DOKUMENTATION – EIN FILM VON WOLFGANG WEGNER Die Pferde der Rubelbarone – Hoch zu Ross

HORSES OF PRESTIGE – The stables of the oligarchs

In many cultures, the horse holds a special place, and fascinates by its beauty, its strength and spirit. Equestrian traditions are still perpetuated by the high society worldwide.

Over the past twenty years, Russian oligarchs spread increasingly their ostentatious external signs of wealth. And since the fall of the Soviet Union, the horses now come first in the list of the symbols of luxury. Two hours from Moscow, the stud Svechino, with its 500 acres of private grounds, enjoys cheap foreign labor, while the horses themselves, Friesians and Holsteiner, live in luxury. The entrepreneur Vladimir Berentsveyg has made this place become a major national equestrian center with a popular racecourse. Not far away, there’s a stud farm raising Orlov trotters, a famous race of Russian origin. For these millionaires and their families, equestrian culture is obvious – far from the concerns of most of their fellow citizens.