TIME
A horse knows
nothing of calendars
One is ready in a year, another needs three. We keep a horse for as long as it needs. We promise no quick liquidity.
Show jumping horses
Pedigree is not bought.
It is built.
Why we do thisBuying a horse is easy.
Knowing which one is not.
Most of our time goes into turning horses down, not buying them. A horse without a documented pedigree or with an unclear medical history does not reach us, however cheap it is. Not much is left. We choose from that.
A horse knows
MEMORY
Pedigree can
be traced
Studbooks record descent and bloodline across generations. We do not have to take anyone at their word. We can look it up.
VALUE
It has nothing
to do with markets
Price is set by jumping performance, readiness for a rider and current demand. The asset is illiquid and volatile. It belongs beside a portfolio, not at the centre of one.
ENVIRONMENT
No rush
and no spotlight
A young horse cannot cope with being rushed and does not need an audience. Anyone who has seen a young horse rushed knows why.
NAME
Atavus is Latin
for forebear
The word atavism comes from the same root and means the return of an ancestral trait. The whole programme rests on what a horse carries from its forebears.
How we selectBefore a horse reaches us,
it passes five filters.
-
Who shows us the horse
We do not buy horses from listings. They are shown to us by breeders and trainers we have worked with for years, and without them we would never see these horses. We follow market prices to know where we stand.
-
Pedigree to the third generation
Three generations on both sides, documented from studbooks. If a line breaks off or does not match the record, the negotiation ends with it.
-
X-rays and bloodwork
X-rays, a blood profile, the full medical history. A sound horse with an ordinary pedigree is a better choice for us than an exceptional pedigree with a finding in a joint.
-
Years of work under saddle
We prepare young horses for junior riders in show jumping. We do not promise that a horse will win. We promise it will be honestly prepared.
-
When it is sold
The horse decides, not the calendar. We look for buyers at home and abroad, including the USA and the United Arab Emirates. This promises no particular export or price premium.
PedigreeTo the third generation.
On both sides. Without exception.
SUBJECT
Horse
1ST GENERATION
Sire & dam
2ND GENERATION
4 grandparents
3RD GENERATION
8 great-grandparents
We read it this way every time before we sign anything. We do not release the pedigrees of the horses in the programme · we show them in person to people meeting the conditions of Section 15(4) ZISIF.
The marketA large market,
no instrument.
- No exchange.Most deals happen between two people.
- No index.Nobody records or publishes prices.
- No public fund.Everything we take for granted elsewhere is missing.
Where we belong
In a market where prices are not published, patience and documented papers decide. We stay in this narrow part of the market and do not operate outside it.
We do not state a market size
The figures in circulation come from American surveys and agree neither on methodology nor on the territory covered. We prefer to give none. Either way, they have no bearing on the value of any one horse.
TimingThree things have come together
right now.
I
A market beyond the reach of large capital.
Most European deals are private, so nobody compares prices. The advantage goes to whoever checks the papers and has the horse examined before talking about price.
II
Demand is moving away from public markets.
Private capital is looking for assets that sit outside the market cycle. The value of a show jumping horse is set by its performance and by demand within the sport, not by a market cycle.
III
Breeding operations are changing hands.
European breeding families are handing their yards to the next generation. This opens up lines that no outsider could reach before.
Who decidesEvery horse is decided on
by one person.
A spreadsheet does not choose horses. A person who has understood them for years does.” Samuel Kušev · acquisition partner
The final word belongs to Samuel Kušev, the programme's acquisition partner. He does not look for horses in listings but among people he has known for years. Every horse we consider goes to a vet before purchase. A horse without clean papers and a clean examination does not reach us, however much of a pity that may be.
One mareWhat this looks like in practice.
Erwen · a photograph from her preparation
Erwen was never advertised. We heard about her from a man who had known her since she was a foal. Before we bought her we went through her full pedigree in the studbooks and had her thoroughly examined. We have worked with her ourselves ever since.
- Selection
- Erwen has been in our care since the summer of 2024. We did not find her in a listing but through people we know. We reviewed her pedigree and her health before the decision to buy her was made.
- Preparation
- We work with her regularly and follow what she shows us. There is no fixed schedule to be met for the sake of a spreadsheet.
- Discretion
- We do not put figures, results or a track record on the website. We show them in person to people meeting the conditions of Section 15(4) ZISIF.
Where Erwen has stood and who prepared her.
A horse moves when someone else can give it the next step. Three addresses in two years, all of them real.
Summer 2024 → spring 2025
ACCOM stableTřebotov near Prague
Fourteen boxes, not a hundred. A 2003 facility with an indoor arena set into the hillside so it would not disturb the protected landscape area. A small operation where nobody rushes a young horse.
2025
Training with Miloslav PříhodaVšetice
A two-time Olympian in eventing, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, and a multiple national champion. He takes horses into training at Všetice, thirty-five kilometres from Prague.
Today
Zduchovice Equestrian CentrePříbram District
One of the few Czech venues that host international show jumping. The 2026 season programme included CSIO and CSI1*, CSIO YOUTH combined with CSI2*, and regional championships.
Our rulesThree things we will not
work around. Not even for ourselves.
I
Papers first,
price second.
Three generations on both sides, documented. A horse without pedigree and without a medical history does not reach us, even at half the price. We ask about price only afterwards.
II
We sell when there is
something to look at.
Value grows with training and readiness. The horse itself decides when it is time.
III
Discretion
without exception.
We do not publicly comment on names or on the composition of the portfolio. We publish no client case studies and no press releases. Anyone who places capital with us can expect to read about it nowhere.
What we look forDetails that cannot be read off paper.
Eye and expression
Bridling
Stance and feet
Saddling and facilities
The photograph beside Erwen really is her. The other photographs on this website are illustrative. We show breeding and operating partners and other horses to eligible enquirers in person, on site.
Come and see usA horse cannot be explained
on one page.
We explain it in person to those
it makes sense for.
A name and a number are enough. We will get back to you within two working days and talk through how this works and whether it makes sense for both sides.
Request the materialsThis website is not a public offer or promotion. We make materials available to named, registered persons under Section 15(4) ZISIF.
What you need to knowThe questions that will come anyway.
Who is actually behind this?
ATAVUS is being prepared by Atavus, osoba rizikového kapitálu, s.r.o. for asset management comparable to management under Section 15 ZISIF (Act No. 240/2013 Coll.). The application for registration was filed on 11 August 2026. The company does not yet have a verified registration on the list maintained by the Czech National Bank and does not accept investments before registration is verified.
Any registration is evidentiary only, is not a licence, and the activity is not subject to CNB supervision. This is not a fund for qualified investors, a SICAV, or a collective investment fund.
Who is it for, and who is it not for?
Access is intended solely for persons meeting the conditions of Section 15(4) ZISIF. Entry is subject to an individual assessment, satisfaction of all statutory criteria and signature of a written declaration of risk awareness. This website is informational and is not a public offer or promotion.
What happens if it does not work out?
A show jumping horse is a collector's and breeder's asset. It is entered into out of passion and long-term conviction, not as a product with a promised return. Returns are not guaranteed. The asset is illiquid and volatile and the capital invested may be lost. Past performance is no guarantee of future returns.
On what basis do you select horses?
Medical history and X-rays first, then pedigree from the studbooks. The detailed procedure is in the How we select section above. We do not claim a horse will win. We claim it will be honestly prepared.
What is the time horizon?
Capital is subscribed for three years; individual horses are held as circumstances dictate, from under a year to more than three. We promise no immediate liquidity.
What does the process look like, step by step?
Someone shows us a horse. We verify the pedigree in the studbooks and send it to a vet. If both hold up, we buy it and start working with it. We sell when there is something to look at.
Why do you publish no figures?
Because we would have to either average them out or take them out of context, and neither makes sense. We release no valuations, results, pedigrees or investor names.
Where are the horses kept?
With the breeding and operating partners we work with. We will take you there in person when the time comes.
Get in touchWrite to us.
We will call you back.
Three lines are enough. We will get back to you within two working days and arrange a call to cover everything that matters.
The materials are not downloadable. We hand them over in person. This website is not a public offer or promotion. Detailed materials and the data room are made available only to named, registered persons meeting the conditions of Section 15(4) ZISIF, after an individual assessment and a written declaration of risk awareness. The company does not yet have a verified registration on the CNB list and does not accept investments before that registration is verified.
Enquiry received
We will get back to you within two working days. We send materials only after an individual assessment and evidence of the statutory conditions.
Where to find usA registered office, not just a web address.
- Registered office
- Příčná 1892/4, Nové Město
110 00 Prague 1, Czech Republic - office@atavus.cz
- Entity
- Atavus, osoba rizikového kapitálu, s.r.o.
Company ID 29630681