Pope Leo XIV received purebred Arabian horse ahead of the weekly General Audience, which he received from a pilgrim from Poland.

Andrzej Michalski is owner of the Michalski Stud Farm, which is located in Kołobrzeg-Budzistowo, Poland.

The horse is named Proton, according to a report published by Vatican Media.

Michalski said he was inspired by a photo of then-Father Robert Francis Prevost on horseback in Peru.

“When I saw the photos of the future pope on horseback in Peru, the idea came to me that I wanted to give him a beautiful Arabian horse — one that would be worthy of him, and white, because white naturally corresponds to the Pope’s white cassock,” Michalski told Vatican News.

He said Proton’s father came from the United States, and his mother was bought from a princess in Jordan. The horse was born in Janów Podlaski, and Michalski told Vatican Media he purchased him as a young colt and raised him at his own stud farm.

“The pope was very happy [when receiving the horse]; we led the horse together. He was delighted, and we were overjoyed,” Michalski said.

During the meeting, the Polish man read a letter in which Michalski referred to the pope’s most recent Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi te: “Our love and our deepest convictions need to be continually cultivated, and we do so through our concrete actions. Remaining in the realm of ideas and theories, while failing to give them expression through frequent and practical acts of charity, will eventually cause even our most cherished hopes and aspirations to weaken and fade away.”

In his letter, Michalski wrote: “In fulfilling this appeal, I would like to ask that my gesture may contribute to the realization of the missions that Your Holiness undertakes for today’s world and for the Church, in keeping with your charism and responsibility.”

Anna Mieczkowska, Mayor of Kołobrzeg, also attended the delivery of the horse to the pontiff.

“When I worked with people with disabilities, hippotherapy sessions were held at Andrzej Michalski’s riding center. This therapy is a real blessing, especially for children with physical disabilities,” she told Vatican Media.

Michalski said his center organizes major equestrian competitions and therapy for people with disabilities, holding sessions two or three times a week.

“We are now preparing to organize a small Polish championship next month — for children with disabilities riding wooden horses,” he said.