Minister of Defense, Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky shared details of the presentation on his Facebook page, along with pictures of the ceremony in London.

“Hungarian horses at the service of the British Royal Family!” he wrote. “I have presented two Hungarian Lipizzaner horses to the British Royal Court as Hungary’s coronation gift for King Charles III.

The two highly trained horses, aged 8 and 6, will be used in the Royal Family’s representational duties.”

The minister emphasized that this gift will enhance the international reputation of Hungarian horse breeding. While Hungarian horses have been donated to the British royal army in the past, this marks the first time Hungary has gifted horses specifically to the British Royal Family.

The two horses were carefully selected from the State Stud Farm in Szilvásvárad (North-Eastern Hungary) by the Lord High Steward of Charles III and the Royal Coachman.

According to a press release from the Ministry of Defense, the horses have received international-level training both under saddle and in harness, making them well-suited for representative court service.

Lipizzaner horse breeding in Hungary began in 1952, when the country’s Lipizzaner stock was settled in the state stud farm established in Szilvásvárad, but the breed’s history dates back to the 1500s.

The original Lipizzaner stud was established by Ferdinand I (1556-1564) in what is now Slovenia. Purebred for almost 500 years, the horses have spread all over the world and are excellent for dressage and riding.

While being Ambassador in London, Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky took part in the traditional inspection of the Household Cavalry Regiment in Hyde Park (in 2018).

The Minister of Defense is an equestrian himself and preserves the Hungarian cavalry tradition as captain of the Military Equestrian Section of the Defense Forces’ Zrínyi Sports Club (Honvéd Zrínyi Sportegyesület), representing the Emperor’s Hussars.
 

*********************************

You're very welcome to comment, discuss and enjoy more stories via our Facebook page: 
Facebook.com/XpatLoopNews + via XpatLoop’s groups: Budapest Expats / Expats Hungary

You can subscribe to our newsletter here: XpatLoop.com/Newsletters

Do you want your business to reach tens of thousands of potential high-value expat customers? Then just contact us here.