Szilvásvárad State Stud
Hungary
The more than 300-million-year old Bükk Mountains are the most adventurous karstic mountains of our homeland. At the north-western foot of the mountains rich in natural formations of exceptional beauty nestles the capital of the region: Szilvásvárad. The related sights, the Szalajka-Valley, the trout farms, the Rockspring, the Veil-Waterfall rightly make it a highly popular excursion destination of our homeland.
Since the beginning of the 1950s in Hungary the Bükk-Plateau and Szilvásvárad have been the home to the breed of the Lipizzaners, considered Europe’s cultural heritage dating back to more than 430 years of breeding history. The stud founding the species was established in a village Lipica, situated on the karstic plateau near Triest by archduke Habsburg Charles II of Vienna, son of Ferdinand I to provide suitable representative horses for the royal court in Vienna. Theese days there are state studs in the ex-states of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy to the breed of Lipizzan horses.
We owe a lot to this breed, which has fought with us through the storms of history for centuries and has never let us down. One of the noblest breeds, the horse of the art of movement, which stands out among its peers with its intelligence, endurance, organizational strength and, above all, its performance. The breed that, after the whirlwind of battles, is also to be reckoned with in today’s equestrian competitions.
Szilvásvárad State Stud
Egri út 16.
3348 Szilvásvárad
Hungary
With the breed’s excellent value-measuring properties, countless world and European championship titles prove that, in addition to nurturing our traditional values, the Lipizzan horse has also demonstrated the ability to achieve modern sporting achievements through expert selection. Our stallion Favory XXX. won the title of the world’s most successful marathon horse.
The first state stud farm dedicated to the gene preservation of our protected historical lipizzan horse breed, registered as our national treasure, was founded in Szilvásvárad on the 22nd of January, 1952. Based on 70 broodmares, the stock of the Lipizzan stud farm consists of a total of about 330 horses. The foals and breeding mares can be found in the Stud Centre in Szilvásvárad, the 1-3-year-old mares can be found in the foal breeding heard called Szána Valley near Nagyvisnyó, while the stallion foals can be found in the foal breeding heard on the Bükk plateau.
Services of State Stud Farm Szilvásvárad:
• stud visit with carriage
• driving lessons
• trail riding
• riding lessons
• wedding carriage service
• team-building programs
• driving lessons for beginners
• equestrian show
• museums, exhibitions
2024 FEI Four-in Hand World Championship
Despite the carriage driving successes of the past generations, Szilvásvárad was last able to organize a four-in hand driving world championship in 1984. Based on the product of investment, the Hungarian driving culture and the described results, the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) awarded Szilvásvárad the right to host the four-in hand driving world championship in 2024. The timing is no coincidence, because this year the world’s equestrian sport is celebrating the anniversary of the legendary 1984 championship in Szilvásvárad, where Hungarian drivers could stand on the top of the team podium as well as on all three steps of the individual podium. With the collaboration of the whole country, in addition to equestrian sports, the competition, which also ended with a legendary organizational success, set the town and the surrounding area on a path of development that continues to this day.