MEĐIMURJENA HORSE- FIRST CROATIAN COOL-BREED

By means al cross-breeding Hungarian mares with Norisian stallions the volue of cross-bredds has been enhaneed as well as positive properties of a new breed. New cross-breeds kept for breeding have been raised - the Međimurjean stallions. After 1868. the state stud of Norisian horses. Kisbera (Hungary), was founded, using the mares from Međimurje. Careful and systematic cross-breeding improved the outwars appearance of the Norisian horse im Međimurje. The only deficiency was that cross- breeding in produced chiefly white off spring which did not satisfy eather the breeder of the buter. However, that kind of cross-breed was very soon ousted by Ardenian and Persenian breed. Ad early as in 1887. Ardenian stallions from Risbera stud were brought to Međimurje, and soon after them the somewhat heavier Belgian. Since 1870. a lighter type of cross-breed between the Arabian of Angloarabian more and the stallion of Norisian blood had been raised. That type of Međimurjan horse had been used to pull streetcars in Vienna, Budapest and other towns until 1914. Aproximately 1500 light Međimurjean horses had been sold, which contributed to a boom of horse-breeding in Međimurje. That type had the height of in to 160 cm, a comparatively small head, big eyes, short and strong nack, broad and strong chest and erupper, a right leg posture a steadly and ample gait, it was of a raven colour of a variation of gray another, heavier, type of the Međimurjean horse was a cross-breed between Angloarabian Hungarian mares and Norisian, later of Belgian stallions. For well-known objective as well as subjective reasons in horse-breeding, out of 3011 breeding mares as late as in 1934, the number of the Međimurjean horses has been reduced to a few specimens of the kind. We are faced with a very important task to preserve the Međimurjean horse, which has always been highly rated and as such has entered the hypological literature of Europe