The history of Sicily over the three millennia preceding the Unification of Italy in 1861 is one of repeated conquest and strife, with many different peoples and powers achieving total or partial dominance over the island for a time.

These have included the Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals, Ostrogoths, Byzantines, Muslim North Africans, Lombards, Normans, Swabians, Angevins, Aragonese, Spanish and Bourbons.

[1]: 141 The modern history of the Sanfratellano began in 1864 with the establishment of a Deposito Stalloni or military stud at Catania; this later became an Istituto di Incremento Ippico or horse-breeding institute.

[6]: 534  At this time a number of private breeders in Sicily were putting their good local mares to Arab and Anglo-Arab stallions to produce horses with better speed, size and conformation, and were able to sell many of these to the state studs or as military mounts.

[8] The Sanfratellano is bred principally in the Parco dei Nebrodi [it], not only in the comune of San Fratello but also in Alcara Li Fusi, Capizzi, Caronia, Castell'Umberto, Cesarò, Floresta, Galati Mamertino, Longi, Militello Rosmarino, Tortorici and Ucria.

[5] The horses are usually managed extensively, living in large semi-feral herds in the forests of the Nebrodi, grazing on the undergrowth or on patches of pasture land.