All activities / Horse Riding / Equestrian / Kladruby nad Labem
Horse Riding / Equestrian in Kladruby nad Labem
A village on the Elbe in eastern Bohemia built around one of the oldest working horse studs in the world. Its landscape of pastures, avenues and stud buildings, home to the Kladruber carriage-horse breed, was inscribed by UNESCO in 2019.
Why here
Kladruby nad Labem is home to one of the oldest working studs in the world and to the Kladruber, the oldest Czech horse breed. Emperor Maximilian II set up a court stud here in 1563, and in 1579 Rudolf II raised it to the Imperial Court Stud, breeding the heavy Baroque carriage horses that drew ceremonial coaches at the Habsburg court. The flat Elbe-side landscape of pastures, avenues and stud buildings was inscribed by UNESCO in 2019 as a living cultural landscape still used for its original purpose. Around five hundred grey and black Kladruber horses are bred across Kladruby and nearby Slatinany. Visitors tour the stables, the coach houses and the chateau, ride out in a horse-drawn carriage, and can arrange riding, making this the place to meet Czech equestrian heritage at its source.
Best months
The stud is open to visitors from April to October, closed on Mondays, with guided tours of the stables, harness and coach collections and the chateau, plus carriage rides; outside that season it opens for special dates or by arrangement. Spring foaling and the trained ceremonial teams are highlights. Book carriage rides and any riding ahead, as tour capacity is limited.
Getting there & around
Kladruby nad Labem lies on the Elbe in eastern Bohemia, about 100 kilometres east of Prague and a short drive from Pardubice, which has the nearest train station. The stud is signposted in the village, and tours and carriage rides start at the visitor entrance. A car is easiest, and the visit pairs with Pardubice and its own equestrian traditions.
Skill levels: beginner, intermediate
Schools & guides (1)
National Stud Kladruby nad Labem
OrganizerThe National Stud at Kladruby nad Labem breeds the Kladruber, the oldest indigenous Czech horse and one of the oldest breeds in Europe, on a stud chartered as the Imperial Court Stud in 1579. About five hundred grey and black Kladruber horses are kept across Kladruby and nearby Slatinany. The UNESCO-listed estate offers guided tours of the stables, coach houses and chateau, carriage rides behind Kladruber teams, and riding arranged in advance.