Cavallino Rampante - Prancing Horse

On 17 June 1923, Enzo Ferrari won a race at the Savio track in Ravenna where he met the Countess Paolina, mother of Count Francesco Baracca, an ace of the Italian air force, who used to paint a horse on the side of his planes. Baracca was Italy's top fighter ace of World War I, credited with 34 aerial victories. The Countess suggested Ferrari use this horse on his cars, saying that it would bring him luck.

Baracca's luck ran out on June 19, 1918 when he was hit by ground fire on a strafing mission. Baracca's burnt remains were recovered from where they lay, four meters from the wreck of his Spad VII aircraft.

Ferrari has used the cavallino rampante on official company stationery since 1929. Since the 1920s, Italian race cars of Alfa Romeo, Maserati and later Ferrari and Abarth were (and often still are) painted in "race red" (Rosso Corsa). This was the customary national racing color of Italy. Stud farm in Italian is scuderia.