fell from his horse, never to rise. “Fall back!” one of the raiders cried, spurring his horse away from the city. The small group of marauders followed him away from the resistance, but they weren’t out of danger. The raiders’ horses were fast and agile, but their pursuers were close behind. A few of the men turned in the saddle to shoot at pursuing targets, using only their seat and legs to control the racing horses. The raiders came over the rise of a hill and relief flooded into them.

Pictures courtesy of Rudolphi Archives

Waiting behind the hill, hidden from the city’s protectors, was the main group of raiders. They were nomads who had crossed the Carpathian Mountains in 896 AD.  The looters rejoined their ranks and fired a volley of arrows at the pursuers as they crested the hill. They pulled the defenders away from the security of the city, leaving the city open for attack from the larger force. With the city exposed, the thieves charged in. Men shot arrows in every direction, the reins loose.  In the chaos they plundered and escaped with their loot on the small, quick horses.

 The staged attack, retreat, assault and final escape devised by the nomads would have been impossible without their mounts. These oriental horses were the foundation of the Hungarian breed, whose versatility and characteristics have influenced horses in much of the world, including the United States. The Hungarian breed’s history of survival is extensive, but it is a history in which Nebraska eventually played a pivotal role.

These nomads brought small, elegant yet hardy horses from the Ural-Altai plains in the east. They settled in the lowlands of the Danube (Duna) and Tisza Rivers in Hungary, and though they established homes, they did not take to farming. Instead, they looted towns and villages as far away as Italy, Germany, France, and Spain, commanding fear and reverence from their victims.

Word spread of these raiders until fear prompted action in 955 AD. Emperor Otto I and the Bishop of Augsburg conquered the Hungarian raiders and sent them home in pain and humiliation. In defeat, the horse warriors converted from stealing to farming.

Their combatant ways had ended entirely by 1242, when Tatars from Mongolia invaded Hungary. But the Tatars did not linger in Hungary, and they left after their leader died. Many of their horses were left behind, which added to the genetics of what was becoming today’s Hungarian Horse.

Hungary was again invaded in 1526 by the Ottoman Turks. Their fine Turkish and Arabian horses became important in the lines of nobles’ horses in Transylvania. Even today Erdelyi, meaning Transylvanian, can be found in old pedigrees. The Ottomans stayed for nearly 150 years, but once they left, Europe was in peace.

Small, hardy horses continued to be used in farms, but the military and aristocrats of Hungary preferred breeding Spanish and Neapolitan stallions for their size and style. Empress Maria Therezia (1740 ­ 1780) realized Hungary was unable to supply appropriate sums of horses for the military. She issued several steps to be taken to ensure better horses in larger numbers for the imperial army.

Stallions were issued for free stud services, mares were loaned to farmers, and people began hand breeding to improve their privately owned horses.  In 1784, Maria Therezia’s son, Joseph II, founded the Mezohegyes stud farm.  A few years later the Babolna stud farm and the Kisber stud farm were also built.

In the early 1800’s the Napoleonic wars, later followed by the Hungarian revolution, threatened the breed’s purity. Although the breed was negatively influenced, it remained strong.

In 1867 the stud farms were turned over to the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture.  Since then all the breeding and management decisions were controlled by the government, but the army remained in control of everyday affairs on the stud farms. To improve the breed, horses were imported from Belgium, France, Austria and Germany. However, these cold blood, or draft horses, had little to no affect on the breed. Thus the term “warmblood”-referring to light horses such as Arabians or Thoroughbreds crossed with draft breeds-does not apply to Hungarians.

By the 1900’s Hungarian horses were a great influence in endurance riding, racing and Olympic eventing. This reputation was partly due to a note made of the Vienna to Berlin endurance race held in 1892. The distance of the race was 361 miles. There were 217 entrees, but only 145 horses finished; of the top twenty-four horses, two-thirds were bred in Hungary.  Competitors flocked to these horses, but their popularity grew in more than the competitive world. Several countries of Europe, the Middle East and America began using Hungarians in their military breeding programs.

When World War II engulfed Europe, Hungary was swept into the wide spread devastation. One of the greatest fears Hungarian breeders faced was the Soviet Army. Half the breeding stock was sent to Germany under the hope that occupying Americans would protect the valuable horses. The other half of the breeding stock was scattered among farms and isolated villages to be hidden from the Red Army. Some were later taken to other countries via train, cross-country riding, or driving in herds.

In May 1945 U.S. troops, including General Patton, enjoyed a performance at the Spanish Riding School in St. Martin, Austria. Not long after this performance, 1200 horses were taken to Bavaria, part of American-occupied Germany. This was not the last act of General Patton to help preserve the Hungarian horses. Despite the efforts made, many of the thousands of horses were lost or killed.

One of the few people to grasp the importance of these horses was Col. Fred Hamilton. As the Chief of the Remount Service, Col. Hamilton selected 106 Hungarian horses to be used in the United States. A number of Hungarians were brought to Fort Robinson, Neb., the largest army remount depot in the world, for the army’s breeding program.

However, the end of World War II marked the end of horses used actively in the U.S. military. In 1949, the remount service was disbanded.

The Hungarian horses were saved from disappearance thanks to Hungarian Countesses Judith Gyurky and Margit Sigray-Bessenyey, Nebraska’s ranching Cooksley family, and another American rancher Jim Edwards. The countesses brought horses to the U.S. while Steve Cooksley and Jim Edwards acquired horses from the remount stations. The army’s careful breeding records also helped to keep the breed intact.

Edwards received a stallion named Honpolgar 4 from the army, and so made business arrangements with Bessenyey, who owned mares but not a stud. Cooksley and Edwards then chose a suitable colt from the foal crop. Edwards raised and then leased the colt for breeding Cooksley’s mares. These three individuals held the makings of the Hungarian Horse Association of America. With the help of Gyurky and Dr. Ensminger of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the book of pedigrees was recorded. In 1966 the Hungarian Horse Association of America (HHAA) was officially born.

Classifications for the HHAA, resulting from DNA, breeding, registration, and heritage are represented in four classes: the Hungarian Felver Book, Hungarian Sportlo Book, Hungarian Fajta (Part-bred) Book, and the Hungarian Riding ponies.

The Hungarians can be characterized by their intelligence and athleticism and can be used for many different disciplines. “They have a good disposition,” explained Katy Jones, Equestrian team hunt seat coach at University of Nebraska ­ Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture and active member of HHAA, “I think that is why they are so versatile. And they are very smart.”

Linda Rudolphi, registrar of the HHAA, raises horses in Noble, Illinois. “[Hungarian] horses have well-rounded, cross-discipline backgrounds ranging from polocrosse, distance riding, dressage, jumping and even some calf roping and reining.” she said, describing the horses on Wine Glass farms. They have an “…excellent disposition for the family sport horse.” 

The Hungarians are gifted with speed, agility, good balance, and endurance, making them excellent mounts in athletic events. They are loyal and very willing to work. Hungarians are built to learn with a broad head and well-set eyes. Dense bone structure, large joints and well muscled loins add to their athleticism. In addition, they have good lung capacity due to well-sprung ribs and a heart girth which exceeds their height by nearly six to nine inches.

Horses of all types have always been important to Nebraska industry. According to the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, Nebraska horse owners hold over 180,000 horses and supply $700 million annually to the agricultural industry. Compared to the Quarter Horses, which in Nebraska boasted 88,555 registered horses in 2005, Hungarians seem a small part.
Today only 376 Hungarian horses live in the entire United States. George and Barb Cooksley of Anselmo, Nebraska, witnessed 118 of those horses bred on their ranch. (Nebraska is also the home of HHAA president, Rick Brandt, and his wife Sharon, who live near Lincoln.)

The Hungarian horse has come a long way since its ancestors were used in the nomadic conquests over a thousand years ago. Instead of combat, the air roars today with the applause of friendly competition. The ground shakes under the horses’ hooves, praise falls on the winner, and cheers pass everyone’s ears. Though there were times when it seemed the Hungarian breed would fall, never to rise, it has prevailed and made its name into one of reverence.

The road to becoming a horseman

By Sherry Jarvis with Heart in Your Hand Horsemanship
Because I am a retired school teacher I find it helpful to divide learning into smaller chunks so that it is easier for the student to digest. I believe that there are four main categories or roads we need to take in order to become better horsemen. I have also discovered that progress is much quicker and improvement more enduring if we take these roads in a specific, sequential order. Therefore, we avoid getting lost on the journey.
When we become proficient in one category, our experience on the next road will be much easier. In other words, the road to becoming a better horseman will be a lot smoother when we build our skills with purposeful progression.
It is when we try to take short cuts that the road becomes very bumpy and more difficult. While it may be possible to jump onto any road (or category) at any time, and sometimes it may even be necessary depending upon the situation, it does help to go in an order. Traveling in this manner is a lot more pleasant for both the horse and rider — plus the results are far superior to anything I have ever tried in the past.
On our road to becoming better horsemen we need to develop skills in these four categories:

1) Developing a learning frame of mind for both horse and rider.
2) Doing advanced groundwork
3) Improving the rider’s posture
4) Schooling the horse for optimal movement and self-carriage

Within each of these four categories there are different levels, beginning with the easiest and most fundamental skills and building up to the most complicated aspects of training. It doesn’t matter where you are right now, or if you ever want to achieve the most complicated and advanced maneuvers with your horse. What matters most is that you have a general understanding and skill set in each of these categories so that you can be safe and have more fun with your horse.
Here are some of the things I have realized about each category on my own road to becoming a better horseman.
Developing a Learning Frame of Mind: What is involved?
- It is so important for the rider to have an awareness of self.
- It is imperative the rider be very attentive to the horse.
- It is valuable to know how to get and keep a horse’s attention.
- It is foremost that the rider has great intention and focus.
- It is essential for the rider to be a calm leader in a variety of situations.
- It is significant that the person be able to read a horse and understand behaviors.
- It is vital the person breaks through any defensive behaviors in the horse.
- It is central to develop a relationship with the horse which means a healthy happy partnership. It doesn’t matter whether it is a young or old horse, a problem or challenging horse, a remedial or rescue horse, because all horses will appreciate this and therefore will become more willing.
- It is crucial that the person have an open mind to new learning.
- It is necessary the person is willing to experiment and learn from mistakes.
- It is important to remember that the attitude the rider has towards the horse will have a great influence on everything done with him.

Advanced Groundwork: What is the focus?
- Developing the balance, feel and timing of the rider is just as important in groundwork as what we are doing with the horse. Everything we do on the ground is transferable to riding for both the horse and rider.
- Balance and communication are best developed in the context of groundwork because the separation helps clarify ³issues² that are most often the result of miscommunication or misunderstandings between horse and rider.
- How equipment affects communication and motion is best assessed in this category. A rider can become fully aware of various training equipment, ropes, halters, whips, sticks, saddles, padding, and bridles and how to use them better because they do not have the added things to think about while being on the horse’s back.
- The difference between aids and contacts is clarified and both the horse and rider learn their specific roles in the partnership.
- Undesirable behavior issues can be dealt with in a safe way. The change of behavior on the ground can and will transfer to riding. Get it better on the ground and it will be better when riding.
- Habits are created, which will affect either positively or negatively the daily handling with the horse, from vet care to trailer loading.
- Three layers of advancement in the horse and rider involve:
Emotional balance (calm and attentive during exercises), Mental balance (understanding exercises and skill development) Physical balance (energy, relaxation and self-carriage within the exercises).
Improve Rider’s Posture: How do we do it?
- Focus on the rider’s balance and position through awareness exercises performed in a specific order.
- Separate the rider’s balance from the horse’s balance so the rider can become more aware of exactly where and how the horse is struggling and then offer better assistance.
- As the rider’s balance improves, feel improves, and then the timing of the aids provides clear communication that is recognizably useful to the horse.
Ideally, this begins on the ground using exercise balls and reins for simulation exercises.
- A safe lesson horse is an invaluable tool where the rider is on a lunge line without reins.
- Once in the saddle, this category of training focuses on the riders finding their own point of balance and working from their core on the back of a horse.
- A video tape or a set of professional eyes on the rider with constructive criticism are priceless learning tools about posture. This can be a painful process but a rider will learn more about his or her posture from these experiences than any other.
- Correct posture also helps a rider feel safer. A feeling of security allows the rider to be more confident with calm leadership from the saddle, which the horse is looking for.
- Having a sense of balance that is independent of the horse’s motion is what professional riders have that gives them the ability to ride a variety of horses very well. While this level of quality is not often taught to non-professional riders, I believe it is imperative for all riders to learn because the correct development of a horse depends on good rider posture.

School the horse for Optimal Movement and Self-Carriage: Why is it necessary?
- Riders must focus on helping the horse achieve balance while carrying a rider.
- Finding correct use of the body while bearing the weight of a rider is a learned skill for a horse and one that is often ignored.
- Although a horse can and often does what is asked while out of balance, the cumulative effect of riding an unbalanced horse can be lameness, illness, or behavioral problems.
- Understanding the difference between the most advantageous motion and acceptable motion helps the rider understand WHY the horse is behaving poorly, performing poorly, or having chronic health issues.
- It is a simple matter of basic physics between the rider’s body, the horse’s body, and gravity. When these dynamics work together, harmony is achieved.
- By helping the horse achieve his best possible movement with self-carriage under saddle, we show the horse that his need for safety and comfort in the exercises we ask him to do are as important as our own agenda of pleasure or performance.
- The fundamental skill of helping a horse find his finest movement with self-carriage that is not forced but is relaxed with balance and energy is crucial for the health and well being of a horse whether he is only ridden on the trails once a week or is expected to go to Grand Prix.