Local services
The Hortobágy Equestrian Days will be held for the 56th time between the 12th and 14th of July. The event will feature horse racing, horse stunt show, show jumping competition and much more.
The details were presented on Wednesday afternoon on the roof of the Kölcsey Centre in Debrecen.
Mayor László Papp recalled that it was ten years ago that Debrecen decided to strengthen its cooperation with Hortobágy to co-organise the Hortobágy Equestrian Days.
The mayor said that every year, with the exception of the year of COVID-19, a high-quality event is organised in the Hortobágy.
Mátai Ménes, which is the basis of the Hortobágy Equestrian Days, has invited three more stud farms, namely Mezőhegyes, Bábolna and Szilvásvárad.
The Hortobágy stud farm is preparing a music and dance show on Saturday. The Csokonai Theatre artists will also take part in it, and the leading dance companies of the region and the eighty-strong dance troupe from Partium will make the day memorable, László Papp said.
“I see the Hortobágy as an integral part of Debrecen, which has been the basis of the local economy for centuries. It was the wilderness, with all its charm and potential, that ensured Debrecen’s success, and we are carrying this historic tradition forward into the 21st century. Debrecen is linked to the past of Mátai Stud Farm through the foundation of nine mare families. In 2023, foals were born to the mares Félszeg and Álarc, named Jelmez and Jeles. Álarc gave birth to another foal this year, the mare was named Karnevál,” the mayor said.
The mayor also said that the local transport company (DKV) will run a special service from Segner Square on Saturday to coincide with the event.
He also said that Debrecen would support the event with more than HUF 9 million, as in previous years.
Bernadett Fülöp, Managing Director of the Hortobágy Nature Conservation and Gene Preservation Non-profit Ltd., underlined that they are able to renew themselves year after year, offer new programmes and create a festival atmosphere.
“We organise the equestrian days in a World Heritage site, thanks to the living pastoral culture. Shepherds are the backbone of the event, and have been a regular participant for 56 years. This year there will also be guest herdsmen, and one of the most exciting events is the Sunday’s race. The show jumping competitions will see a record number of over 600 entries this year. A new feature will be the ten-horse show. The stud festival is being launched this year and will be held every five years on the grounds of a state stud, he said.
The opening ceremony will start at 1 p.m. on Saturday with the Hortobágy Life Picture, which will attract a record number of horses and carriages, and the programme will run until 9 p.m. The next day will be the Hortobágy preliminary round of the National Parade, with the semi-finals from 10 a.m. and the finals from 5 p.m. On Sunday, there will also be five and ten-horse shows, a foal championship and a children’s riding village.
Gergely Medgyesi, Director of the Hortobágy National Park Directorate, underlined that it is of utmost importance to capture the imagination of children during the programme.
“We are also preparing programmes for large families, there will be artists, musicians, folk dance lessons and craft activities are also inevitable,” he stressed.
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Source: debrecen.hu
