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Pope Leo XIV Receives 12-Year-Old Arabian Horse as Gift
Confirmed
In Short: The Vatican confirmed that Pope Leo XIV received a 12-year-old purebred Arabian horse named Proton from Andrzej Michalski, president of the Michalski horse farm.
The Vatican confirmed that Pope Leo XIV received a 12-year-old purebred Arabian horse named Proton as a gift from Andrzej Michalski, president of the Michalski horse farm in Kołobrzeg-Budzistowo, Poland.
Michalski recalled that during his time as a missionary in Peru, Pope Leo XIV frequently rode horses.
According to Michalski, the pope was very pleased with the gift. 'Holding the reins, we led him off together, taking him for a short walk. He was very satisfied; we were very happy,' Michalski told Vatican News.
The white horse, a gift from Michalski Stables, will reside in Castel Gandolfo, home to the Vatican's equestrian center.
Pope Leo XIV, formerly known as Prevost, was selected by the Holy Father after his election to the papacy in May 2025.
Prevost's book, which offers an utterly unique portrait of the first American and first Augustinian pope, is essential reading for anyone seeking Pope Leo’s wisdom, theological insight, and moral courage.
The book, published simultaneously in the British Commonwealth with Cornerstone, a division of Penguin Random House UK, allows readers to witness the spiritual formation and development of the man who would become pope—in his own words, written before he or anyone imagined his future role in the Church.
Prevost emphasized, 'Man is not defined by what he possesses or what he knows, but rather by what he loves.'
Pope Leo XIV's spirituality was deeply marked by the mysticism of daily life, as he developed the 'practice of the presence of God': remaining aware of God's presence whether at prayer or getting on with the day's work.
It is incredible to think that one of the men who would shape the spirituality of a future pope spent a good deal of his own life cooking dinner and mending shoes.
Pope Leo XIV's message to the faithful is clear: 'We are called to be fully human in the midst of an inhuman society. Christian holiness is love, and is born in our hearts.'
What this adds
The Vatican confirmed the gift of the horse, adding new details about the pope's spiritual journey and the significance of the gift.
Background
The Vatican confirmed that Pope Leo XIV received a 12-year-old purebred Arabian horse named Proton from Andrzej Michalski, president of the Michalski horse farm.
What's confirmed
- The Vatican confirmed that Pope Leo XIV received a 12-year-old purebred Arabian horse named Proton as a gift from Andrzej Michalski, president of the Michalski horse farm in Kołobrzeg-Budzistowo, Poland.
- Michalski recalled that during his time as a missionary in Peru, Pope Leo XIV frequently rode horses.
- According to Michalski, the pope was very pleased with the gift. 'Holding the reins, we led him off together, taking him for a short walk. He was very satisfied; we were very happy,' Michalski told Vatican News.
- The white horse, a gift from Michalski Stables, will reside in Castel Gandolfo, home to the Vatican's equestrian center.
- Pope Leo XIV, formerly known as Prevost, was selected by the Holy Father after his election to the papacy in May 2025.
- Prevost's book, which offers an utterly unique portrait of the first American and first Augustinian pope, is essential reading for anyone seeking Pope Leo’s wisdom, theological insight, and moral courage.
- The book, published simultaneously in the British Commonwealth with Cornerstone, a division of Penguin Random House UK, allows readers to witness the spiritual formation and development of the man who would become pope—in his own words, written before he or anyone imagined his future role in the Church.
- Pope Leo XIV's spirituality was deeply marked by the mysticism of daily life, as he developed the 'practice of the presence of God': remaining aware of God's presence whether at prayer or getting on with the day's work.
- It is incredible to think that one of the men who would shape the spirituality of a future pope spent a good deal of his own life cooking dinner and mending shoes.
What's still developing
- “It's been my spirituality for years,” he said.
- Credit: Photograph by VATICAN MEDIA / CPP / HANS LUCAS What do you give a Pope?
- Thankfully, when Pope Leo visited the Institut Catholique de Paris on September 26 during his papal visit, the Carmelite friars had done their homework.