Horses in Slovenia (Slovene: konji v Sloveniji) 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.
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