Special Exhibition – The Equestrian Arts and Life for Horses at Schloss Hof Estate

Horse-breeding was of crucial importance for the Habsburgs, as is demonstrated in the Horses Room in Schönbrunn Palace, set up in the 1750s.

The Horses Room at Schönbrunn Palace

One of the four key focuses of the exhibition is directed onto this very room, the Horses Room, in which horses play the leading role. On display is a copy of the longitudinal wall of the room with the painting of an imperial parforce hunt in the landscape of the Morava River, also several horse portraits. Unlike the room in Schönbrunn Palace which because of security reasons may only be viewed through a glass pane, here the details of the painting can be perused more precisely.

The Imperial-Royal Military Riding and Driving Instructor School

A second section is devoted to the Imperial-Royal Military Riding and Driving Instructor School, which was stationed in Schloss Hof as of 1899. Selected officers were trained to be instructors; henceforth, riding, fencing and gymnastic lessons were on the curriculum as well as military science.

Horse breeds at Schloss Hof estate

Another section deals with the horse breeds that can be viewed at Schloss Hof Estate and are also bred here. They are one of the key focuses of interest among the 230 animals or more. Among them we find Noriker horses for instance, and rare breeds such as the Gidrans.

Activities with Horses at Schloss Hof estate

The last section shows the multifaceted round of activities and associations which annually enrich the Schloss Hof programme revolving around the theme of “Horses”.

One of the highlights in this year’s programme of events is yet again the popular Great Horse Show (31/8 & 1/9/2024).

"Horsing around European Courts" is a joint European project undertaken by the Network of European Royal Residences (ARRE), developed within the framework of the 2024 Olympic Games equestrian competitions hosted at the Palace of Versailles. Highlighting horses and the equestrian arts is a way of telling the story of royal residences from an original point of view, establishing them as an essential part of tangible and intangible European heritage.

All activities relating to "Horsing around European Courts" across the European Royal Residences you can find here.