PAWEŁ SYLIWONIUK

Horse training and handling is a demanding profession for a man or a woman. However, Paweł Syliwoniuk is undaunted. His love for horses is overwhelming to the extent of spending twenty-four hours with the most elegant animal in the world. He lives in Poland and works at the famous Home of Champions, Stadnina Koni Michałów. Paweł devoted some of his precious time to my interview as a handler. To him, go our most sincere congratulations and best wishes for a bright future in the sector. 1.Hello, Paweł. Just to set the scene with our readers, will you please give us some background to you, your family, and your education? 1. I come from a family where horses have been present for generations, my father and grandfather deal with breeding of draft horses. For the first time I came across with Arabian horses in Janów Podlaski Stud. In 2010-2015 I attended to the horse breeding Technical School, which I consider to be one of the best decisions I have made in my life. Thanks to practices that I had to undergo in Janów Podlaski Stud, I fell in love with these beautiful and incredible creatures which are Arabian horses. Then, I graduated from Kraków University of Agriculture with the title of zoo-technician engineer. 2. Tell us a bit more about your early steps as a handler in this industry? Who is/was your mentor or source of inspiration? 2. In Janów Podlaski Stud, Joanna Wojtecka and Paweł Kozikowski were in charge of training show horses, and I had the opportunity to see how such a training looks like. In 2015, I started working in Michałów State Stud and then under the supervision of Mariusz Liśkiewicz I started training and presenting horses in the rings. Mariusz is a person with a lot of knowledge who willingly shares with others and supports young people who start their adventure with shows. A significant role in my career was played by Robin Hopkinson. She made my work with horses become a pleasure. Together with Bart van Buggenthout they showed me step by step how to pursue professionalism and overcome barriers. I think that each of us should be surrounded by people who are not only mentors in professional matters, but are always nearby when you need them and you can count on them in any situation, even in the most difficult moments for you. The people who know that you need support despite you don't say anything and don't ask for it. In addition to moments of joy, you also encounter moments of doubt or you just have a crisis and instead of patting you on the shoulder, these people will give you an energetic kick so that you can go further, climb higher, become stronger and completely determined in what you do. These people are like a red bull - they give energy, not take energy. 3. Paweł, have you developed systematic training/handling Arabian horses at Stadnina Koni Michałów? Will you describe this program? Is there a limit to what you can teach an Arabian horse through handling? 3.Working with horses is an endless limit of new experiences. Each horse teaches something new, forcing us to overcome our own weaknesses. New show season, new horses, new characters. It is impossible for me to imagine a better way to self-improvement than to constantly work with new/different horses. We become stronger and stronger in what we do when we learn from our mistakes. If we don't see our mistakes, we will never make any progress. This goes for every area of life. 4. Which are your favourite bloodlines? Why? 4. Like all the people related to the Arabian horse world, I have my favourite horses, maybe it's not a bloodline, but more a type of horse. I really like to work with horses that don't have easy characters. Why? This is a method to power develop, because each of these horses brings new ideas to your work, forcing you to find a way and solve the problem. Otherness is the most important in all of this. 5. Which shows have you attended most recently? Tell us something about it, please. 5. The World Championship in Paris. This is the place where at the end of each year, breeders and trainers bring their best horses to compete for the titles of World Champions. 6. What, in your opinion, really defines a good handler? What do you need to become a successful one? 6.Patience, humility, conscientiousness, disciplines, determination and persistence in pursuing the goals set for oneself. Talent is what a handler need to become a successful one. In my opinion, the most important thing when you choosing to work with horses is love for this animals and sacrifice yourself 100% for them. A horse is your mirror reflection, that's why you must be good to him. Often these are hard-worked days and sleepless nights. It's not always the case that hard work pays off with great results. The most satisfaction gives you the feeling that the horses you work with are happy and you can see how energy gushes out of them. 7. What advice would you give to those willing to undertake a career as a Handler of Arabian horses? 7. In my opinion, the best foundation for acquiring practical knowledge are the years worked in state studs, due to the number of horses there, the possibility of training some of the best horses in the world under the supervision of qualified specialists. 8. To what extent do the shows organized in the UAE differ from those in Europe? 8. I spend too little time at the UAE Shows to be able to express myself correctly on this topic. 9. Paweł, to what extent the pandemic disease has affected your job? 9. The shows were cancelled so the horses I trained could not be shown properly. There was no Aachen 2020/2021, no World Championship 2020, which are very important shows. Clients from outside of Europe could not travel so selling horses was more difficult. 10. What else would you like to achieve at this stage of your professional career? 10. Gold medal in World Arabian Horse Championship! 11. How and where do you see yourself in ten years? 11. My strong faith will guide me on the path that is right for me. What that path will be we will see, let the next day come and we know a bit more... 12. Would you like to leave a final message to the readers of Arabian Horse Magazine? 12. Hmmm... Never give up, trust your instincts, work hard and believe in the impossible...