The Nonius is a rare Hungarian light draft breed, that is known for its distinctive conformation and for its black coat, as it is the only Hungarian breed that comes almost exclusively in black.

The original Nonius:
In 1816, an Anglo-Norman stallion named Nonius was brought to Mezohegyes stud in Hungary, where he was crossed with Spanish and Neapolitan mares. The resulting offspring were crossed with Thoroughbreds to improve the conformation of the newly formed Nonius breed.

The breeding program of Nonius horses progressed well until World War II, during which the Mezohegyes stud lost almost all of its horses. When the war ended, the stud resumed the breeding program, though there were only 50 Nonius horses left at this point.

Becoming an iconic, Hungarian breed:
In the 1960s, the Nonius horses from Mezohegyes were united with local Hungarian horses of a strain called Hortobagy, which was similar to the Nonius of Mezohegyes, only heavier. From that day forward, these two lines were both considered to be part of the same Nonius breed.

Still, the numbers of Nonius horses continued decreasing until, in 1989, the breeding association for Nonius horses was established. Nonius horses were now bred on a regular basis and their numbers gradually increased. The association directed the breeding goal toward generating a horse fit for recreational riding while also conserving the breed's purity and iconic conformation and dark coat.

Over the following years, more and more Hungarian breeders became interested in this unique, Hungarian horse that had an iconic, noble bearing and a black coat. The Nonius made neat riding and harness horse, and while its numbers remained low, they were at least stable.

The Nonius today:
Today, the Nonius is a rare breed, albeit still one of the most famous Hungarian breeds. There are several hundred Nonius horses in Hungary, some are bred in Hungarian state studs, such as Mezohegnes, but most are bred on private farms.

Originally, Nonius horses were bred to work in agriculture or pull carriages, but today they are bred for recreational harness and recreational riding, particularly English riding.

Conformation:
Nonius horses have a distinct conformation which is characterized by a large head with a convex profile, an arched and muscular neck that is set high and often held high, a medium back that can be somewhat swayed, and a muscular croup. The chest is large and the body is muscular.

The hair of the mane and tail is fine, and while the mane is short or medium in length the tail can grow long. The legs are clear from feathering.

Two subtypes:
When it comes to their height, Nonius horses are divided into two subtypes: the Puszta, also known as the 'small Nonius,' which stands between 14.3hh and 16.1hh; and the Mezohegyes, also known as the 'large Nonius,' which stands between 16.1hh and 17.1hh.

Performance metrics:
The following are the: range, average, (SD), and MOE of performance metrics of ordered Nonius 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: 15.8-17.3, 16.5 (0.3), 0.06.
Sprint: 56-66, 61 (2), 0.45.

Accel: 0.93-1.11, 1.01 (0.03), 0.01.
Decel: 0.90-1.05, 0.99 (0.03), 0.01.

Jump: 5.21-5.50, 5.37 (0.06), 0.01.
Pull: 2.21-3.05, 2.66 (0.18), 0.03.

Turning: 51.64-62.95, 57.31 (2.62), 0.51.
Reverse: 2.6-3.2, 2.8 (0.1), 0.02.

Stamina: 50.59-56.45, 53.51 (1.35), 0.27.
Reaction: 0.78-0.87, 0.82 (0.02), 0.00.

Coats & Height:
Colors: either black or brown (including dark-bay.)

Additionals: sooty. The coat is always solid, and has little to no white markings (although in Horse Isle they can be slightly more prominent due to technical reasons.)

Height: 14.3hh to 17.1hh.
Subtypes: small Nonius: 14.3hh to 16.1hh; large Nonius: 16.1hh to 17.1hh