The National Riding Hall was founded in 1877 in order to facilitate the improvement of our national horse breeding activity by holding fairs, competitions, and exhibitions. The first successful equestrian exhibition and auction was organised in 1878 at the facility, while the first competition was held there in 1984. In 1931, Europe’s second largest riding hall – until the 1950’s – was built on the grounds of the establishment.

The National Riding Hall has always been the centre of equestrian life, but during all those years, only smaller upgrades and conversions took place, and at some point even the survival of the place was uncertain. Tattersall finally came back to life with the help of a determined circle and state subsidies, becoming a permanent mainstay of Hungarian equestrian sport.

The National Riding Hall’s goodbye to the glitzy equestrian life saw it hosting a frenetic CSIO*** competition in July, 2016, which was won by the Hungarian team. The facility then closed its doors – for the first time since its foundation, and a one-and-a-half year long remodelling was started. Gábor Fábiáncsics, director of the National Riding Hall, had been supervising the reconstruction works and paid special attention so that every detail in the new facility can serve the horses’ and the riders’ comfort.

A new chapter opened in the life of Tattersall and Hungarian equestrian sports on 24 February, 2018, when riders could start using the renovated National Riding Hall in the heart of Budapest, or as Vilmos Lázár, president of the Hungarian Equestrian Federation, said: “The Riding Hall of the Nation.”

Main figures of the restructuring works:

  • 4,5 ha surface
  • 7 building complexes
  • 8,800 m2 net area
  • 2,800 m2 indoor riding hall
  • 9,000 m2 outdoor arena
  • 2.5 km drainage
  • 2.6 km water conduit
  • 15,000 m2 paved road
  • 10,000 m2 roof surface
  • 400 new trees
  • 110 subcontractors

In the summer of 2018, the remodeled National Riding Hall returned to the international equestrian stage with a highly successful CSIO5* competition. The event was also attended by FEI President Ingmar de Vos.

In the three years since the renovated facility was inaugurated, improvements have continued: in 2019, a mobile stable for 42 stalls was built, and since the end of November 2020, a new tented arena has been helping riders prepare for competitions.