Member Report from Hungary
REPORT FROM THE 2025 CONFERENCE:
Judit Kovács, Hungary: Mr. President, fellow Delegates, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Judit Kovács, and together with my co-delegate Dr. Luca Kummer who is the Chairman of our Breeding Committee, it gives us great pleasure to represent Hungary, the Society of Hungarian Arabian Horse Breeders. I also bring greetings from our President Mr. Tamás Rombauer, who could not make the trip in person. We would also like to offer our highest respects and grateful thanks to His Highness Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the Emirates Arabian Horse Society for their generous support and hospitality, and for the opportunity to participate in such an outstanding Conference. We really appreciate being a part of this great meeting with all of you, where everything and everyone is here for our beloved Arabian breed.
The famous Arabian State Stud in Bábolna was established in 1789, it is one of the oldest Arabian studs in Europe and still breeding Arabian horses to this day. I should add that Hungary has been a Registering Authority Member of WAHO since 1975, so we are celebrating our 50th birthday of Membership this year.
Although the number of Arabian horse breeders in Hungary is relatively small, we can say that they are very enthusiastic. Both at the Bábolna stud, and in private breeding, we strive for genetic progress and the use of stallions that have been tested for their performance. Breeding stallions are also tested for genetic disorders. All of our foals are parent verified by DNA since 2010, and we have been using microchips since 2013. The number of foals registered annually, and the number of imports and exports remain on a fairly constant level year on year. Artificial insemination is allowed, and there is no time limit on the use of frozen semen from deceased stallions. Our Association actively contributes to improving the quality of the domestic breeding by purchasing semen from stallions of excellent pedigree and performance, so as to make it available to our breeders at a preferential price. Embryo transfer has been allowed in theory since 2016, but our breeders are not using this option in practice.
Our stud books have been kept since the establishment of the State Stud of Bábolna, which means a continuity of more than 235 years. There is a national online database for all state-approved horse breeds, including Purebred Arabians, containing the same data as in the Arabian Studbooks being kept by our Association. The data content is therefore not only available at the Association, but also in the official database controlled by the Agricultural Ministry. The online studbook database is available through a link from the website of our Association.
As for our events, we organized an international “C” Show in 2023, which had excellent entries. In connection with the show, we also organized educational presentations for our owners and breeders on veterinary, endurance-riding and breeding topics, where we have also provided an explanation of the WAHO rules. Endurance is increasing in popularity, as more and more owners are testing their horses in this sport, with many competitions held each year. We do not have any racing, but our Arabian horses are also used for driving, show jumping, dressage, cross-country competitions and general pleasure riding.
Purebred Arabian horses in Hungary are highly respected because of their beauty and performance and we will do our best to keep it that way. Thank you for your kind attention and, again, thank you for your generous hospitality.
REPORT PROVIDED PRIOR TO THE 2022 CONFERENCE
The number of purebred Arabian breeders in Hungary is small with no significant changes. The Society supported the breeding of purebred Arabians by leasing stallions with improver effect in 2021 and 2022. The stud fees were discounted.
They are working on an online database on their website but have had some difficulties due to data protection laws.
In 2022 the Society is going to organise an international “C” Show in Babolna on the same date as the ISG European Championships, named as the Arabian Horse Festival.
PREVIOUS REPORTS:
The Society of Hungarian Arabian Horse Breeders is pleased to report on two successful breeding years, with 50 foals registered in 2005 and a similar number in 2006. Despite a drop in the number of foal registrations since about 5 years ago, the breeding of Arabians remains an important part of Hungarian tradition. In Hungary all foals are parentage verified at registration, by DNA typing. The use of Artificial Insemination, transported semen and embryo transfer are all permitted.
The State Stud Farm at Babolna is still the main centre for Arabian horse breeding in Hungary, although there are now many private breeders as well. One Arabian horse show is held each year, there is also an International Arabian horse show held every second year, as well as sport events in dressage, show jumping, cross-country and driving. There is no racing but endurance riding is increasingly popular with many competitions held each year. Arabian horses are also used for show jumping, dressage and cross-country competitions. Arabians bred in Hungary continue to do well internationally in showing and in endurance.
In order to promote our purebred Arabians, we first of all have to win over young people by breeding horses which can be used well for different activities. Our Society has good contacts with the press, many articles are published and you can often see films and reports on Hungarian television about Arabian horses. In these ways we try to educate the public on the history, care and use of purebred Arabians.
