Alkars' Stud
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| Alkars' Stud | |
|---|---|
 A horse from the Alkars’ Stud at the Sinjska alka competition | |
| Country: | Croatia  |
| State:County: | Split-Dalmatia County |
| Acreage: | 24 |
| Purchased:Established: | 2004 |
| Owner:Founder: | „Alka Knights' Society“ |
| Website: | alka |
Alkars' Stud (Croatian: Alkarska ergela)[1] is a horse breeding farm founded in 2004 in Sinj, Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia. Its main purpose is breeding of high-quality horses for Sinjska alka equestrian competitions. It is situated at the Sinj hippodrome,[2] where approximately forty horses have been housed,[3] mostly of the English Thoroughbred and Croatian Warmblood breeds.
The main initiator and founder of the stud 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 named "Alkarska ergela d.o.o."[4] was registered and several employees were engaged. The representatives of the VAD-Society agreed with the |local authorities 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 and the Split-Dalmatia County, and these institutions still co-finance[5] Alkars activities today. In the first year after its establishment, the stud began to function with five breeding mares, 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.