A growing number of people in Wroclaw can now honestly say: Happiness is where your mount is. There were times when only the rich and wealthy or stable owners or farmers could afford a horse. These days, a horse of one's own is not some lofty dream but a real hobby.
First, find a good stable
It is well known, however, that you cannot keep your mount in a block of flats, a garage or a garden. If you want to buy one, you need to provide suitable accommodation. In Wroclaw and the vicinity, you can find over ten medium-sized and small stables to do so. Only at Partynice, there are 20 such "hotel rooms, as they call them.
"We offer proper care, and we also clean the stalls and feed the horses. All you need to do as an owner is to keep it fit," says Małgorzata Szewczyk from the Wrocław horse racing tracks. Ania Chmielewska, a native of Wroclaw, has been the owner of the proud and beautiful Mr Showman. She keeps the mount at her father's stable near Wroclaw. She is lucky because she did not have to look for a suitable place for her mount. But she knows the issue inside out.
"First off, you need to examine horses at the stable you want to choose. Horses always speak volumes about the place: you need to check if they are fed properly, if they are anxious or nervous, if they want to enter a paddock. The worst thing you can do to a horse is to keep it in the stable and visit it only at weekends," says Ania.
She visits Mr Schowmana every two or three days. She cleans the horse and takes him for a ride. "Horses need activity, without it, the risk of injury will rapidly grow," she adds.
Paddocks and attractive environs
Barbara Borzymowska is a writer, poet and psychologist specialising both in people and in animals, and also a proud owner of a horse. Bazyl resides at one of the stables in Wroclaw. When choosing it, Ms Borzymowska paid particular attention to the conditions inside the stable and whether there are any horse riding areas in the vicinity.
"As you look for a place to accommodate your horse, it is worth looking around to see if there are any paddocks for your horse to spend the day. A horse in the stall is an unhappy one," says Barbara Borzymowska. The cost of such a hotel or equine bed & breakfast, as it were, ranges from 500 to 1500 PLN per month. Establishments of this kind offer accommodation, cleaning the stalls and food for your horse.
Where to enjoy a ride?
You are allowed to ride a horse in parks and woods in Wroclaw. However, you are prohibited to do so on levees and areas free from car, bicycle and other types of traffic. The owners usually choose to have a ride in the immediate environs of the stable in which they keep their mounts.
Local stables:
-KJ Bachmat www.tokarski-horses.eu
-Belfegor www.konie.ovh.org
-Victor - www.stadninavictor.pl
-Szafir - www.stajniaszafir.pl
-Ranczo na Grobli - www.ranczonagrobli.pl
-Wilczyce - www.stajniawilczyce.prv.pl
-Arkadia
-Krzyżanowice www.stajniakrzyzanowice.blogspot.com
-Borowa - www.kjborowa.alpha.pl
-Maślice - www.konie-maslice.republika.pl
-Hucuł - www.hucul.wroclaw.pl
-Platan - www.lkjplatan.wroclaw.pl
