Alkars' Stud ( hr, Alkarska ergela) is a horse breeding farm founded in 2004 in

Sinj Sinj (; it, Signo; german: Zein) is a town in the continental part of Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia. The town itself has a population of 11,478 and the population of the administrative municipality, which includes surrounding villages, is 24, ...

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

. Its main purpose is breeding of high-quality horses for

Sinjska alka The Sinjska alka () is an equestrian competition held in the Croatian town of Sinj every first Sunday in August since 1715. It commemorates a Croatian–Venetian victory in the Ottoman–Venetian war on August 14, 1715 in which the local Christian ...

equestrian competitions. It is situated at the Sinj

hippodrome The hippodrome ( el, ἱππόδρομος) was an ancient Greek stadium for horse racing and chariot racing. The name is derived from the Greek words ''hippos'' (ἵππος; "horse") and ''dromos'' (δρόμος; "course"). The term is used i ...

, where approximately forty horses have been housed, mostly of the English Thoroughbred and Croatian Warmblood breeds.

Establishment and development

The main initiator and founder of the

stud Stud may refer to the following terms: Animals * Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding ** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred Arts and entertainment * Stud (band), a British progressive rock group * The Stud (bar), a gay ba ...

is the „Alka Knights' Society“ ("Viteško Alkarsko društvo" - VAD) from Sinj, which, due to the specific situation caused by the gradual reduction of horse breeding on private peasant properties, decided to organize its own breeding programme. In 2004 the

private limited company A private limited company is any type of business entity in "private" ownership used in many jurisdictions, in contrast to a publicly listed company, with some differences from country to country. Examples include the '' LLC'' in the United St ...

named "Alkarska ergela d.o.o." was registered and several employees were engaged. The representatives of the VAD-Society agreed with the

local authorities Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...

that the stud would be located in the area of the Sinj hippodrome, the central place for keeping and training horses in Split-Dalmatia County. The hippodrome is situated in the eastern part of the town and there are four equestrian clubs from the wider area of Sinj which have their riding schools on it. The establishment of the stud was supported by the

Ministry of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister ...

and the Split-Dalmatia County, and these institutions still co-finance Alkars activities today. In the first year after its establishment, the stud began to function with five breeding

mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than fo ...

s, and later its own breeding programme gradually increased. In addition, the stud assigns its stallions to interested private owners of registered mares and thus stimulates horse breeding in Dalmatia.

Breeding and features of horses

The breeding and

maintenance Maintenance may refer to: Biological science * Maintenance of an organism * Maintenance respiration Non-technical maintenance * Alimony, also called ''maintenance'' in British English * Champerty and maintenance, two related legal doct ...

of quality horses in the stud are important in order to ensure the high level of the significant event that takes place every year at the beginning of

August August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars, and the fifth of seven months to have a length of 31 days. Its zodiac sign is Leo and was originally named ''Sextilis'' in Latin because it was the 6th month in ...

competition. A quality horse must meet a number of requirements, because the competition takes place in specific conditions. Horses have to reach a certain

speed In everyday use and in kinematics, the speed (commonly referred to as ''v'') of an object is the magnitude Magnitude may refer to: Mathematics *Euclidean vector, a quantity defined by both its magnitude and its direction *Magnitude (ma ...

, because they must run the 160-metre track in no more than 13 seconds. Furthermore, the racetrack is only 5

metre The metre (British spelling) or meter (American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its prefi ...

s wide, and there are people on both sides of it, so the horse must be trained to put up with different

sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' b ...

movements Movement may refer to: Common uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Motion, commonly referred to as movement Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * "Movement" (short story), a short story by Nancy Fu ...

colour Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are assoc ...

s and generally unusual atmosphere without any problems. Horses bred in the stud, in addition to speed, must have a calm and even run, and a calm temperament. They are trained not to be

afraid To be afraid is to have the emotional response of fear to threats or danger. Afraid may also refer to: * "Afraid" (Mötley Crüe song), 1997 * "Afraid" (The Neighbourhood song), 2013 * "Afraid" (David Bowie song), 2002 * "Afraid", a song by Va ...

of sudden situations, such as, for example, the shot of a

cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

called ‘’mačkule’’ during competition. All horses in the stud are not of the same

height Height is measure of vertical distance, either vertical extent (how "tall" something or someone is) or vertical position (how "high" a point is). For example, "The height of that building is 50 m" or "The height of an airplane in-flight is ab ...

and

weight In science and engineering, the weight of an object is the force acting on the object due to gravity. Some standard textbooks define weight as a vector quantity, the gravitational force acting on the object. Others define weight as a scalar qua ...

, so they are adjusted to the proportions of the rider. Taller and heavier horses are chosen for higher and heavier alkars, and vice versa. There are alkars that are up to two meters tall, and they ride horses that have a height of

back The human back, also called the dorsum, is the large posterior area of the human body, rising from the top of the buttocks to the back of the neck. It is the surface of the body opposite from the chest and the abdomen. The vertebral column runs ...

about 180 cm. Besides, relationship between rider and horse must be full of trust. Therefore, the alkar must be in the stable with his horse more often throughout the year, as well as take him out for a

walk Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an ' inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults ...

References

{{coord , 43.704, 16.633 Agriculture in Croatia Tourist attractions in Split-Dalmatia County Horse farms in Croatia

Establishment and development

Breeding and features of horses

See also

References