The Calabrese has a long and varied history, being a descendant of horses bred in Italy prior to the founding of Rome. However, the breed's characteristics started to evolve through the crossing of Arabian blood from the Bourbon period with Andalusian stock. The breed originated in the region of Calabria, in southern Italy, from where it derives its name. During the Middle Ages, the Calabrese became a popular mount for the knights and the continued infusions of Andalusian blood created a spirited horse that was still strong enough to cope with the weight of armour. The Calabrese have very good temperaments and are either grey, bay, chestnut, brown or black and stand between 15.3 and 16.2 hands high.
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