Brigadier Rafael Tobias de Aguiar led the Liberal Revolution in Brazil, along with Father Diogo Antônio Feijó combatting the rise of the Conservatives during the early reign of Dom Pedro II.

He was defeated by the imperial forces in the Sorocaba province, and fled with his army and his horses to Rio Grande do Sul, to join the rebels of the Ragamuffin War.

However, six months after having fled the Sorocaba province, Tobias was arrested in Palmeira das Missões and taken to the Laje Fortress, in Rio de Janeiro.

The "Tobiano" name appeared almost simultaneously, due to the direct association made between the breed and the Brigadier himself, who always traveled with his personal stud of Pampa horses.

One of the detailed descriptions stated that this breed had "intelligent and fiery eyes, clean legs, round feet, and well-set sloping shoulders, long pasterns, and silky manes and tails.