There is a moment every year in the Przemków Landscape Park when the whole world seems to hold its breath. The light changes, the air turns cooler, and hundreds of horses begin to move together across the land. We call it the Great Chase. And every single time, it takes our breath away.
Because these are not just any horses. These are the survivors, the ones we saved.
Every year, our horses change their place along with the changing seasons. In spring we let them out onto the vast pastures that stretch across hundreds of hectares. And in autumn, usually in September and October, we begin the great chase to their winter grounds. For years now, this place has been home to hundreds of horses, ponies, and donkeys rescued by Centaurus, animals who, for most of the year, get to roam across huge, open land that once must have seemed impossible for them.
Just think about what that means. Animals who were pulled from transports to the slaughterhouse, who knew only fear and confinement, now running free across hundreds of hectares. That is what your support builds.
The winter grounds still mean plenty of space, forest, paddocks, and the chance to live in a herd. But it is a smaller, more manageable area than the summer pastures that stretch for hundreds of hectares, which makes it easier to watch over every animal each day. That is where the horses spend the hardest months of the year.
And here is where the real care shows.
We divide them thoughtfully into groups, taking into account their age, their condition, their health, their relationships within the herd, and their individual needs. Caring for the horse seniors looks one way. Caring for mothers with their young looks another. And caring for animals who need closer watching or extra support looks different again. Splitting them into separate quarters is also part of how the reserve is organised. Every horse ends up exactly where it belongs.
Getting them there is an enormous operation.
We are not talking about a handful of horses, or even a dozen. The herds have to be gathered from across vast terrain, guided safely to the winter grounds, and then arranged so that, over the coming months, every single animal is in the group and the 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 read the herd like a language. It is hard, physical, patient work. And it is done out of pure love.
Then, when winter loosens its grip and spring returns, the whole process begins again in reverse. The horses leave their winter paddocks and set off once more onto the great green pastures of the Przemków Landscape Park.
For us, this has become part of the rhythm of the place. In autumn, the preparation for the toughest months. In spring, the return to those wide-open spaces. And every time, the sight of hundreds of rescued horses moving together across the reserve reminds us exactly why we do all of this, all year long.
Was it worth it? You only have to watch them run to know.
None of this would be possible without you. Every hectare of freedom, every safe winter, every horse thundering across that reserve carries your support in it. And we have no intention of stopping. As long as there is one more horse that needs a home, we will be here, season after season, to give it one.
You can be part of this story too:
🐴 Donate. Every gift helps us feed, treat, and care for hundreds of rescued horses through the hardest months of the year.
🏡 Adopt. Give one of our animals a real home, for years and for good. Our coordinators will guide you through every step.
❤️ Support us in other ways. Virtual adoption, sharing our stories, joining as a volunteer, or backing one of our campaigns. Every voice and every gesture reaches further than you think.
