The Moritzburg State Stud, which has been in existence since 1828, is the third largest in Germany and part of the Saxon Stud Administration. Located in the immediate vicinity of Moritzburg Castle, the historic stud farm is home to around 100 magnificent stallions of the warmblood, heavy warmblood, cold-blood and Haflinger breeds.
The baroque stable building dates back to the time of August the Strong. It was built in 1733 by the court architect Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann and initially served as a hunting stable for the Saxon court. By decree of King Anton of Saxony, 38 stallions were housed in the hunting stables as state studs in 1828 - this marks the founding year of the state stud.
The stables, which together with the administration building enclose the inner courtyard in a square, were renovated true to the original according to historical models. In addition, an arena and a training ground belong to the stud. Attached to the stud is the Saxon State School for Riding and Driving, which is part of the Saxon Stud Administration, as are the main stud in Graditz and the state-wide breeding stations.
The most important tasks of the Moritzburg State Stud include the provision of breeding stallions at state-wide covering and insemination stations in Saxony and Thuringia, the holding of stallion and mare performance tests, and the professional, riding and driving training of equestrian athletes. In addition, the stud is dedicated to the conservation breeding of endangered horse breeds.
Among other things, the stud is famous for the traditional Moritzburg stallion parades, which always take place in September. Every year, thousands of visitors flock to Moritzburg to admire the magnificent and powerful stallions. Another attraction are the concerts that have been held every year since 2003 in the historic riding house.
