The Murgese (also 'Murghese' and 'Murge') is a rare Italian horse breed, which originated in the Murge region.

Origins and development:
The creation of the Murgese started in the 13th century with the crossing of Spanish and Oriental horses. As part of this breeding program, Murgese horses were raised in the wild, to ensure that their overall hardiness will survive throughout the generations, a habit which persists to this day. Official selective breeding started in 1926, and in 1948 four sires were selected to serve as the foundation sires of the Murgese breed as we know it today.

Attributes and uses:
As a result of living in the wild, Murgese horses are sure-footed, and have strong legs and solid hooves, all of which makes them good trekking horses, especially when it comes to crossing rough terrains.

In addition, their natural balance and agility make the Murgese good at dressage, which increased their popularity outside of Italy. That said, this breed is still rare, and exists in small numbers.

Conformation:
Murgese horses have a somewhat iconic conformation, characterized by a head with a convex profile and a long, rounded muzzle with large nostrils. The neck is thick and connected to a straight back. The chest is broad but not as deep as seen in other breeds.

The mane and tail are always wavy, and the legs can either have light feathering behind the fetlocks or be clean from feathering.

Performance metrics:
The following are the: range, average, (SD), and MOE of performance metrics of ordered Murgese horses in Horse Isle (not bred ones). In rare cases, horses might have metrics outside of the range. Breeders can produce horses that are beyond this range.

Speed: 15.0-16.7, 15.8 (0.4), 0.07.
Sprint: 48-58, 52 (2), 0.44.

Accel: 0.88-1.03, 0.97 (0.03), 0.01.
Decel: 0.89-1.02, 0.96 (0.03), 0.01.

Jump: 4.96-5.24, 5.09 (0.06), 0.01.
Pull: 2.30-3.09, 2.73 (0.18), 0.04.

Turning: 53.53-64.88, 59.10 (2.38), 0.47.
Reverse: 2.7-3.3, 3.0 (0.1), 0.03.

Stamina: 48.04-53.66, 51.21 (1.41), 0.28.
Reaction: 0.69-0.79, 0.74 (0.02), 0.00.

Coats & Height:
Coat: Murgese horses always come in either solid black or blue roan, and lack white markings. They can carry sooty.

Height: 14.3hh to 17hh