Siglavy

Siglavy (1810, Syria - unknown) was a gray Arabian horse who became one of the foundation sires in the Lipizzan, and Shagya Arabian breeds.

Denomination
Siglavy owes his name to his Saklawi lineage, as his early documentation of bloodlines described him as a Siglavie Ghadran.

History
Siglavy was born in 1810. His coat was gray. According to Donna Landry's academic study, he was purchased in Aleppo in 1814 by Prince Charles Philippe de Schwarzenberg, along with three other Arabian horses, as part of a military purchase mission entrusted by the Habsburgs to supply their stud farms. The horse was purchased for the particularly substantial sum of 3,400 florins. It was probably closely guarded on its journey to Vienna, the capital of the Austrian Empire. A popular source, however, states that he was bought in France by the Prince of Schwarzenberg.

In 1816, after being tested on his stallion abilities, he was purchased from Prince Schwarzenberg and transferred to the imperial stables at Koptschan (in present-day Slovakia).

The first evidence of his presence at the Lipica stud dates back to 1821, when he was used as a stallion to sire military horses for war and Austrian troop transport. Siglavy was sold in 1826.

Recognition


Siglavy is described as the founder of one of the six modern Lipizzan bloodlineages. However, it would be some years before his influence on the Lipizzaner breed was officially recognized. In addition to his influence on the Lipizzan, Saiglavy founded a lineage in the Shagya breed.