Horses in Slovenia () are represented above all by the traditional Lipizzan breed, inherited from Austria-Hungary; like Austria, Slovenia claims the Lipizzan as its national symbol. Horses have long been present on Slovenian territory; draft horses suffered a sharp decline in the 20th century, with only the native breeds of Slovenian Cold-blood and Posavina surviving. Slovenian breeders also have sport horses, such as the Slovenian Saddlebred and the Ljutomer Trotter. Slovenians distinguish their native horse breeds from traditional breeds.
The mechanized agriculture led to a marked decline in the number of horses, followed by an increase in the 21st century, to a herd of around 20 000 head in the 2000s. Slovenia has developed its equestrian tourism sector, in particular at the Lipica Stud Farm. Equestrian sports are practiced here, particularly combined combined driving and dressage. It's also a country where hippophagy is practiced. The horse, and the Lipizzan in particular, features prominently in Slovenian literature and in local traditions inherited from Slavic mythology.
History Horses have been present in Slovenia for a very long time. Equine remains dating back to the Hallstatt culture have been found in Dolenjska, in the south-east of the current country, putting in evidence the symbolic role of horses associated with male power in late prehistory. In some archaeological sites on Slovenian territory have been found 28 iron bridle bits dating from the early Middle Ages, as well as stirrups and spurs. Slovenian bits from this period are characterized by a thick barrel. The first written mention of a local breed, the Karst horse, dates back to the 15th century.
Slovenian horses have long been used for agricultural and forestry works, with draft horses representing the majority of the herd until recently. Under Austria-Hungary, the local herd was crossed with imported Belgian and Noriker horses. The Slovenian horse population reached a maximum of 60 000 at its peak. Most national breeders' associations were reorganized after 1962.
The advent of motorized farming led to a sharp decline in the horse population. The number of horses increased again at the beginning of the 21st century, thanks to a favorable breeding dynamic. In 2004, Slovenia had around 20 000 horses.
Usage
The historical existence of equestrian activities on Slovenian territory implies the presence of numerous related services, such as veterinary medicine, equine nutrition, horse management education, agricultural usage of horses, equestrian sports sector, leisure riding, equine-assisted therapy, and various state and non-state institutions linked to riding and horses.
In 2004, there were 54 riding centers in Slovenia, and 53 trail riding. Slovenia has also had mounted police units since 1920, which take part in various law enforcement missions, patrolling streets and parks.
Horse racing
The first developments in horse racing in Slovenia date back to 1875, with the founding of a trotting association in Ljutomer, which organized the first races. Trotting is a Slovenian tradition. They are managed by the Union of Trotters of Slovenia, which, as its name suggests, deals exclusively with trotters, and maintains the competition calendar and the practice of this sport, formerly throughout Yugoslavia.
Horse racing became very popular after the transition of government in 1991. In 2004, Slovenia had a total of 14 trotting clubs. There are 11 racetracks in the country, with a total of 25 competition days and 300 horses licensed to compete each year. Slovenian trotters perform well on the international sporting scene, with the best racing in Italy, Austria and Germany.
The development of gallop racing is much more recent, and remains private. Horse betting was in its development phase in 2004.
Equestrian sports The development of equestrian sports is also recent, accompanying the country's transition in 1991.
The Slovenian Equestrian Federation, based in Ljubljana, was founded in 1949 and has been a full member of the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI by its acronym in French) since 1992.It manages all equestrian competitions, with the exception of trotting races. It issues riders and horses with licenses, and determines and publishes the results of the competitions it organizes.
In 2010, Slovenia organized dressage and combined driving competitions. In particular, dressage competitions are organized in Lipica, which also presents its horses at international events. Despite a long history of experience in combined driving, competitive combined driving is still in its infancy, and as of 2022 the country has yet to win a medal at either the World Equestrian Games or the Olympic Games.
Equestrian tourism
The equestrian tourism sector is well developed, with (in 2019) around 30 stud farms or equestrian farms welcoming tourists to rural areas of Slovenia, as part of agritourism practices. Quality of food, drink and hospitality are decisive factors in maintaining this activity.
Hippophagy
A hippophagy country, Slovenia slaughters (in 2018) around 300 to 500 foals each year; 1 100 Slovenian horses and 200 to 300 foals are exported to Italy each year for slaughter, where the prices offered are higher. In 2018, there is a grey market for horse meat whose identification documents do not comply with traceability rules.
The nutritional value of Posavina meat has been studied: 100 grams of Posavina meat contain 72.44 ± 1.94 g of water, 1.96 ± 2.33 g of fat, and 21.52 ± 1.30 g of protein; the article concludes that "horse meat expresses an extremely beneficial fatty acid composition", justifying its use in human food.
Slovenian gastronomy offers a number of dishes based on horse meat, including horse steak (žrebičkov zrezek). Its consumption is particularly well established in the Karst and Carniola regions. There is also a small Slovenian fast-food chain selling horse meat specialties, particularly burgers in Ljubljana.
Breeding Most horse breeding in Slovenia takes place at small stables, where brood mares are brought to be impregnated by licensed stallions. On average, each stable has one or two stallions. Artificial insemination concerns a small number of mares (in 2004). During the 2003 breeding season, 5 868 mares were presented to 337 licensed stallions at these breeding stables. Approval of a stallion is based on a quality control of its semen.
At the beginning of the 21st century, Slovenia developed an information system to identify the country's horses.
The DAD-IS database identifies sixteen horse breeds currently or formerly bred in Slovenia. It is customary to distinguish between native breeds, which are proven to be native to Slovenian territory, and traditional breeds, which are not proven to be native. All Slovenian horse breeds have been genotyped, with the greatest variations in genotype frequency being found in draft horse breeds.
Native breeds
Lipizzan
Slovenia is particularly renowned for breeding the Lipizzan (lipicanec; lipicanski konj), the longest-established horse breed in Slovenia, bred from the Karst horse at Lipica stud farms. The International Lipizzan Federation (LIF) was founded in 1986 in Lipica. In 1996, Slovenia assumed responsibility for the development and protection of the Lipizzan. Since then, all breeding associations have had to apply to the Republic of Slovenia for permission to use the name "Lipizzan". The country obtained protection of the breed name, with a Protected Geographical Indication, in 1999. However, it does not have a monopoly on studbook management. The Lipizzan stallions present at Lipica belong to the breed's six traditional lineages, with mares representing 16 families. There are 1 253 Lipizzans registered in Slovenia in 2021. Consanguinity is monitored.
Slovenian Saddlebred The Slovenian Saddlebred or Slovenian hot-blooded (slovenski toplokrvni konj) is the national sport horse, bred from 1978 onwards at the Krumperk Castle stud farm from imported Hanoverian horses, in response to the Slovenians' desire to have their own studbook of sport horses. The Breed Association was formed in 1993, with a base of 225 members and 600 horses. By 2021, 750 horses of this breed will be registered.
Bosnian mountain horse or Balkan
The Bosnian, or "Balkan mountain horse", is the oldest horse breed in the Balkans and is considered a native breed in Slovenia. It is particularly present in Rtiče. In 2021, 306 heads of this breed were recorded, putting it in danger of extinction.
Draft horses
In 2005, draft horse breeding accounted for 80% of Slovenia's total horse population, including the Haflinger. Some Slovenian Cold-blood horse breeds are extinct.
The endangered Slovenian Cold-blood horse (Slovenski hladnokrvni konj) is the most commonly found draft horse breed, with a studbook in existence since 1962 and 3 050 animals listed in 2021. They are bred for meat and for farm work.
The Posavina, a cross-border breed of draft horse, is descended from the Belgian Draft and bred in Croatia and Slovenia, on the floodplains of the Save River. Preservation efforts date back to the 1990s and have proved effective, as the herd has steadily increased between 2006 and 2017. In 2021, a total of 1 980 animals of this breed were registered. The breed association was founded in 2005. The Slovenian Posavina population is very similar to the Croatian population, with an average height of 1 419 cm, and a bay, dark bay, chestnut, gray or black coat. In 2005, most of the Slovenian Trait breeding stallions were state-owned.
The very rare Međimurje (medzimurski konj) is extinct in Slovenia, as well as the Bohinj, Kobarid and Alpin.
Traditional breeds
Trotters
Slovenia has been breeding trotters since 1884, specially at Ljutomer. There is a Slovenian National Trotter (kasaški konj), considered a traditional breed, of which 425 were registered in 2021. The Ljutomer Trotter (Ljutomerski kasac), another traditional breed, is a critically endangered type of trotter derived from crosses between the Anglo-Arabian and the Standardbred, now bred throughout the country, but originally from Ljutomer, in the Mur region.
Haflinger
The Haflinger (haflinški konj), considered a traditional breed, has been bred since the 1950s for combined combined driving and pack in the mountains. It is also used as a mount for children and young people. In the 1970s, the Slovenian government imported 181 mares and 29 stallions of this breed to meet the needs of agriculture and tourism. In 2004, around 1 000 Haflingers were bred in Slovenia, with the number expected to fall to 550 by 2021, following a decline in the herd over several years. The Haflinger association also manages draft horse breeds. Almost all Haflinger stallions are owned by the state, and are kept at public studs throughout the country. Slovenian Haflinger breeding is specifically aimed at the tourist market.
Other breeds
Finally, Slovenia breeds Thoroughbreds (angleški polnokrvni konj), Arabians (arabski (polnokrvni) konj), Hanoverians (Hannoverian), Icelandics (islandski konj) and Norikers (Noric).
The number of non-purebred Arabian horses was expected to reach 70 in 2021, with a stable trend, compared with 325 purebred Arabians in the same year. Slovenia would have around 400 Icelandic and 200 English Thoroughbreds in 2021. Hanoverian and Noriker numbers are unknown.
Associations and state support for breeding In 2004, eleven breeders' associations were active. The oldest is the association of draft horse and Haflinger breeders. It is followed by the Lipizzan Breeders' Association, the Posavina Breeders' Association, the Slovenian Sport horse Breeders' Association, the Arabian Breeders' Association, the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association, the Icelandic Breeders' Association, the Quarter Horse Breeders' Association and the Slovenian Trotter Breeders' Union.