Horse season: Horse races, shows, competitions, show jumping, and exhibitions

March: Breeding Horse Show in Písek

In March, you will have the opportunity to visit the Breeding Horse Show at the State Stud in Písek. The first event will begin on Saturday, 7 March, at 11 a.m. in the stud’s riding hall. The second spring show will take place on 28 March, also at 11 a.m., at the outdoor arena of the Písek stud farm, where breeding stallions will be presented not only on the lead, but also on a shortened show jumping course. During both weekends, the stud farm stables will be open to the public, there will be an exhibition on the history of this national cultural monument, and refreshments and souvenirs will be available for purchase on the premises. Starting in March, the stud farm will also offer guided spring tours.

April: Start of the season

Although some events take place in March, the real racing season and the main visiting season for stud farms begins in April. Chuchle Arena Prague will open the 2026 season on Friday, 3 April. Visitors can look forward to eight exciting races, culminating in the 99th Gomba Handicap and the 68th Grand April Prize. The Pardubice racecourse will open on Saturday, 18 April, and the Spring Prize of the Pardubice Racecourse will be run at the end of the race meeting.

From Thursday, 23 April to Sunday, 26 April, the National Stud Farm in Kladruby nad Labem will host a major international carriage driving competition, the Rudolf Cup. The competition will be held in the categories of single carriage, double carriage and, of course, the royal discipline of four-in-hand carriage.

On Saturday, 25 April, horse racing enthusiasts are invited to Brno. Three race days are held every year at the Brno-Dvorská racecourse. In 2026, the races will take place on 25 April, 13 June and 4 October. Each race day includes five flat races, three steeplechases, two pony races as part of the Pony League, supported by the Jockey Club of the Czech Republic, and other accompanying programmes.

On Saturday, 25 April, another show jumping competition will take place at the Chuchle Arena in Prague, namely the Jana Holá Memorial, which will run from 30 April to 3 May.

May: Grand Spring Prize, 1st Qualification and Grand Riding Day

On the national holiday on 8 May, we invite you to Pardubice, where the Koroka Opening Cross Country will take place, marking the start of the steeplechase season. This event is named after the three-time winner of the Velká pardubická.

On Sunday, 10 May, the traditional Grand Spring Prize will take place in Chuchle, celebrating its 105th season this year. It is the second oldest classic race in Czechia, held exclusively in Chuchle. Another important event of the day will be the 40th JUDr. O. Frankenberger Memorial. The 77th Grand May Prize will also be run on that day. The first race starts at 2 p.m., but we recommend arriving at least half an hour earlier, as the grounds will be open from 12 noon. Children’s Race Day, together with the 74th Grand June Prize, will be celebrated this year on Sunday, 31 May.

The Pardubice racecourse will host the family Elimon Fresh Festival on 23–24 May. Saturday’s programme will be complemented by the first qualification for the 136th Grand Pardubice.
On the last Saturday in May, 30 May, the National Stud Farm in Kladruby nad Labem will host the Grand Equestrian Day. Visitors can look forward to a rich programme, which includes performances by Old Kladruby horses both under saddle and in harness, dressage and multi-horse carriage demonstrations, and much more. On Wednesday, 6 May, the first guided tour of the UNESCO Landscape will take place, which is part of a series of tours in 2026.

June: Czech Derby in Chuchle

On 20 June, the second qualifying round for the 136th Velká pardubická with Slavia pojišťovna will take place in Pardubice.

The highlight of the racing calendar at Prague’s Chuchle Arena is the Czech Derby, which takes place annually in the last ten days of June. This year, it will start on 21 June. The Derby is the most prestigious race, which a racehorse can only participate in once in its lifetime, at the age of three. Just getting to the start line is a goal for owners and trainers, on which they focus all their efforts. Owning a horse in the Derby is a dream. And if your dream comes true, the final stage of the journey to racing success begins. Triumph in the Derby indelibly inscribes the winning horse in history and also ensures the best possible recommendation for its later inclusion in breeding. It is the highest goal for its jockey, trainer, owner, breeder and groom in the racing environment.

July and August: Summer Prize of the City of Pardubice and Castle Night

The 2026 Czech Show Jumping Championships will take place in Prague-Chuchle from 30 July to 2 August.

August will also be a busy month in Pardubice, where the third qualifying round for the 136th Velká pardubická will take place on 1 August and the Summer Prize of the City of Pardubice on 15 August. The National Stud Farm in Kladruby nad Labem is planning a programme for Saturday, 22 August as part of Castle Night.

September: European Horse Day, Horse Exhibition in Lysá nad Labem and Prague Grand Prix

We will celebrate European Horse Day in Pardubice on 5 September. The highlight of this Saturday event will be the final qualifying round for the 136th Velká pardubická with Slavia pojišťovna.

The National Stud Farm in Kladruby nad Labem cordially invites all horse lovers to an exceptional afternoon called Kladruby naruby (Kladruby Inside Out) on 12 September, which will offer a rich programme full of music and entertainment. From 1 p.m., there will be various musical and theatrical performances, with the highlight being a demonstration of Old Kladruby horses.

The world of horses will also be presented to the general public at an exhibition called Kůň (Horse), which will take place at the exhibition grounds in Lysá nad Labem from 18 to 20 September. The aim of this event is to showcase the various horse breeds that will be presented at the exhibition, numbering over 120! Visitors can look forward to warm-blooded, thoroughbred, cold-blooded, sport, historical and small breeds, ponies and miniature horses, and even donkeys. All of them will be on display not only in stalls, but also on two show stages. The exhibition will also feature very noble Arabian horse breeds. The atmosphere of the event will be enlivened by performances by the mounted police, a western show, dressage and show jumping demonstrations. Performances by the national stud farm and stud farms from Kladruby nad Labem, Písek and Tlumačov will also be important. There will be exhibitors offering goods and services that riders and breeders need to perform their activities. The Friday and Saturday programmes will conclude with an Evening Horse Gala Show, enriched with live music and audio-visual effects.
From 17 to 20 September, the Prague Grand Prix – Czech Jumping Cup, the most important event in Czech show jumping, will take place. This event is held in Prague at the Chuchle racecourse. It is a unique show jumping project in the Czech Republic and represents the show jumping extraleague. The series of these equestrian competitions includes twelve qualifying meetings, followed by the grand finale. Show jumping is also very popular and attracts a wide audience, including adults and children. The competitions take place every day from 8:00 a.m. until the afternoon. In show jumping competitions, the team of rider and horse must complete a given course with obstacles with as few faults as possible and in the fastest time possible. The various obstacles are marked with numbers so that riders know in what order and direction to jump them. The obstacles range in height from 80 to 160 cm, which is the highest level of difficulty, as seen at the Olympic Games or World Championships, for example.

One of the most important race days is Prague Champions Day, which takes place on 26 September in Prague-Chuchle. There will be five races of the highest level.

October: Horses at Kačina, Velká pardubická

At the beginning of October, on Saturday the 3rd, you can take part in the tradition of Horses at Kačina, a popular social event at a castle in the Central Bohemian Region. You can look forward to beautiful performances by various breeds, children can ride ponies, and the event also includes a craft market and Hubert’s Ride.

TheVelká pardubická is a major horse racing event that attracts thousands of visitors to Pardubice. The city comes alive with city celebrations several days before the event. The 136th Velká pardubická with Slavia pojišťovna continues on its traditional date, the second Sunday in October, i.e. 11 October. The main track is 2,200 metres long, while the Velká pardubická track is 6,900 metres long, and the horses have to overcome 31 obstacles. Among them is the Taxis ditch, which is one of the most difficult jumps in the world. There are other difficult obstacles on the track that often determine the success of the competitors, such as the Irish Bench, Popkovický Jump, French Jump, Snake Ditch, Great Water Ditch, Gardens, Great English Jump and Havel’s Jump. The surface of the track is mostly grass, while part of the route leads through ploughed fields. Since 1874, a total of 135 editions of the Velká pardubická have been held, except for one period during both world wars, and once it was cancelled due to bad weather, when it started to freeze and snow. The Velká pardubická was also not held in 1968 due to political events, and even Covid-19 did not prevent the races from taking place in 2020, when the race was held without spectators.

The President’s Cup will be held at the Chuchle Arena on 25 October. This is the 105th edition of this major event. Get ready for a rich accompanying programme for both adults and children.

The final race day in Pardubice will take place on 31 October.

November and December: Prague Winter Favourite and Winter Kingdom of Old Kladrubers

The last Cval race of the 2026 season is the Prague Winter Favourite, in which promising two-year-old horses will be presented in Chuchle on 7 November. Enjoy the last day of exciting races this season!

The National Stud Farm in Kladruby nad Labem invites all its fans to the traditional Christmas visit to the Winter Kingdom of Old Kladruby Horses, which takes place from 26 to 29 December in Kladruby nad Labem and Slatiňany. At both stud farms, visitors will be able to tour the stables and learn interesting facts about the breeding, history and use of Old Kladruby horses.