About Us

A WONDERFUL PLACE FOR HORSE SPORT, RELAX AND FUN

Located in an unspoiled rural area, NIESA riding center is just 20 minutes drive away from Sofia on Trakia highway at the exit for the town of ihtiman. The modern facilities are purpose built for riding and horse breeding. The 65x30m indoor arena and the 70x45m outdoor arena are perfect for year round riding. We also benefit from the best hacking opportunities with instant access to the fields and mountains of Sredna Gora and Rila. The stables offer 70 large boxes and 40 decares of pastures. A cosy club-restaurant viewing the indoor and outdoor arenas and summer terraces, convenient dressing rooms and bathrooms are just a part of the facilities for customers.

The most important, though, is the team of licensed trainers, devoted to their profession, who are providing lessons for adults and children of all abilities and ages – starting with novices and ending up with those willing to master the horse sport and take part in competitions or just take a ride in the open on the back of their horse.

Welcome!

Opening Times:

Monday to Sunday from 9 am to 7 pm

During winter, from 1 January to 15 March, the riding centre is closed on Thursday, and is open from 11 am to 5 pm on Saturday and Sunday

Who we are

Niesa riding center has been in operation since 2012 under the management of Stoica Argilashki, a certified trainer in horse sport. As a competition rider and trainer, Stoica began his career in 1968 in the city of Saedinenie – an area with century-old tradition in breeding horses and well developed equestrian sport. Throughout the years and until today, competition riders trained by Stoitsa are part of the national teams in cross country, show jumping and dressage. In 2019 his competition rider Aya Miteva won the first European championship medal in the history of the Bulgarian equestrian sport.

Beidzan Arifov (Bezho), joins the team of the riding center as trainer in equestrian show jumping in 2016. Bezho comes with a rich sport career as a competition rider and trainer. For more than 20 years he was engaged in training competition riders in Istanbul, and some of his competition riders took part in European and Balkan championships. He is qualified as a coach by the International Equestrian Federation and as a course designer by the Bulgarian Equestrian Federation.

Rayko Ganukov is a certified trainer in riding with more than 30 years of professional experience as a competitor. He is on the top list of the best Bulgarian riders in Dressage and part of the National Team. Raiko has a proven record of success in national and international competitions, and in 2015 he won the first place in the Balkan Dressage Championship. In recent years his students also win leading places at national and international competitions in dressage.

Marian Rujinov was born in the town of Ihtiman and has been close to horses since he was a child. He acquired professional knowledge after starting work at the horse base, where he worked as an instructor for the last 10 years. He has a certificate for coaches from the FEI COURSE FOR COACHES LEVEL 1 international federation.
Marian Rujinov

Kaloyana Borisova has a bachelor degree in Equestrian Sport from Vassil Levski National Sport Academy. During her studies at NSA she was an intern at Niesa Riding Center, where she starts her career as instructor upon her graduation in 2019. Kaloyana speaks English and German.

Alper Hadgishakir is the youngest member of the team of instructors. He is engaged in horse sport activities since 2012 under the guidance of his father, an equestrian trainer. He develops his skills at Niesa Riding Center since 2018, and in recognition of his accomplishments, he is assigned for the first time with the task to train riders and prepare competition horses.

 

Our horses

Our friends and partners in riding are:

• Kogan – English Thouroughbred
• Dezir – East-Bulgarian
• Zeyna – East-Bulgarian
• Pegass – Bulgarian Sport Horse
• Bela – Bulgarian Sport Horse
• Filadelphia – Bulgarian Sport Horse
• Upstar – Bulgarian Sport Horse
• Richi – Scotland pony
• Minie – Scotland pony
• Goldi – Riding pony