Veterinary Medicine Students at the 36th Junior Spring Show of Purebred Arabian Horses in Białka

On 6 June 2026, third-, fourth- and fifth-year students of the Veterinary Medicine programme at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine participated in an educational field trip to Białka Stud Farm. The visit took place during the 36th Junior Spring Show of Purebred Arabian Horses, one of the most important events in Poland’s Arabian horse breeding and showing calendar.

Held for more than three decades, the show provides an opportunity to present young purebred Arabian stallions and mares and to evaluate the outcomes of breeding programmes conducted by state-owned stud farms and private breeders. Participation in the event allowed the students to become acquainted with both the organisational principles governing professional equine shows and the responsibilities of veterinarians supervising the health and welfare of the horses entered in the competition.

A substantial part of the educational programme was devoted to the duties performed by veterinarians before the commencement of the show and throughout the event. The students were introduced to procedures for verifying equine identification and health documentation, including horse passports and records relating to specific disease prevention measures, such as vaccination documentation. The veterinary, animal health, hygiene and biosecurity requirements that must be fulfilled before a horse may be admitted to the event were also discussed.

Another important component of the visit was an introduction to the horse evaluation system used at breeding shows. The students became familiar with assessment criteria relating, among other features, to breed type, the conformation of the head and neck, overall body harmony, limb correctness and quality of movement. By observing stallions and mares presented in hand, the students were able to independently analyse their phenotypic traits, compare individual horses and contrast their own observations with the scores awarded by the judging panel.

The visit to Białka Stud Farm also provided an opportunity for discussion, the exchange of experiences among students from different years of study, and the integration of the Veterinary Medicine student community. The setting of one of Poland’s most renowned Arabian horse stud farms was conducive not only to the acquisition of professional knowledge but also to the development of relationships extending beyond routine academic activities.

The visit was initiated and academically supervised by Agnieszka Pomorska-Zniszczyńska, DVM PhD , from the Division of Internal Diseases of Farm Animals and Horses at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. The event was organised in cooperation with Bartłomiej Szymczak, DVM, the Dean’s Representative for English Divison Students at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.