At a gallop: Horses in the Swiss Army

The exhibition begins with a look at the early Federal Horse-Training Centre on the site of today’s National Equestrian Centre.

The second part of the exhibition focuses on the training of horses in the Armed Forces, such as the training of remounts or the riding of mounts. It also sheds light on the various uses of horses in the different branches of the Armed Forces, such as part of a pack train, cavalry and reconnaissance.

The third part of the exhibition takes a look at the traditional trades that are still necessary to care for horses today, including saddlery, blacksmithing and wainwrighting as well as the importance of veterinary medicine.

The fourth part of the exhibition showcases recent figurative paintings by the artist and veterinarian Henry Althaus (*1970) on the topics of the National Equestrian Centre and horses.

The brochure accompanies the current BiG exhibition «Im Galopp: Pferde in der Schweizer Armee». This title in our publication series (numéro s) can be downloaded free of charge from the online library catalogue.

• Online version (free)
• Print version (charge made)

Guided tours and lectures

Guided tours of the exhibition and the National Equestrian Centre, which is located in the immediate vicinity of the BiG, will take place for the duration of the exhibition. They will be led by Beat Wampfler, veterinarian and deputy manager of the National Equestrian Centre, and Mathias Kobel, exhibition curator and BiG employee.

Please register for public guided tours via email at bibliothek@gs-vbs.admin.ch up to one week before the tour date. You can also book private guided tours of the exhibition. Groups for the guided tours can include up to 12 people. The meeting point is the reception area of the Library Am Guisanplatz. The guided tours, visits to the exhibition and the lectures are all free of charge.

Dates for public guided tours

2025

• Wednesday, 30 April    5 – 6:30pm
• Thursday, 12 June    5 – 6:30pm
• Wednesday, 20 August    5 – 6:30pm
• Thursday, 16 October    5 – 6:30pm

You will find the topics and dates of the lectures on the BiG website.

The exhibition runs from 17 May 2024 to 28 November 2025 and can be visited free of charge during the BiG’s opening hours (free entrance):

Monday–Friday

8.30 – 11am / 2 – 4.30pm