MICHAL HORNÝ celebrated his 60th birthday

In the past few days, Michal Horný, director of the National Stud Farm "Topoľčianky", commemorated his life jubilee in the circle of family, friends, colleagues and acquaintances. He was born on July 27, 1963 in the picturesque village of Topoľčianky.

After elementary school, he entered the Grammar School in Zlaté Moravce. He finished his studies in 1981 and at the same time started university studies. He became passionate about agriculture, to which he has remained faithful until now. In 1985, he graduated from the Faculty of Agrobiology at the then University of Agriculture in Nitra with a graduation ceremony and the awarding of the title of engineer. On September 2, 1985, as a young engineer with enthusiasm, he joined the then Topoľčianky Breeding Company as the head of training. After the end of his basic military service, he assumed the position of head of the Hostie -Lipizzan breeding centre. And they enchanted him to this day.

On January 7, 2001, he was appointed to the position of director of the National Stud Farm "Topoľčianky", a state enterprise. He performs this function responsibly and with respect for generations of breeders and his predecessors to this day. He is the longest-serving director in the company's 102-year history. On the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of the establishment of the company, minister Samuel Vlčan presented him with a gold medal from the department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for his long-term work and development of agriculture in Slovakia.

But let's go back to the past...

What led the young boy to love horses? Was it curiosity? Or the desire to sit in the saddle of noble horses in Topoľčianky which have always been the pride of the village and the region? Be that as it may, horses simply enchanted him. The stud farm became his second home from an early age. For seven years, he worked in the famous Topoľčianky horse racing stable. In 1980, in the Czechoslovak amateur horse racing championship, he placed ahead of the well-known horse racing star, prominent horse rider and trainer Samuel Sokol, who has been working as a trainer and head of horse breeding at the National Stud for a long time. He later switched from turf to show jumping. For seven years, we saw him in the saddle of Topoľčianky horses. He had the most success with the horses Vazal and Horácius. After an active sports career, he did not resent horses and set about discovering the secrets of genetics, history and the far-sighted future in horse breeding with vigor. In 2003, he submitted his professional doctoral dissertation on the topic "Biological and performance characteristics of the Lipizzaner horse breed" and defended his PhD. "Philosophiae Doctor".

In recent years, his dedicated and persistent work for the beauty of horse breeding in Slovakia - for the Topoľčianky National Stud - has turned into an internationally recognized institution with admiration at home and abroad. This is also evidenced by the recognition of the wide professional breeding circles that the director of the National Stud has achieved. He is a member of the international breeding commission L.I.F., an organization that unites Lipizzaner breeders from 28 countries around the world. He served two terms as president and two terms as vice president of this important world organization. Since 2004, he has been the president of the International Organization of Hucul Horse Breeders (H.I.F.) and a member of the International Breeding Council and the Presidency of Shagya-Arabian Horses (I.S.G.). He is one of the five members of the international breeding board of the Spanish Classical School in Vienna, which selects stallions for this world-prestigious institution. Michal Horný is a recognized and accredited international evaluator of the genetic resources of horses such as the Lipizzaner, Hucul horse, Shagya-Arab and Arabian thoroughbred. He is regularly invited as an expert and evaluator to international championships of the mentioned horse breeds.

Michal Horný did not resent science either. He is a professional trainer, opponent of many doctoral, diploma and bachelor's theses, author and co-author of many professional articles and publications.

During his tenure, the horses of the National Stud won many prestigious breeding awards, champions of Europe or world champions in the breeding of genetic resources. They have also received numerous national awards from breeding associations and the Slovak Equestrian Federation, which awarded sports horses from the Topoľčianky National Stud several times with the title "Horse of the Year" in individual disciplines. On 23 July 2023, the Slovak Equestrian Federation awarded Michal Horný a gold badge for the development of equestrian sport on the occasion of his life anniversary.

Thanks to him, in December of last year, the Lipizzaner horse breed was registered in the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity - UNESCO.

A look at breeding statistics is also interesting. During Michal Horný's tenure as company director, 1 816 foals were born and bred, 1 352 horses were sold, and 231 breeding mares were entered into breeding.

An integral part of the Topoľčianky National Stud is also the Classical Topoľčianska School with Lipizzaner horses, which spreads the good name of the stud not only at home but also abroad. The father of this idea was again Michal Horný. Just 20 years ago, the so-called "White Ballet" premiered in Topoľčianky. Significant breeding, cultural and sports events organized at the National Stud could be counted in the hundreds. We must certainly mention the championships of three horse breeds in Topoľčianky, which have not yet been surpassed in Europe, and no other country has hosted such a spectacular breeding event.

The unique World Championships in driving for pairs also belong to the prestigious breeding and sports events. And why a breeding and sports event? For Slovakia and the National Stud, it was of great importance that the Lipizzaners born and bred at the Topoľčianky National Stud once again brought the coveted titles to the reigning world champions. It is a huge success for the stud farm and of course also for the department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in which the National Stud Farm feels favor and support. An integral part of the activity of the company managed by Michal Horny are the now famous traditional open days on May 1, when more than 15,000 visitors visit Topoľčianky.

In conclusion, we wish him all the best for his life anniversary, especially a lot of health, positive thinking, vigor and optimism for the next years of an active life.