Story
Balko is Lucinka's son. And he is the first foal to be born here on our farm.
Lucinka had foals before too, at the home of the furman we bought her from. That is how breeding goes and there is nothing wrong with it: some foals stayed at home, others were sold. A mare that gives foals is what keeps a farm going. In the end Lucinka herself left by that same road — we were the ones who bought her.
Here she gave birth to Balko. And for the first time, a foal did not go anywhere.
We too bred horses at first with the idea of selling them. Except we fell in love with them. We raised a horse from day one, we knew him through and through — and then we could not let him go. Balko was the first one we admitted that about.
So he grew up in the herd and he is in it to this day. He never had to go anywhere, nobody sold him, nobody ever hauled him about. He was brought up by the older horses — and you can see it in him.
And one more thing. Thanks to him, Lucinka had her own foal beside her to the very end for the first time. When she left us in August 2025, Balko was in the herd with her. And since 2024 her daughter has been too — Maja.
Balko is not a rescued horse. He is a horse who was born here and never had to go anywhere. That is part of what we do here too.
„Bali was and is our first dreamed-of foal."
— Milka
How Balko is doing
Balko is five and has turned into a capable gelding. He has his place in the herd — not on the edge of it, but among his own.
That is not a given. A horse who grows up in a herd and is never moved on knows where he belongs. He does not have to fight for it all over again his whole life, the way horses do who have been through three farms and four stables.
Photo gallery — Balko
Photos of Balko — added as we go.
Would you like to help?
We do not collect for Balko directly. He was born here, he has never had anything wrong with him and nothing is wrong with him now. We look after him ourselves.
If you would like to help, contribute to the work of the association. That money pays for treating the horses who need it at the time, and for hay for the whole herd — so some of it always reaches him too.
Bank transfer (SEPA)
Account holder: RIO o.z.
IBAN: SK97 8330 0000 0027 0350 7560
BIC/SWIFT: FIOZSKBAXXX
Payment reference: RIO
Our account is transparent, every payment is public here. Before you confirm, please check that the recipient is RIO o.z. and the IBAN ends in 7560.
What we need right now →
A light aluminium shovel for mucking out, a corrugated pipe for a reservoir, LDPE hoses for a water supply, concrete utility poles. Maybe you know where to find them.
Thank you →
Everyone without whom it wouldn't work: those who come to help and those who support us professionally.