Open Day at the National Stud Farm Topoľčianky Breaks Records

This year’s Open Day, traditionally held on May 1st, once again welcomed a large number of horse enthusiasts. Pleasant spring weather combined with the prospect of a day full of experiences attracted nearly 15,000 visitors to Topoľčianky.

The gates of the stud farm opened at 9 a.m. Right at the entrance, a souvenir shop of the National Stud Farm was prepared, offering small refreshments in the form of cooling drinks. In addition to the historic riding hall, the hippological exhibition in Topoľčianky was also open to the public. It is regularly supplemented with important information and key events from the stud farm’s history. Besides more than 3,000 artefacts, visitors could view the carriage house with its collection of historical carriages and various valuable harnesses. Worth attention was also the exhibition dedicated to the first World Championships in an equestrian discipline ever held in Slovakia – the 2013 World Pair Driving Championships. The exhibition was enriched with veterinary tools and equipment used in horse breeding in the past and still used today.

As is tradition, the Wine Plantations also joined the Open Day program, opening their cellars and organizing wine tastings. The Topoľčianky Castle and the Hunting Lodge were open as well. The municipality of Topoľčianky organized a fair in the village center, offered free entry to the Ethnographic Museum, and hosted a photography exhibition in the cultural hall. Various activities were prepared in the Topoľčianky Park on the occasion of Tree Day. HEDIN Automotive NITRA once again exhibited its newest Mercedes and Kia models directly in front of the historic riding hall. The music group Q-TY from Zlaté Moravce provided a cheerful atmosphere in the riding hall area. Numerous stands of local craftsmen were part of the event, presenting their handmade products from various fields. There were also carousels and other attractions for the youngest visitors.

The entire riding hall complex was open, and visitors could tour the stables housing all five horse breeds kept at the National Stud Farm – Lipizzaner, Hucul horse, Shagya Arabian, Arabian Thoroughbred, and Slovak Warmblood. Throughout the morning, public training sessions of the individual sport departments took place in the main arena. Visitors could observe the work with show jumping, dressage, and vaulting horses. As part of the morning program, students from the Secondary Vocational School in Ivanka pri Dunaji presented canine demonstrations with their dogs.

The biggest attraction for visitors during the Open Day is undoubtedly the Gala Program at 2 p.m. in the main arena. The National Stud Farm and its guests present their breeding and sporting work with their four-legged partners. Tickets sold out very quickly in advance through Ticketportal, confirming the great public interest in this unique program.

The new breeding, sporting, and tourist season was officially opened with short speeches by Samuel Sokol, Director of the National Stud Farm, the President of the Slovak Republic Peter Pellegrini, and the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Richard Takáč. Many other distinguished guests honored the event with their presence – President of the Slovak Republic Ivan Gašparovič and the Chairman of the Nitra Self-Governing Region Branislav Becík.

A captivating opening of the Gala Program was delivered by violin virtuoso Martina Výbohová, known as Mathia, who was brought into the arena by the representative Lipizzaner four-in-hand to the sound of her beautiful violin and her own compositions. After stepping out of the carriage, she performed two more dynamic pieces, energizing the entire audience and creating a fantastic atmosphere. This introduction was followed by the “white ballet” performed by eight riders of the National Stud Farm and their eight Lipizzaner stallions, showcasing the elegance of classical riding in an impressive quadrille choreography. The audience then enjoyed a performance by guests from Hungary – Lajos Tóth and his team – who presented the traditions of Csikós riding and work with the so-called karikás, a special whip used by Csikós horsemen.

The performance of the Classical Topoľčianky School was accompanied by live music from violinist Mathia. First to perform was Stanislav Chrappa with Neapolitano XII-18, demonstrating long-rein exercises. Unfortunately, the head of the classical school, Václav Macek, could not attend this year’s Gala Program for health reasons. The quality of his work and the readiness of the horses were represented by Miroslav Matúška, who performed the pesade with Siglavy XIII-14. Gradually, the other riders entered the arena and presented exercises such as the levade, Spanish walk, piaffe, and passage. The greatest applause was earned by the most difficult movement of the Spanish Riding School – the capriole – performed by Miroslav Matúška and the stallion Pluto XX-27.

Under the guidance of longeur Boris Kodak, the vaulting department presented a demanding choreography in the pas-de-deux category, with which the athletes aim to qualify for the 2026 Junior European Championships in Le Mans, France. While the arena was being prepared for the driving duel, a prize draw for spectators took place. The first prize, provided by HEDIN Automotive NITRA, was a weekend use of a Mercedes car. The second and third prizes, donated by the National Stud Farm Topoľčianky, included a carriage ride in the castle park and a generous cheese platter made from products of the National Stud Farm’s Žikava Sheepfold.

The program continued with the driving duel, which was uniquely combined with car driving this year. Two teams were formed – the team of phenomenal football representative Ľubomír Moravčík paired with the pair of horses driven by Jozef Mašír, and the team of Ivan Jakeš, multiple participant of the Dakar Rally on a motorcycle, paired with the team driven by Miroslav Matúška. The horse pair started first, completing the course as quickly as possible without knocking down the balls on the cones. The same course was then driven by the sports guests in a car under the same conditions. Each team completed two rounds, the times were added, and the narrow winner was the team of Ivan Jakeš. Prizes for this dynamic and friendly competition were provided by Chateau Topoľčianky.

The adrenaline-filled demonstrations continued. The audience was thrilled by the Hungarian guest Lajos Tóth, this time with the so-called “puszta five-in-hand.” This consisted of five horses – three in front and two behind – with the rider standing on the two rear horses while controlling the entire team. Spectators watched breathlessly as Lajos Tóth gradually increased the speed to a full gallop, rewarding him with thunderous applause. A humorous interlude was provided by the Hucul stallion Oušor VIII ridden by Lucia Suchánková, who demonstrated not only clearing small obstacles but also sitting, lying down, and the Spanish walk. The program traditionally concluded with a dynamic demonstration by the Mounted Police of the Slovak Republic, showing the training methods of police horses. The audience could watch four young horses bred at the National Stud Farm confidently handle the challenges of police work.

The atmosphere during the Gala Program was truly indescribable. The audience rewarded the performances of the riders and horses with enthusiastic applause.

A heartfelt thank you goes to everyone who visited us and expressed their support. We wish all of you a successful breeding, tourist, and sporting season, and we believe we will meet again next year.

Text: NŽT

Foto: František Kabát ml.