Driving the Lipizzaner Horse in Hungary

Two hours’ drive from Budapest within the picturesque Bükk Nationwide Park lies Szilvásvárad, an exquisite little village that’s house to certainly one of Hungary’s premier amenities for equestrian sport: the Szilvásvárad State Lipizzaner stud. It’s an ideal trip vacation spot for historical past buffs, nature lovers and horse lovers alike.

Lipizzaners are a protected breed in Hungary. They had been first established by the Austro-Hungarian monarchy 4 centuries in the past by crossing imported Spanish and Italian stallions with native mares. Whereas the breed in the present day is commonly related to the Spanish Driving College in Vienna, few folks notice that there have been as soon as two Royal Spanish Driving Colleges: one in Austria and the opposite in Hungary. Budapest’s Hungarian coaching facility operated on an equal footing with Vienna’s institute till 1945. Sadly, the college closed because of World Battle II.

On March 24, 1945, the Russian military waged a fierce battle towards the capital, killing or imprisoning a lot of the Hungarian riders and grooms. 4 of the college’s Lipizzaner stallions had been stolen and used to drag heavy munitions into fight, by no means to be seen once more, whereas one other 18 stallions had been shot and eaten.

There was one optimistic end result from this horrific episode, nonetheless. The advance warning to Colonel Alois Podhajsky in Vienna helped him escape and save a lot of the Austrian Lipizzaners.

The Szilvásvárad Stud

Through the Austro-Hungarian period, horse studs had been established everywhere in the empire to enhance native breeding practices. Most of those studs closed because of army and social upheavals and agricultural motorization, however just a few are nonetheless standing because of authorities help. One of many largest (with 300 horses) and most fascinating is the Szilvásvárad stud.

The Hungarian authorities just lately funded the entire restoration of the stud amenities, and the brand new, improved complicated has a number of buildings break up into 4 separate zones. There’s a central space within the village the place horses are educated and competitions happen, a mare and foal steady, a stallion station, and summer season pastures and stabling for juvenile stallions.

The restoration was the biggest equestrian improvement venture funded by Hungary in many years, costing over 21 million Euro to finish.

Amenities embrace a floodlit worldwide enviornment, massive everlasting stables, two coated arenas, and a world-class cross-country course for marathon driving.

Path Driving with Lipizzaners

The Bükk Mountains are an excellent path using vacation spot, because of their well-maintained tracks and lack of fences.

The Bükk Nationwide Park incorporates greater than 1,000 historic caves, thermal springs, waterfalls, and luxurious beech forests. The realm is house to fallow deer, wolves, and Eurasian lynxes.

From the saddle, you possibly can go to church buildings and historic buildings that mirror the area’s historical past, and you may be entertained by Attila, the pinnacle rider, who’s educated concerning the native space.

Alongside the marathon driving tracks used to host the 1984 World Driving Championships, there are frequent alternatives to canter or trot. Throughout my keep, I rode Fátyol, a 12-year-old mare who dealt with the steep inclines, descents and twisting turns effortlessly.

Probably the most adventurous riders can ebook an in a single day journey to Csipkéskút, a lodge close to Hungary’s northern border with Slovakia, to go to the younger stallions.

It’s right here that future dressage and driving stars spend their first three years of life, having fun with the mineral-rich soils and hilly terrain of the Bükk Plateau, which contribute considerably to their psychological and bodily improvement.

Driving Classes with Lipizzaners

If path using will not be your factor, carriage driving classes are a incredible various or extra exercise so as to add to your journey.

The Szilvásvárad drivers are famend for his or her accomplishments everywhere in the world, and if in case you have ever wished to choose up the reins and take a look at carriage driving, that is the place to offer it a go. Spoiler alert: It’s more durable than it seems to be.

For many who choose to not experience or drive when on vacation, one other approach to expertise the environment is to take a personal carriage tour with a information. Throughout carriage excursions, guests can observe employees working with and coaching totally different horses and even watch Hungarian Hussar items practising drills with their cavalry mounts.

Dressage, leaping and driving competitions are repeatedly held on the stud, and historians will respect the Lipizzaner Museum, which options artifacts, sculptures and saddlery items from the previous, together with vintage carriages.

Lodging and meals will be booked as a part of an all-inclusive package deal straight with the stud, taking the guesswork out of the place to remain and what to do, all whereas serving to contribute to the preservation of the Lipizzaners.

For extra info on the stud, go to right here.

Additional Studying:
◆ Meet the Unbelievable Lipizzan Horse
◆ The Lipizzaner: A Royal Legacy

This text about using horses on the Lipizzaner stud in Szilvásvárad, Hungary appeared within the October 2023 subject of Horse Illustrated journal. Click on right here to subscribe!