Cracow Horsemanship Club

Sponsor:

______________________________________________________________
Krakow Horse Riding Club
ul. Kobierzyńska 175a, 30-382 Kraków
Installation date: 1932
______________________________________________________________

Cracow Horsemanship Club tradition goes back as far as nineteenth century. At that time, on 18 May 1893, the Austrian Imperial and Royal Governorship confirmed, with the decision no L: 56937, the foundation of Galician Horsemen Club, its statute and management list of persons. It came into being within the framework of previously founded International Horse Racing Association in Cracow.

In March 1930, the colonel Zygmunt Piasecki became a commander of the 5th Independent Cavalry Brigade in Cracow; he was a legionary, an officer of the 1st Regiment of Uhlans of Belina Prażmowski, a commander of the 7th Regiment of Uhlans, the later brigadier general of Polish Army that initiated reactivation of the club under the name of Cracow Horsemanship Club (together with the cavalry colonel Kazimierz Mastalerz, a commander of 8th regiment of Uhlans).

An impulse for the club reactivation could be competition played in Cracow in 1932, Polish Army Militari. This was competition for Army Championship, so very important equestrian event. The host of the competition was the 8th Regiment of Uhlans. Representations of all Cavalry units, i.e. 11 teams, partook. The 3rd Mounted Riflemen Regiment won.

Horse endurance event, i.e. cross-country, as well as swordsmanship (a sabre and a lance) and fire-arms use (a pistol) took place at Rakowickie Fields, a training ground of the 8th Regiment of Uhlans. However dressage and show jumping – at the military stadium. The Cracow team was represented by the 3rd and the 8th Regiments of Uhlans. The team included the famous riders as Antoni Żelewski or Tadeusz Tetmajer.

Another inspiration for the club reactivation were also preparations for celebration of the 250th anniversary of Viennese Relief to be held a year later.

On 12 September 1933, the 250th anniversary of Viennese Relief was to pass; to commemorate this triumph of Polish cavalry under command of the king John III Sobieski, Józef Piłsudski issued a command to organize Polish Cavalry feast in Cracow. On 06 October 1933, the Great Cavalry Show took place. According to the marshal disposal, 12 cavalry regiments partook. After several days of march, they reached villages near Cracow where the quartered. All regiments included 305 people and 317 horses each. On 6th October, at appointed time, the regiments reached the Main Square of Cracow. Then they went towards the “great meadow”.


Read more… (click to go to Polish Digital Equestrian Library)

Elaboration based on the paper:
Działalność Krakowskiego Klubu Jazdy Konnej do 2015 roku (
Activity of Cracow Horsemanship Club until 2015) by Ms Anna Pacuń-Genowska.