Kisberi half-bred horse origin
The breed originated in the family farm of Batthyány in Kisber in Komárenská upa near the road connecting the cities Győr and Székesfehérvár, after Emperor Franz Joseph I ordered establishing a stud farm with noble horses for military purposes on the estate which was confiscated in 1853. "Noble horse" was undoubtedly meant only the English thoroughbred, but the planned purchase of 300 Thoroughbred mares were for the Austro-Hungarian monarchy impossible task and financial burden. Therefore, besides English Thoroughbreds there was a large number of other horses from the crown court and studs imported to Kisber, and also from significant private stud farms.
This breeding material, which had in principle mixed origin (Arabian, Czerkesz, Spanish, Piberst, Norfolk horses, Percheron, Meklenburg horses, etc.), but of type and appearance was the result of careful selection, was for several generations, gradually refining English thoroughbred stallions. The first commander of the stud farm, Field Lieutenant Marshal Franz von Ritter provided highly valuable stallions not only for coverage breeding material of Thoroughbred stud farm but also to the public. As a result of this practice since 1855 it was already a standard in Kisber, that the Thoroughbred breeding stallions were allowed to cover mares from the stud farm itself also thoroughbred and half-bred mares from private farms. As an achievement there was not only better use of stallions and expansion of quality breeding material, but the stud fees for coverage meant a considerable income for the stud farm. Value of the fee for coverage of stallions from Kisberi stud farm and cover conditions was announced every year by Minister of Agriculture in the official Journal.
This using of stallions at stud farm lead to a riding horse similar to the English thoroughbred, but larger, calmer, more willing to work and especially with a fairer look. This half-bred breeding stallions were able to fully cover the national demand for breeding stallions and replace thoroughbreds. Instead of thoroughbred stallions of the second or third category the Kisber stud raised first class half-breds for the public breeding. At the turn of the century, these half-breds won significant reputation. During this period the famous tribes of kisberian breed arose: Deutscher Michel, Dunure, Kozma, Fenék, Shannon, Maxim, Fila, Slieve Gallion, successful lines of mares such as Montbar tribes, Rocketter, Verneuil, Willilam Rufus, Gunnerbury, Royal Lancer, etc.
Because of an increase of agriculture, kisberian breed was required to be larger. During this process, after the thoroughbreds at the stud with an excellent genetic strength, half-bred breeding stallions were firstly established and also half-bred stallions from Mezőhegyese (Furioso XXIII, Furioso VII, North Star XXV) were used. As a result, the breeding material already too soft was consolidated, got larger, but kept its nobility, elegance, speed and endurance. To preserve this valuable character, young candidates for the breeding mares, which should be included in breeding, had to fulfill defined tasks and time limits in the cross and hunting riding.
Before World War II, in order to improve physical and utility properties, stallions of Trakén breed, that was created by a similar breeding technique, were imported. Thus, the Széplak tribes, Formás and Lobogó originated.
Due to the events of the war the material of the stud in 1944 was divided into two parts. 330 stallions, mares and grown-up foals were placed on the various estates in Hungary, where they waited for a positive turn in war affairs, while the other half - 7 stallions, 145 mares, 55 grown up colts, 63 grown-up mares and 10 suckling foals - were evacuated to Bavarian Bergstetten. From this amount, 78 individuals were transported by ship to the United States as a war booty and auctioned in 1945. The local thoroughbred breeding of these horses thanks to Hungarian Horse Association, founded in 1953, remains until now.
In June 1948, three transports brought back 150 kisberi horses to their homeland, where they were placed in the premises of the State Farm Bábolna in Parragpuszta and Alsóvasdinny. The regeneration of the breed started with these mares and mares from the sarvar stud, created in 1954 from animals originating from the former contract private stud farms, whose breed came along in the same direction as the Kisber. Majority of the famous tribes were revived from the stallions of Kisber and those found in the mentioned studs and the breeding of this breed was successfully directed at the sport demands which was more and more getting into the foreground. In 1961 the material was moved from the Kisber stud farm, which at that time owned only 40 mares, to the Dalmandu state farm and all around the country a thoughtless and unstoppable rush of crossing the breed started and by the end of the 70th the amount of the thoroughbred mares was decreased to a critical level. Lots of the traditional lines of stallions and mares families disappeared. The preserved specimens originating from the former tribal folk and breeding in 1989 formed the National Association of Breeders Kisber half-bred, who until now achieved significant results in maintaining traditional values of the breed and its modernization in the spirit of today's requirements.
(Source: Accredited breeders' organizations: Kisber-félvér Lótenyésztő Országos Egyesület Address: Keleti Károly u. 24, Budapest 1024)
