It is the 40th auction of Arabian horses in Janów Podlaski and it is just has been over 30 years of struggles connected with trying to create a stud of Arabian horses, struggles that caused a lot of problems and cares but also happiness. I omit the fact that I bought with a friend of mine two Arabian geldings – Ekrazyt and Kabaret – bred by Michałów Stud. This year it is the 30th anniversary of the purchase of an Arabian stallion. It was Fezaryt (Muharyt – Falbanka) bred by Z. Braur, bought from Andrzej Ou in 1979. This date, in some way, we can take as our start of creation the stud and breeding Arabian horses.

A great hope was the 1984 year, when after 5 years of struggles and attempts I could buy two young Arabian fillies: Mimoza (Bukszpan – Miszka) and Migotka (Dambor – Mewa) from the breeder Anna Dębska. It had to be the beginning of our breeding but the fate was different. Unfortunately, Migotka died in an accident, not leaving any offspring and Mimoza was genetically infertil.

The 80s was a period of searching the possibilities of buying more mares. But the management of the state studs did not want even talk with us.

Many times during our visits at Janów Podlaski auctions we had been thinking about purchasing mares but in those times in the auctions only foreigners could take part. In 1988 the company Animex that was leading the auction let us to take part in it and buy the mare Magnolia (Fason – Maskotka) bred by SO Białka. Our persistence led us to success. We were the first Poles who purchased an Arabian mare during the auction in Janów. In 1990 we bought on the next auction the mare Alabania (Gwarny – Aleksja) bred by Janów Podlaski, owned by SO Białka and we got the trophy “ANIMEX TROPHY TOP BUYER POLISH PRESTIGE JANÓW PODLASKI ‘90”

The next mares that joined our breeding were Galicja (Algomej – Gromada) bred by SK Kurozwęki and Darowizna (Partner – Donna) bred by SK Michałów, owned by SO Białka. The 90s and the changes of the political system gave us great expectations of a quick improvement of our breeding but the changes were not that meaningful as we expected.

There were so many difficulties in getting the best stallions from the state studs and the breeding quality of the purchased mares was so weak that the offspring of Magnolia, Galicja and Darowizna did not fulfill our breeding expectations. As a result these horses were sold. Only the mare Albania as a racing and endurance mare (and my strong persistence) led us to breed the distinguished racing mare Abisynia (Borysław – Albania). As a three-year-old mare she was not beaten in her year. In five starts at the Służewiec racetrack, she was the first five times (Kuheilan, Białka and Sambor Prizes). Before the season 1996 Abisynia was the favorite but an injury during the winter training and a weaker preparation for the season eliminated her from the fight for the highest prize. It was not believed that a mare from the private breeding could win the Derby Prize.

The breakthrough in our breeding was the purchising of three mares from SK Michałów. In 1994 after difficult talks with the management we bought the 20-year-old Pliszka (Gwarny – Pardwa), with the filly Postawa (Endel – Pliszka). She was a well-earned mare. She was expected to have good offspring. In 1995 the mare Passa (Eukaliptus – Pasha) joined our breeding. She was extremely beautiful and her show results consolidated the position of Polish Arabian horse on the international arena. Moreover, in 1996 we gained the mare Erudycja ( Probat – Etola) with the filly Eklezja (Monogramm – Erudycja).

The 90s had been still the battle for the development of our breeding. It was the time of creation in Poland the private breeding. The Private Breeders Association was founded, the first shows organized by the members took place, and the struggles for access to the best breeding material from the state studs started.

The end of the 90s and the beginning of the 2000s were the period of creation of many new studs. Purchases of good and very good mares and also a huge involvement in breeding of the new breeders gave the hope for a dynamic development of private breeding and to break existing barriers.

In 2002 as one of the first private breeders we decided to take part in international shows, so we sent the mare Ekspiacja (Emigrant – Eklezja) the to Scott Allman’s training center. Ekspiacja with the result of 89,33 points took the third place in her class at the International B-Show Wels 2002.

The next breakthrough in our breeding and also a great stimulus in development of private studs was the year 2004 when Poland joined the European Union. That was an open gate to the free access to the semen of the best stallions and it was easier to perform in the shows in the whole Europe, to learn and to look at the newest trends in world’s breeding.

The offspring of our Pliszka, Passa and Erudycja brought us many successes in the latest years. The first success was of the Pliszka’s great-granddaughter Piawea (XXVII Polish Nationals in Janów Podlaski 2005: third place in her class with 92,33 points, Int. Tage das Arabischen Pferdes Strohen B- Show 2005: third place in her class with a score of 89,00); then Erudycja’s great-granddaughters Espiria (XVI Junior Spring Show Białka 2007: fourth place in her class with 89, 67 points, Int. Tage des Arabischen Pferdes, Strohen 2007 B-Show: fourth place in class, XXIX Polish Nationals in Janów Podlaski 2007: first place in class with 90,33 points, Vilhelmsborg International Show 2008: second place in class, Int. Tage des Arabischen Pferdes, Strohen 2008 B-Show: second place in class, XXX Polish

Nationals in Janów Podlaski 2008: third place in class with 91, 17 points, European Championship 2008 in Moorsel: fourth place in class with 90,00 points); and also Elfera (XVI Spring Junior Arabian Horses Show in Białka 2007: sixth place in class with 89,00 points, XXIX Polish Nationals in Janów Podlaski 2008: fifth place in class with 89,33 points, III Autumn Show in Janów Podlaski 2008: second place in class with 89,17 points); and Passa’s great-granddaughter Pasterna (Spring Junior Arabian Horses Show in Białka 2008: third place in class with 90,33 points, XXX Polish Nationals in Janów Podlaski 2008: second place in class with 91,00 points, III Autumn Show in Janów Podlaski 2008: Junior Champion Filly.

The latest years it is the period of a great development of private breeders’ studs. The owners’ involvement, their huge professionalism has brought a success in national and international shows.

In conclusion I would like to wish all the breeders many successes. Looking from the perspective of 30 years I think that your success is also mine. Even a lost in show rivalry gives me a lot of satisfaction because I can see hope for ending the division between private and state breeding of Polish Arabian Horses.