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Feb

4

Traditional republican horseracing in Dusetos hippodrome - Sartai 2010

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sartai

Date: February 6, 2010
Venue: Dusetos hippodrome, Lithuania
The beginning of the Fair - 10.00 am
The beginning of the Race – 12.00 pm.
The opening of the exhibition “Horse in Photography ” at the Dusetos Art Gallery (K. Būga street 31a, Dusetos) – 4.30 pm.
Entrance fee by car - 10 Lt,
Entrance fee by minibus - 20 Lt,
Entrance fee by bus - 30 Lt.

You can buy tickets at the supermarkets “Maxima”, Shopping center “Sava” and the bookstores “Vaga”.
Travel agency “Visit Lithuania” offers day trip to Sartai!!!

Believe, it is necessary to come to Zarasai land in midwinter - on the first Saturday of February - as there are several reasons for that: if you wish to meet nearly half of Lithuania and you are yearning for the only in Lithuania such joyful gathering, for the residents of Dusetos so truly preparing for the horserace and for Dusetos township, which becomes an oasis of festive din – make preparations for your journey! Escapades of nature, changeable weather and other unexpectedness may not become an obstacle – you must be in Dusetos as it becomes a spotlight of the whole Lithuania on that day. The residents of this township can pride themselves: traditional republican harness horserace has exceeded the limits of Zarasai region many years ago - it became one of the most impressive events in Lithuania that is known even abroad: more and more journalists interested in it come from abroad to watch the races as well as the process of preparation for them.

The organizers of the festival understand their responsibility – the horserace held this year counts the 210th anniversary, 140 years of regular organization and even the 100 years from the date of declaration of the race as traditional. So deep history of the races is marked with legends, stories and vivid heroes.   Since the old days the main place for the fight of racers has always been the beautiful Lake Sartai. It is disappointing but changeable winters often trips the organizers up – ice of the lake becomes dangerous. But inventive organizers have found the way out – they arrange the races quite near - in the hippodrome under the side of the lake and they will never connive at the capricious winter and at unpredictable nature of it.


There are many stories about the beginning of the horserace that counts already hundreds of years. And the most important point here is not the authenticity of this event but fascination worth people who tell about them from generation to generation and cherish the traditions of the races. According to one of the narrations, the beginning of races could be a love story. People tell that long ago there lived a bad-tempered landlord in a small manor. There were neither work nor words pleasing him. The labourer of that landlord fell in love with a very beautiful girl and asked the landlord for his permit to marry her. But the landlord did not want even to hear it and required for contest: he would give the girl in marriage to that man who would be a winner in a horserace on the Lake Sartai! The labourer was looking for horses for a long time but managed to find two horses only while the landlord asked to harness even six best horses that run on the ice like the wind. But suddenly the ice under the hoofs of his horses crackled and the wicked landlord as well as his select light bay horses disappeared under the ice… Others tell that this horseracing started some hundreds years ago when young gentlemen betted and disputed over whose grey-horse was more swift-footed. Although nobody can remember the names of the winners, that contest is considered to be historical and the beginning of horseracing in the land of Dusetos…
Today it is very difficult to determine the true circumstances of arrangement of horseracing but it is impossible to find such a person who would doubt of its deep and interesting history. For a long time one of the greatest church feasts - Presentation of the Lord - has been celebrated in Dusetos parish in the beginning of February when many residents of the countryside districts used to come. As people remember, this was the day when the horserace was held without any organization. Each peasant used to bet and prove that his horse was the most swift-footed and the most beautiful. Therefore it was a necessity to offer some sugar, eggs for the horses before the races, even bread was baked specially for them; on the day of races the horses were decorated as much as their owners could imagine – by ribbons, spangles, red fringes, some people even braided or curled the mane and tail, decorated the horses with homemade woven reins and the most important element of decoration was bells: many of them and great variety was used. The horses were harnessed to light sleighs that were painted and decorated with national motifs already before the races. No special track was prepared for the races: if there was little snow on the Lake Sartai the races were held on its ice and if it was impossible the racers competed along the main street of Dusetos. Those who were the first to cover the distance were declared to be the winners while the losers had to treat others to a bottle of vodka that caused hot discussions about the horses, which often ended even in a fight… Later on the first Saturday of February was acknowledged to be the date of horseracing and this traditional date is respected until now.
The most important characters of these races are horses – animals glorified in songs, never lacking for charm and praise. People used to prepare for the races with love, secret and knowledge: they used to start training their trotters already in Advent, after the snowfall when the evenings become lighter. People say that the full of the moon was very suitable for such training because in such nights it was possible to drive a horse so that it could see its shadow on the side – a horse considered it to be its competitor trying to overtake it. As soon as the trotter put on its full speed the driver used to turn it aside imperceptibly and the shadow remaining behind became the unlucky loser. The earls Pliateriai who resided on the other side of the lake used to go to their neighbours by horses. In summer they used to harness their horses to coaches, light carriages and to smart sleighs in winter. The landlords coming to visit them also drove horses and in winter all of them used to cross the lake on ice. The landowners used to show the swiftness of their horses and competed with each other.
Already in the 17th century the creation of the breeds of racehorses with good trot was started. So the breeds of Orlov, American, French and Russian trotters were created.
In the 19th century some trotters were imported into Lithuania. They were used for improvement of local horses and for races that were held in winter in small towns mostly and on the ice of lakes on the dates of markets and other gatherings from time immemorial.
The horses were harnessed to usual of lightened sleighs. The participants competed with different breeds of horses.
The first horse that excited the curiosity of the residents of local districts was the grey Orlov trotter received from Riga hippodrome in 1919. Nobody knew his origin but thanks to this beauty many fast horses were bred in the surrounding districts of Dusetos. Some time later the Government of Latvia started the search of this horse and brought him back to Riga.
Another horse that has caused a great interest was also Orlov trotter called Schachtior that was very popular in the land of Dusetos. He was purchased by the Government of Independent Lithuania. Around 1935 the horse was given at the farmer’s J.Svilas disposal. This horse with its height, slenderness and swiftness hardly had an equal. He was 1.80m high with piercing black colour, impressive mane and long tail. Prize-winning places were guaranteed for the farmer J.Survila because nobody else had such a horse in the environs. But the life of a quite young and swift-footed Schachtior ended in a tragedy – he was transported without anybody’s care and throttled itself. Fortunately this famous horse left his descendants that were equal to Schachtior himself.
Local authority noticed that spontaneous horseracing attracts more and more spectators, that it is becoming more and more popular and that more and more participants come to it therefore it started organizing the races. The great lover of horses descended from the land of Dusetos, agronomist J.Vaškelis, greatly contributed to these activities. He has done his very best in order to attract the attention of the Chamber of Agriculture to this already traditional horseracing. Since 1933 the Chamber started granting prizes to the owners of the fastest horses and not only Lithuanian Government but the representatives of different organizations became interested in it. For organization of horserace in 1936 the organizing committee was formed. Preparation for the horserace in 1939 was especially thorough, and in 1940 and later years until 1944 the races were held but they were modest, as told by the residents of Dusetos. Nobody expected that the horserace in 1945 would attract so many spectators and that so many prizes would be distributed in it.
As soon as the horserace was started to be organized officially the rules were established: horses were started to be classified, the horse-drivers had to pay the fixed fee, three prize-winning places and respective prizes were granted, and those who wished to watch the races had to pay the fee as well. When the organization of horseracing was started the first round circle that stretched around the islets of the Lake Sartai was created by the agronomist K.Kuchanka. It was not so easy to clean the racing track. For this purpose a large wooden triangle was made, the bottom of which was bound with iron. Such equipment called “čiužas” or “šliužas” (derivatives of Lithuanian verbs ‘čiuožti’and ‘šliuožti’, Eng. ‘to slide’) was pulled by harnessed horses. In order the snow was cleaned better not only stones but the country children used to be seated and carried on the equipment. When the round track was made the distance of 1600 meters was fixed.
In the mixed history of horseracing there are some memorable facts and traditions: in 1937 local brass band came to the races, in 1938 women’s choir was trained for the event when its singers were dressed up with national clothes of Aukštaičiai (residents of Upper Lithuania) and the competition of sleighs and harnesses was arranged; in 1939, when the preparation for the horserace was very thorough, not only the tracks for horses were arranged but the course of the whole festival was organized, artistic programme was arranged in Riflemen’s House that was broadcasted by radio. One hundred horse-drivers participated in the races. On the next day the fair was held. The horserace of this year is considered to be one of the greatest races and the famous horse Schachtior was remembered: exhibition of his descendents was arranged, and the spectators were surprised by the military aircraft flying over them. An important accent of the horserace used to be a horse-driver – jester who always was marked with number 101. The date of this tradition is not established but the old people can hardly remember any horserace without a quick-witted jester representing a racer. Sometimes a jester used to start together with the racers and after making a small circle he tried to reach finish the first, he often used to walk among spectators and make them laugh by his witty jokes, he used to mock at unlucky racers and negligent farmers. A jester had a “weapon” – long whip by which he used to crack in the air and protect himself from rollicking children who used to provoke him.
From 1955 the harness horserace in Dusetos was declared to be republican and around 1970 the tradition of winter fairs with round cracknels, beer, souvenirs and plenty of other wares that sometimes made people dazzled was revived. Nobody can imagine the festive programme of horserace without the best amateur art groups of Zarasai region and Lithuania and plenty of concerts. The visits of Lithuanian authorities in the horserace have also become traditional. It’s guests have already been the President of the Republic of Lithuania, V.Adamkus, Chairman of the Seimas, A.Paulauskas, Premier A.Brazauskas who has even tried the racing track for several times.
Rare land has such traditions of hundreds of years like Dusetos. Each year the horserace grows up – it is becoming more and more known in Lithuania as well as abroad and it is expected that it will attract more and more participants and spectators.  So, don’t wait anymore and hurry up to famous Sartai by horses, by cars or by foot to meet your friends, to dance or to sing a joyful song and, above all, to rejoice at the achievements of horse-breeders as well as of their friends – horses.

(Prepared according to the publications of Zarasai Region Tourism Information Centre „Sartai“ „Dusetos“ by L. Malcienė and „Kur Mėlynuoja Ežerai“)


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