I am just learning myself. Apparently they were originally developed in Hungary to meet the demands for a superior riding horse that was arab like but with a larger frame and smoother gaits. Using desert bred arabs and Lippizzans(sp) and thoroughbreds they came up with the Shagya. The breed seems predominately Arab based with selected horses added in to add more substance. It seems they were then used in several of the European warmbloods to improve the breeds. I am still reading up on this. At this point they have an approval process for mares and stallions for breeding. There are some really nice looking horses in the breed. They are used in dressage, endurance, eventing and jumping. They are certainly bigger than your standard arab. All I can say is I feel very fortunate to have gotten this mare and I can see her great mind and athleticism already. I am no expert on the breed so if someone knows more please correct me. This is all new to me.