By Agata Grosicka
Photography: Oliwia Chmielewska
Verso La Natura outside Szczecin, Poland, lies near the Polish-German border and is an equestrian center and stallion station that attracts Polish breeders looking for their unique offer of young showjumping stallions of a very modern type. Natalia Czernik and her partner Bartosz Adamus have invested time, effort and of course financial resources into bringing some ‘fresh blood’ to Polish showjumping arenas.
They encourage Polish breeders to try new options instead of sticking to well-known breeding lines. And these ‘new options’ come from recognized European bloodlines. Their stallions include, among others: Fiston de Bo Z (Flipper d’Elle x Calvaro Z) bred in 2016 by Philippe Bormans, the winner of the Z Festival, Lanaken 2019; More Than Special MG (I’m Special de Muze x Cento), bred in 2017 by M.I.H. Gubbels; Casamba (Casall x Heraldik xx), bred in 2015 by Joost Van Riet; U2 (Uriko x Stakkato) bred in 2014 by Katrin Kleon; and the grey Everdi (Verdi TN x Cassini I) bred in 2009 by E. Gaudiano.
Natalia Czernik, a showjumper with 20 years experience and the member of Polish national team is sure to know what qualities to look for in a modern jumping horse. That’s what Czernik explains about the origin of VLN, the selection of the horses, and the plans for the station: “The name Verso La Natura comes from the name of our first stallion NC Verso Red Wine (Vigo d'Arsouilles x Mr. Blue/aka Burg's Mr. Blue) bred by Malgorzata Siergiej. Verso means heading somewhere. When I work with horses I want our relationship to be based on partnership and understanding. When I train my horses I focus on reaching common ground, that’s whworking from the ground is so important, the training itself can’t be stressful, it has to be interesting and diverse so our horses understand what we want from them. I do my best to make my horses get rid of all the extra energy to help them loosen up and feel secure around us. Of course, we should respect each other, so I never let them take over the leadership.
“Two or three years ago we had four licensed stallions. At that time it all happened naturally which of course was kind of risky and eventualy we gave it up. Then my partner Bartosz Adamus came with the idea to organize a professional stallion station. Over time we managed to gather a good range of young and older stallions and decided to make them available to other breeders. The stallions we offer are very diverse in terms of their origins, character and exterior so everyone will find something right fro themselves.
“I have always liked selecting young horses judging by their potential in free jumps which allows you to see their strength, technique, and willingness to jump. I don’t think there is a special key to a perfect jumper – a horse has to be strong and willing to jump. In choosing the right stallion its pedigree is important, yet I sometimes follow my heart and intuition when buying a horse because I notice features which I’m sure will make him a good jumper. We buy interesting young horses at auctions and sometimes directly from the breeders we cooperate with. Officially our station, with professional areas to collect and store semen as well as a modern and well-equipped laboratory, has been launched this year... To read the complete article you need to be a subscriber
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