Historically, horse-breeding and riding has been an integral part of Hungarian and Slovenian culture for over a thousand years. In a broader sense, the equestrian sector includes all related activities, without which the efficient operation of the sector is unthinkable. Examples include infrastructure development, fodder production, veterinary services, the institutional system operating in the sector (public and non-governmental organizations, etc.). In the narrower sense, the equestrian industry is the sum of all areas where the horse is the main driver of its operation. This includes all areas of horse-related activities, such as all-inclusive education, use of horses in organic agriculture, horse breeding, equestrian tourism, horse racing, traditional historic horse-events, equestrian therapy, recreational riding and horseback riding are key elements. A feasibility study was carried out in the Hungarian -Slovenian border region to explore the possibilities for joint cross-boundary development of horsebased tourism. Hungary's and Slovenia's contemporary natural qualities provide excellent opportunities for equestrian tourism. The starting point for formulating cross-boundary equestrian programme is that the mutually reinforcing, complex and holistic development of each sub-area can only produce results. We have identified the strategic goals of equestrian tourist destination development: a) people-centred and long-term profitable development; b) improvement of tourism reception conditions; c) attraction development, including target-group oriented special programmes; d) human resource development and equestrian education; e) PR and marketing; f) regulatory interventions / measures, which can be effective if they work closely with businesses, NGOs and the public sector (municipalities, government agencies), including conservation of horse-related material and intangible cultural heritage.

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The beneficial effects of thermal water and mud treatment in the human medical field have been investigated and well known for many years. However, such treatment has never been studied and used in veterinary science. The aim of our study was to investigate how a mud treatment from Héviz Spa Lake affects the movement quality and flexibility of certain joints in horses. This medical mud, which is unique on the world, contain about 70-80 % thermal water from the Lake. Wet sludge was applied on the knee, hock, elbow, shoulder, back, stifle, front and hind cannons and fetlock joints for a period of eight weeks. Our results show, that the mud treatment from Héviz Spa Lake may have beneficial effects on the joints, playing important role in the locomotion of horses. The positive results of this experiment and the benefit of the water from the Lake in human field give us the idea to plan a balneotherapeutic equine medical centre next to the outlet canal of the Heviz Spa Lake. The main component of this centre is a covered balneotherapeutic equine walker. In this centre we could make complex hydro-and balneotherapeutic treatments for horses and we could use the medical mud as a supplemental treatment. This equine centre would be absolutely unique on the world.