On October 12, 2022, the Czech Post issued a  miniature sheet dedicated to the National Stud Farm Kladruby nad Labem.

The Kladruby stud farm, located in the Czech town of Kladruby nad Labem, is one of the oldest in Europe. The official starting point of its history is considered to be 1579, when the Austrian Emperor Rudolf II granted the status of a court factory to the Kladrub plant. In fact, the stud farm existed before, it was founded somewhere around the 1490s.

All this time, horses of the Kladrub breed were bred at the plant. This is an old breed of draft horses, bred specifically for the ceremonial trips of the Austrian imperial Habsburg dynasty. The breed was based on imported Spanish (such as Andalusian) and Italian horses crossed with Neapolitan, Danish, Holstein, Irish and Oldenburg blood, in addition to heavy Czech breeds. Kladrubers have well-recognized breed characteristics: a high-set, powerful, arched neck and a convex profile - a legacy of their Hispano-Neapolitan ancestors. Broad chest, straight back and shoulders, strong legs with large joints and hooves make the Cladruber an ideal draft horse. All gaits, especially the trot, have high mobility and elasticity with a clear rhythm. Initially, the horses were of a wide variety of colors, but for many years only gray and black horses were bred. Purposeful selection was carried out on the basis of practical requirements to have 18 white and black horses for organizing various court events and parade trips of representatives of the imperial family. Gray horses are bred directly in Kladruby nad Labem, black cladrubers are bred at the the branch of the stud farm in Stalinany.

The territory of the stud farm is 1200 hectares, it has a whole complex of various structures, including a castle, stables, carriage houses and other outbuildings, and even a church. A single architectural complex in the style of classicism was erected in 1836-1844. The stud farm is surrounded by pastures, as well as linden alleys, symmetrical paths and other elements of the French garden, which not only create a beautiful appearance, but also have a practical meaning: the paths are used for training draft horses. Currently, the stud farm contains the main livestock of 500 horses of the Old Kladrub breed: breeding stallions and breeding mares with foals. In total, there are about 1,400 horses of this breed in the world.

Horse shows are held in Kladruby nad Labem from April to October, International Driving Competitions in April, and a magnificent parade in June, in which almost all the horses of the stud farm take part.

In 2019, the National Stud Farm in Kladruby nad Labem with the surrounding pastures, the Kladruby breed of horses, as well as their breeding and training methods, were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Source: www.ceskaposta.cz , www.goldmustang.ru