The Campeiro horse came from horses introduced in Brazil by the Spanish conqueror Alvar Nunes Cabeza de Vaca. The first expedition happened in March 1541. He first touched land in Santa Catarina, the southern region of Brazil, with his soldiers, seeds, cattle and 46 horses. However, the first official register of the presence of equines living in Santa Catarina was in 1728, issued by Francisco de Souza e Farias. About midway through the 19th century the Campeiro horses were crossed with the Race Horse and the Arabian, aiming to improve their beauty and performance.
The Brazilian Association of Campeiro Horse Breeders was founded in 1976 and the Herd Book was opened in 1985. Breeding operations are limited to the neighboring regions around the cities of Lages and Curitibanos, preserving the traits selected by nature, making the Campeiro horse a breed of great potential and a great contributor to the genetic improvement of other four gaited breeds.
The Campeiro is a medium size horse, with an average height of 14,5 hands. The four beat gait may be diagonal broken or lateral broken.
