Pagėgiai has always been famous for horse breeding. As early as the 13th and 15th centuries, semi-wild Lithuanian horses were bred with Thuringian, Dutch and Danish heavy horses. In 1732, the King of Prussia established the famous Trakėnai stud farm, where Lithuanian and Prussian mares were crossed with thoroughbred riding horses, thus breeding the Trakėnai breed.
At the beginning of the 19th century, breeding horses began on the Šilgali estate. The Pagėgiai meadows, flooded and overgrown with lush grass every year, were ideal for grazing and haying. In 1948, the first post-war stud farm was moved to Šilgali and in 1945, on the initiative of enthusiasts, was established in Trepiai. In 1966-1967, the Trakehner breed of horses was returned to the Nemunas stud farm, and the zootechnicians working at the stud farm at that time paid great attention to preserving their purebred nature. A type of Trakehner breed characteristic only of the Nemunas Zirgynas was created, distinguished by its well-developed musculature, regular exterior and good alluring.
Today, Nemunas Žirgynas is the largest division of Lietuvos žirgynas in terms of the number of horses and the area of land. About 60 Lithuanian heavy horses and 360 Trakehner horses are bred on 734,3 hectares of land.
The stud has four lines of Lithuanian heavy stallions and its main task is to preserve them. Thanks to the stud’s efforts, Sturskas’ line has been restored, and currently his son, Zaislas, is the Lithuanian heavy stallion with the most offspring in Lithuania – 153! In 2008, the stallion Žaislas won a gold medal at the Agrobalt show, and in 2012 he was awarded the best prize at the breeding horse show in Algirdiškės, Panevėžys district.
“The herd of Trakens bred at Nemunas Žirgyns is the largest not only in Europe, but also in the world, and the Trakens bred at the stud are highly appreciated. At the 2006 International Championship in Poland, Nemunas Žirgynas’ trakehns won 11 awards. We are very proud of Pilgrim, Ararat, Erudit, Whiskey, Hexter – these horses are winners and prize-winners of competitions every year, and they have won Agrobalt awards. In 2010, the stallion Pilgrim took part in the 100-day performance tests at the Starogard Stud in Gdansk, Poland, where he was evaluated according to the strict rules of the German Trakehner Union, and took first place and was awarded a breeding licence. And the achievements of our stallions bred in other countries are astonishing! Mister X, the offspring of the Trakehner stallion Aegeus, with Russian rider Inessa Merkulova, jumped from 71st to 17th place in the 2015 World Ranking of Fine Riding Horses. In 2014, the American-bred two-year-old stallion David was named the best dancing horse in the 2014 Trakehner Stallion Exterior and Performance Evaluation in Germany.
This stud has trained many athletes and trainers who promote equestrian sport in the country. Every August, the “Nemunas žirgyno cup” horse racing competitions and evaluations are held here, attracting not only duos from Lithuania Minor, but also from other regions of Lithuania and neighbouring countries.
If you come here, you can get to know Lithuanian horse breeds, go for a ride, take a carriage ride along the Nemunas arches or admire the herds of horses grazing freely in the meadows.
