LIF JUDGES CLINIC, Beclean, Romania

On October 11th, members of ZRLS (private breeder of lipizzan horses from Slovenia) set off for the Romanian National Stud Farm in Beclean, which hosted this year’s annual LIF Judges and Breeders Clinic. The event was organized by Romsilva – the state agency for forests, which also houses the horse breeding section.

Under the guidance of the breed manager from our assosiation  Klemen Turk also paticipated:

– Primož Tanko

– Barbara Turk

– Nina Peternel

– Matjaž Hlebš

– Jana Jašović Memon

This year’s theoretical lectures took place in the conference hall of Hotel Coroana de aur in the town of Bistrita, where we were accommodated. We listened to the following lectures:

– Richard Hinrichs talked about competitions that take into account the characteristics of the Lipizzaner breed.

– Georgiana Neselan presented the Samabata de Jos Stud Farm in Romania, their history, and breeding work.

– Mihai Lechkun presented the work of Romsilva. The Horse Breeding Section manages both stud farms – Sambata de Jos and Beclean. He presented the selection work and goals for breed conservation, including the Lipizzaner breed.

– Atjan Hop presented the history of Romanian Lipizzaner breeding, which is historically connected to the Hungarian breeding, followed by imports of stallions from the Lipica Stud Farm. The last imports of horses were approximately 70 years ago, and since then, they have been breeding within their closed circle.

– Klemen Turk talked about the exterior of horses, refreshing our knowledge needed for the practical part.

The practical part took place at the Beclean Stud Farm, which is about 30 km away from Bistrita. The Beclean Stud Farm is quite unique as it breeds only black (dark) Lipizzaner horses. Due to the large number of participants in this year’s clinic, we were divided into three groups at the beginning – breeders, judges with less experience, and judges with more experience. The education was led by Janez Rus, Nidal Korabi, and Klemen Turk, all of them LIF judges with four stars, thus at the highest level.

The horses we saw were very similar to each other, with the same external characteristics. All the horses were taller. We can confirm that the horses are very similar to each other, uniform, and far from the classic Lipizzaner that we breed in Slovenia. Progress in the younger generation of horses is noticeable. It should be emphasized that the Beclean Stud Farm is a young stud farm as it has been in existence for approximately 30 years.

We have definitely gained new knowledge, and the team spirit was very good.

After the practical part, social events followed, which always contribute to strengthening international relationships between breeding organizations and stud farms.

We are definitely looking forward to next year and new knowledge.

Written by: Jana Jašović Memon