Prancing Horse

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, 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. ==History==

Use by Francesco Baracca Francesco Baracca, a highly successful Italian flying ace, 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. 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. Eligio Gerosa, who would later redesign the horse for Ferrari, also made a rendition for a Baracca-related organisation. Its first applications were to the team's stationery, a motorcycle entered at the Circuito di Pontedera, and the car entered for the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. Ferrari's adoption of the Prancing Horse was concordant with the cultural landscape of Fascist Italy, which, drawing from the Futurist art movement, idolised speed, machinery, and military sacrifice. Baracca's activities during World War I were mythologised by the Italian right wing, and things associated with him were positively received by the general public. Ferrari's use of the symbol, among other things, allowed it to establish an image that appealed to populist political values; this would later help it procure military contracts during World War II. The world's largest Prancing Horse logo, measuring in length and having an area of , is located on the roof of Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, an amusement park in the United Arab Emirates. The park also houses two roller coasters that take inspiration from the logo: Flying Aces, which is based on the wartime exploits of Francesco Baracca, and Mission Ferrari, which features a character named "Agent Cavallino." ==Other users==

The North American Racing Team, which was closely associated with Ferrari, used a modified version of the Prancing Horse: the American flag was above the horse, while the team's initials were below. Fabio Taglioni, an influential engineer within Ducati, applied the same emblem to many of his motorcycles. Similar to Ferrari, he did this in tribute to Francesco Baracca: Taglioni's father had fought alongside the ace in World War I, and the two families remained in friendship with one another afterwards. As Taglioni rose in prominence within Ducati, Francesco's mother, the same woman who permitted Enzo to use the horse, also allowed him to do so. Rather than using Baracca's original horse, Taglioni elected to use the redesigned version created by Ferrari. Ducati stopped using the emblem after 1961. Similar logos , a specialty carmaker from Germany, used a prancing horse logo similar to Ferrari's. Like Porsche, the logo is derived from Stuttgart's coat of arms. A "prancing moose" emblem imitating the Ferrari logo is popular among Volvo enthusiasts. According to Dave Barton, the emblem's creator, the design was inspired by a Volvo marketing campaign that featured the moose test. Barton has also produced similar moose designs copying the Porsche and Lamborghini logos. ==In popular culture==

Cavallino, a Ferrari enthusiast magazine, derives its name from the logo. The band Jamiroquai featured the logo, augmented with their own "Buffalo Man" logo, on the cover of their 1996 album Travelling Without Moving. ==See also==