Cavallino Rampante

Lore & Background

Francesco Baracca first used the Prancing Horse in 1917, when his squadron permitted its aviators to apply personal symbols to their aeroplanes. In a letter to his mother dated 27 April 1918, he claimed to have adopted the horse in tribute to a cavalry regiment he once belonged to, which had used a similar symbol since 1692. The regiment's horse symbol was coloured silver, but Baracca changed it to black so that it would stand out more on his plane's fuselage.

Many variations of the story circulate, including claims that the horse stems from Baracca's equestrian hobby, that it references a specific stallion he owned, or that it was originally red, only painted black after Baracca's death in an act of mourning by his squadron mates. Based on a painted panel which existed before the pilot's death, the Museo Francesco Baracca asserts that the horse was black during his lifetime. One version of the story claims that the emblem originated as a kill mark applied after Baracca shot down a German pilot from Stuttgart, a city whose coat of arms depicts a similar horse.

If true, this would make the Prancing Horse distantly related to the horse found on Porsche's logo, itself derived from the arms of Stuttgart. Though this claim is plausible—it was common at the time for aces to paint an opponent's coat of arms on their planes—it does not appear to have any supporting evidence, and the Museo Francesco Baracca holds no documents that support the idea. After his death, Baracca was hailed as a war hero, and the Prancing Horse was used in material related to him.

The Baracca family incorporated the symbol into their coat of arms, and one pamphlet from 1929 rendered it in a manner remarkably similar to Ferrari's later design, with a shield and an upturned tail. Eligio Gerosa, who would later redesign the horse for Ferrari, also made a rendition for a Baracca-related organisation. In his autobiography, Enzo Ferrari offered an account of how he acquired permission to use the design. In 1923, after winning the Circuto del Savio Grand Prix near Ravenna, he was approached and befriended by the Baracca family, who had attended the race as spectators.

Paolina Biancoli, Francesco's mother, suggested that Enzo adopt the horse as a good luck charm. Enzo accepted the request, and in 1932—nine years later—the Prancing Horse was adopted by his new racing team, Scuderia Ferrari.

Reader's Guide

The Prancing Horse is generally presented in one of two ways: either as a shield, with the Italian tricolour above the horse and the initials SF ('Scuderia Ferrari') below; or as a rectangle, replacing 'SF' with the word 'Ferrari'. The shield variant of the logo, sometimes found on the fenders of Ferrari road cars, is strongly associated with Ferrari's racing activities. The rectangular version of the design has been in use, alongside the shield, since 1947; no major changes to the logo have occurred since then. Francesco Baracca's original design is different from the version used by Ferrari. It uses a white background and features a downturned tail, among other differences. The upward-facing tail of Ferrari's later version is anatomically incorrect—a horse cannot raise its tail while on its hind legs. The horse is sometimes interpreted as rearing rather than prancing.

Did You Know?

• Fabio Taglioni of Ducati received permission from Paolina Biancoli, the same woman who gave Enzo Ferrari the rights, to use the emblem on his motorcycles.
• The world's largest Prancing Horse logo, measuring 65 m in length, is on the roof of Ferrari World Abu Dhabi.
• A 'prancing moose' emblem imitating the Ferrari logo is popular among Volvo enthusiasts.