GERONIMO
Geronimo is a name that obliges, but at home they call me Kuba.
I was born in 2010 in Podlasie in “Kresowa Stanica” in Poczopek and I am a real piebald tinker from Grace (mother) to Bobo (father).
On a daily basis, I reside in the stable of the “Hipoterapia” Foundation (since 2015), which is currently located at the Służewiec Horse Race Track in Warsaw. I work all year round with people with disabilities and I am used for all forms of hippotherapy, as well as for para horse riding. I am well-behaved, understanding, patient and love my patients.
Instead, we spend our holidays with friends from the Warsaw stable in Supraśl in Podlasie. And it’s real fun: all day on the catwalks, in the sun, rain, mud, sand, believe me, we wait for it all year round. And field trips and rallies….
HAŃCZA
In my passport I have the following written: “Polish half-bred noble horse, brown coat; sire: Noel, dam: Hodola , born 25.02.2009”.
I came to the Supraśl herd relatively recently, 2 years ago. Earlier, for nearly 12 years, I lived and worked with my breeder and owner, Mr. Jan Kłoska. There I learned everything: the basics of dressage, show jumping, as well as great patience in working with beginners adepts of equestrian art.
After arriving at the new stable, I started working under the saddle with both beginners and advanced riders. But a problem quickly arose: severe pain in the spine. It hurt so much that after galloping on my right leg I would stop suddenly and it happened that my riders would fall. But it wasn’t really mean, it just hurt so much…
Fortunately, a solution to this problem was quickly found. And the perfect solution turned out to be a physiotherapist specializing in horses, Mr. Andrzej Czak, who during one treatment session put me correctly on my four horse legs. I also got monthly recommendations, which my carers followed very carefully. What I liked most was the daily fork massage…., just like that with a fork. But other things were fun too, like long, long walks, first in hand, then under the saddle, walking downhill and uphill. I also got a new saddle, perfectly fitted especially for me by Mr. Adrian Fabian, the owner of the Elfab company Horse . Result: my pains subsided completely, I work willingly in all gaits, on the coral, in the manege, in the field and I am a happy horse.
HERA
I am a dark-mouse Polish horse, quite right for this breed, height: full 140 cm .
I came to Podlasie almost 15 years ago from Lesser Poland, to supply with fresh genes a conservative herd of Polish Koniks in Kopna Góra near Supraśl . Currently, my owner is the District Office in Białystok, and the lessee is the “Victoria” Sports Club.
I was born in 2000, so I’m old, but as you know, Polish horses are a very long-lived breed. Provided that we do not get equine asthma (RAO), which unfortunately we are predisposed to in stable conditions.
I am a Polish horse of a very utilitarian type and an absolute contradiction of all common opinions about the uselessness of representatives of my breed in horse riding. I am a great riding horse, starting from showing small children to small parkours and arenas during competitions. And most of all, I love field trips. It is such a wonderful variety compared to the often monotonous work on the manege. Then I forget about my years, minor or major ills and I’m just happy, and fatigue doesn’t bother me at all.
HUK
I was born in 2011 in Podlasie in the stable of Mr. Piotr Dzięcioł. I am of Lesser Poland breed from mother Beja by father Hedar . As a 3-year-old I came to Supraśl and settled in the stables of the Sports and Recreation Center “Bukowisko”, and then the “Victoria” KS. But I was a private horse and I was standing there in a hotel. In Supraśl I was first ridden, and then I learned more things, i.e. the basics of dressage and jumping. What I remember from that time, however, is the long, lonely field trips: just me and my owner. We traveled together a piece of the Knyszyn Forest, many villages and hamlets. To this day, I do best alone in the field. On the other hand, in the troop sometimes something disturbs me, and it’s too slow, and someone is on my heels, and then someone gets scared and scares me….
As a four-year-old, I suffered a serious injury: a ruptured navicular bone with a splinter. For the operation I went all the way to Janów Podlaski to Dr. Jarosław Karcz. On the spot, it turned out that surgery was also needed on the other front leg. Fortunately, everything went well, although the convalescence lasted half a year. Today, it has been over 7 years since then, and I have no complaints related to it. What I have left from that time is the fear of injections. Well, after all, each of us has our bigger and smaller fears.
A few years ago my owner sold me to the “Victoria” Sports Club. Fortunately, it didn’t involve any move, I just stopped being a hotel horse and became a club horse.
KILIANA
Mother: Kina II, father: Rypis , black ointment, Silesian breed, born on February 24, 2008. So much from the passport. And from life?
I can boast that I have been in the stable in Supraśl since I was born and I am one of the two horses that were born here in the nearly 20-year history of this place. You ask why? Well, because “Victoria” is a sports club, not a breeding stable in the strict sense. When my mother came to Supraśl , purchased for the District Sports and Recreation Center, she was already in foal. So it’s no wonder that after a few months I was born: Kara, a characterful Silesian.
As befits a representative of my breed, I love to pull a carriage or sledge, but I don’t have many opportunities to do so. At work under the saddle at the manege, I am a horse that is demanding for my riders and perfectly tests their skills. Something else in the field. There is no horse in our stable better than me, confident, brave, balanced, perfectly keeping the pace and distance. One thing I hate is a horse running over my tail, then I kick. That’s why I always go last in the field.
I have been suffering from equine asthma (RAO) for 1.5 years, so I spend 24/7 outside. I really hope that my ailments will not intensify and that this year I will be able – as in previous years – to participate in rallies that I really like and which serve me very well.
Cossack
PLN 10 per kilo. Yes, that was my price, for which I was bought 2 years ago and went to my new home. Earlier, for several months, I was tied up against a wall in a large barn, waiting for transport to you know where. It’s true that I had enough hay and oats, because I couldn’t lose weight. Of course, PLN 10 per kilogram … But my owner, every time he was packing horses for transport, you know where, he would say: “You know Kozak, you are such a kind, good horse, willing to work, but maybe someone in finally he will, today you are staying…” And a miracle happened, there were really people who wanted me and that’s how I ended up in the Supraska stable.
My name is, as you already know, Cossack. I have a Polish draft horse written in my passport. I’m 14 years old, I’m not tall, but I weigh 600 kg . But what kind of a Cossack am I? I give way to all the boys in our herd. I don’t like and I can’t fight. The beginnings were the worst: everyone was chasing me, trying to bite and kick, and I just cowered in the corner. It’s OK now. No one bothers me, we’re friends, I’ve even learned to play, but I often keep my distance just in case, I love to stand still and watch the world, which is so beautiful…
I also love to work. When I came to Supraśl, I knew how to pull a carriage and a sled, and I was really good at it. In my new home I also quickly learned how to work under the saddle. I am an ideal lunge horse, on which adults and small children safely explore the basics of horse riding: walk, trot, first gallops in my life, that’s me. But most of all I like field trips, I’m so happy then…. You’ll say: you have short legs, you’re fat, you certainly can’t keep up with everyone. None of these things: I walk steadily, willingly, at a good pace and never lag behind.
HURRICANE
The characteristic bay and piebald, medium-sized horse in the paddock is Orkan. I am the property of the District Office in Białystok, leased to KS “Victoria”. My passport says “little horse” and not much else. Origin: NN, date of birth unknown. But looking at my teeth and bits of my history, I’m about 17.
In my case, however, believe me, it’s not paper, but facts speak for themselves. And the facts are that I am the most sought-after horse in our Supraśl stable. Whether it’s a novice rider on a lunge, or the first independent rides on a manege, or advanced rides, field trips, or finally sports training … I’m good at everything.
In everything I am confident, stable, balanced, and at the same time very honest and dedicated to work. It doesn’t matter that sometimes my rider’s signals are not entirely precise and the calf is not very stable. I will always do what I am supposed to do: energetic walk, trot, gallop, bars, obstacle … Please, always at your service. I never show tiredness or impatience. Fortunately, my guardians take care not to exploit me excessively and distribute the work evenly among our entire horse crew.
ROKI
I’m half Tinker , half Hutsul. My mother is of the Hutsul race, she is the Revolution from Bacówka, and my father is the truest tinker , whose name is Borneo. I was born in 2013 in “Stanica Kresowa” in Poczopek in Podlasie. And here’s a fun fact: Dad is only 2 years older than me. How is this possible? My dad had barely turned a year old together with his buddy from Małopolska , also a yearling, he broke the fences and they both fell into a small herd of mares. Oh, what was going on there… And after 11 months, me and two other foals were born.
At the age of three, I came to the stable in Supraśl , where I am until today. And I must boast that I am the boss of our gelding herd. I’ll tell you how I came to it. Of course, as a three-year-old boy, I had no say. Everyone was jostling me, shooing me away, I was the last one to drink water in the paddock, and so on.
The undisputed boss in the herd was Wigor, called Karym. From the first day after arriving in a new place, I looked at it like a picture. He was so beautiful, so proud and everyone listened to him and he didn’t even have to kick or bite, he just looked or, as a last resort, drooped his ears. From the beginning I tried to be close to him, I approached him timidly and constantly “talked” moving my lips. Then Kary graciously let me “groom” his mane, and then more and more he let me be close to him. My packmates stopped teasing me and I grew up and got braver. And then Kary left with his new owner for Warsaw and was gone for nearly 5 years. During this time, I slowly and systematically consolidated my position.
And you know what happened? At the beginning of 2023, Kary returned to us. I recognized him immediately, and so did the other horses. And we are slowly rebuilding relationships in our herd.
SCOTCH WHISKeY
My dun ointment is the color of noble whiskey, so I was very aptly named as it was named 12 years ago at the Jaroszówka horse farm, where I was born. I am a cross between a fjord (mother) and a thoroughbred (dad). Really original? But that’s nothing. My beloved daughter Tennessee Whiskey has a father of Lesser Poland breed: Dąbek by Emetycie . It’s just a mix. isn’t it?
But back to me. First of all, I have to brag. In the photo where you can see me, I am with my rider Ola. We have just won the 2022 League Final of the Podlasie Voivodeship in Dressage in class N. This year we are preparing to start in class C. And all this in such a short time that I can’t believe it.
I came to Supraśl from a stable near Warsaw 3 years ago with my one-month-old daughter, a bit overworked and hardly accepting the bit. Now see for yourself. Well, dressage with Ola is one of my specialties, the other is field trips and rallies as a lead horse, the so-called leading. Whether with Ola or with my owner Joanna, I always lead the troop. I am brave and prudent but vigilant, I know that everyone’s safety rests on my shoulders. Just like taking care of the whole herd on the route and at stops: I have to keep an eye on everyone all the time.
I have great confidence in my amazons: terrain obstacle, large or small water, narrow passage: I will enter anywhere. After all, this is how a leading horse should be, and I have no intention of giving this function to anyone for a long time. The more so that I took over her from my best friend Hypnoza, who was already 30 years old and the leader of the troop in the Supraśl stable from 7 to 28 years old, when she retired. However, he is still bossing us and mothering us on the paddock and pasture.
Tennessee Whiskey
This is me, Tennessee Whiskey, 3 months old with my mom Scotch Whiskey. Those were beautiful times, almost 4 years ago. Now I’m an adult, slender, beautiful and mousey…., although I’m not a Polish horse at all. In my veins flows the blood of Thoroughbred and Fjord , after my mother and Małopolska , after my father. Thanks to this, I am one of a kind and unrepeatable, but you will judge it for yourself when you get to know me.
For over three years, I watched my mother and the other horses in my stable work under saddle. It always fascinated me so much that I couldn’t even nibble on hay or grass in the pasture at that time. I stood staring or galloped as fast as I could to be like them. I won’t say no one cares about me, oh no. From a small foal I was brushed, my legs were cleaned, I walked on a leash , I ran in circles on coral. But I knew that was still not it. And finally the moment came: I got a bridle and a saddle on my back. I won’t say it was a bit weird and uncomfortable, but only a little and I got used to it quickly.
And then Ola got on me and that’s how my true adulthood began. And you know, I like it a lot.
TOKAy
Tokaj from Antoniów, that’s what I have entered in my passport and it sounds proud. I am a real Hutsul, both in appearance and character. I was born in 2014 in the well-known Hutsul stable of PP. Danuta and Andrzej Ruta, and for 5 years I have been in KS “Victoria” in Supraśl .
My character is, as I have already told you, truly Hutsul. I don’t mind being the smallest in the herd. I’m not afraid of anyone and I pick on everyone. Well, of course, until then. Sometimes I have to retreat to a predetermined position, and sometimes I even get a smack.
I’ll tell you a story: When a Cossack came to us, he was so stocky, heavy, black, weighing at least twice as much as me. But he was terrified of all horses. Well, at first I chased him along with everyone else, but then my friends got bored of it and gave it up. Everyone, but not me. I was picking on him and chasing him constantly. By the time. One fine day, the Cossack came back after riding to the paddock and brazenly began to approach the feeder. So I immediately ran up with bared teeth, hoping for a good race. And here’s a nasty surprise, the Cossack grabbed me by the neck, pinned me to the ground, made me kneel on my front legs and held me… When he finally let me go, all the horses laughed at me that I squealed like a pig, such a shame… And you know, since then I never bother Kozak again, maybe just a little bit, but so that he would know that I invite him to play.
Not every rider can handle me on the manege. A small horse does not mean an easy horse, as everyone can see by getting on me. The exception is field trips and guided tours with children: here no numbers and full professionalism. Anyway, I love the terrain and I can easily keep up with big horses.
VIGOR
I’m a real hunk: tall, slender, black with an asterisk, write out, paint over: The Black Prince. I am of the Lesser Poland race. My father is the famous Emmett xo ( Emerycha – Kwartet), and the mother is the Arabian mare Wiagra oo.
My breeder, Mr. Bogdan Dąbrowski, called me Kara since I was little, and it stayed that way. When I was still a foal (and it was 18 years ago) it was said that at the age of 3 I was going to the stable in Supraśl . When I got there, my new owner asked Mr. Bogdan what my official name was. After a long moment of silence, my current owner blurted out: “Well, what’s his name, after all, he’s after Wiagra “.
Supraśl became my home for many years. Here I led the gelding herd, here I was successful in the dressage discipline, here I had my amazons, whom I was the apple of my eye and great love: Marta, Agnieszka, Natalka, Ewelina. And it was with Ewelina that I went to Warsaw in 2018. I will not say that I had a good time: special feeds, solariums, a heated washcloth, trainings with famous trainers… But I missed my paddock, my horse friends from Supraśl, long trips into the field. I came back here in early 2023 and believe me: I’m back home.