Chancellery confirms three horses kept at presidential retreat for Karol Nawrocki

Discovery of horses at Promnik retreat

In the spring of 2026, three horses were brought to the presidential recreational retreat in Promnik, situated approximately 100 kilometres east of Warsaw in the Masovian Voivodeship. Former and current facility staff disclosed that the animals were designated for Polish President Karol Nawrocki, his wife, and their eight-year-old daughter, Kasia. The group of animals consists of three distinct breeds: a pony, a Frisian horse, and a Hucul horse, named Edzio, Ramzes, and Aramis. The Promnik facility maintains dedicated support infrastructure for the animals, including an on-site riding instructor, stable maintenance staff, and horse transport trailers. During August 2026, when Nawrocki took a holiday at the presidential residence in Jurata on the Baltic coast, one of the horses was transported there directly from Promnik for his personal use.

Institutional ownership and Chancellery response

The Chancellery of the President declined to disclose whether the horses were purchased with state funds or received as private gifts, and withheld any acquisition price. In written responses to press inquiries, the chancellery stated that the animals do not directly belong to the chancellery itself, but to a subsidiary body.

In the disposition of the Service Center of the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland remain three horses: a pony, a Frisian horse and a Hucul horse, named Edzio, Ramzes and Aramis. The horses do not constitute property of the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland and were not acquired by the Chancellery. Their owner is the Service Center of the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland, being a separate unit of the public finance sector, operating in the form of an institution of budgetary economy.

The presidential office also refused to detail where the horses are stabled or confirm future transit between official residences, citing security protocols and an established policy against releasing details regarding the president's recreational venues.

Public expenditures and security details

Public procurement data analyzed by commentator Piotr Leski indicates that the Service Center has documented specific outlays for animal upkeep starting in July 2026. The records show 44,200 zlotys allocated toward animal care services, accompanied by approximately 10,000 zlotys spent on animal feed and fodder, amounting to a combined 54,000 zlotys. Standard monthly maintenance for a healthy horse in Poland averages between 1,500 and 3,500 zlotys per animal, with costs increasing if veterinary treatment is required. Beyond the three presidential family horses, a fourth horse is maintained for an officer of the State Protection Service (SOP) assigned to protect Nawrocki. The SOP directly funds both the upkeep of this fourth animal and specialized equestrian training for the security officer, echoing previous arrangements during the presidency of Andrzej Duda, when SOP personnel received ski training to accompany Duda on the slopes.

Presidential statements on equestrian recreation

Nawrocki had previously acknowledged his equestrian hobby during a broadcast on Kanał Zero, where he mentioned engaging in competitive riding sessions with his assigned SOP protection officers. In a subsequent conversation with the newspaper Super Express, the president described horseback riding as a moment of respite from politics, though he did not address the financial costs or the institutional framework supporting the animals.