Horseback riding - "Hucul" in Regietów - Poland Soul Travel - Wir laden Sie nach Polen im Slow-Stil ein

In the wild mountains of southeastern Poland survived a breed of small, but extremely tenacious and vigorous horses called Hucul horses.

Although they resemble a bit of an under-grown donkey or mule, they are beautiful, clever and proud animals with a long and mysterious history. Visiting the Hucul horse stud in Regietów Niżny, you will have the opportunity to get to know them better.

The ancestors of the Hucul horses probably came to these parts together with Mongolian and Tatar horsemen.

Another theory links them to tarpans – an extinct species of semi-wild horse that once inhabited Europe. The horses owe their name to the Huculs – inhabitants of the Ukrainian part of the Carpathian Mountains.

Centuries of terrible poverty and very harsh climatic conditions shaped the character of the horses, which helped with tree felling and endless farm work. The small chambers of the Huculs lacked space for horses, so the animals mostly wintered outside and spent only the hardest frosts inside. The result was veritable specimens of health and resilience to the harsh mountain conditions.

Just after World War II, the Hucul horse breed was on the verge of extinction. The population was rebuilt from the dozen or so surviving specimens at the stud farm, which today is located in Regietów Niżny. Today, almost 300 friendly horses are being raised there. The most famous Hucul stallion was Jaśmin, a five-time gold medalist at the National Games, who left behind 188 descendants! Visitors to the stud are greeted by his statue.

The Hucul horse is an excellent companion for mountain expeditions and an invaluable animal for physiotherapy. On site you can order rides around the stud or longer field trips. A popular entertainment in winter is the sleigh ride – a traditional carriage associated with the culture of the Polish nobility. Special sleighs travel through the surrounding valleys, pulled by horses directly over the snow.