Saving Romania's Endangered Furioso Horse

Dr. Barna Bojthe is a horse trainer and something of a wonder to his neighbors in the Jucu region of Romania. Some even call him "The Horse Whisperer." Why? Because he has been a driving force behind saving the endangered Furioso-North Star horses of Romania. 

With only 600 horses left in 1998, the fate of the Furioso seemed sealed. Once a breed of the aristocracy, more than 600,000 of the horses were slaughtered or sold out from under the small farmers who owned them when the former Communist government mandated the move from private to state-owned farms.

Three years ago, Barna established an association of private horse breeders concerned about the future of the animal called The Furioso-North Star Horse Breeders Association, a group of professionals including veterinarians, teachers, horse breeders and rural farmers.

The goal of the association is to save the Furioso breed, which had been raised in the Jucu district for more than 80 years. The purpose is also to maintain the valuable existing genetic stock and use the horse draft power as an ecological alternative for family farms in the villages.

Jucu, an area of five villages nestled along Small Somes Valley in the middle of the Transylvania region of Romania, is home to nearly 4,000 people and 1,500 small farms. Many of these farm families are too poor to purchase new farming equipment to use on their land, and the horses will provide both draft power and fertilizer that would otherwise not be available to them.

Barna explains, "The Furioso is a tradition in the country of Romania. Therefore, we need to maintain the breed. Man cannot live without the help of the horse. Both have been neglected for a long period of time. Since our independence, it is of great value to re-establish equally the importance of horse and farmer."

The Romanian people's fervent love of the Furioso and Heifer's common interest in saving the lives of rural farmers inspired Heifer to support and train farmers in the safe and abundant return of the endangered animal.

The objective is to provide 45 families with 45 Furioso mares and two stallions over a three-year period. Project participants promise to preserve, promote and spread the Furioso-North Star breed among rural partners. The use of draft power for organic farming will be a priority. The project will support the most needy families in the villages, especially those unemployed, who adhere to local tradition and farming practices.

With Barna's extraordinary dedication and help from Heifer, there is hope for the precious Furioso. Barna says, "Now our hopes are reborn and everything has started again with enthusiasm. Just last week, we actually brought the first horses from Hungary. One year ago we felt this was just a story and would never happen. We never believed someone would help bring horses here. The locals called me a "mad man" and claimed it was impossible to do this! Now they are most trustful and look at this project as a wonder of the world."

Learn more about Heifer's agroecology mission to care for the Earth.