mandra edera horses

This is an island with a strong tradition of horsemanship, particularly in the Oristano area, which is reflected in the local folklore and traditions. The famous Sartiglia festival at Carnival - shown in every Sardinia guidebook and on countless postcards, with its masked riders and colourful costumes - is focused around the horse with processions, races and acrobatic pariglie, and horse-focused festivals are an important part of the island's heritage.

Horses are at the heart of Mandra Edera; the Licheri family has been breeding quality horses in the Abbasanta area for 5 generations, and have been based at Mandra Edera since the start of last century when great-grandfather Antonio Sebastiano bought the estate to expand the breeding programme, focusing on Anglo Arab Sardos. Breeding, breaking and training has been going on here since then, and guests are welcome to watch schooling in the two outdoor arenas each morning.

The picture on the right shows a Mandra Edera horse at a major competition many decades ago and the family is proud to have been competing at a high level for many years - their horses have reached international and Olympic level in 3 day eventing.

It's a thriving, well-resourced centre for equitation and guests can watch the competition horses being schooled by the expert team here. They're delighted to share that expertise with those who share their passion for horses.

Anglo Arab Sardos are renowned for their endurance and have proved their worth across many disciplines, including dressage, showjumping, cross-country and long-distance riding. They're now becoming popular for equestrian tourism on the island, too.

The breed has evolved by introducing various influences, most recently by crossing thoroughbreds with the Arab Sardo horses on the island.

There are some small native Sardinian ponies on the island, but the Anglo Arab Sardo is the main riding horse. The island's horses are a mixture of lines from the various invaders who have settled and brought their animals over the centuries; there are influences from Greek, Carthaginian and Spanish breeds.

In the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, when the area was under the control of Aragòn, Ferdinando il Cattolico established a royal stables and breeding centre in the Oristano area, importing several Andalusian stallions which were then bred with the local horses. Subsequently, when Sardinia was ruled by the House of Savoy, the breeding programme declined but in the nineteenth century there was a resurgence of interest and Arabs and English thoroughbreds were introduced, and the "Anglo Arab Sardos" which have now become the island's principle riding horse were developed as a distinct breed.

Anglo Arab Sardos are usually chestnut, bay or occasionally grey; the group of Mandra Edera horses shown on the right is very typical of the breed.

Their sizes are classified into 3 groups; the smaller animals are around 156-158 cm, medium-build of 158-165 cm ranging up to the larger animals over 165 cm. Typically their weight ranges from 450-550 kg.

For information on the Mandra Edera riding activities click through here. Or to return to the Mandra Edera main page, click here.

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