– Horses are very delicate – an interview with Marta Skrzypczyk – a zootechnician, horse riding instructor, hippotherapist, owner of the Ranczo Podkówka horse farm in Lipa [PHOTOS, VIDEO]

Where does your passion and love for horse breeding come from? Is it a family tradition?

"We don't have any family traditions. Ever since I was a child, living in the countryside, I've been chasing horses. I think I was born with this passion. My parents took me for my first ride. And it stuck with me. I also completed studies in this field. I'm a zootechnician by profession, specializing in horse breeding and equestrianism. I'm a certified riding instructor and hippotherapist."

Are you from around here? From Lipa?

– No. I was born in Tychy. My parents and I have been in the Podkarpacie region for twenty-five years, and in Lipa for fifteen. We were looking for a good place to live and one where we could have more horses. We found just such a place here. We started with two horses. Now we have eleven. Horses need space, pastures, hay, a paddock, and a place to ride. Over the past fifteen years, we have systematically built our ranch. We are currently finalizing the construction of accommodations.

"I help Marta run the ranch," says Krzysztof Modny, a horse farrier. He describes in detail the farrier's mobile workshop. Pictured here is a set of knives for cleaning horses' hooves.

What kind of horses do you breed?

– Mainly Hucul horses. Typically mountain horses. Very hardy. Associated with this terrain. Particularly suitable for off-road rallies and excursions. They will go anywhere, are calm, patient, and can be trusted while riding.

Exactly. How much horse is left in the horse, that is, this wild, untamed animal?

"It works on the basis of partnership and trust. If a horse were just a tool, a laborer, this horse wouldn't exist. It wouldn't have character, it wouldn't want to cooperate with us. It would do its job passively. And sometimes it might even rebel. I do it on the basis of cooperation, partnership. They want to be with me, and I want to be with them. They feel safe with me. We establish a hierarchy because horses are herd animals and they need a leader. I lead my horses from foalhood. I teach them to be around children, adults, noise, and the environment. They learn everything in stages."

Should we be afraid of horses?

"No, you shouldn't be afraid of them. A horse in nature is at the level of prey. The predator attacked them for food. Horses have defense systems, reflexes, instincts. If something frightens them, their instincts will kick in. If we're nearby, they won't pay attention to us in a dangerous situation. They might bump into us or push us, but they don't do it on purpose."

Can they kick?

"No. No horse has ever kicked or bitten me here. Such things result from poor work with humans or bad memories. Someone hit a horse or has a bad memory of a human. They feel threatened. It's a defensive reaction against someone or something. Horses have very good memories. They can recognize a person by their gait, by their voice, from a great distance. They remember our facial features."

Is there a lot of work with horses?

"And it's constant. There's no time off. They say 'healthy as a horse,' but that's not entirely true. Horses are very delicate. Illnesses happen. You have to be there for them because they don't talk, complain, or squeal like other animals. Horses suffer in silence. This is because in nature they don't do that, so as not to provoke a predator."

Why is it worth learning horse riding?

"Primarily because it develops empathy and understanding for the animal world, the environment, nature, and our surroundings. It teaches respect, patience, and humility. Because it's not like driving a car or a bicycle. Gas, clutch, and brake. You have to become friends with an animal. It has to get to know us, and we have to get to know it. We have to trust each other. When we mount an animal that weighs 500 or 600 kilograms, there has to be some connection. Horseback riding helps with proper muscle development and develops proper motor coordination. Hippotherapy helps children with disabilities, especially those with mobility issues."

Thank you for the interview

Artur Wilgucki

Ecomuseum

Mrs. Marta’s stud farm belongs to the Ekomuzem Birczańska Kraina, organized as part of the project “What’s going on in Bircza?”

The eco-museum offers attractive spaces, trails, facilities, places, natural and cultural resources, as well as the activities of local entrepreneurs, farmers and social activists from the Bircza commune.

As part of the project, seven loops have been designed – routes along the trail where visitors have the opportunity to see memorial sites, admire beautiful surroundings and meet passionate people.