If you love Arabians, you must know about this beautiful tradition we’ve had for many years now in Europe that every year after All Nations Cup, we go to Belgium for open days in some of the most renowned centres for purebred Arabians in the world. One of those places is Jadem Arabians where we saw last year the magnificent RFI Farid, multichampion and one of the most sought after sires to ever trot on this Earth. Will his son make the father proud? Let’s have a look at Farid Al Hawajer.

A legend is born

The bay and utterly handsome Farid Al Hawajer was born on 2^nd February 2018 at Al Hawajer Stud in the United Arab Emirates, and it took him less than a year to win his first medal. Sired by the icon of the breed RFI Farid and out of Jameelah Al Hawajer (we’ll get back to her), the then yearling was close to peerless at the 2019 Ajman Arabian Horse Show where he won the title of Silver Yearling Colt Champion, losing only to D Shakhat (D Khattaf – D Shireen / Kahil Al Shaqab) from Dubai Arabian Horse Stud. Those who have kept a close eye on the Arabian scene in recent years might remember Tom Oben accompanying a bijou and petite intensely bay yearling in January 2019 at Ajman Equestrian Club – yes, that’s the hero of our story.

Named obviously after his outstanding sire, Farid Al Hawajer from the very start had some pretty grand horseshoes to fill. And he did his level best to do that. At the 1st Sharjah Kalba Arabian Horse Festival in November 2019, also shown by Tom Oben, he was once again first in class, just like in Ajman, and won bronze in the 2 Years Old Colts Championship. And already as a yearling, he would score “twenties” for head and neck. But with young horses you rarely know how they are going to perform or what they might grow into. Over the course of the next couple of years, the young Farid was a bit less lucky in terms of medals, yet invariably showing promise as a potential future sire.

The big day finally came on 25^th March 2022 at the Emirates Arabian Horse Breeders Championship in Abu Dhabi. It was a massive show and the judges saw a total of 342 horses in just three days. Our hero had the highest score of the show: 92.20, ex æquo with AD Bdoor (AJ Azzam – Torfah Al Zobair / S.M.A. Magic One), the Dubai International Arabian Horse Championship 2021 Gold Filly Foal, bred by Hamad Adnan Abdulla Shaban Alshehhi. With three 20s for type (one scratched) and one more for movement (alas also scratched), he was destined for the noblest of medals. Needless to say, he was indeed victorious in the Senior Stallion Championship, living up to the expectations of his proud breeders and, as it happened, making his sire proud too. Tom Oben, who was at his side when he was still a kiddo, was there with Farid Al Hawajer again, together with Dr. Ghanem al Hajri, the founder of Al Hawajer Stud and Farid’s breeder himself.

Beauty personified

The dam of our hero is Jameelah Al Hawajer by Alixir out of Thee Midnight Angel by Al Baraki. The black mare whose name in Arabic means “beautiful” is a Straight Egyptian queen who made a name for herself not as a dam, but a mother of champions. Her offspring, albeit few, have made the headlines countless times.

In Paris at the World Arabian Horse Championship in December 2024, I asked Fariborz Vadipoor about his first impressions of Farid Al Hawajer and instead of telling me about Farid, he told me about… Jameelah: “Even before I heard the name Farid Al Hawajer or saw him for the first time, I was in love with his exquisite dam Jameelah Al Hawajer. Coming from an American Straight Egyptian line, this iconic black mare would produce amazing foals. The bay Mandela Al Hawajer was first, full brother to Farid as a matter of fact, in 2014. As a five-year-old, he won the title of Gold Senior Stallion Champion at the Emirates Arabian Horse National Championship. That’s years before Farid won his gold.”

I could see how much in awe Fariborz must have been that decade ago as he was first discovering the “gorgeous lady in black”: “The next year came Mandela’s sister, Bint Jamelah Al Hawajer by Royal Colours, an amazing black Straight Egyptian filly that grew into a refined mare. Then Jameelah gave birth to the bay Baraqah Al Hawajer by Dominic M who became the Silver Yearling Champion Filly at the 2019 United Arab Emirates National Championship.”

Just like in one of the movies by Hollywood’s enfant terrible, Fariborz had my curiosity, but then he also had my attention. I didn’t expect him to elaborate to such extent about Farid’s dam, nor his siblings, so I decided to dig a bit deeper: “For me, a stallion’s dam and sisters, if you know what you’re looking for and you trust your gut, can give good hints of the offspring he might produce in the future. So after I saw Farid’s offspring born at Al Hawajer Stud and how successful they were in the ring, I had no doubt that this handsome, charismatic stallion is not only a modern Arabian supermodel, but also a sire of the next generation of champions.”

Remarkable progeny

One quick look at Farid Al Hawajer’s offspring is more than enough to see that the foals that he produces are truly superb. Colts and fillies that were sired by this fantastic stallion are conquering Arabian horse shows all over the Middle East and they have even crossed the Mediterranean Sea to try their luck at events in Europe as well. But would the champion-making RFI Farid be proud of his Emirati heir? Let’s bring his potential as a sire in his own right under scrutiny.

Meet Shamikhat Al Hawajer, born on 28^th October 2022, a bay filly now owned by Al Thamer Stud. Shamikhat is out of Durah Al Hawajer by the one and only FA El Shawan and out of Gloryannaa by Versace. Don’t let her young age fool you – that sweet, extremely feminine cutie is already a four-time champion, thrice as a yearling. She won her first medal in November 2023 at the Sharjah Arabian Horse Festival. In class, she scored her first twenty for head and neck, qualified for the championships and won silver, losing only to Al Aryam Harbah (S.M.A. Magic One – Al Aryam Hamrah / Marajj).

They met again at the end of January 2024 at the Al Shiraa International Arabian Horse Show and looks like history likes to repeat itself, as here she won another silver medal which was followed in late March by a bronze medal at the 2024 Dubai International Arabian Horse Championship. Then in the first days of November last year, a month before the World Championship, she won her first gold at the 2024 Al Shaqab International Arabian Horse Show. In class she had twenties across the board for head and neck, and two days later in the Junior Fillies Championship won the gold medal, beating her half-sister…

… Farida Mudhar who won silver at that very same show. Born on 2nd April 2022, Farida Mudhar is out of A.L.R. Aseela (D Mshary – D Noorah / QR Marc). A year earlier, in mid-November 2023, she won here the title of Gold Yearling Filly, after taking the first place in class and scoring twenties for head and neck. It runs in the family – sire charmed judges and spectators alike with his eyes and smile, and so do his daughters. But before we move on to her half-brother, perhaps we should mention one more thing: she was fourth in the Yearling Fillies Championship at the 2023 World Championship in Doha – she lost by a point to the bronze medallist.

Speaking of her brother, his name is Adnan Mudhar and just like Farida, he’s bred and owned by Sheikh Hamad Ali Al Thani from the State of Qatar. Adnan is out of Soufiya Al Shaqab by S.M.A. Magic One. Her dam is Pretia, a Michałów Stud-bred daughter of Kahil Al Shaqab and Parmana by Al Maraam. This little fella was born on 13th February 2024 and won his first gold medal as a nine-month-old colt foal at the 2024 Al Shaqab International Arabian Horse Show, scoring more than twice than the silver medallist! That was indeed a good show for RFI Farid’s grandkids.

The list of young and very young horses that take Middle Eastern show rings by storm goes on, testament to RFI Farid’s legacy as a champion maker, a trait that Farid Al Hawajer seems to have inherited from his esteemed sire. Hasseeb Al Zobair is yet another example of a junior with a bright future ahead of him. Born on 12^th October 2023 out of Zoheya Al Zobair (Dominic M – Star of Al Zobair / Ajman Moniscione), bred by Sheikh Abdulla bin Mohammed Ali Al Thani and owned by Sheikha Maryam Ahmed Abdullah Al Thani, this bay youngster made himself known at the Sharjah Arabian Horse Festival in November 2024 where he won gold in the Yearling Colts Championship. This jolly and fun-loving lad made a huge impression on the judges, so much so that he had one of the highest scores of the show and three 20s for… that’s right: head and neck! So much so that, in the championships, seven out of eight judges chose him for gold.

Farid Al Hamidiya is another interesting colt whose career we might want to follow. Born on 3rd October 2023 out of D Awaly (FA El Rasheem – Ghazalah Alaalya / Monticeto LN), bred and owned by Ali Mohammed Eissa Bushehab Alsuwaidi, he triumphed in late March 2024 in the Colt Foals class, basically unrivalled.

Let’s go back to Farid Al Hawajer’s home in the UAE and pick a filly and a colt each that have the potential to reach for the stars as their sire and grandsire have, shall we? Moth’hel Al Hawajer out of Muth’hela Al Hawajer (FA El Rasheem – Gloryannaa / Versace) was born on 2nd October 2022 and this bay colt is already a double medallist. Currently owned by Abdulaziz Soud Almutairi, he was first in class and won the silver medal at the Emirates Arabian Horse National Championship in late March 2023. Shortly before Christmas 2024, at the 4th Doha International Arabian Horse Show, he won bronze in the Yearling Championship, scoring earlier four 20s for movement (one was scratched) proving Farid’s kids can move too.

Salymah Al Hawajer is the last horse we shall discuss, otherwise we’d need several pages more. This grey filly was born at Al Hawajer Stud on 20th December 2022 and her dam is Salymah E.A. (Khidar – Libanon Azadika / Om El Azadik, son of Sanadik El Shaklan). Thus far, she’s only been to two shows and her best result is the 2nd place in class at the 5th Sharjah Kalba Arabian Horse Festival at the beginning of December 2023, but with pedigree like hers, she’s bound to make a wonderful broodmare, and who knows…? Perhaps we’re looking at the future mother of champions that will follow in Jameelah Al Hawajer’s hoofsteps and who’s going to make her owners at Ramz Stud proud?

Epilogue, or to be continued

Thinking of Farid Al Hawajer’s offspring, Fariborz Vadipoor can’t help smiling: “Both colts and fillies by Farid show beauty, talent, and charisma, and they feel at home at some of the most important show in the Middle East. They leave those shows with championship titles making the celebrated Al Hawajer name even more famous, building on a lasting legacy that will undoubtedly have a meaningful impact on future generations of Arabians.” The question we ought to ask ourselves now is whether we want to contribute to this legacy? Are you ready to introduce Farid Al Hawajer into your breeding programme? After all, “farid” means “incomparable” in Arabic… Your call.

Farid Al Hawajer is owned by KHD Partnership from the United Arab Emirates. His semen, both fresh and frozen, is available in Europe and the Middle East at Danisa Training Center (now part of Privilege SFQ) in Belgium.

With the year 2024 inevitably, albeit slowly, drawing to a close, it is most definitely high time we began to sum up what we all have been doing since 1st January… Some of us will certainly wish they had done a little more and tried harder. On the flipside, there are people like Kathleen Ohlsson who seems to be having the time of her life. Who could blame her if a stallion like Medan Al Shaqab has just moved in to the stables at Sweden Arabian Stud?

For the win

All jocularity aside, Kathleen, together with her husband Joakim, have had a truly successful year indeed. Horses born on the outskirts of Uddevalla, a small town in the province of Västra Götaland in southwestern Sweden, have been making their breeders proud all year round. A quick look at their résumés and we’ll find as many as 15 horses with the initial O in their name happily jogging around arenas all over Europe as well as in the Middle East or North Africa. And we’re talking about events ranging from C-shows like Arabische Pferde in Westfalen, through Vesuvio Trophy Straight Egyptian, all the way to major shows like the All Nations Cup.

Eight gold medals, two silver ones and two more bronze – won by Alexandra O, Saga O or Pamela O to name a few – speak for themselves. While it’s obvious that luck is a vital component in any breeding programme, in the case of the Ohlssons, luck seems not to be a decisive factor, tertiary more like it, with professionalism, experience and vision taking over to produce results many would wish for. Consistency and hard work pay off – only a madman would dare say otherwise.

Love at first sight

If the name Medan Al Shaqab fails to ring bells, no need to worry. Here’s what you need to know about him – in a tiny nutshell… He’s a 10-year-old grey stallion born at Al Shaqab Stud in the State of Qatar. Sired by the Reserve World Straight Egyptian Champion Farhoud Al Shaqab by Al Adeed Al Shaqab, our soon-to-be teenager is out of Abha Myra, a Marwan Al Shaqab daughter which makes the legendary Gazal Al Shaqab her grandpapa. He’s also the maternal brother to World Champion Fadi Al Shaqab, and uncle to Afreen Al Shaqab. Basically… a pedigree to kill for, as none of the aforementioned purebred gentlehorses require any introduction.

“The very first time I saw Medan was two years ago. I was visiting Raphael Curti for a presentation at Privilege, and of all the horses there, he was the one I liked best. I thought to myself how great it would be to have him in our stables. However, we had another horse that we were leasing at that time, so I didn’t use him in my breeding programme. Yet! What I did was observe his offspring”, Kathleen tells us in Lier during the European Championship. Paying attention to Medan’s kids was undoubtedly a smart idea…

… because last year and this year too, colts and fillies sired by our majestic hero made several purebred Arabian headlines – for a good reason. Let’s take a walk down memory lane to 2023, shall we?

It’s early May and we’re in the Tuscan province of Lucca where Elisa Bonaparte ruled at the beginning of the 19^th century. In the town of Pietrasanta on the foothills of the Apuan Alps, an Arabian horse show is taking place: L’Arte del Cavallo. It was at this ECAHO B International Show that the Al Shaqab-owned Mayez Al Shaqab, out of My First Star by Windspress Mirage, first caught Kathleen’s eye, and then took home gold in the Junior Championship.

Moving on to late November that year – we’re in the Qatari capital of Doha participating in the Qatar National Arabian Horse Championship. Among the filly foals, there’s a cute little girl by the name of Kaltham Al Nasser who is out of Arwa Al Nasser by none other than Fadi Al Shaqab. The Al Nasser youth becomes the Gold Filly Foal of the 2023 Qatar Nationals, beating both Teha Al Shaqab and Sultana Al Thamer.

Mid-July 2024, many of us met in Ströhen for the International Days for Arabian Horses organised at Ismer Stud. There’s no distinction here for yearling and juniors, so all young horses go to the same championships. Who comes on top in the Fillies Championship? Unanimously the grey yearling out of Binta El Jyar by Jyar Meia Lua – “Benita, LM Benita” to paraphrase James Bond, from the Austrian stables of La Movida Arabians. And it was more than sheer luck as two months later at Purosangue Arabi a Bergamo Festival, she was once again unanimously chosen by the judges to become (this time) the Gold Yearling Champion.

There was one more yearling in Bergamo that weekend present at the show sired by Medan Al Shaqab, bred and owned by the well-known Gestüt Osterhof. A bay colt out of Afra OS by Antaris OS for whom it was his debut in the world of horse shows: Cyros OS. Karl-Heinz Stöckle’s boy first won his class, and then was awarded gold by the judges.

The last major success of Medan’s progeny came less than two weeks after Kathleen’s announcement. Rayyana Mudhar out of Mezen Al Zobair by the Marwan Al Shaqab son Marajj, bred and owned by Sheikh Hamad Ali Al-Thani, easily won the Gold Champion Filly Foal title with the highest score of all foals at the Al Shaqab International Arabian Horse Show. One might say it was testament to making the right decision regarding where Medan Al Shaqab would find his new home.

“Following the All Nations Cup, I met him up close in his box again and I knew I absolutely had to have him! His kind gentle personality and amazingly beauty touched me to the core. Not only with his incredible face, but with this type that I think we miss a bit today… Long croup, good body, alluring eyes – he is classic and modern at the same time with a different pedigree from his Straight Egyptian sire and very proven dam. For me he is the embodiment of true Arabian type!” Here Kathleen stops, most probably already thinking which mare she will use him on in the days to come.

For he’s a jolly good fellow

News like that which Kathleen dropped on the purebred Arabian horse world shortly before the European Championship travels fast, almost approaching the speed of light. A twice-Gold Junior Colt Champion from the Qatar International Arabian Horse Show and Gold Senior Stallions Champion from Bergamo is not a horse that’s easy to overlook. With offspring that’s promising to say the least, it’s even harder. No wonder then that congratulations to the entire Ohlsson family came from far and wide. Here’s what some of our friends told us…

“I’m proud I had the chance to share a part of my career with this gorgeous horse and to have him at my farm. We had a very successful time together in the show ring internationally when he was a junior and later a grown-up stallion. It is rewarding that many breeders acknowledge what he can offer to the breed, just like I visioned it. I’m happy to know that he will have an amazing life with a family who loves him.”
Giacomo Capacci

“It was a privilege and I personally take pride in contributing to the acquisition of Medan Al Shaqab by such an esteemed breeder as Kathleen Ohlsson. Representing Al Shaqab Stud over the years has been an honour, especially with a stallion like Medan who hails from a remarkable pedigree. As a son of Abha Myra, Medan shares his lineage with world champions Fadi Al Shaqab and Siwar Al Shaqab, making him a part of one of the breed’s most distinguished families. We are thrilled that after several successful seasons producing outstanding offspring in Europe, Medan has found a new home. We wish Kathleen, Joakim, and their family all the best with Medan. We know he will be loved and cherished at Sweden Arabian Horse Stud.”
Raphael Curti

“Everybody looks to Medan because of Abha Myra who of course is an icon of the breed, but many miss the fact that Medan’s paternal granddam is Johara Al Shaqab. Johara has been an outstanding matriarch that has produced countless champions and amazing broodmares for the Al Shaqab’s Straight Egyptian programme. While she remains less known than some other Shaqab-stars, she is most certainly equally valuable to the breed. I must admit I had a fixation with Medan as a colt, and I actually had an agreement to send him to Argentina for the first season. Unfortunately, we couldn’t make him go. What I love about him the most are his blessed contradictions: he is tall, yet very typey, classic, yet more stretchy than usual. Qualities like that are rare to find.”
Santiago Fornieles

All’s been said and just one more thing is missing. Dear Kathleen, congratulations and good luck!

Klikowa Arabians is a young Arabian horse stud, operating since 2016, located in Wola Rzędzińska near Tarnów. Currently, the herd consists of 50 horses. The owners are Małgorzata, Marek and Marcin Rzepka.

The Klikowa Stud Farm was created out of a great passion for animals, which has been going on in this family for generations. Marek and Marcin Rzepka have been associated with pigeon breeding and racing for 40 years. They achieved all possible successes in this field, from the Olympic pigeon to the national championship. Although his first passion is pigeons, Marek dreamed of breeding horses since he was a child, but for many years it was unattainable for him. As a child, he lived next to the Sanguszko Palace in Gumniska. He observed the farm there, including the horses, which were something magical to him. After many years, he finally decided to fulfill his passion and bought the first Arabian horses, which were initially kept in the historic stud farm once owned by Prince Roman Sanguszko, located in Tarnów in the Klikowa district. This is where the name “Klikowa Arabians” came from. In 2020, the horses moved to a new stable established in Wola Rzędzińska. Initially, the stud farm could accommodate 31 horses, but due to the constant development of the herd, the center was expanded. Currently, the stable is adapted to accommodate 50 horses. Let’s find out what successes they have achieved and what is their recipe for success.

But let’s start with a question: why Arabian horses?
This is partly a reference to the breeding of Prince Roman Sanguszko, who imported Arabian horses straight from the desert. For us, Arabians have many advantages. It is undeniable that this breed looks great, has very good features for showing, but is also able to achieve excellent results in races. We focus mainly on shows, but we also send 3-year-old horses for racing training. Klikowa breeds not only beautiful horses, but also brave ones. In 2023, we achieved great results with the horse Wizard KL. He won once and took second place twice. Moreover, he won the class in the All-Polish Championship for 3-year-old Arabian Horses in Racing Training in the 2023 season. The 2023 season is the beginning of our racing adventure. We have already achieved our first successes in this field and are currently preparing more horses for races.

What show successes have you achieved recently?
We have recently achieved great successes both domestically and internationally. Our achievements include obtaining the title of European Champion twice. Especially the last 2023 season brought us a string of successes:
🥇GOLD CHAMPION at European Championship 2023 – Yearling Colts Championship (Poker Face KL)
🥇GOLD CH. at Bialka 2023 – 33rd Junior Spring Show – Yearling Colts Championship (Pravo KL)
🥇GOLD CHAMPION at 2023 PRIDE OF POLAND – Polish National Arabian Horse Show – Yearling Colts Championship (Poker Face KL)
🥇GOLD CHAMPION at AH Weekend 2023 – International B-Show – Yearling Colts Championship (Poker Face KL)
🥇GOLD CH. at Bialka 2023 – 1st Polish Classic Show – Junior Fillies Awards (Class JFA) (Pianina KL)
🥈SILVER CH. at All Polish Arabian Horse Championship – Junior Colts Championship (Will KL)
🥈SILVER CH. at Bialka 2023 – 1st Polish Classic Show – Junior Fillies Awards ( El Jazza KL)
🥉BRONZE CHAMPION at Mediterranean and Arab Countries AHC – Menton 2023 – Yearling Colts Championship (Poker Face KL)
🥉BRONZE CH. at Bialka 2023 – 33rd Junior Spring Show – Junior Fillies Championship (Class JFC) ( Calgary EA)
🥉BRONZE CH. at All Polish Arabian Horse Championship – Junior Fillies Championship (Class JFC) ( Calgary EA)
🏵 3 rd at 39th All Nations Cup – Aachen 2023 – Yearling Colts (Poker Face KL)

How do you assess the current situation of Arabian horses in Poland?
Unfortunately, we observe with regret that Poland has not been successful at the most important shows in recent years, including in Menton, Aachen or during the World Championships. There are certainly many reasons. However, looking objectively, we notice that Polish horses unfortunately cannot keep up with the changes that have taken place in recent years. The standard for an Arabian horse to be successful at shows has changed incredibly over the last 20 years. To illustrate this in an understandable way, a horse that won the World Championships 20 years ago would currently be placed at the end of the pack with a score of less than 90 points. Judges and Arab countries that set trends prefer horses with extremely exotic heads. Unfortunately, there are no such horses in Poland. We believe that current trends will not change quickly. Therefore, Polish breeders who want to achieve great results at shows should adapt to them. Otherwise, we will still remain a country breeding horses with mediocre results.

Do you think there is a chance to match the current powers in Arabian horse breeding?
Polish lines of Arabian horses have many features that foreign lines lack. These include: great movement, perfect body, great neck. Polish dams are an excellent base for breeding, but to be as good as the giants, they must be used skillfully. There are horse breeding lines on foreign markets that effectively improve features that are much weaker in Polish lines, e.g. the appearance of heads. Of course, it is not easy and after one generation we will not obtain perfect horses. We believe that Poland is currently three generations behind to catch up with the world leaders. This process may be lengthy, but we strive to make it possible.

What are your plans for the coming years?
We have a specific plan for the coming years. We have outlined a strategy for the next generations of our horses. We know exactly what lines we want to match together. The plan is long-term, we look far ahead. Our main goal is to build a herd of broodmares that will give birth to foals with a modern look. We strive to ensure that our horses meet the requirements of modern breeding trends, which will enable us to achieve the desired results in breeding and at shows. Through selection and careful breeding planning, we strive to create genetic lines that will constitute a solid basis for our breeding and will bring us success in the future.

Which stallions do you plan to use as a breeding foundation?
In recent years, we have used the best stallions, World Champions. The effects were not that satisfactory for us. We have come to the conclusion that using champions does not always guarantee success, but a well-thought-out combination does. When selecting stallions, the phrase in the back of our minds is: “There are no bad dams, only bad breeding.” We focus on analysis and use stallions that strongly convey certain characteristics that we desire, but which we are not satisfied with in the dam. Our breeding will still be based on the top stallions in the world, but we do not forget that in our herd we also have two amazing stallions: Lyric EA and Prometeusz. Both of them have an amazing pedigree. Prometeusz is a half-brother of the current best sire in the world, FA El Rasheem, and the only son of the legendary Pianissima. The stallion Lyric EA is the son of the epoch-making stallion Shanghai EA. The stallion Lyric EA, purchased in Spain, has sired 9 foals born in 2023, of which we are very pleased. All his daughters will be used in our breeding. We decided to buy him because of his extreme origin. We believe that the features he has are able to shine through on an old type of horse. And so it happened – foals of a completely different type were born, much more modern. In the future, we plan to use our chief stallion Prometeusz for the daughters of Lyric EA, who has incredible elegance, great movement, body and neck. We are looking forward to this connection.

In 2023, we used the stallion Lyric EA several times on our mares, but we also introduced several other stallions. We are convinced that the introduction of new blood has a chance to contribute to the improvement of horses and create a modern look. 2024 is another year of building the breeding herd. We will use 8 external stallions from lines and features that are intended to improve the outdated characteristics of the Polish Arabian horse.
There is undoubtedly a group of people in Poland who strongly criticize the current horse model and describe it as “degenerate”, “ugly”, “a seahorse”. Our goal is to be successful at international shows. Everyone decides for themselves what type of horses they want to breed. We have different, clearly outlined goals.

What is your favorite part of being a breeder?
The most beautiful moment is the birth of a new foal. This verifies whether our efforts to obtain the best possible genetic material and the selection of individual stallions for mares have brought the intended results. The greatest satisfaction gives us the sight of subsequent foals, which are born with more and more perfect beauty and their quality improves year by year. This also largely translates into the results we achieve at horse shows. Our first joy comes from birth, but achieving the highest titles at shows is very important for us and provides further incentives for development.

What is the recipe for your success?
Many factors contribute to success. First of all, it is a lot of hard work put in by the entire team. We aim to surround ourselves with the best specialists in a given field. Starting from reproduction, through nutrition, daily service, training and marketing. All activities we undertake must be at the highest level. We also focus on constantly expanding our knowledge. We believe that it is important to discuss and exchange observations and experiences with people from the industry. We analyze errors made and implement corrective actions. We keep statistics that help us draw valuable conclusions for further breeding. We also remember that in everything you need to have intuition and, above all, luck!

KLIKOWA ARABIANS
33-150 Wola Rzędzińska 589D, Poland
www.facebook.com/KlikowaArabians
www.klikowaarabians.com
contact@klikowaarabians.com

Al Shaqab Stud, Al Wajba Stud, Al Jumail Stud, Al Nasser Stud, Al Khor Stud and Al Shahania Stud

In a few days, another year will begin, which means a new breeding and show season. Let us return for a moment to sunny Qatar, where we were invited not only to the World Championships, but also to the open days of Qatar stud farms.

The day after the show, i.e. December 10th, 2023, we started visiting the legendary Al Shaqab. This is a stud-brand that produced such stars as Gazal Al Shaqab, Marwan Al Shaqab, Wadee Al Shaqab, Kahil Al Shaqab, Hariry Al Shaqab. These stallions appear in many pedigrees and are a strong genetic pillar of world breeding.

The horse presentation started at 10:00. Already at the entrance, guests could admire the trophies and decorated Arabian saddles. A very modern, well-thought-out and refined place. 18 horses (16 mares and two stallions) were presented, first in hand, then loose. The most interesting were the bay son of the stallion Haash OSB – Mushwash Al Shaqab (won his class at the National Show in Qatar), then the grey filly Khood Al Shaqab (Jyar Meia Lua – White Silkk by Dakar El Jamaal), this year’s gold medalist of the yearling mares championship at the National Show in Qatar. The beautiful, eye-catching Al Wazna Al Shaqab (SMA Magic One – Bushrah Al Shaqab by Hariry Al Shaqab), a mare with a phenomenal type and a beautiful head with big eyes, known from such shows as Menton 2022 (second in her class and silver medal in the junior mares championship), KIAHF bronze medal and Qatar National Show silver medal. Another phenomenal mare was the flea-bitten Safiat Al Shaqab (Kahil Al Shaqab – Shalimar Prestige by Nablus), winner of many medals at title shows, including: this year’s silver medalist of the senior mares’ championship at the All Nations Cup in Aachen, gold medalist in the same category of the show in Menton 2022.

A beautiful place, horses in excellent condition and of very high quality. Al Shaqab is a legend that has been going on for many years and still in the making; a place on the map that every lover of pure-bred Arabian horses should visit at least once.

The next stud farm we visited was Al Wajba Stud. A blooming place, full of greenery and very atmospheric. An air-conditioned tent was prepared for the guests, from which they could admire the horses presented in hand. The first to be shown was the pure Egyptian filly Zaina Al Wajba (Egaab Al Ryaan – Zahra Al Rayyan by Hilal Al Nakeeb) – the gold medalist of the Peninsula Arabian Horse Show yearling mares championship. The guests’ attention was drawn by the brilliant milky Yamama Al Nasser (Nasser Al Rayyan – Jurie Al Rayyan by Ansata Sokar), who is the champion of many shows, including: Peninsula Arabian Horse Show 2022. The outstanding colt LR Anselmo (RFI Unique – LL Almudena by Bey Shahdow TGS), silver medalist of this year’s world championships and silver medalist of this year’s Prague Intercup and Menton shows. Also presented was TM Ipanema (TM Itaipu – TM Haidee by Al Hadiyah AA), a filly with a very interesting pedigree, silver medalist of the Brazilian National Show. The next star we could admire was the daughter of FA El Rasheem, the filly D Thariah, known from many international shows, also in Europe.

The last three horses were the most awaited, namely: Excalibur E.A. (Shanghai E.A. – Essence of Marwan E.A. by Marwan Al Shaqab) – who was ultimately not presented. His absence was compensated by two phenomenal mares owned by Al Wajba Stud, well known to everyone, Baviera HVP (Marwan Al Shaqab – HB Bessolea by Besson Carol) and Mozn Albidayer (SMA Magic One – Mattaharii by Magnum Chall HVP), beautiful, close to perfect, two world champions . A wonderful place with an incredible collection of horses that many breeders would like to have in their stable.

We ended the first, extremely intense day of presentations on farms at Al Jumail Stud. A wonderful stud farm with buildings in sandy colors – yellow and brown, surrounded by a surprising amount of greenery, in the middle of the desert. Even though it was night, it was as bright as day because the entire facility was perfectly lit.

Al Jumail presented 14 horses: Assayla Al Shaqab, D Shafah, Afrodite MJ, Reem Al Jumail, Shahad Aljumail, Najlaa Aljumail, Nouf Aljumail, Aysha EV, Zayed Aljumail, Azzam Aljumail, Lady Lolita SPO, TM Bella, Bint Hazy Al Khalediah, Nomaas Al Jumail. One of the most outstanding of the entire group was the bay mare D Shafah (FA El Rasheem – D Shroud by Royal Colors), which we could see at this year’s world championships and at many other international shows, a beautiful mare with killer movement. Afrodite MJ (D IBN Rasheem – Lei My Star by Al Ayal AA) and Reem Al Jumail (SA Faez Simbad – Assayla Al Shaqab by Falah Al Shaqab) also attracted the attention of the audience, although they were only seen at shows from the Middle East. The Brazilian champion, the bay filly Aysha EV (Jyvar Meia Lua – Pietrah EV by Nuzyr HCF), turned out to be very interesting. The biggest attraction of the evening, however, was the beautiful TM Bella (TM Itaipu – TM Fahdeelah by Shanghai E.A.), a beautiful, feminine, phenomenal mare, with a stunning head and movement, champion of many title shows and bronze medalist of this year’s World Championships (she won her class, scoring as many as 93.07 points). The absolute star and probably one of the most successful mares currently in Qatar is the recently purchased from Kuwait, the milky-white Bint Hazy Al Khalediah (El Palacio VO – Hazy Al Khalediah by F Shamaal). At Al Jumail Stud that evening we saw one, but good quality stallion, Nomaas Al Jumail (Na-Mous Al Shahania x Assunta GCA by SA Faez Simbad).

After the presentation, there was a gala dinner for the guests. A place like from a thousand and one nights, a moonlit sky, sand buildings and illuminated horses. You can’t describe it in words, you have to be there and feel this amazing atmosphere.

Another day and two stud farms to visit. On December 11th, we started with a visit to Al Nasser Stud. 25 horses were prepared for the presentation, including 11 pure Egyptians. Reema Al Nasser (Al Adeed Al Shaqab – Al Jazi Al Nasser by Ansata Selman) is a two-time silver medalist of the Peninsula Arabian Horse Show, Leena Al Nasser (Naseem Al Rashediah – Nadrah Al Nasser by Shagran Al Nasser) – bronze medalist of the Peninsula Arabian Horse Show. Maisa Al Nasser (Sinan Al Rayyan – Zenubia Al Nasser by Imperial Mahzeer) is a beautiful mare with numerous titles in her show career. The Egyptian collection was finished by two stallions – the bay Fouad Al Bawady (Madheen Al Nakeeb – Feryal Athbah by Ali Valentino) and the chestnut-colored, well-known from the European show rings from a few years ago, Shagran Al Nasser (Ansata Selman – Dana Al Nasser by Mujahid).

However, pure Egyptian horses are of a different type than those we see at most shows, although they also have their own charm. In the second part of the meeting, we could see 14 pure-bred Arabian horses, and the opening belonged to the grey daughter of WH Justice – Salsabil Al Nasser, who is the silver medalist of the Qatar National Show in 2021. Two mares grabbed the eye, a bay daughter of the gold medalist of the World Championships and Menton Anood Al Nasser and the stallion Fadi Al Shaqab, the filly Arwa Al Nasser and the beautiful Rayyanah Al Nasser (Marwan Al Shaqab – Remal Al Nasser by Ashhal Al Rayyan), who this year was third in her class at the World Championships. Al Nasser Stud also presented to the audience the delightful Loulou Al Nasser (RFI Farid – Rihab Al Nasser by Marwan Al Shaqab), well known from shows in Europe, with her daughter Taima Al Nasser by Excalibur E.A. However, of all the mares, the greatest impression was made by Loulou Al Nasser’s half-sister, the grey Bshaier Al Nasser (WH Justice – Rihab Al Nasser by Marwan Al Shaqab) – this year’s bronze medalist of the senior mares at the World Championships and the Nations Cup in Aachen, and the silver medalist at this year’s Menton.

Finally, we could see the stallions, Razeen Al Nasser (QR Marc – Remal Al Nasser by Ashhal Al Rayyan) and the leased from Brazil TM Itaipu (El Tino – Faizah Carol by Shael Dream Desert), the Brazilian champion, who has already proven that he is also a good sire, thanks to his daughter TM Bella, who went through title shows in Europe and in the Middle East like a storm, winning a medal in each of them.

Al Nasser Stud gave the opportunity to get to know and compare Egyptian horses with show Arabians, which was a very good experience, because it is not only the pedigree that separates them.

The next stud farm on our list was the phenomenal Al Khor Stud; flowers, gardens, greenery and a cozy stable, this is how you can describe this place in a few words. This time, over 15 horses were shown and there were Polish accents, two daughters of the Janów mare Pilar (Fawor – Pipi by Banat). Bred by Al Shaqab, the mare Methail Al Shaqab, by Marwan Al Shaqab and Janów-bred Pinta, by Ekstern. Both mares are in excellent condition despite their age and of the old Polish type that we like so much. Another Polish note was also the grey with beautiful eyes, Layali Al Anwaar, daughter of the Michałów-bred Eskarina and the stallion Borsalino K, the mare Wilma PCF (Royal Asad – Sophie ELS by PA Gazsi), who is the Junior Bronze Medalist of the World Cup in Las Vegas in 2022, was also very pleasant. Al Khor stud is the owner of the dam of the previously mentioned stallion TM Itaipu, the purchased recently from Brazil mare Faizah Carol (Shael Dream Desert – Fanny Carol by El Nabila B). A wonderful place worth visiting and which debunks the myths that aging horses live in poor conditions. Al Khor showed that even elderly horses have decent conditions and can look great.

The last day of the tour and the last stud farm was Al Shahania Stud – the icing on the cake. A fairy-tale place with numerous fountains, plants, breathtaking stables and horses that looked like works of art, the library and rooms with trophies and awards won over the years made a great impression.

Nine horses were presented – Rose Al Shahania, Yulib Al Shahania, Menwer Al Shahania, Lilac Al Shahania, Sab’ah Al Shahania, Sultanah Al Shahania, Hamza Al Shahania, Wadeeah Al Shahania and Hamamat Al Shahania. The yearlings are great, moving, with fantastic heads. The offspring of Rhan Al Shahania, the Gold Medalist of the Yearling Stallions at the World Championships in Paris in 2019, with Michael Byatt at his side, definitely stood out. The attention was drawn to the exceptionally charming colt Menwer Al Shahania (Rhan Al Shahania – Anwar Al Shahania by Kahil Al Shaqab), probably the most promising of the entire group. The presented horses included Sab’ah Al Shahania (Marwan Al Shaqab – Assilah Al Shahania by SMA Magic One) – gold medalist of yearling mares at the Qatar National Show, Sultanah Al Shahania (Sultan Al Zobara – Majolicaa by Besson Carol) – gold medalist of the Qatar National Show and sixth in class at this year’s World Championships. The last horse presented that day was a snow-white mare, with an incredibly well-groomed mane and tail, Hamamat Al Shahania (Kahil Al Shaqab – Majolicaa by Besson Carol), gold medalist of many shows in Qatar.

Al Shahania Stud is a magical, elegant place that takes you to another world. The smallest details were taken care of. The stables are clean, and all the horses stick to people and are extremely friendly. The racing stable is amazing, at the highest world level. Awards won around the world, in the show sector, but also in Arabian horse racing, are placed in special rooms and exhibition halls, thus telling the stories of this very unique place.

Open days are a moment for reflection and analysis in which direction we want to go as breeders, because each stud farm has its own unique style and breeding vision. Certainly, such experience is almost necessary for every breeder to broaden his horizons, understand breeding, gain experience, and at the same time confirm his breeding philosophy or modify his own choices. We had an exceptionally nice time, in great company, with the great hospitality of the hosts, in amazing places and with beautiful horses.

Gallery of all photos

“The stud farm of Prince Władysław Sanguszko (1803-1870) in Gumniska played a large role in the Małopolska (Lesser Poland) region. Its owner was the son of Prince Eustachy Sanguszko from Sławuta, the younger brother of Roman, called Sybirak, who inherited Sławuta as the elder offspring. Horses from Sławuta had been sent to Gumniska for a long time (…). In 1836, Prince Władysław Sanguszko introduced a stud book in Gumniska, where the stud’s bloodstock was entered. In the year the book was founded, there were 9 dams listed, in 1842 – 19, 1843 – 25, and in 1866 only 9. Arabian stallions mostly from Sławuta were used.” (1)

Arabian horse breeding in Poland, from the beginning of its existence, has been largely based on its own mares, which consequently created their own dam lines, distinguished by a large number of generations. Among the 15 dam lines that are present in the Polish breeding program for this breed, eight are the heritage of the legendary borderland studs, dating back to the second half of the 18th century. As a result of multi-generational breeding work, a type of Polish Arabian was created, significantly different from the original Arabians imported from the desert. Refinement and consolidation of these features have become characteristics of the Polish Arabian, significantly different from its ancestors and Arabians in the so-called Egyptian type. This type bases on the tradition of Polish breeding and cultivation of dam lines from mares born in these legendary studs.

The oldest documented borderland stud breeding Arabian horses was the one founded in 1778 by Grand Crown Hetman Franciszek Ksawery Branicki in the Szamrajówka farm in Ukraine. Its many years of existence left in Polish breeding just one (regained with great difficulty after the First World War, and then also after the next), but extremely valuable dam line: – Szamrajówka, 1810 bred by Biała Cerkiew.

Sławuta – nursery of the Polish Arabian horse

Among the borderland studs whose effects of breeding work survived in the form of dam or sire lines, the stud of the Sanguszko princes from Sławuta definitely stood out. This stud took a distinctly Arabian turn around 1804, i.e. from the time of the expedition of the Sanguszko equerry, Kajetan Burski, to Arabia for horses. From that moment until 1945, the Sanguszko breeding was carried out invariably in the Arabian direction, i.e. for 141 years (also in Gumniska near Tarnów and Antoniny). The Sanguszkos, carefully managing their estates, were so wealthy that they could afford frequent, direct imports of Arabian horses from Arabia, or their purchases from traders. Their Stud in Sławuta produced many outstanding sires, who contributed not only to the improvement of their own stud, but also, through the sale of breeding material, had a great impact on other studs, including foreign ones. In its time, it was a leading stud at national and international exhibitions, receiving numerous awards and medals.

The breeding philosophy followed by the successive owners of Sławuta is particularly worth emphasizing. “All of them: Hieronim, Eustachy, Roman “Sybirak” and Roman junior, over the years 1804-1918, always held the position that the possession of large landed estates imposed on their owners the obligation to produce a breeding elite in order to improve domestic breeding with it” (2).

The size of their breeding was significant, which allowed them to select the best horses and create and then preserve entire families. 12 dam lines established themselves there: “the oldest of the Sławuta families was descended from a mare without a name, born around 1790, which survived until the 1930s, reaching 10 generations, but no longer exists” (3).

Among the Sławuta dam lines, there are currently four that exist in Polish breeding today:

– Szweykowska b. around 1800,
– Milordka b. around 1810,
– Wołoszka b. around 1810,
– Ukrainka b. around 1815.

Equally important is the heritage of the Sanguszko breeding in the establishment of sire lines, and until now two have survived, which have produced many generations and are continued in Poland, as well as successfully in the world. They are:

– Ilderim d.b. imp. 1900 to Sławuta – today in Polish breeding represented by the progeny of Janów-bred stallions: Piaff 1997 (Eldon – Pipi by Banat), Alert 2005 (Piaff – Andaluzja by Sanadik El Shaklan) and Palatino 2006 (Pesal – Palmeta by Ecaho), the Russian-bred stallion Kurier 2003 (Egis – Kazana by Anchar) and Palert 2017 (Alert – Pericola by Kahil Al Shaqab) of Białka Stud.

– Ibrahim d.b imp. 1907 to Antoniny, represented by the offspring of Alwaro 2000 (Eukaliptus – Algora by Probat) bred SK Janów Podlaski and Wiedźmin 2002 (Ekwipunek – Workuta by Monogramm) bred by S. Redestowicz.

Stallion Ibrahim d.b. imported to Antoniny in 1907, founded a family extended by the famous Skowronek 1909 (Ibrahim d.b. – Jaskółka by Rymnik), bred by Antoniny, who went to England, where he gained international importance. In their time, horses from this line were very successful and to this day appear in the pedigrees of many Arabian horses around the world. This line was recreated in Poland after World War II by importing the stallions Naborr 1950 (Negatiw – Łagodna by Posejdon) and Negatiw 1945 (Naseem – Taraszcza by Enwer Bey) from the USSR. This family gave birth to Eukaliptus 1974 (Bandos – Eunice by Comet), bred by Janów Podlaski, its most significant representative in Polish breeding so far.

Sławuta and Antoniny shared the fate of many Polish estates in Ukraine. They disappeared from the face of the earth in 1919. With them horses and priceless archives. What survived the catastrophe in 1919 fell victim to the destructive activity of the Germans in Warsaw in 1944. The Antoniny archives were lost in the fire of the Potocki Palace. Part of the documentation on horse breeding was saved during World War I in Gumniska. However, the part of the archives that was left by the Sanguszko family when leaving Gumniska in 1939 and survived the Second World War was destroyed in the 1950s. The Polish difficult fate.

The heritage of the stud farm in Gumniska

Interesting in the history of the Sanguszko stud are family connections related to the inheritance and acquisition of estates, as well as the dowry brought by the Sanguszko ladies, which resulted in the fact that their breeding was carried out in several places in different years: Sławuta, Antoniny or Gumniska. However, all these family relationships also brought with them the tradition of continuing horse breeding, especially the purebred ones, and a real passion for breeding. Probably thanks to this, for almost 150 years, priceless dam lines known colloquially as Sławuta-lines (although they also included those from Gumniska and Antoniny) could be created and nurtured, as opposed to the Jarczowce families, which originate from a completely different breeding tradition, but also extremely valuable for us.

In the years 1836 to the 1880s, breeding of Arabian horses in Gumniska developed successfully. Especially the use of the son of the desert bred stallion Aghil-Aga, imported in 1857 to Babolna, with the same name Aghil-Aga 1881 (out of Mimiorr d.b.) brought significant results and, as W. Pruski writes, Aghil-Aga “put the stud of Prince Eustachy Sanguszko in Gumniska to its feet”. (4) Unfortunately, in later years Prince Eustachy Sanguszko became the governor of Galicia, at the same time performing the function of the national marshal, which did not allow him to supervise the stud, which significantly declined. At his request, in 1906 a special commission was appointed, which selected 12 mares for breeding and scrapped the rest. Unfortunately, the lack of stallions at the appropriate level used at the stud meant that the breeding level did not return to the state from the middle of the century.

During the years of World War I, the stud was significantly damaged. However, a lot of mares and youngsters remained (among them many outstanding ones), which became the basis of the breeding rebuilt in Gumniska. Among them, Jerychonka chest. 1909 (Nizam-Chluba by Abu-Argub d.b.) bred by Gumniska, certainly deserves a special mention. Through her daughter Porta 1931 and granddaughter Forta 1943, she founded an extremely valuable family and had a great influence on breeding, not only in Poland. In Michałów the dam line was prolonged by Forta’s daughters: Fatma and Dyska. This line was transferred to Janów Podlaski together with Furina. Forsycja’s daughter Felluka came to Białka, where she founded her own line represented today by the mare Figlarka . Thus, within the dam line of Ukrainka we have three sublines: from Dyska and Fatma, daughters of Forta, and Forsycja, granddaughter of Forta. It is worth emphasizing that despite the extremely difficult conditions during the German occupation, Bogdan Ziętarski managed to breed in Gumniska such a mare as Forta 1943 (Kuhailan Abu Urkub – Porta by Nedjari), one of the few in the country, if not the only representative of the Sławuta dam line of Ukrainka born 1815. Forta extended this valuable line in Polish post-war state breeding and – interestingly – she was not among the horses exported to Germany, but survived in western Poland, in Racot. Forta was the 10th generation of this line. Her next successor, the Michałów-bred Florissima, born in 2018, Polish Yearling Champion Mare in 2019, was the 17th generation in the Ukrainka dam line. The breeding achievements of Forta’s descendants certainly include the stallion Fuerte 2014 (Shanghai E.A. – Frymuszka by Ekstern) bred by Jan Dobrzyński. His mother, Frymuszka from Białka, came from Forta’s daughter – Forsycja 1954 by Como.

While the heritage of Sławuta breeding survived in Gumniska, and thanks to the mare Forta 1943 and her offspring we can continue it, the last owner of Gumniska, Prince Roman Sanguszko went down in the history of world Arabian horse breeding mainly thanks to importing to Poland in 1931 original Arabian stallions from the desert, i.e. Kuhailan Haifi d.b. 1923 and Kuhailan Afas d.b. 1930, which founded their own sire lines, highly valued in world breeding, without which both Polish and world breeding would look completely different. The son of Kuhailan Haifi, the born in Janów Podlaski Ofir 1933, had a particularly great influence on breeding, whose line in Polish breeding was represented by such stallions as Witraż 1938 and Wielki Szlem 1938, and then through Witraż’s grandchildren, Ekstern 1994, Ganges 1994, Ontario HF 1999, and El Jahez WH 2010 imported to Europe several years ago, recently exported again to the USA.

At the same time, it should be remembered that through the granddaughters of the stallion Kuhailan Haifi, the three most valuable Polish dam lines were extended (4), i.e. Szamrajówka through the mares Włodarka 1938, Sahara d.b. through the mare Mammona 1938 and Gazella d.b. through Ofirka 1938.

Kuhailan Afas, on the other hand, became famous for his son Comet 1953, born in Nowy Dwór, who was the grandson of Bad Afas 1940, born in another private breeding stud at Zabawa, in turn whose grandson Probat 1975 prolonged the line producing in Poland valuable sires and mares.

“Gumniska did a lot for breeding. Firstly – through stallions used in the country and sold abroad. Also because they imported great sires from Arabia, and also from Babolna the stallion Kuhailan Abu Urkub, son of the stallion Kuhailan Zaid d.b. The stud deserves credit for making these valuable stallions available to Polish breeders without any restrictions.” (5)

In 1930, the Gumniska Stud had 13 mares. “These mares presented themselves well, were of correct build, noble and typical.” (6) At the same time, there was a change in breeding direction with the use of the French stallion Nedjari 1926, one of the many imports of horses for racing. These were horses of a completely different type than Polish ones and their initial racing successes aroused much controversy.

Despite Ziętarski’s efforts, the summer of the German occupation was the end of Arabian horse breeding in Gumniska. Although the stud operated under the occupational supervision of the Wehrmacht and, like the stud in Pełkinie, it ran breeding work, breeding several valuable horses, but at the end of the war, during the evacuation at the turn of 1944 and 1945, the horses were dispersed and plundered by the Soviets. At this point, it should be noted that during the German occupation in the years 1940-1943, a number of valuable stallions and mares were born in the few Polish private studs stripped of valuable mares by the Soviets and Germans. One can enumerate the horses thanks to which the Polish post-war breeding was rebuilt (after their earlier takeover by the state), such as the already mentioned Forta 1943, Bad Afas 1940, Amneris 1940 or Bałałajka 1941.

Contrary to the slightly exaggerated theory about the rebuilding of the Janów herd by the Germans in the years 1940-1944, nothing significant for breeding was born in Janów, despite the fact that the Germans tried to gather there the most valuable mares they had in occupied Poland and tried to breed Arabian horses in Poland, however, as it turned out, with poor results. In 1945, during the evacuation to the west, the Gumniska Stud, not having enough employees (who had previously escaped from the approaching front), had to leave their horses in Racot. Among the fillies born in 1943 were the fillies Forta (Kuhailan Abu Urkub – Porta by Nedjari) and Ferha (Kuhailan Abu Urkub – Udźda by Kuhailan Kruszan d.b.), born in 1943 in Gumniska, and several yearlings and two-year-olds by Kuhailan Abu Urkub. Bogdan Ziętarski, who did not leave the horses to the end, unfortunately did not leave any mention of this difficult period of his life. Perhaps, as suggested by Roman Pankiewicz, it was too much of a shock for him? “After all, the stallions and mares that he searched for throughout Europe and Arabia and which he kept for almost twelve years were missing.” (7) In this way, the history of the breeding of the Sanguszko princes, conducted continuously for over 150 years, first in Sławuta, from which Gumniska and Antoniny were also established, came to an end. Antoniny and Sławuta were destroyed during the First World War, Gumniska survived the Second World War, but disappeared with the agricultural reform and the confiscation of the remains of horses by the new state, which placed a school in the palace in Gumniska, and workshops in the stables. However, the horses and their families remained, which, in accordance with Polish tradition, carefully nurtured by successive generations of breeders, today constitute our cultural heritage. Private breeding, revived after 1989 in Poland, thanks to its diversity, has in recent years become a valuable supplement to state breeding, which, admittedly, grew on the foundation of the communist agricultural reform, but undoubtedly reached a high level in the post-war years and became the pride of our country, as at the end of the 19th century were Sławuta, Gumniska and Antoniny.

Footnotes:

(1). W. Pruski „Dwa wieki polskiej hodowli koni arabskich (1778-1978) i jej sukcesy na świecie” Warszawa 1983.
(2). As above.
(3). As above.
(4). R. Pankiewicz „Polska hodowla koni czystej krwi arabskiej 1918-1939” Warszawa 2002.
(5). R. Pankiewicz „Polska hodowla koni czystej krwi arabskiej 1918-1939” Warszawa 2002.
(6). W. Pruski „Dwa wieki polskiej hodowli koni arabskich (1778-1978) i jej sukcesy na świecie” Warszawa 1983.
(7). R. Pankiewicz „Polska hodowla koni czystej krwi arabskiej 1918-1939” Warszawa 2002.

Białka Arabian State Stud 1981-2021

The years 1980 – 1981 – difficult beginnings in the shadow of great history

Located in the vicinity of Krasnystaw, Białka has been known since 1930 as the State Stallion Stud. Till the end of the eighties, Białka Stallion Stud served as a breeding centre for Anglo arabian half-breed horses by maintaining a herd of stallions kept there to satisfy the needs of that race. Simultaneously, from 1981 the Purebred Arabian State Stud has become an inherent symbol of Białka. Great interest in the Polish Arabian horses among foreign buyers as well as high prices obtained for these horses are frequently presented as the only reason for establishing in Białka a fourth Arabian State Stud. And yet, the truth is far more complex, as there were other important factors that triggered the decision to establish in Białka another Arabian State Stud, side by side with the existing State Stallion Stud. On the one hand, very favourable climate conditions conducive to breeding horses as well as rich pastures proved as very important factors speaking for Białka. On the other hand, the second half of the seventies witnessed a steadily declining demand for stallions servicing the area, which prompted a considerable decrease in the herd of stallions kept there. By the end of the seventies, a number of buildings were put out of use in Białka – stable 3 was vacant-and the Stallion Stud was facing a very difficult economic situation. Therefore, the decision was made to create in Białka an Arabian stud in order to exploit fully the rich feed base, buildings and a very well trained, specialised work force available there. The people behind that decision were Adam Sosnowski, then Manager at the Horse Breeding Division and his collaborators Izabela Zawadzka, Jerzy Budny and Kazimierz Guziuk, at that time the director of Białka State Stallion Stud. That decision also proved very advantageous to the already existing Arabian State Studs in Janów, Michałów and Kurozwęki, as these could in this way dispose of their breeding surplus caused by a diminishing demand for Arabian horses noted then on foreign markets. The first 20 Purebred Arabian mares and one foal arrived to Białka State Stallion Stud in November 1981, constituting the founding herd of the fourth State Arabian Stud in Poland. Next year, the first Purebred Arabian foals were born in Białka, hence, the year 1982 is sometimes considered as the foundation year of Białka Arabian State Stud. Especially worth underlining here is the important role played by Manager Adam Sosnowski, who passed to the history of the Polish horse breeding thanks to his great merits during the war as well during the post war reconstruction and reorganization of the Polish horse breeding. Born in Podole and raised among horses under the eye of his father, Adam Nałęcz-Sosnowski was especially fond of the Arabian horses. His father, Kalikst Sosnowski occupied the post of the Director of State Stallion Stud in Białka till his tragic death on September 12th, 1939. Numerous war merits of Adam Sosnowski encompassed, among other things, recovery and identification of Ofirka, a mare of great merit to the Polish breeding, as well as recovery of many horses dispersed from private breeding in the south of Poland. In 1956 Adam Sosnowski was entrusted the task of choosing Arabian mares out of the group of horses that arrived to Wrocław from the Tiersk Stud. Four mares were bought then: Potencja, Pikirowka, Pienoczka and Piewica. The most valuable of them proved Piewica and Pienoczka, whose descendant is the distinguished sire Probat. The other one, Piewica, was the daughter of Włodarka, robbed by Russians from the Janów Stud. Piewica not only enabled the reintroduction to Poland of the lost dam family of Szemrajówka, d.b. 1810 originating from Biała Cerkiew, but she also founded in Janów and subsequently in Białka the most famous Polish dam line, often called the „P” family. Apart from the famous Pianissima in Janów, the „P” family gave such Białka stars as Perforacja, Pesal, Perfirka and Perfinka. Adam Sosnowski took up in 1972 the position of Manager at the Horse Breeding Division. He was personally in charge of the State breeding of Arabian horses, as Adam Sosnowski paid special attention to the breeding of that horse race. His decisions referring both to breeding and organizational issues were of a visionary character, like for example importing to Poland the stallion Probat in order to reintroduce in Poland the lost sire family of Kuhailan Afas db. His decision to establish an Arabian Stud in Białka revealed not only his sagacity, but also his ability to foresee correctly possible changes in the business cycle. Adam Sosnowski was a proponent of the idea to divide the basic herd of the Purebred Arabian horses in order to use different envioronmental conditions on smaller populations. From the present perspective it can clearly be seen that Białka avoided the fate of other Stallion Studs put to liquidation during the ninities only thanks to the fact that it possessed an Arabian Stud. That Arabian State Stud gained the status of a strategic state-owned limited liability company, which enabled the Stud with the valuable facility of Białka to survive for another 40 years, hoping for more.

In order to get the feeling of the reality accompanying the initial years of Białka Arabian State Stud, one has to remember that the eighties in Poland witnessed the birth of Solidarity and other great socio-political movements in 1981. The tragic decade that followed was marked by the state of war, economic crisis and widespread poverty. The situation changed only in 1989 with the partially free elections and the withdrawal from Poland of Soviet troops in 1993.

Breeding herd – ups and downs

Białka Arabian State Stud started its proper breeding activity in 1982 based on the breeding material received from the already existing State Arabian State Studs. A total of 29 stud mares arrived to Białka, of which most came from Michałów – 12, from Janów Podlaski – 10 and least from Kurozwęki – 7. These stud mares represented 10 dam families present in the Polish Breeding Program after 1946: Ukrainka, Gazella, Sahara, Bent-El Arab, Milordka, Szamrajówka, Szweykowska, Scherife, Rodania and Mlecha and 5 sire families founded by original Arab stallions: Kuhailan Haifi db. – 16 horses, Ibrahim db. – 5, Ilderim db. – 4, Bairactar db. – 3 and Saklawi I – 1. Throughout the years, the pedigree structure of the breeding herd in Białka has undergone some modifications. Apart from selection, the shape of that breeding herd was influenced by an influx of mares from Kurozwęki Stud privatised in 1998 and by the purchase of several mares from Janów Podlaski in 2018. Currently, as revealed by the 2021 Białka autumn breeding survey, 57 mares consitute the herd of mares, representing 9 dam families, of which: Szemrajówka – 12 mares, Gazella – 10 mares, Mlecha – 5 mares., Sahara – 6 mares, Wołoszka – 6 mares, Milordka – 9 mares, Scherife – 5 mares, Bent-El-Arab – 3 mares and Rodania – 1 mare.

27 sires were used in Białka during the years 1982-2000. The great diversity characterizing the herd of stud mares required from the breeders individual selection, resulting in a considerable number of sires used. And yet, despite such broad use of sires, Białka was initially unable to obtain distinguishing offspring. This was mainly due to the fact that Białka had no access to the best sires of the time that were available in Janów and Michałów. For many years, Białka had to use sires of lesser quality, or sires not fitting the other studs, or else sires not proven hitherto in breeding. However, consistent breeding effort based upon sharp and strictly targeted selection finally brought results. The nineties mark a series of successes achieved by horses from Białka on racetracks, and eventually also on show rings. The year 1991 witnessed the birth in Białka of a stallion that made Białka widely recognizable. That stallion also proved to be an extremely valuable sire, the father of many valuable mares and a continuator in the Polish breeding of the sire family Ilderim db. The stallion in question was Pesal (Partner-Perforacja/Ernal) born in 1991. Pesal was recognizable from afar thanks to his characteristic beauty. That beauty also ensured him great success. Pesal distinguished himself by his decisive Saklavian type. Additionally, he was a very correctly built stallion, with an exquisite Arabian bouquet and a propensity to put on fat, a feature so characteristic for his family. He early acquired a milky white shade of his grey coat, which made his big, black eyes stand out expressively against that fair background. A short head with a deep jaw, beautifully curved neck and outstanding movement along with a triuphantly waving tail and characteristically flowing mane – these were the distinctive features of Pesal. At the Michałów Junior Spring Show in 1993, the two-year-old Pesal not only won his class, but he also became the Polish Junior Colt Champion as the first ever representative of Białka Stud. The sophisticated beauty of Pesal was combined with a friendly and gentle character. He was ascribed excessive delicacy, or even „femininity”, but Pesal was running on racetrack for two seasons and he won two races. Upon passing his bravery trial, Pesal returned to the show ring in order to become in 1996 the Polish National Senior Stallion Silver Champion at Janów Podlaski National Arabian Horse Show and a Silver Champion at the All Nations Cup in Aachen. In the following year 1997 Pesal became the Polish National Gold Champion of Senior Stallions at Janów Podlaski National Arabian Horse Show, winning also the title Best in Show. Incorporated into breeding, Pesal was used in Michałów and Agricola Farm, where he left a number of valuable mares: among these in Michałów Złota Orda 1991 (Pesal-Zagrobla/Monogramm), the granddam of Ptolemeusz, the Silver Junior Champion Stallion at the European Arabian Horse Championships. Another mare, Bagatela 2000 (Pesal-Braminka/Elf) is the mother of a titled mare Bajaderka. Pesal is primarily the father of stallion Girlan-Bej 2002 (Pesal-Gracja-Bis/Monogramm) bred by PP Bogajewicz. Girlan-Bej is the Polish National Junior Gold Champion at the Janów Podlaski National Arabian Horse Show as well as a World Silver Champion in the same cathegory at the World Championships of the Arabian Horses. In total, Pesal left 124 of his offspring, to whom he passed beauty, good character and grey coat. In that respect he was homozygotic and foals by Pesal whitened already with mothers. In 2003 Pesal was sold to the Neatherlands, winning the Championships of that country. However, in 2005 Pesal returned in lease to Poland, where he was used at Janów Podlaski Stud. Leaping forward, Pesal was given Palmeta, the best Janów mare boasting exceptional beauty. Out of that combination was born the continuator of the family, the grey Palatino 2006 (Pesal-Palmeta/Ecaho). Since 1996 Pesal was also used in his maternal stud where he left a lasting trace. Yet, it is only in Janów that he managed to prolong his family. Currently, there are no daughters by Pesal in Białka, but the group of his granddaughters constitute one of the strong pillars of the Arabian horse breeding in Białka. Such mares as Estufa 2009, Cytera 2009, Hermia 2008 or Haftka 2008 are valuable breeding mares with a pure Polish pedigree.

Among sires used in Białka noted for giving exceptional offspring, one has to mention the stallion Gazal Al Shaqab. He fathered such mares as Perfirka (out of Perforacja by Ernal), Perolia (out of Pereira by Eldon) and Fabryszka (out of Fula by Partner) and the stallion Ekstern, father of the following mares: Ekina 2004 (out of Eklera by Ecaho), Cirilla 2006 (out of Cirka by Borek), Calatea 2008 (out of Calineczka by Metropolis N.A.), Cella 2008 (out of Celina by Metropolis N.A.), Frymuszka 2008 (out of Fabryszka by Gazal Al Shaqab) or the stallion Celsjusz 2004 (out of Carina by Pesal). Another son by Ekstern, the Michałów bred stallion Esparto (Ekstern-Espozycja/Eukaliptus) also left in Białka a number of excellent mares, to mention the distinguishing Egema (out of Egira by Emigrant) as well as Perfinka (out of Perfirka by Gazal Al Shaqab), the brightest star born in Białka so far. She started her show career in 2012 by winning the class of yearling fillies at the Junior Arabian Horse Show in Białka. The same year Perfinka was awarded the Top Ten title during the World Championships of the Arabian Horses in Paris. Subsequent years marking her career are: 2013 with the titles of World Junior Silver Champion Mare, European Junior Silver Champion Mare, Polish National Junior Silver Champion Mare, All Nations Cup Junior Champion Mare in Aachen, 2014 PSAIHF Junior Champion Mare in Saudi Arabia, April 2019 Las Vegas Arabian Breeders World Cup Senior Gold Champion Mare, US National Senior Gold Champion Mare and in 2020 Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show Senior Gold Champion Mare, giving Perfinka in all the American Triple Crown. In 2020 Perfinka was sold during the Pride of Poland auction for a record sum of EUR 1 200 000,00, which became a beautiful culmination of her show career. Perfinka left in Białka one daughter Platinia 2018 (Equator-Perfinka/Esparto), who is now facing the diffcult task of fulfilling the high breeding expectations elevated by the standards of her famous mother.

Białka specialty – Arabian race horses, endurance horses, sport horses and walking horses

Over the years Białka has earned the reputation of being an Arabian Stud offering for sale good utility horses. This was favoured by the choice of sires as well as the breeding methods used. Great beauty and the breeding methods employed enabled Arabian horses from Białka to compete successfully with Arabians from Janów stud and Michałów stud. That situation encompassed not only the correct build and great beauty, but primarily very high bravery on racetrack. Until the the first years of the 21st century, the Arabian horses from Białka were subjected to bravery trials on racetrack, and around 80 percent of horses completed that training sucessfully. A pedigree analysis of horses running on racetrack clearly shows that the greatest bravery is noted among representatives of the dam line Scherife or.ar. 1902. Compared with the representatives of other lines, representatives of the dam line Scherife or.ar.1902 show the highest average value of the racing success rate (RSS=3,18) as well as the longest period of racing use (average 2,2 seasons) with a simultaneous highest number of starts in races (average 15 starts) and the highest number of victories (average 4,6 victories per mare). Considering the origin on the sire side, the bravest horses turned out to be the representatives of the sire family Krzyżyk or.ar. 1876 with a simultaneous racing success rate 2,69, average 14 starts during a 1,75 years long racing career topped with 3 victories. Throughout their 40 years long history, horses from Białka twice won the Derby Award (Dziewierz and Ostragon), twice the Oaks (Al Adha, Aryjka), the Europe Trophy (Esej) and the Białka Trophy (Abisynia). Derby 1993 witnessed horses from Białka taking the first four places: Dziewierz, El Amor, Osjan and Al Adha. Unfortunately, from the beginning of the 21st century horses from Białka Arabian Stud are no longer put to bravery trials on racetrack, which had a negative impact upon the development of the stud and resulted in falling revenue from the sale of utility horses. Presently, only 3 mares born in 2018 are put to training on racetrack, which amounts to less than 10 percent of horses born in Białka that year.

Due to their exceptional racial qualities, the Arabian horses are very well adapted to participate in long distance endurance riding competitions, where they prove far superior to the representatives of other horse races. Arabian horses from Białka have been taking part in such competitions from the very beginning, winning recognition and awards. Among the experts of long distance endurance riding competitions, such horses as Alabar 1984 (Haracz-Albania/Gwarny), Albat 1983 (Probat-Alkaba/Celebes), or Drakkar 1987 (Alkazar-Darowizna/Partner) are considered to be pioneers of that discipline in Poland.

However, these undoubted sport and racing successes remain history. This is mainly due to the fact that during the past decade, Białka has made her way into a dead-end street by breeding Arabian horses only for show purposes. Pursuing that search for beauty only, horses from Białka were no longer subjected to bravery trials, which resulted in their loss of the bravery feature. It is difficult to tell whether horses from Białka still possess their utility potential without checking that in practice. Sometimes we can find here and there geldings from Białka winning jumping or eventing competitions or acting in reconstruction groups, but these geldings were lucky to fall in good hands. These horses may serve as a confirmation that not all is lost as regards bravery. What about beauty? Well, that is a relative thing.

Source materials:

1. Breeding Survey 9/2000 „Purebred Arabian Horse Stud in Białka” – M. Budzynski, A. Guziuk, J. Kamieniak, M. Sapuła
2. „The Pride of Białka or where Pesal and Perfinka came from?” (2020) Krystyna Chmiel
3. „The sire line Ibrahim d.b. 1984 imp. 1900 to Sławuta” – H. Sztuka, M.Grzechnik – purepolishsociety.com
4. „Adam Nałęcz-Sosnowski – memory” – Izabella Pawelec-Zawadzka, February 2003 janów.arabians.pl
5. Białka Stallion Stud – www.bialka.arabians.pl
6. Autumn Breeding Survey, Białka Arabian State Stud, 6 October 2021 – catalogue

The stud of Polska AKF has recently announced the lease of the stallion Zeus E.A., full brother to Excalibur E.A., one of the most desired sires in the world, the Triple Crown winner of the All Nations Cup, the European Championships and World Championships.

Zeus E.A. himself has already been used by several Polish breeders who have decided to buy and import his semen in recent years. Although the group of mares was not large, it was in Poland that one of his most beautiful daughters was born – the grey Diodora bred by Petroniusz Frejlich – Top Five of the Białka Junior Spring Show, bronze medalist from Radom, fourth at the European and Polish Championships. A review of the results of Zeus E.A.’s get in the world shows, however, that the most titled offspring come precisely from mares with Polish pedigrees.

Zeus E.A. is an attractive offer for breeders who want to take advantage of the opportunity to use a stallion with a modern, sought-after pedigree, while not wanting to invest very large amounts in the breedings of his full brother. It is also an opportunity for those who want to cover their mare with fresh semen available in Poland. The lineage of Zeus E.A. and Excalibur E.A. has an extremely interesting genesis and represents a modern breeding method, the so-called “pure in-strain”, which in short means inbreeding horses every few generations to outstanding ancestors, especially when it comes to dam lines. Even the first travelers and importers of Arabian horses from the desert – such as the German Carl Raswan – noticed that Bedouins who did not use written pedigrees identify and distinguish their horses by dam lines. As we know, it was the mares, not stallions, that were the most valuable in the Bedouin herd. Surprisingly – the correctness of these methods is confirmed by modern genetic research on mitochondrial DNA, which shows that some of the characteristics of horses are passed on only by mares and over many generations. On the other hand, inbreeding to the same line contributes to the consolidation of some features carried by this line. Let us return here to the pedigree of Zeus E.A., who is inbred to Elizja, appearing in the pedigree of this stallion in the second generation on the mother’s side and in the fourth on the father’s side. Elizja herself – Belgian National Champion, the quintessence of the European saklavi type, being a combination of Egyptian, Spanish, Polish and Crabbet blood, was also the result of inbreeding – both her dam and sire were by the same stallion (Ibn Estasha – son of Estasha, a full sister to the legendary El Shaklan). Another mare whose line appears twice in the pedigree of Zeus E.A. is Warandes Hindia – a mare by the Egyptian Hindi, and representing the dam line of Biruta imported from Nowy Dwór, who was also a distant inbred – her sire and dam were both from the dam line of Sahara d.b imported from the desert by Count Juliusz Dzieduszycki.

Returning to the present – the more popular of the brothers – Excalibur E.A. – bought at the age of 3 by Princess Laetitia D’Arenberg of Uruguay, took European shows by storm in his first season. It is true that he started his career on the Cote d’Azur, in Menton, with “only” third place in class. However, he never again allowed to be defeated by winning shows in Strohen (Germany), West Coast Cup (Belgium) and at the All Nations Cup in Aachen (Germany), where he achieved the highest score in the history of ECAHO shows (95.33!). He then had “only” the European and World Championships, which of course he won as a beat favorite. Excalibur E.A. as a yearling had already won the title of US Champion, later adding victories in Dubai and Abu Dhabi to his achievements, being in the hands of new owner Al Saqran Stud (Kuwait). As Princess Leatitia from Uruguay emphasizes in her memoirs – Excalibur E.A. was not bought by her to win shows, the aim was to improve the type, head and neck and build at the princess’ stud – Las Rosas in Uruguay. The idea to lease the stallion to Europe and send him for demonstration training came later. As you can see, Excalibur E.A., the full older brother of Zeus E.A., lived up to all breeders’ expectations. Among his offspring, he has many international champions and champions, including World Reserve Champion Stallion Alexxanderr. In Poland, he also proved himself to be a great sire, siring Polish National Junior Gold Champion Colt in Janów Podlaski – the stallion El Valentino bred by Wojciech Parczewski, the mare Excalibria bred by Zalia Arabians – gold medalist of the shows in Kauber-Platte and Cracow, Al Khalediah European Arabian Horse Festival (A) Top Five, or the stallion Dexcalibur – fourth in class at the Polish National Show and currently used at the home stud of Petronius Arabians. The exceptionally beautiful one-year-old filly Ghezlan Al Owanah, originating from a breeding farm in Poland, and born in Kuwait out of the Polish mare Gallia, is also worth observing. The filly, which definitely caused the greatest stir last season in the Middle East, is the bay yearling MDS Hind, considered by many to be the most beautiful yearling filly in the world, recently purchased by Ajman Stud (UAE).

Zeus E.A., brought to Poland this year, popular among breeders because of his pedigree, but also good qualities passed onto his offspring – often a grey coat, a beautiful head and good movement. Daughters of Zeus E.A. are for example, mentioned at the beginning, the beautiful Diodora or Esperanza MS – silver medalist at the Spanish National Championships. Another daughter of Zeus E.A. from a Polish mating is Rose KAS, which took second place at the highly-entered national show in Qatar, and third at the title show – Katara International Arabian Horse Festival, in the same country. In turn, the son of Zeus, E.A. – the colt Wulkan E.A. was second at the French National Show in Vichy. He is also of Polish descent from his mother’s side (his grandmother is Michałów’s Wilda). As you can see – Zeus E.A. so far has proved to be the best on mares of Polish origin. This observation is also confirmed by the stallion’s breeder – Albert Sorroca, who summarizes the advantages of his pupil in this way – “Always when the name of Zeus EA comes to me nice memories come, too. I remember well when he was born, I saw immediately a special colt was on the ground. He grew like he is now, harmonious, balanced and refined. I think he is a perfect match, a great combination between Shanghai EA and Marwan Al Shaqab. His mother Essence of Marwan EA is a daughter of Elizja , who is the dam of the World Champion Stallion Khidar, too. His incredible pedigree is a great addition to any breeding program, adding his quality and refinement. Despite him being very young, he shows how he can produce as a sire. There is a lot of offspring in the world who won a lot of titles and trophies. Zeus, the God of Gods in Greek mythology, is called to be one of the most influential stallions in the world, following the steps of his father Shanghai EA and his full brother Excalibur EA. From a quality point of view Zeus EA owns the best features of his family: the refinement and exoticism like his father Shanghai EA and the power and stamina from his full brother Excalibur EA. Breeders know that Equus Arabians breeding program is based on Polish mares. For this reason I am sure the cross with Polish mares will produce great results.”

Therefore, a very interesting idea was put forward by Polska AKF stud, bringing Zeus E.A. to Poland in order to give him a chance to test himself on a larger number of mares. As the stud manager – Szymon Głowacki says: “I have always been interested in the stallion Shanghai E.A. and his offspring. I find the breeding program at Equus Arabians very interesting. That is why we found it interesting to lease the full brother of the second, after Shanghai E.A., most outstanding pupil of Equus Arabians – Excalibur E.A. We have been observing Zeus for a long time, and for some time we have been making efforts to bring this stallion to Poland, where he already has very successful offspring – incl. a great mare Diodora bred by Mr. Frejlich. I believe that this stallion is very suitable for Polish mares – he is practically alien in terms of pedigree, he can bring a lot of fresh blood to our breeding. We plan to breed a wide range of mares with very different pedigrees to Zeus. As for the offer for other breeders in Poland – I encourage you to use Zeus E.A. because of the interesting pedigree and good offspring that were already born in our country ”.

The above-mentioned criteria for Zeus E.A. were taken into consideration by two breeders who have obtained the best offspring from this stallion in Poland so far – Petroniusz Frejlich, breeder of the above-mentioned Diodora, and Dawid Borowiec from Koronowo Arabian Stud.
“I once used the sire of Zeus in my breeding – the stallion Shanghai E.A. and I was very pleased with the result} – recalls Petroniusz Frejlich. “He sired a filly, which is now a very good dam of foals. Therefore, I decided to take advantage of a very good offer to buy more breedings to Zeus E.A. The outstanding Diodora comes from the first year. I will certainly use this stallion also in the following seasons, since he is available in Poland. “

“Zeus is a full brother to the famous Excalibur, but, in my opinion, he has not been used as wide in breeding, also in Poland,” says Dawid Borowiec, who bought a large number of breedings to Zeus E.A. “I believe that Zeus can give as good offspring as his famous brother, if used on more valuable mares. I myself bred some very good daughters – incl. Rose KAS sold as a one-year-old filly to Qatar. She performed at three shows in this country and was always in the top five, once she won a class and once was second in class, at a title show attended by yearling fillies from many countries around the world, Rose KAS was third. I will certainly use Zeus, among others, on very good mares with Michałów pedigrees,” summed up Dawid Borowiec.

According to Polska AKF, the breeding price will still be attractive and will be announced at the beginning of the breeding season. Zeus E.A. is CA and SCID clear.

Gumniska, or history comes full circle

Whether we are like our ancestors or not, we sometimes follow their path, make their mistakes, or make similar choices. Sometimes we become the heroes of a story that likes to repeat itself. Because certain processes, phenomena and episodes repeat themselves, although perhaps it we that find similarities to already known events in them. It is sometimes said that history has come full circle, that it has returned to where it started. Or maybe we are dealing with a wheel of time, after which everything starts all over again? Such reflections and awareness of historical events in Arabian horse breeding accompanied me during my visit to the stud of Klikowa Arabians. The host of the stud, Marek Rzepka, born, raised and even registered in Gumniska, showed us around the former estate of the Sanguszko princes, telling us about the place, horses and people with incredible charisma and passion. These are the stables where on May 12th, 1931, the stallions Kuhailan Haifi d.b. and Kuhailan Afas d.b. stood after being brought from the desert by Bogdan Ziętarski. These are the stables where, in 1943, despite the war raging around, the only mare from the Sławuta dam line of Ukrainka (born 1815) was born, the famous Forta, which survived the war. Monumental oaks and plane trees in front of the palace, which probably remember the beginning of the 19th century. The magnificent Sanguszko Chapel … In the falling dusk a small light attracted our attention and when the great door of the chapel opened, the sight took our breath away. The atmosphere of the neo-Gothic chapel adjacent to the west wing of the palace, along with partially preserved furnishings, moved us to a different place and time. A group of women preparing for the May service was probably surprised by the sudden appearance of visitors, but kindly invited us to stay inside. Discreet light, a carved wooden altar, pews, and on the left side a low door leading straight to the palace. At that moment I realized that prince Roman Sanguszko probably prayed here in 1939, leaving Gumniska and Poland forever. It was here that Bogdan Ziętarski went to for a short prayer before the evacuation of the Gumniska herd ordered by the Germans at the beginning of January 1945. Ziętarski did not leave the horses until the end of their journey. And now, 90 years after his expedition to the desert, we, Arabian horse breeders, are here, and near the old Gumniska stables you can once again hear the neighing of a proud purebred stallion.

Pianissima’s son

Prometeusz, the son of the famous Pianissima, had made headlines in Poland several times. Even his appearance in the world in 2012 aroused emotions due to the growing fame of his father, the stallion FA El Shawan (US). Of the nine descendants of Pianissima from the years 2007–2015, Prometeusz certainly carries in him the blood of two outstanding individuals of the Arabian breed. The stallion FA El Shawan (born 2005), by Marwan Al Shaqab (QA) out of Foxbriar Shakita (US) by ZT Shakfantasy (AR), went down in history as the sire of FA El Rasheem (US), born in 2011. Interestingly, FA El Shawan comes from the dam line of Selma d.b. (born 1865) – a line imported in the 1930s to the Soviet Union. This family, like its Polish branch, descended from the mare Selima (GB), born in 1908 at Crabbet Park Stud. About the dam of our hero – the stallion Prometeusz – Janów’s multi-champion Pianissima, everything has already been said and written. However, the quality of the female line of Szamrajówka (born 1810 in Biała Cerkiew) should be emphasized, which combines all the best elements of Polish breeding, derived from the times when Pure Polish was a recognizable sign of the highest quality. Pianissima, daughter of the stallion Gazal Al Shaqab (QA), born in 1995 by Anaza El Farid (US) out of Kajora (US) by Kaborr (US), became an icon of world breeding mainly because it was the first horse in the history of the Arabian breed, where the exotic beauty of Straight Egyptian horses is intertwined with the correctness of build and expressive movement typical of Pure Polish horses. Pianissima’s worldwide career has set new breed standards. Pianissima’s beauty has become a model of the show horse type. Unfortunately, neither Pianissima nor the stallion FA El Shawan are with us anymore.

In Polish breeding, Pianissima left three daughters: Pia (born 2009) by Ganges, Pianova (born 2011) by Eden C and Pamina (born 2015) by Pogrom, and the stallion Prometeusz (born 2012). Prometeusz was born at Gallun Farms, owned by Greg and Nancy Gallun, California. He did not grow up in Poland; he remained in the US in order to have the greatest possible promotion. The pedigree of Prometeusz, as well as the stallion himself, aroused considerable interest of breeders in Poland, which increased after the death of his sire, as well as a result of the dynamically developing “invasion” of the progeny of his half-brother, the stallion FA El Rasheem, on the show rings in recent years. The decision to sell Prometeusz without using him in Polish breeding (in 2018 he was purchased by Sheikh Mohammed Al Mualla from the United Arab Emirates for his Ghaleb Stud), met with a huge wave of criticism in our country, which is why information about the purchase and bringing him to Poland by Marek Rzepka turned out to be sensational and certainly very much awaited, especially since the stallion had considerable achievements. In 2018, while under the care of Tom Oben’s training centre, he won the Senior Gold Stallion Championship at the International Show in Vichy, France. In the same year, at the international show in Bruges, he was rated at 92.19 points. In 2019 in Sharjah he was second in the 7-9 year old stallions class with a score of 92.5 points. He missed the bronze medal by a nose, i.e. one point. Earlier, still in the USA, he was among the ten stallions whose breeding sales were the best at the Scottsdale Signature Stallion Auction 2015; he was a stallion whose offspring could compete in the Arabian Horse Association’s sweepstakes program, and was also a stallion whose offspring were eligible to compete in the Scottsdale Signature classes.

What breeders say

Marek Rzepka, the creator and owner of Klikowa Arabians, tells us about the purchase of Prometeusz: “We have approached this subject many times, trying to buy a Prometeusz breeding package or lease him. We offered a very high amount for a one-year lease, but our proposals were rejected. The previous owner of the stallion, Sheikh Mohammed Al Mualla, was not interested in selling breedings. Nevertheless, from time to time we reminded ourselves to him, asking about the lease and breeding. The more the sheikh refused us to buy breedings and a lease, the more I strove for this unique horse to find his way to our stud. Perhaps in life some things are just destined to happen. This was probably the case with Prometeusz, whose home today is in Klikowa. Although he is officially Janów-bred, he has never been in Poland before. And I think that the only son of Pianissima should be in Poland as an absolutely unique horse who must get his chance in breeding. He has enormous potential. It would be a pity not to use it.”

Greg Gallun, who welcomed Pianissima’s newborn son in California, notes: “Prometeusz holds so much important and proven blood that his going to Poland is only logical. I’m confident that over the coming years the legacy of perhaps the world’s greatest mare Pianissima will endure. Our respect and admiration for him as a breeding stallion and as horse of excellent character is genuine. We look forward following his new path and to one day greeting him in person.”

Although Prometeusz has not been publicly presented in Poland yet, European breeders know him. Javier Fernandez Echarri (Belgium), a veterinarian dealing with Prometeusz during his stay in Belgium, expresses his appreciation for the horse: “Prometeusz is a beautiful horse from the outside and the inside, very gentle and easy to work with, and has the most amazing eyes you will come across nowadays. I’m very happy he is back to Europe, and I will have the chance to breed to him again. If he will be available, I would be happy to breed my best mare to him, mother of last year Gold Yearling Filly at European Championship. Surely Prometeusz is one of most interesting stallions nowadays.”

Belgian trainer Tom Oben recalls: “The moment they called me that Prometeusz was gonna come to us we were very excited. Having had the pleasure of dealing with his mother and now his son was overwhelming. The day he arrived the first thing that i noticed on him was his big black gentle eye. Prometeusz is in my opinion a very correct well build horse with the sweetest disposition we could wish for in a stallion. I’m sure the new owner will have a great time together with him and its again a nice opportunity for the Polish breeders as well as those of the rest of the world that he will become again available at public stud.” Oben is accompanied by another trainer from Belgium, Glenn Schoukens: ” My sincere congratulations to Klikowa Arabians with bringing this legendary stallion to Poland. I am sure he will be a great asset not only to their breeding program but to all of Polish and European breeders. I really look forward what the future will bring.” Tomasz Tarczyński, breeder and ECAHO judge, says: “I have been following the fate of this stallion for a long time, due to his excellent and unique origin. However, for a while I could only see him photos from the States. I had the opportunity to judge him for the first time at the Sharjah (UAE) show in 2019 and the stallion made a huge, positive impression on me. I especially remember his beautiful, perfectly set, large black eye, noble, dry head and strong body, which definitely stood out among the presented stallions.”

Long-time president of Janów Podlaski Stud, Marek Trela, sums up: “I am sure that Polish Arabian horse breeders should be grateful to Mr. Marek Rzepka for undertaking the difficult mission of bringing Prometeusz to Poland. This stallion was created to be in Poland, he should be used here, and here is also where he belongs. Due to his unique, and – as life has shown – also one of a kind pedigree and excellent Arabian type, he can become a valuable sire to our breeding. I personally counted on him a lot, and now I will await his offspring with curiosity and hope.”

PROMETEUSZ  (US), bay stallion, born 2012

Sire line: Saklawi I 1886, bred by Anazeh Ruala (B)

Dam line: Szmrajówka ~1810, bred by Biała Cerkiew (PL)

After Pianosa and the iconic Pianissima, Polish breeding prematurely lost another mare from Janów’s well-known and respected “P” line. On March 30th, 2021, Pinga (Gazal Al Shaqab – Pilar / Fawor), who was on lease at the American Cedar Ridge Arabians stud, passed away. She was 17 years old, older than her cousins, but it would still be hard to consider her an age-old matron. She left a feeling of regret among admirers of the Arabian breed, who considered Pinga to be the leading ambassador of Janów Podlaski in recent years.

Good genes

The Szamrajówka family, descended from Biała Cerkiew of the count Branicki family, is undoubtedly one of the most flexible Polish dam lines. Its history and the achievements of its representatives, starting with Piewica, thanks to which the blood of Szamrajówka returned to Poland after World War II, through Pierzga, Pentoza, the charismatic multi-champion Pilarka, her daughter Pipi and granddaughter – the still present at Janów Palmeta, dam of Pinga’s mother Pilar’s and, of course, Pianosa and Pianissima, as well as many other mares and stallions, have been described in many articles and books. What was the position of bay Pinga in this long line of outstanding Arabian horses?

Her mother, the grey Pilar (Fawor – Pipi / Banat), currently owned by Al Shaqab stud, where Pinga’s sire Gazal Al Shaqab also comes from, was born by the Bug River in 1996. As a yearling she became Polish Junior Champion Mare. In 2010 she was exported to Qatar for the record sum of that auction – 240 thousand euro. In Poland she left not only Pinga, born in 2004, the 2005 Polish Junior Champion Mare and freshly decorated Senior Champion Mare, but also Pilarosa (by Al Adeed Al Shaqab), sold a few years later, in 2018, to the Czech Republic, for 133 thousand euro. Two of her other daughters, Pieta (by Gazal Al Shaqab) and Pinta (by Ekstern), left Poland earlier – they were purchased by Shirley Watts (Halsdon Arabians): the first of them in 2007 for 300,000 euro, the second in 2009 for half a million. Pilar gave her new owners seven produce (also by way of embryo transfer). However, not only fertility – before leaving, she gave birth to ten foals – turned out to be her advantage, but most of all the fact that she passed on type, charisma and spectacular movement to her offspring.

Pilar had someone to inherit good genes from. Her mother Pipi by Banat, daughter of the phenomenal Pilarka by Palas, European and World Champion, is also the mother of Pilar’s brother and sister: the stallion Pilot and the mare Pilica, dam of Palmeta by Ecaho, who today, after the departure of Pinga, holds, nomen omen, the palm of priority in the Janów herd. So it was not a coincidence, but an extremely successful mating. In turn for Pilar a particularly valuable partner turned out to be the Qatari stallion Gazal Al Shaqab. The result of this marriage was not only Pinga, but also other horses whose names are widely known, such as the above-mentioned Pieta or Pomian, used in Janów Podlaski.

Gazal Al Shaqab himself, whose pedigree was harmoniously combined with Egyptian, American and – through his mother Kajora – Polish blood, and who, together with his son Marwan Al Shaqab and his stable mate Al Adeed Al Shaqab, built the position of his maternal stud in the world, is an epochal sire in the latest history of Polish breeding, father of the unforgettable Pianissima or the wonderful Emandoria. Polish “Gazals” invariably enjoyed success with buyers and over the years not only brought considerable income to Polish breeding, but are also counted among the most valuable dams today.

Storming the shows

Pinga stood out from the very beginning, as evidenced by the titles of Polish Junior Champion Mare and Best in Show, which she won as a yearling, after the “start-up” at the shows in Bełżyce and Falbork, where she also triumphed. In Janów, during her class performance, she received an astronomically high final score of 96.33 points from the judges, including nine maximum marks for type, head and neck and movement. She drew attention especially with a sweeping trot with the suspension phase, which is a favorite thing of the Arabian breed fans. The head is not as exotic as that of her cousin Pianissima, but shapely, dry, with a large, dark eye, a long, nicely set neck and, it is worth noting, a perfect body – this is how we will remember Pinga. “Arabian Horse World” (No. 12/2005) wrote the following about her performance in Janów in 2005, when she charmed the judges and the audience: „Again the daughters of Gazal Al Shaqab dominated the competition, with three from Michalow and a nockout from Janow Podlaski scoring top honors. The big story of the show was the star of section B – the new Polish princess, Pinga. Closely bred to the 2004 international showring sensation Pianissima, Pinga is a near look-alike daughter of Gazal tracing tail female to the immortal Pilarka. Pinga could not have looked better on show day, and was shown to perfection by Janow Podlaski’s lead presenter Jan Trela. Her tail was flagged from the moment she hit the ring, accentuating her exceptional topline. Nostrils flared, she pranced in front of the judges for her presentation, exuding charm. When asked to trot off, Pinga proved to be even more formidable than Pianissima, covering ground with incredible power, lightness, cadence, and animation the entire circumference of the ring (…) Although not as complete or harmonious as her elder counterpart Pianissima, Pinga excels in length of neck, and athletic ability, making her a definite contender for top honors the world over as she matures”. This has come true. And a few years later, in 2010, observers were not less enthusiastic when Pinga appeared in Janów in order to win the laurels of the Polish National Championship as a senior. The same “Arabian Horse World” was delighted (No. 10/2010) that the 4-6 year old mares class turned into a “welcome home party” for Pinga, who had just returned from the USA a few weeks earlier. Her final score was impressive again: 93.67 points. The then president of PAHBA, Izabella Pawelec-Zawadzka, commented: “Pinga’s performance will remain, at least in my memory, an unforgettable, breathtaking experience. And this is largely thanks to Jan Trela. From the moment this couple entered the arena, time has seemed to have stopped. There was an incredible bond and a truly magical contact between man and the horse. It is difficult to express this electrifying atmosphere in words, but one thing is certain: the mare was ready to do anything for her human” (“Araby” No. 3/2010).

Between the National Championships that were so successful for Pinga, the Polish star also claimed (apart from victories in regional shows) the Senior Mare Reserve Championship in Scottsdale and the Top Ten Senior Mares title in Las Vegas in 2010. She was then leased by Frank & Frank Partners, founded by Frank Hennessey (Hennesssey Arabian LLC) and Frank Chisholm (Palmetto Arabians). According to the information we have found, the lease contract, brokered by Jerzy “George” Zbyszewski, provided for 50,000 dollars a year, four embryos for Americans and insurance for the amount of 500,000 USD. Greg Gallun prepared Pinga for competitions in the USA. However, it was not in the USA that she received her greatest honors, but in Europe.

Two years later, Pinga won the European Championships (Moorsele 2012) and the World Championships. “I still see Gianmarco Aragno standing in the middle of the arena and his tears falling when he looked at Pinga” – recalled her triumph in Paris Marek Trela, the then head of Janów Podlaski Stud (“Araby Magazine” No 1-2 / 2014). “There are groups of people that visit the stud who have nothing to do with horses, and they always gather close to horses such as Pinga, Pianissima and Palmeta,” he also said. – Even for laymen, the beauty, Arabian type and charisma of these horses are captivating. This is something universal. Beauty seems to be universal.” In 2015, Pinga, then on lease to Al Jawza Stud, was awarded the Reserve Championship in Aachen and the Platinum Champion Mare medal in Paris. At that point in her life Pinga was trained by Glenn Schoukens. “I’m honored to have been part of her life”, he tells us. “She was great fun to show and a sweetheart to have in the barn”. In January 2016, also in the colors of the Saudi lessee, Pinga won the PSAIAHF championship in Riyadh.

During her second stay in the USA she was also to be shown under the supervision of trainer David Boggs. She made only one appearance, on February 19th, 2021 in Scottsdale, finishing third in her class. Soon after, the fatal colic put an end to dreams of show successes for Cedar Ridge Arabians.

Where is Pinga, or media storm number 1

The Saudi stud farm Al Jawza, which leased Pinga in 2015 (the lease amount for the year was 180 thousand euro; the mare was insured for 500 thousand euro), led her to the above-mentioned successes in Paris (platinum) and Riyadh (gold). Nevertheless, that stage of Pinga’s career became a pretext for unprecedented hysteria, and as a result of a campaign, both in social and traditional media, against the participants of this venture under the slogan “Where is Pinga?”. Information about the alleged disappearance of the mare was given, in an almost psychotic atmosphere, by, among others: “Świat Koni” (April 15, 2016), “Gazeta Wyborcza” (April 19, 2016), “Fakt” (April 19, 2016), Onet website (April 21, 2016), “Dziennik Wschodni” (April 21, 2016). The mailbox of Al Jawza breeders was flooded with aggressive emails from Poland, and the intermediary between Janów and the Saudi client, Mateusz Leniewicz-Jaworski, became the object of an extremely disgusting hatred. Absurd accusations were made against him, and the scale of the hatred poured out on him was shocking even for the low standards of social media. Meanwhile, the mare soon returned home safe and sound. From the perspective of several years, it should be assessed that this media attack was aimed at starting a political row after the dismissal of three people in February 2016: Marek Trela from the position of the president of Janów Podlaski Stud, Jerzy Białobok from the position of the president of Michałów Stud and Anna Stojanowska, an official at the Agricultural Property Agency, supervising of state studs. This is how Mateusz Leniewicz-Jaworski recollects this situation today: “The owners of Al Jawza stud trusted me and entrusted me with negotiating the lease of Pinga. The contract was signed during the World Championships in Paris in November 2014. The amount of the lease was high, and the stud in Janów, which was in a difficult financial situation, obtained concrete help in closing its annual balance sheet. It is hard to hide that in 2014 the lease saved the financial result of Janów Podlaski Stud, for which Marek Trela thanked me. It was without a doubt the most successful lease of this mare: platinum in Paris, silver in Aachen, PSAIAHF gold in Saudi Arabia, silver in the A-class show in Qatar. Pinga returned to Janów in great shape and condition, with a delay of less than three months, caused by the quarantine and canceled flight, which forced her to quarantine again. The international scandal was caused by sensationalists associated with Anna Stojanowska and the dismissed presidents. To this day, it gives me a lot to think about. Conclusion? It’s not the horses that count for them”.

The last trip

In 2019, during the Winter Auction at Służewiec, Warsaw, the lease of Pinga was offered for the first (and last) time to the public. Then the sum of 40 thousand euro for the year of the lease, with the possibility of taking two embryos, one for the lessee, one for the owner, i.e. Janów Podlaski. The winner of the auction remained anonymous. Meanwhile, however, after more than half a year, on June 8th, 2020, Cedar Ridge Arabians (Minnesota), owned by Lara Ames, the owner of “Arabian Horse Times”, announced that it would lease Pinga. Lara Ames has a particularly emotional attitude towards Polish horses. It was she who bought Perfirka in 2014 (paying EUR 220,000), she also leased her daughter Perfinka, which was sold in 2020, after the end of the lease agreement, for a record amount of 1,250,000. euro to Saudi Arabia, to Alrajhiat Stud. Cedar Ridge lost the bid then, but welcomed Pinga, who was to remain in their care, at the Midwest Station II training facility until January 2022. Unfortunately, unexpected complications after the mare’s surgery due to a torsion of the intestines caused that Pinga is no longer with us.

Lara Ames told polskiearaby.com: „We loved our Polish horses. On our last family trip with my dad, we fell in love with Perfirka and Pinga. We purchased Perfirka in the auction that year. She is the love of our life and family. We will never sell her or an embryo. That is what us lead us to leasing Perfinka as my dad loved Perfirka so much that he wanted to get her daughter. We have since had two babies out of her that I will share the video of and the photo of Perfirka and her foal in the pasture. When it was time for Perfinka to go back, they approached us, not us approaching them to lease Pinga. Because of our love for her on our first visit we did. It was not about a dollar, but it was about trying to get some babies out of her to carry on her legacy. Our time with her was very short. But in that time my mother and her developed a special bond. Pinga, Perfirka, and Perfinka will always hold a special place in our heart. We are proud and honored to be a part of their life”.

The tragic development of events devastated the breeder: „I have cried tears for the last week everyday about, then when the accusations came in yesterday and I was devastated. I love all of my horses. I am not perfect, but I think if you asked anyone in the United States they would say my family tries to do a lot for the breed and love of the horse. I am devastated, but my love for Pinga will never change”.

The “Bloody Chapter”, i.e. media storm number two

In the quoted statement, Lara Ames referred to the storm that broke out in social media after the news of Pinga’s death. There was a fierce discussion on the Facebook of polskiearaby.com about what were the reasons for sending the mare on another lease and whether she was in good hands. At the same time, on the “Reinstate Anna Stojanowska, Jerzy Białobok & Marek Trela” profile, you could read a post about the “bloody chapter” in history (which we will come back to in a moment). An opposition member of parliament Joanna Kluzik-Rostkowska asked on Twitter: “She left, although she could give valuable foals in Janów. What sum is the contract for? Was there consent to flush the embryos? We will not give up with Dorota Niedziela. “

When asked by polskiearaby.com about the contract, the Janów stud replied that the mare was leased “on market terms”. We can therefore assume that the offer was similar to the one announced during the winter auction in 2019 and amounted to 40 thousand euro per year (I wrote about the fact that it was a sum grossly lower than the amount for which Pinga was leased by Al Jawza stud in my report from Służewiec). It does not take a complicated investigation to conclude that Cedar Ridge Arabians’ lease fee was not more than 80,000 euro. We remember that the lease contract contained a clause regarding the collection of two embryos per year, including one for Janów Podlaski. Therefore, the one-and-a-half-year contract could provide for the right to flush out three embryos, and one would still be for Janów. The mare was insured – according to the information reached by the portal – for the amount of 300,000 euro. According to the stud’s statement, the money will be transferred to the Janów Podlaski Stud account.

Who brokered the transaction? Here is what the stud office in Janów reported to the portal: “The lease transaction for Pinga was attended by Mrs. Anna Stojanowska on the part of the Janów Podlaski Stud and Mr. Gerald Kurtz, who coordinated the lease of the mare”. However, Anna Stojanowska strongly denies her participation. “I have no idea why someone from the Janów Podlaski Stud pointed me as the person responsible for the lease of Pinga. I had neither the authority nor the time to do so, ”she wrote in response to a question addressed to her on this matter. “Pinga was leased during the Winter Auction at the Racecourse in December 2019 and it happened on the initiative and as a result of the activities of Grzegorz Czochański, who was then the President of Janów Podlaski Stud. It was one of the strangest auctions I’ve ever seen in my life. The mare did not even reach the Racecourse then, apparently due to her very bad condition. The lease was auctioned in front of the people and the cameras by an “absent” client. “She further declares: “When I came to Janów in mid-April 2020, after more than four years of absence from the stud as a horse breeding advisor, I was only told that Pinga was going to be leased and that the contract negotiated by Mr. Czochański during the Winter Auction was being clarified. The recipient waited until the mare would foal and it was possible to wean the foal and transport the mare to the USA. So it happened. The foal was weaned right after the National Championships in August 2020 and the mare left after a few days ”. Then he concludes: “In my opinion the lease of Pinga was a mistake from every point of view: the welfare of the mare, the stud’s image, marketing and many others. And I did not hide my opinion. “The Janów stud, in turn, claims as follows: “The advisor at the time of signing the contract was Ms Anna Stojanowska, who performed the service under an agency contract”. We also know that Lara Ames received a proposal for Pinga when the lease of Perfinka was about to end, so she did not participate in the 2019 Służewiec auction, as well as the fact that Pinga arrived in the USA on August 5th (i.e. before the Pride of Poland auction, which took place August 9th). The head of the Janów Podlaski Stud during the events described here was Marek Gawlik and it was he who signed the lease agreement for Pinga.

At the request to refer to the post published on Twitter by Joanna Kluzik-Rostkowska, Anna Stojanowska replies: “The Members of Parliament did not contact me about Pinga. Anyway, there is nothing more than what I have written at the moment that I could say about it. Except for one thing, colic causes horses to die, whether they’re are of financial or purely emotional value.” So it turns out that – although it is no secret to anyone that both of the above-mentioned MPs are in constant contact with Anna Stojanowska (they were among others at a show co-organized by her in Michałowice) – in this case they did not ask her about their doubts. To the above-quoted comment posted on the fanpage “Reinstate Anna Stojanowska …”, the former advisor of Janów said: “I do not answer for entries on” Reinstate… “. Moreover, she stated: “Regardless of what I write in this answer, your portal will make me a “bloody murderer”. Meanwhile, it is on the fanpage, for which Anna Stojanowska, as she says, is not responsible, there is the afore mentioned post: “Mr. Czochański, Mr. Chalimoniuk, KOWR and Minister Ardanowski have today added a bloody chapter to the history of their activity in the studs”. This type of poetics is actually used, but just elsewhere, namely by the completely unknown to Anna Stojanowska, Facebook administrator, Irena Cieślak.

Let us also add that Pinga is not the first horse to die while on lease (it also happened that horses returned in poor health condition, for example, Wieża Mocy, which was diagnosed with crushed spinous processes of the spine). Let us remind you that in 2015 the sire of Perfinka, Esparto, expected to be Ekstern’s successor in Polish breeding, was euthanized at the age of 13 during his stay at Ismer Stud (Germany). Despite the vets’ efforts it was impossible to save him. As admitted by the then boss of Michałów, Jerzy Białobok, no other stallion appeared that could take over Ekstern’s duties; the greater the loss was the premature death of his son Esparto. However, no one used this fact for political purposes (incidentally, the lease fee was only EUR 7,500; the stallion was insured for EUR 200,000 and compensation in this amount was paid to Michałów Stud). The fate of Pinga was different, as she got into politics twice – the second time her death became a pretext for a political brawl. However, in a few years, when emotions subside, we will primarily remember her contribution to breeding.

Mother of dams

As indicated by prof. Krystyna Chmiel, Pinga’s greatest merit is that she was the mother of dams. “Her breeding potential has been used,” she says. “And her offspring have far more virtues than just being descended from a great star. In this case, you can look not only at the paper, but also at the horse.”

Pinga produced a total of 13 offspring (some of them by embryo transfer): seven stallions and six mares. We learned from the representative of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for breeding, Tomasz Chalimoniuk, that two embryos were collected from her in the USA. For now, however, it is not known whether foals will be obtained from both.

According to prof. Chmiel, Pinga best combined with the stallion Eden C. She passed on excellent movement to her offspring above all. Particularly noteworthy are Piniata, Paterna and Petula, who made themselves known as great performers at shows and promising brood mares. About Piniata prof. Chmiel has the highest praise: “Her movement and topline – one of the best I have ever seen.” Born in 2011, Piniata, daughter of Eden C, in 2015 followed in the footsteps of her mother, winning the title of the Polish National Senior Champion Mare, and then the Best in Show title. First she gave her home stud four stallions; however, in 2021 she became the mother of a filly by El Omari. Hopefully there is a long breeding career ahead of her. Her full sister Paterna is the Reserve Champion Mare from Białka from 2013 and the Reserve Champion Mare from Janów Podlaski (2014). Today she is the mother of one stallion and the promising Paradnica by Pomian, born in 2018, as well as a filly by Equator from 2020. In turn, Petula (by Kahil Al Shaqab) placed in the top five of the European Yearling Fillies Championship in Verona in 2015. In 2019 and 2020 she gave birth to colts, but – as the example of Piniata shows – you need to be patient, and the time for fillies will come.

There is no doubt that Pinga has won a prominent place among the representatives of the Szamrajówka family, over many generations. Will any of her successors be able to match her?

Pinga’s offspring registered in the Polish Arabian Stud Book:

– 2011 filly Piniata by Eden C
– 2012 filly Paterna by Eden C
– 2013 colt Pistolero by Kahil Al Shaqab
– 2014 filly Petula by Kahil Al Shaqab
– 2015 colt Portel (BE) by Pogrom – imported
– 2018 colt Prins by Pogrom
– 2019 colt Poter by Ecaho
– 2020 colt Pierantonio by Equator

Pinga’s offspring registered abroad:

– 2009 colt (gelding) Piast by Enzo (USA)
– 2010 colt Malik El Jamaal by Ludjin El Jamaal (USA)
– 2010 filly PA Penelope by Besson Carol (USA)
– 2011 filly F Pinnacle F by EVG Gentry (USA)
– 2016 filly Middle East by Emerald J (Belgium)
– ?

Szweykowska, Milordka, Ukrainka, Wołoszka and Szamrajówka — how did Arabians end up in Poland? From the far desert …

The Arabian breed, formed over centuries in the deserts of Arabia due to specific geographic conditions, was genetically probably the result of mixing the blood of different horse breeds entering Arabia from the east, west and south. During the great conquests of the 7th-8th centuries, the Arabs, moving westwards, encountered Berber horses in Africa, and then the aforementioned breeds were mixed — that is, horses from southern Arabia with horses from northern Africa. It should be assumed that such horses came to Spain and southern Europe. After the conquests ended, with the rise of the caliphates and kingdoms, Arabia itself remained on the margins of the great Arab-Muslim empire. The Bedouins, on the other hand, lived their old way of life, keeping their traditions and customs. It was also then (around the 13th century) that the flow of foreign blood to the Arabian horse breed probably ended. In the following centuries, Bedouins and their horses only migrated across the deserts of Arabia: Central Arabia, Syria, Mesopotamia and Palestine. These movements were conducive to maintaining a uniform breed of Arabian horses. In the specific environment of the Arabian Peninsula, the characteristics that distinguish this breed were formed: bravery, beauty, dry tissue, speed and the typical gentleness of character. Europeans traveling in Arabia between the thirteenth and nineteenth centuries agree that the best Arabian horses can be found among members of the Anaza tribe, once nomadic in the interior of Arabia, who left the Nejdu deserts and settled in the desert areas of Syria and northern Arabia. Among the Bedouins, the descendants of the former nomadic horse breeders, various ancient traditions concerning the genealogy of Arabian horses are still alive today. They are mentioned by the first European explorer of Arabia, Niebhur (ca 1779), as well as by Count Wacław Seweryn Rzewuski, who wandered in the deserts of Arabia at the beginning of the 19th century and left the famous manuscript from this journey, which is a unique source of ethnographic knowledge about the life of the Bedouins and the horses they bred. It has undoubtedly been established that the type of the modern Arabian horse was developed at the beginning of the 7th century and was directly related to the rise of the Muslim religion.

On the borderlands of the Republic of Poland

The vast territory of the Republic of Poland and related interests, starting from the 15th century, inevitably led to a confrontation with the aggressive Ottoman Empire, which also included the Arabian Peninsula. Military and trade contacts in peacetime made it possible to import first oriental and then Arabian horses to Poland.

Arabian horse breeding from the beginning of its existence in Poland has been distinguished by special care and diligence. The dam lines were (and are) carefully cared for by Polish breeders. Among the 15 dam lines that are present in the Polish breeding program, five are the heritage of the famous Polish Borderlands studs, dating back to the second half of the 18th century. This extraordinary continuity, despite the historical cataclysms that swept through our country, invariably prompts us to wonder why Poles valued Arabian horses so much that for many generations, despite wars, plunder and, above all, the lack of state sovereignty, they maintained and even successfully developed the breeding of these horses. As a result of many generations of breeding work, a type of Polish Arabian was created, significantly different from the original Arabians brought from the desert. The refinement and consolidation of features have become a characteristic of Polish Arabians, significantly different from their ancestors and Arabians in the so-called Egyptian type. The foundation for the type and tradition of Polish breeding and its vision is basing on and cultivating dam lines of females born in these studs.

Biała Cerkiew studs

The oldest Arabian stud farm of the Borderlands was the one established in 1778 by the Grand Hetman of the Crown, Franciszek Ksawery Branicki, in the Szamrajówka chutor, belonging to the Biała Cerkiew estate in the Ukraine. Its many years of operation left in Polish breeding just one (recovered with great difficulty after World War I, and then also after World War II), but extremely valuable, dam line: Szamrajówka, 1810 bred by Biała Cerkiew.

Sławuta dam lines (Antoniny and Gumniska)

Among the studs of the Borderlands, the effects of which have survived in the form of dam or sire lines, the stud of the Sanguszko princes, originating from Sławuta, definitely stood out. The stud in Sławuta adopted a distinctly Arabian direction around 1804, that is, from the time of the expedition of Kajetan Burski, the Sanguszko’s equerry, for horses to Arabia. From that moment, until 1945, the Sanguszko breeding was carried out invariably in the Arabian direction, i.e. for 141 years (also in Antoniny and Gumniska near Tarnów). The number of their breeding was significant, which allowed for the selection of the best horses and the production and then preserving of entire families. 12 dam lines were established there: “(…) the oldest of the Sławuta families was descended from a mare without a name, born around 1790, which survived until the 1930s, reaching 10 generations, but no longer exists.“* From among the Sławuta families, there are currently four in Polish breeding: Szweykowska b. c. 1800, Milordka b. c. 1810, Wołoszka b. c. 1810, Ukrainka b. c. 1815. Equally important is the heritage of the Sławuta breeding in establishing sire lines. Until now, two lines have survived, which have issued many generations and are continued in Poland and successfully in the world. They are lines descending from the stallions: Ilderim or.ar. imp. 1900 to Sławuta, Ibrahim d.b. imp. 1907 to Antoniny.

Jarczowce dam lines (and Jezupol)

In the interwar period, the leading role in domestic breeding was played by horses derived from three mares brought from Arabia in 1845 by Juliusz Dzieduszycki, i.e. Gazella d.b., Mlecha d.b. and Sahara d.b. The Dzieduszycki stud in Jarczowce, much older, dating back to 1791, adopted the Arabian-only direction in 1845. It was then that Juliusz Dzieduszycki brought seven desert stallions and four mares from Arabia, including the three mentioned above – as it turned out – founders of dam lines that are so important today. The stud in Jarczowce (then continued in Jezupol) had operated for 73 years, that is until 1918. The well-reproduced Jarczowce dam lines are an extremely valuable breeding legacy of the Dzieduszycki family. Jarczowce also started two sire lines, of which one has survived to this day: Krzyżyk d.b. (born in 1869, imp. 1876 Jarczowce).

The end of breeding Arabian horses in the Borderlands came in 1918, when the studs, devastated during the Great War, were, along with the horses, completely destroyed (burned, murdered, demolished, looted) by the Bolsheviks. Only thanks to their export to other regions or countries, the priceless breeding material from many excellent studs has survived to this day. Including the most outstanding ones, i.e. Sławuta, Antoniny, Biała Cerkiew and Jarczowce with Jezupol. This allowed, after the rebirth of the Polish state, to start rebuilding breeding basing on the old families of Sławuta (and Antoniny), Biała Cerkiew, Jarczowce (and Jezupol). During the partitions, on the Polish lands of the Russian Empire, the only existing state stud, founded by Tsar Alexander I in 1817 in Janów Podlaski, contrary to popular belief, did not breed Arabian horses. Thus, all Arabian farms in Poland at that time were in private hands.

Stud books

In the studs of Polish magnates, from the second half of the 18th century, breeding was conducted in a modern way, establishing stud books and registers of purebred horses. It is thanks to this that Polish Arabians have such deeply documented pedigrees today. The need to use a brave and reliable mount in war and the problem of communication in vast areas during the period of peace forced the need to breed Arabian horses which were strong and sound, which in turn led to the extraordinary stamina of Polish Arabian horses. Polish breeders also understood this. After regaining independence, already in 1926, in place of the former war training, they launched performance trials on horse racing tracks. Until recently, these attempts were the basis for the selection of elite material in Polish breeding.

Until the 1970s, the population of Arabian horses in the world was not strictly defined. Different countries kept books and registers, but they were not kept on a uniform basis, which often led to misunderstandings and limited export opportunities, as well as broadly understood international cooperation. Even in the 1960s, well-known English breeders, Patricia and Sonia Lindsay, bought Arabian horses in Poland and only after they were entered in the English stud books, that is they were recognized as Arabians in Great Britain, they could be re-exported to the USA due to the fact that the American stud book did not recognize the Polish stud book. It is difficult to say whether this was due to the reluctance of the Americans to cooperate with the authorities of a hostile communist regime, or simply because of the business calculations that could be attributed to them, especially at a time when they were getting their own breeding on their feet.

In July 1967, at the initiative of the British Arab Horse Society, the first Arab Horse Breeders Conference was organized in London, attended by representatives of Great Britain, the USA, the USSR, Sweden, South Africa, Denmark, Spain, Portugal, the German Federal Republic, the Netherlands, Jordan and Israel. Despite the invitation, there was no Polish delegation whose attitude of the then Polish authorities towards Arabian horse breeding was negative. It was at that time that the official Gomułka propaganda tried to convince the public that horses eat oats needed for pigs, so as unnecessary parasites — Arabian horses, had to be liquidated. The absence of the Polish delegation at the conference in London was very unfavorable for our breeding, because at this conference a public debate began on the type of Arabian horse and the rules of keeping stud books. Despite the negative attitude of the Polish authorities to this initiative, Polish interests were officially represented by Stefan Zamoyski, a member of the British Arab Horse Society. The same Zamoyski, thanks to whom Poland owes the recovery of Polish Arabians taken by the Germans from occupied Poland. And the same Zamoyski, who was forbidden by the Polish state to return to his homeland, had taken all his property and hope for life among his countrymen, was now fighting for the good of his country and Polish breeding. Thanks to his involvement, Polish interests were constantly and effectively represented. The result of the first Arabian horse breeders’ conference was the decision to create an international association of Arabian horse breeders.

However, it was in the 1960s that the lucrative export of Polish Arabians began, which made the then authorities see the source of priceless currencies in Arabian horses. At the next conference, which was held in 1970, also in London, the Polish delegation was present this time. Materials were previously prepared to present a position on the important issue of recognizing our horses as purebred, and thus the international recognition of the Polish stud book. The most important point of this stance was to oppose the theory promoted at the time that an Arabian horse can only be considered a horse whose pedigree in all lines is derived from the original Arabians imported from the desert (abbreviated as: d.b.). Such was not acceptable for Poland, because many of our horses, the pedigree of which could not be derived in all lines from d.b. horses at that time, had a proven descent up to 15 generations or more, i.e. around 150 years back. It was a phenomenon, incomprehensible to the world, because the existence of such deep pedigrees was a phenomenon in Arabian horse breeding in the world and it concerned almost exclusively Polish horses, hence the postulate not to recognize these pedigrees for Polish breeding was very dangerous.

An unfavorable stance towards Polish breeding was presented despite the participation of Polish horses in western, and in particular, American breeding. Apart from numerous exports, incorporated into breeding (but illegally) were: the son of Ofir, Witeź II, the stallion Lotnik, as well as Iwonka III and Wierna with her offspring, the two-year-old Werra and year-old Wierka, taken to the United States in 1945 by the US Army. Perhaps the fact of looting the mentioned horses was also the reason for the fear of recognizing the Polish stud book, and thus the strengthening of Polish claims to these horses, as the Polish government issued an (ineffective) protest against their looting. Although the pedigrees of the above-mentioned horses can be traced to d.b. horses, but in the pedigree of the highly valued Skowronek, we have the dam line of the mare Iliniecka 1815, bred in Sławuta. It is difficult to find a sire with an older, more proven pedigree than the one presented by Skowronek, and therefore also his offspring, because it is Polish Arabian horses that have the deepest pedigrees in the world, although it is often impossible to prove the origin of the d.b. Many registers and studbooks were lost during the wars that passed through Poland in the 19th and 20th centuries, but it was their use that also influenced the fact that Polish horses represent the purest type of Arabian horse and display a reliable power of inheriting the characteristics of their breed. An additional argument was the influence that Polish Arabian horses had on world breeding through stallions exported to other countries, apart from Skowronek and Witeż II – Ursus, Van Dyck, Wyrwidąb or Towarzysz Pancerny, and then Bask.

WAHO — the definition of a purebred Arabian horse

For the second conference, which took place in August 1970 in London, the Polish delegation prepared and equipped itself with the substantive foundations and arguments regarding the purity of Polish Arabian pedigrees developed by prof. Witold Pruski.

The conference was attended by a Polish delegation composed of: K. Molendowa (PASB editor), A. Krzyształowicz and Z. Brylski. As before, Polish arguments were actively supported by Stefan Zamoyski, acting on behalf of the organizer. The result of the conference was the establishment of an international organization under the name of the World Arabian Horse Organization (WAHO). The eight-person Temporary Committee was composed of a representative of Poland, director of Janów Podlaski Stud, Andrzej Krzyształowicz, who then served for many years as a member of the WAHO Executive Committee. The international rules for keeping stud books as well as the rules for the identification and entry of horses in the books were established during several successive meetings of the WAHO Executive Committee. International regulations have been developed gradually, introducing the obligation to mark horses’ blood types and carrying out detailed checks of the studbooks in individual countries. After all the conditions were met, the studbooks were recognized in subsequent countries. Most of the Polish postulates regarding the recognition of Polish dam lines were soon fulfilled.

Today, Poles are members of the international governing bodies of Arabian horse breeders WAHO and ECAHO, but unlike their great predecessors, they do not represent the country of which they are citizens and owe their international careers. There is little evidence that they work for Polish breeding, but much that they work exclusively for themselves.

Currently, an Arabian horse is a horse entered in a stud book recognized by the World Arabian Horse Organization. The Arabian horse population was closed under these books. This means that a country that does not have its own stud book may establish it, but may only enter horses entered in the stud book already recognized by WAHO. The right to enter, of course, applies to the formal side. The entry itself does not decide what an Arabian horse should look like. WAHO defines the Arabian horse standard as a certain Arabian ideal that breeders strive for.

The breeders who shape this breed will decide what the Arabian horses of the 21st century will look like. Currently, it is difficult to say whether the Arabian breed will manage to maintain its most valuable breeding traits, i.e. stamina and beauty, and especially the balance between these traits that is not easy to maintain. What we have been observing in the last 20 years in world breeding does not fill us with optimism. The divergence of the Arabian horse type into the show (decorative) and racing (mini Thoroughbred) horse is not conducive to the breed’s development. Bi-direction in breeding is contrary to the Polish breeding program. Polish breeding, as the only one, has developed a model of a harmonious combination of beauty and stamina, which is supported by the stamina trials conducted continuously since 1926 on the racetrack. Maintaining the balance between beauty and stamina is the only chance for Polish Arabian horses to maintain their identity and high quality developed over generations. If Polish breeding deviates from its own breeding program – it will be left with nothing.

* W. Pruski “Dwa wieki polskiej hodowli koni arabskich (1778-1978) i jej sukcesy na świecie“

Sources:

W. Pruski “Dwa wieki polskiej hodowli koni arabskich (1778-1978) i jej sukcesy na świecie“

H. Sztuka, M. Grzechnik “Kresowe dziedzictwo” polskiearaby.com (2019)

H. Sztuka “PASB — 90 lat” Tutto Arabi (09/2016)

PASB

“To tell the truth, Mr Count, in our country neither the eye has seen nor the ear has heard of such Arabian horses as I have now, all from the Desert itself.” *

It was with these words that Prince Eustachy Sanguszko described his desert acquisitions in a letter to Count Wacław Rzewuski dated January 1819. “(…) That they were from Desert, it is without a doubt and that was what made these horses superior at that time, when no one in Europe had yet thought about importing Arabian horses. Moszyński fulfilled his duty well (…) as Burski did earlier “*. The tradition of breeding Arabian horses in the Sanguszko family has been documented since the end of the 18th century. In fact, it was much older, as it was carefully cared for and continued, despite the numerous property divisions related to the inheritance of vast estates by successive generations of the Sanguszko family.

In Gumniska, which took their roots in Sławuta and which kept their own stud book from 1836, there were only 8 mares and 3 stallions left after World War I. The horses saved from the war in Gumniska did not satisfy Prince Roman Sanguszko. However, for the group of seven mares shown at the General National Exhibition in 1929, he received the highest award. In the 1930s, the 29-year-old prince Roman Władysław Sanguszko (1901–1984), in whom, largely under the influence of Bogdan Ziętarski, the ambitions of continuing family traditions in breeding Arabian horses were awakened, decided to raise the level of breeding horses in Gumniska. He organized an expedition to obtain breeding material in the Middle East. The decision to send an expedition to Arabia, as it turned out, was to be of epochal importance for Polish breeding. He entrusted the mission to an outstanding expert, endowed with extraordinary talent and intuition – Bogdan Ziętarski. It was not the first time that the Sanguszko family brought desert horses. Witold Pruski reports that during the years 1804-1917 73 stallions and 9 mares were imported to Sławuta from the East. Ziętarski’s trip was the last European expedition to obtain Arabian horses in the Nejd desert before the Second World War. The destruction caused by the war as well as the collapse of the colonial system on one hand, and then as a result of the increase in oil production in that region, inevitable industrialization of local communities, caused the collapse of Bedouin breeding, which disappeared with their world. In Poland, the world of borderland studs also ceased to exist with the end of the war. Today, both Arab and Polish breeders, with the growing awareness of what breeding is, have started to perceive it and protect it as their own cultural heritage.

Ziętarski wrote the following about his companion during the expedition, Carl Raswan: “(…) an excellent connoisseur of Arabian horses, who spent many years in Syria and Iraq. He had extensive relations with the Bedouin tribes and knew Arabic“* which was extremely important to the success of the entire expedition. At the request of the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture, the expedition of Ziętarski and Raswan was to purchase an Arabian stallion for the State Stud in Babolna. Carl Raswan and Bogdan Ziętarski met in Babolna, which is located halfway from Budapest to Bratislava. It was from Babolna, on November 20, 1930, that they set off to the East. The expedition led through Constantinople – Alexandria – Cairo – Beirut – Tripoli-Damascus – Baghdad – Bahrain – Nejd. The return was planned through Baghdad – Damascus – Beirut – Istanbul – Constanta and then by train to Gumniska. **

The first stage led via Alexandria to Cairo, then via Tripoli, Homs, Hama and Damascus, to Baghdad. During this time the travellers saw hundreds of horses – even 1,250 in Egypt, but unfortunately did not find anything of value. Only the Saklavi herd of Prince Mohamed Ali in Egypt delighted Ziętarski so much that he wrote: “(…) I realized then that Juliusz Kossak did not exaggerate in his portraits of horses from the East and that such Arabian horses could once be purchased in Arabia, if even today I see them with my own eyes.” **

Bahrain was the next stage of the journey. Ziętarski and Raswan knew about the horses of the ruler of the island, Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, that the herd was extremely valuable, that the horses were “asil” and “(…) kept in Kuhailan purity, maintained within several lines, and that jewels can be found in it but you have be wise to buy them well **.” When Ziętarski managed to get to Sheikh and see his stud, which was not easy at all, he finally saw the horses he was looking for and for which he had travelled thousands of kilometres. “Forty-three mares are beautiful and noble creatures. I am delighted by an 18-year-old dark bay mare by Kuhailan Krusch, out of the dam Kuhailat Afas. She is built like an ideal horse, deep, on low legs, long, well coupled, with magnificent withers, a noble rather long neck, and a dry head, eminently Arabian, with large eyes and thin-skinned muzzle, maybe a little soft pasterns. Her hind legs are impeccable, she is the most beautiful mare in the herd, the sheikh’s favourite.“** Fascinated by the beautiful Kuhailat Afas, Ziętarski made an attempt to buy her, but the Sheikh respectfully but firmly refused. Ziętarski knew earlier that the Sheikh never sells horses, but that he sometimes gives them as a gift to his loyal subjects. Following in this direction, the travellers went to the neighbouring island of Umman an Nasan to see the herd of the Sheikh’s brother and the stallion Kuhailan Wadhnan, whose offspring they had seen in Bahrain. Finally things moved on. Kuhailan Wadhnan is “ten years old, dark bay, on great legs, damaged by shackles and bad shoeing. The head is large, but it has all the features of noble origin. Well coupled, excellent set tail.“** After returning to Bahrain, Ziętarski learned that the Sheikh had recently gifted four Kuhailan Wadhnan foals to his secretary and thus found a yearling out of Kuhailat Afas, which he bought from the sheikh’s secretary after long negotiations. The dark bay son of Kuhailan Wadhnan and the mare Kuhailat Afas was, according to the Bedouin custom, named after his mother Kuhailan Afas.

From Bahrain, the expedition went deep into the Arabian Peninsula, to the town of Jauf. The journey through the desert was very difficult, mainly due to the extreme heat during the day and frosty nights, the difference in temperature was difficult to bear. However, after a long journey, the expedition managed to reach the encampment of the Grand Rouallah Tribute. It was there that Ziętarski bought the stallion Kuhailan Haifi, considered to be the best desert Arabian ever imported to Poland! Ziętarski described the circumstances of this unusual transaction as follows: “(…) I finally hear a neigh, the stallions are being led, I shudder, is it really good, or again a disappointment and a futile waste of time (…). They lead the bay (…). My legs buckled under me, and this is the horse I am looking for, small, dry, with perfect legs, not a sign of a cow’s leg posture. Long neck, noble head, though not too small, nostrils distended, excellent setting of the tail. For the first time in my life, when buying a horse, I had the feeling that I was fainting. Meanwhile, a lot of thoughts were going through my head. Will he be willing to sell. Will it be possible to deliver the horse 800 km to Damascus if sold (…)? I make my way to approach the bay stallion once more, which I manage to do only before noon. However, the first impression was accurate. The horse is completely good. Late at night the stallion was bought and its delivery discussed. We spend the night and after paying the price at dawn, we leave.“**

Another stallion purchased by Ziętarski on his way back to Damascus was Kuhailan Zaid for Babolna and the yearling Kuhailan Ajouz, found among the Would’ali Bedouins, who later gave the stallion Wezyr 1936***, sold to Babolna.

The expedition lasting more than half a year, despite the ever-increasing difficulties and worries, undoubtedly brought wonderful results. Apart from the most valuable in this group bay Kuhailan Haifi d.b. 1923 (abbreviation of “desert-bred”) and the dark bay Kuhailan Afas d.b. 1930, the chestnut Kuhailan Ajouz d.b. 1930 and the mare Szeikha, Ziętarski and Raswan brought the stallion Kuhailan Kruszan d.b. to Gumniska. 1927 (chestnut) and three chestnut mares: Hadba Inzihi d.b. 1930, Rabda Khuszaiba d.b. 1927 and Hamdani Semrie d.b. 1930; and additionally the bay stallion Kuhailan Zaid d.b. (1923 or 1925) to Babolna. This is what Ziętarski wrote on April 1, 1931 in a letter to Roman Sanguszko: “In my life I would not like to do something similar to this. One thought that sustains me is that now Gumniska will be the best herd in the world.“**

From Ziętarski’s memoirs and maps drawn during the journey, which he sent to Roman Sanguszko on a regular basis, it appears that the travelers traveled about 12,000 km, struggling with malaria, hunger, car breakdowns, financial problems and the weather. In April, Ziętarski was relieved to leave the Middle East. In a letter of April 30, 1931, from the deck of the Lloyd Triestino company’s “Abazia”, departing from Istanbul to Constanta, Ziętarski wrote to Prince Sanguszko: “(…) I say goodbye to the East from the deck, with a strong determination not to return this way again.“****

According to Ziętarski’s memoirs, he arrived in Gumniska on May 12. In private letters, he complained that no one was waiting for him. He also had huge problems with the reimbursement of costs incurred for transporting horses to Gumniska.

The result of this exhausting journey, great hardships and many costs, was the purchase of three mares and five stallions, of which Kuhailan Afas and Kuhailan Haifi, purchased for Gumniska, and Kuhailan Zaid to Babolna, played a fundamental role in Polish and world breeding in the last ninety years. This last, before the Second World War, import of original Arabians from the desert “(…) despite the fact that the last war did not allow to witness the full results, because the material, apart from a small number of youngsters, was lost, the value of the original blood, which has stayed in the pedigrees of our horses by means of imported stallions, has rendered invaluable services for our purebred breeding” (Z. Rozwadowski). Indeed, thanks to only a few stallions that survived the war cataclysms, Polish and world breeding gained priceless sire lines, which are continued to this day. Some of the horses imported by Bogdan Ziętarski’s expedition were seen by the then Director of Horse Breeding of the Ministry of Agriculture, Jan Grabowski. This is how he described them “(…) then comes out a metallic chestnut, an import from Arabia – Kuhailan Kruszan. Kruszan is smaller and much lighter than Nedjari, but has something that is hard to put in words, something that grabs you at first sight. Every feature shows refinement, as if an extract of nobility, showing breeding from a period of over 1,400 years with the religious fanaticism of the Prophet’s cultivated commandments behind it… Brought to us in trot, he looks at us with an eye of a gazelle and under his skin there is a network of veins vibrating with nerve and strength (…)“. Kuhailan Haifi was “(…) a horse completely different from its predecessors (Nedjari and Kuhailan Kruszan), a distinct brown colour, small, but what a conformation – deep, on a beautiful dry leg and perfectly short tibia. A topline so good that it couldn’t be better, an arched neck and a head so beautiful that could serve as a model for Kossak himself. The forehead is wide, the eye is large, expressive, delicate nostrils, jaws set wide apart and precisely defined. He stands restless, until he trembles with the will to move, and when trotted, he moves wonderfully. But he is not fond of this movement, and by digging with his foot, he shows the desire to discharge his energy. (…) At my request – let loose in a spacious manege – he flows like a swan with strange majesty and ease, elastic, agile, bursting with life and strength. As I gaze at this horse, I gradually realize that the Arabian from the continent – as a product of culture – is different and must be different. Kuhailan Haifi makes such a strong impression that it is difficult to tear yourself away from him, so I must say here that despite the various stories I have read about Arabian imports, I never thought that such a stallion could be found in the Arabian steppes and acquired (…) Summing up the general impressions made by the imports, it must first of all be emphasized that they are serious, somewhat melancholic horses, not reminiscent of the moving, throbbing cockerels. They carry their tails beautifully and far apart, never lifting them up high, the hair of the mane and tail quite lush, but the hair is silky. A common feature of all imports is extreme dryness. Under the thin skin, muscles as clear as if they were chiselled. Looking at these horses, my thoughts went over a whole significant chain of factors that made it possible to obtain them and bring them to Poland. From the desert – to Gumniska!”*****

Bogdan Ziętarski realized how difficult it would be to find good horses in the future. The world of nomadic Bedouins ended with the inevitable industrialization of the Middle East. This is how he summarized his journey in a book describing the expedition entitled “In the Tents of the Bedouins”: “Today, when I think about what I saw in the Arabian steppes, I can confidently say that my firm belief is that a Bedouin horse in terms of health, endurance and structure ( depth, short legs and ribs) is superior to all other breeds in the world. Unfortunately, I left under the impression that this breeding is ending abruptly (…) Bedouins are settling down, and for a sedentary way of life the camel, sheep and donkey are of much greater practical value than a purebred horse. They already cover a relatively small number of mares, and if 80-90% of foals born in the first year die, it is easy to understand that soon in the Arabian steppes a horse will be more rare than a car.”**

However, Ziętarski hoped that the best type of Arabian horse would be preserved thanks to imports, proper breeding “in pure lines” and by racing selection: “In the near future, perhaps Arabian breeders will have to look for horses that I was looking for not in the East, but in Poland.“**** These words of Bogdan Ziętarski turned out to be prophetic. Over the next 90 years, it was Poland that became the second homeland of the Kuhailans.

* Roman Sanguszko, Stadnina Książąt Sanguszków, 1933, source: PCBJ
** Bogdan Ziętarski; Pod namiotami Beduinów (Under the Tents of Bedouins).
*** Izabella Pawelec-Zawadzka, Roman Pankiewicz, Konie z wysp koralowych, Koń Polski 8/98 dodatek specjalny Araby w Polsce.
****Monika Luft, Camels’ milk for the stallion, armored vests for the Bedouins, polskiearaby.com 2011.
*****Jan Grabowski, Hodowca i Jeździec 8/1933 (quotes: Roman Pankiewicz Kurier Arabski 19/20/1998).

Roman Sanguszko got to France via Hungary in 1939, and after a period of wandering, he settled in Sao Paulo, Brazil. In 1945 the stud in Gumniska came to an end, which was run by Bogdan Ziętarski during the occupation until 1944. The horses were lost during the evacuation near Nowy Tomyśl; they most likely fell into the hands of the Soviet army. Some of the youngsters were left in Racot. Among the youngsters who survived in Racot was the granddaughter of Kuhailan Zaid d.b., born in 1943, Forta, who established an extremely valuable line in post-war breeding, thus continuing the Słąwuta dam line of Ukrainka 1815. In 2019 the filly Florissima, a direct descendant of Forta, became Polish National Champion Mare.

Roman Sanguszko never visited Poland again, but at the end of the 1970s he handed over, through the Polish consulate in Brazil, microfilms with photos of the saved Sławuta stud book as a gift for Polish breeding. Unfortunately, they are not available at the moment, as they were privatized together with the archive of Izabella Pawelec-Zawadzka.

After the war, Bogdan Ziętarski worked as the manager of a foal house of draught horses in the Milicz State Farm. Probably the fact that his vast experience and knowledge were never used in the new system was due to his previous work with Prince Sanguszko. As Pankiewicz recalls, Ziętarski lived in extremely primitive conditions. He had a small room with an outhouse at his disposal, and he had to go to the barn for water. His merits were forgotten. There is a relay about how large amounts of books and documents were burned in the yard after his death. Perhaps these were the remains of breeding archives. “History lifts some people up, while others are covered with ashes,” Pankiewicz said sadly. “He was covered with ashes, and he was an outstanding man.”***

Danubius Arabians, an 800-hectare expanse of Romanian forest and fields owned by Dr. Sorin Paul Stanescu is now home to the spectacular El Jahez WH (Jiuliusz De Wiec x Chili Pepper V, by Jullyen El Jamaal). While viewing livestream coverage of the 2019 Brazilian National Championships, the men recognized him as a stallion that would be a catalyst for the farm and propel them to the next level of accomplishment as breeders. He immediately set his sights on bringing El Jahez home to Danubius. 

A magnificent individual with a commanding presence, El Jahez has a tapestry of bloodlines that includes nearly every great American breeding horse of the last 50 years. It is a dynamic blend of the best of treasured Polish, Egyptian, and Brazilian lines. It is also an outcross for most contemporary pedigrees because it does not contain the Padron/Al Shaqab lines that frequently appear in modern Arabians. Bred in the United States by Fred and Mary Widman at their Widman Hill Arabians, El Jahez is a rare example in today’s breeding, boasting a tail male line to the immortal Bask through Negatraz, Monogramm, and the Polish-bred Debowiec.

Debowiec’s dam, Debowka, was by Eternit, himself a son of Bandos (Negatiw x Bandola) and the ethereal Etna (Faher x Elzunia), an exquisitely refined and typey product of Janow Podlaski breeding and the founder of a superior dam line. Credit is due to the Widman’s, who chose to breed their prized mare, the Varian-bred Chili Pepper V, to Jiuliusz De Wiec to get El Jahez. Chili Pepper’s sire is a full brother to the dam of Jiuliusz De Wiec, both being by Ali Jamaal and out of Jullye El Ludjin (Ludjin El Jamaal x NV Justa Dream, by Bey Shah). Chili Pepper’s dam is linebred to Bay El Bey through Bey Shah and Huckleberry Bey, with a female line steeped in Crabbet and Kellogg breeding. It is a pedigree packed with beauty and motion.

El Jahez was exported to Brazil as a yearling after being noticed in Scottsdale by legendary Brazilian breeder, Lenita Perroy. He had an abundance of type, and the long, elegant neck and fluid motion that Perroy valued for her breeding program. It was a fantastic find that brought the story of El Jahez full circle; Perroy had bred the colt’s sire, Jiuliusz De Wiec, at her Haras Meia Lua, then sold him to America as a yearling. In a remarkable coincidence, she was also the breeder of El Jahez’s maternal grandsire, Julleyn El Jamaal. Her influence is seen all across the pedigree of this stunning stallion.

Lenita Perroy showed a dedicated breeder’s discerning eye in selecting El Jahez, recognizing the traits and qualities in him, which she had been promoting for years. She was responsible for importing Debowiec from Poland to Brazil in the first place, purchasing him at the Pride of Poland auction. A mixture of masculine power and classic type, Debowiec was shown to the title of Brazilian National Champion Stallion. Years later, his son, El Jahez, would follow suit. Following his importation, El Jahez was named the 2011 Brazilian National Champion Junior Colt.

For the next few years, El Jahez stayed busy in the breeding shed where he sired 47 Brazilian foals, of which 12 were colts and 36 were fillies. He did an excellent job with the many Haras Meia Lua Ali Jamaal daughters but really clicked with Elle Dorada (Enzo x El Dorada, by Sanadik El Shaklan), who was bred by Manny Vierra at his Valley Oaks Arabians in California. Indeed, it was a golden cross. El Jahez and Elle Dorada produced a dozen full siblings, including triple-United States Reserve National Champion, Elzunya Meia Lua.

From a rich class of 23 competitive females, Elzunya was named the 2015 U.S. Reserve National Champion Yearling Filly, then added U.S. Reserve National Champion Two-Year-Old and U.S. Reserve National Champion Junior Mare titles in 2016. Not only did she prove herself in the show ring, but Elzunya has also established herself as a valuable broodmare. Her son by Na-Mous Al Shahania, Nabhaan Al Shahania, was the unanimous Scottsdale Junior Champion Colt in 2019. She is also the dam of the striking Alizandros (by EKS Alihandro), the East Coast Champion Stallion as a yearling in 2019 and the Region 15 Champion 2-Year-Old Colt in 2020.

Elle Dorada also had two daughters that have been excellent crosses for El Jahez. Interestingly, they bring no additional lines to the pedigree because they were the result of inbreeding Elle Dorada to her own sire, Enzo. Elluzya Meia Lua is the mother of the promising Ellusive Meia Lua, while her full sister, Ezeyda Meia Lua, is dam to Austrian breeders La Movida Arabians’ emerging stallion, Eifell Meia Lua. Sadly, they are among the last few crops of foals produced at Haras Meia Lua. In early 2018, the Arabian world lost Lenita Perroy, and the estate dispersed the horses.

A savvy consortium of breeders made up of Haras FT, Haras Panorama, Haras Serondella, and Wolf Arabians took the opportunity to band together to purchase El Jahez. It was under their ownership that El Jahez WH returned to show ring at the 2019 Brazilian National Championships. His coat now a gleaming white, the stallion is the model of a classic Arabian horse. His refinement has deepened with age, and his power and charisma have grown exponentially. His presence is so palpable, it transmitted across the airways to faraway Romania.

The senior stallion class was scored by a sterling panel of international judges, who wasted no time awarding El Jahez his second Brazilian National Champion title. Judge Koenraad Detailleur had only seen the horse in photos prior to that day and wasn’t prepared for his own reaction when he saw him in the flesh. “He overwhelmed me in the extreme,” Detailleur enthuses. “Standing in front of him in the championship gave me goosebumps. He is a horse well in balance, with an extreme lay of shoulder and an amazing neck. We can use a stallion of his quality in Europe to breed to the very typey mares to improve their bodies’ stretch and length of neck. He is a great horse!” International judge Willie Brown of EKS Arabians in South Africa was in the audience. “El Jahez made quite an impression,” says the man responsible for breeding World Champion EKS Alihandro. “I look forward to seeing the impact he will have in Europe.”

Noted trainer Tom Oben was also a spectator at the show and was no less taken by El Jahez from his seat in the stands and upon closer inspection in the barn aisle. “It is not often that you come across a horse that leaves you with that “special feeling,” Oben states. “Without a doubt, that is what happened when I saw El Jahez in Brazil. His look and expression captured me the moment he stepped out of the stable, beautiful and powerful! His style, elegance, stretch, athleticism, and presence are hard to find nowadays. I truly believe that El Jahez will be a game-changer in the breeding industry, and I am looking forward to witnessing his impact on the breed.”

Karl-Heinz Stoeckle, of Osterhof Stud, is another horseman who recognized El Jahez as a new opportunity for European breeders. “He appears to be a very different stallion from what we have available in Europe today,” he states. “His neck and shoulder look spectacular, it’s certainly what needs improvement in our horses. And with his interesting pedigree with Bey Shah, Ruminaja Ali, and Monogramm inside, he is a stallion I am planning to use on some of my mares.”

Back in Romania, Dr. Stanescu was truly impressed by El Jahez WH. He knew that this was the right stallion for Danubius Arabians. And so, a deal was struck, and arrangements were made with Randi Moreau-Sipiere of Centurion Stud and Export Service to transport him to Europe to take his place as the head sire at Danubius. “As soon as El Jahez stepped off the van, his presence was undeniable,” Moreau-Sipiere enthuses. “He is the total package—beauty, correctness, size, motion.  And oh… that neck and those eyes!! He is very tuned in to his people and I was honored to be a part of his journey to his fantastic new home. I can’t wait to see the success he will have as his next chapter unfolds.”

James Swaenepoel remembers the anticipation he felt when he imported a significant stallion to Europe from the USA. “We knew Psytadel was a horse who would improve the breed and bring it to a better level,” he recalls. “Danubius Arabians probably has a similar feeling bringing El Jahez WH here. We love to see bloodlines other than Psytadel (Padron) and Marwan Al Shaqab. It makes our breeding choices more interesting and exciting. His neck is unreal, and we would love to use him in our program.” With his unique outcross pedigree and near-perfect phenotype, El Jahez will be in hot demand by European breeders. And, hopefully, he will grace the European show rings in the not-too-distant future. In the meantime, El Jahez will be creating the next tier of his legacy with the foals he will produce from the mares of Danubius Arabians. El Jahez is finally home.