"Full stable lead in paradise." Organized horse breeding in the Czech country from 16 century to the first half of the 20th century

The presented diploma thesis deals with historical development of the organized horse breeding in the Czech lands, with a special focus on the provincial breeding of distinct farm type. The main research was carried out in the sphere of activities of the present Provincial Stud Farm in Písek (?Zemský hřebčinec Písek?). The reason for choosing this breeding institute is the fact that it concerns the only provincial stud farm in the Czech lands that was offering to breeders both warm-blooded and heavy stud horses in the monitored period while their numbers were adjusted in accordance with the demand of mare owners. The diploma thesis can be divided in two parts. The first part provides readers with the introduction to the issue of individual types of horses and puts the work in a broader historical context. This block includes also an iconographic analyse of the paintings with hippologic themes and the texts comparing breeding of horses in the aristocratic and courtly environment in the first half of the 17th century, using an example of the Imperial Courtly Stud Farm in Kladruby nad Labem (?Císařský dvorní hřebčín Kladruby nad Labem?) and Smrkovice?s Game Preserve of Albrecht from Valdštejn (?smrkovická Obora Albrechta z Valdštejna?) in the region of Nový Bydžov. The second part describes the key research of horse breeding in the Czech lands, for the most part built on the mating protocols of the station of farm stud horses in Humpolec, and includes the strategies of breeders in this region compared with the other regions under administration of the Provincial Stud Farm in Písek. It deals mainly with breeding of trendy heavy horses of Belgian and Noric breed demanded by farmers, while these horses were experiencing their last big growth in the first half of the 20th century