While some spend their summer vacation on beaches and swimming spots, others find it in the peace of nature and unexplored landscapes. In the heart of Sovici near Grude, there is an Equestrian Club that offers more than riding, where one breathes in nature with full lungs, moments to remember are created, and new adventures begin.
At a training session in the Stina Equestrian Club, we found 11-year-old Mia, who takes care of her horse Kasino. In Austria, where she lives, she enrolled in a riding school six years ago, but at first, she says, it took time to overcome the fear.
“After six years, I got my own horse, on paper he’s my mom’s, but in my heart, he’s mine,” she says.
Because of Kasino, who is kept in Grude, and the other horses at Club Stina, she prefers to spend her summer holidays in Herzegovina.
“I’ve never had such good training, their horses are excellent, there are faster and slower ones, and with them, I learned to no longer be afraid to ride,” says Mia.
The reason for that, among other things, is the calm horses adapted for therapeutic riding for people with disabilities, a program this club is especially proud of.
“A horse’s gait moves in three dimensions in four beats, something that cannot be imitated by any other exercise, any other movement or device, so they are special therapists in their own way,” explains Marija Mikulic, trainer at the Stina Equestrian Club.
The Stina Equestrian Club was founded by three sisters, Marija, Melani, and Matija, who also take full care of the horses. They themselves are constantly surprised by how each new step through untouched fields and forests becomes an experience to remember.
“Bekijsko Polje, where we are located, is beautiful – we have a river, two lakes, and that’s exactly what makes our tours special,” Marija points out.
At this place, everything is dedicated to nature, horses, and enjoyment, without haste or stress.
“When you’ve had enough, when you sit on a horse, everything calms down. When you sit on a horse, peace, relaxation… When you add nature, the forest, and silence to that, an escape from everyday life, problems, and anything that troubles us, it is found here,” Mikulić points out.
Most of their visitors are local guests, although due to the proximity of surrounding tourist attractions in Herzegovina, they are increasingly becoming a must-visit spot for foreign visitors as well, who, whether they come out of curiosity or with experience, learn here what it means to slow down and connect more deeply with nature.
