Every year in the Przemków Landscape Park there comes a moment when the whole world seems to hold its breath. The light changes, the air grows cooler, and hundreds of horses begin to move across the landscape in a single line. We call it the Great Herd Move. And every time, it takes our breath away.
Because these are no ordinary horses. They are survivors, the ones we have rescued.
Every year our horses change location with the changing of the seasons. In spring we release them onto vast pastures that stretch across hundreds of hectares. And in autumn, usually in September and October, we begin the great journey to their winter pastures. For years this place has been home to hundreds of horses, ponies and donkeys rescued by Centaurus – animals who for most of the year can roam freely over huge, open land, something that once must have seemed impossible to them.
Just think what that means. Animals who were rescued from transports to slaughter, who knew only fear and confinement, are now running free across hundreds of hectares. It is thanks to your support that this is possible.
The winter pastures still offer plenty of space, woodland, paddocks and the chance to live in a herd. However, the area is smaller and easier to manage than the summer pastures that stretch over hundreds of hectares, which makes it easier to keep a daily eye on every animal. It is there that the horses spend the hardest months of the year.
And this is where real care shows.
We carefully divide them into groups, taking into account their age, condition, state of health, relationships within the herd and individual needs. Caring for older horses looks one way. Caring for mares with foals looks different. And caring for animals who need closer observation or extra support is different again. Dividing them into separate areas is also part of how the sanctuary is organised. Every horse goes exactly where he or she belongs.
Getting them there is an enormous undertaking.
We are not talking about a handful of horses, or even a dozen. The herds have to be gathered from vast areas, led safely to their winter grounds and then arranged so that over the coming months every animal finds itself in the group and place best suited to its needs. It takes a whole team of dedicated people – our coordinators and carers, who know these horses by name and can read the behaviour of the herd like a language. It is hard, physical work that demands patience. And it is done out of pure love.
Then, when winter loses its grip and spring returns, the whole process begins again, only in reverse. The horses leave their winter paddocks and once more set out for the wide green pastures of the Przemków Landscape Park.
For us it has become part of the rhythm of this place. In autumn – preparing for the hardest months. In spring – the return to those vast open spaces. And every time, the sight of hundreds of rescued horses crossing the sanctuary together reminds us exactly why we do all of this throughout the year.
Was it worth it? You only have to watch them run to find out.
None of this would be possible without you. Every hectare of freedom, every safe winter, every horse galloping across this sanctuary – your support is reflected in all of it. And we have no intention of stopping. As long as even one horse needs a home, we will be here, season after season, to provide one.
You too can become part of this story:
🐴 Support us. Every donation helps us to feed, treat and care for hundreds of rescued horses during the hardest months of the year.
🏡 Adopt. Give one of our animals a real home – for many years and for ever. Our coordinators will help you at every stage.
❤️ Support us in another way. Virtual adoption, sharing our stories, joining us as a volunteer or supporting one of our campaigns. Every voice and every gesture reaches further than it might seem.
