ARTICLES
Who deprived Polish state studs of the best stallions and mares?
author: Krystyna Chmiel 
Eliksja
Faustyna (EMIGRANT x FELICJANA) Mare, Grey, 2004
The restored to favor monopolists of state-owned Arabian horse breeding declare unanimously, that during their absence the state studs became „devastated”. How could it happen? Well, in their opinion the Law and Justice (PiS) nominees simply cleaned off the broodmares` bands from the most valuable sires and dams. Was it for sure? Let`s better have a look, how did that „cleaning off” look like during their administration and later, when they began to refit the Polish breeding.
In the Table 1. collected were the mares sold at the auctions „Pride of Poland) in the years 2001-2015 (according to the supporters of breeding managers fired in 2016 – it was the „golden era” for Polish breeding) from the studs at Janów Podlaski and Michałów without leaving direct successors (i.e. daughters) put to stud. There were found 74 such mares (43 from Janów, 31 from Michałów) representing 12 damlines.
Table 1. Mares sold from Janów Podlaski and Michałów studs at the Pride of Poland Auctions in the years 2001-2015 without leaving successors in Polish breeding
Of course, such a numerous group surely contained mares, which the Polish breeding could do without – i.e. a breeding surplus. Nevertheless, one can easily notice some regularities.
The mares were mostly young, or even very young – sometimes two- or three-year-olds. That`s why one shouldn`t blame them for failing in breeding. They weren`t given a chance to prove their value. They were destined for sale, before they could produce any offspring. In breeding practice that is a normal procedure in a case of completely inept individuals, so-called „breeding destructs”.
Pieta (GAZAL AL SHAQAB x PILAR), 2003
If so, what to say about, for example, Pinta 2003 (Gazal Al. Shaqab – Pilar), a full sister to the „Platinum Champion” Pinga? She was sold in 2007- paid by Shirley Watts, who surely was a great expert in horses and would never waste such a big sum of money for a worthless mare. The same was true for the half sister of Pinga, Pinta 2005 (by Ekstern), the Junior Reserve Champion Mare of Poland. Mrs. Watts successively purchased for her „collection of gems” also such mares, as Baja 1996 (Pamir – Bajeczka, a full sister to the Derby-winner and Champion of Poland Batyskaf), for the record price of 2001 auction or tiny, refined Ekspulsja 2004 (Gazal Al Shaqab – Elandra). If they were worth such a big money for this lady, known as an enthusiast of Polish Arabians – before the decision of putting for sale, they should be bred for several times, in order to be tested as broodmares? Still the „unique experts” (the fired directors) in their report accused the PiS nominees for selling horses, who should never leave Poland because of shortage of their offspring in Polish breeding!
Ekspulsja (GAZAL AL SHAQAB x ELANDRA), 2004
Ekspulsja (enough beautiful to win the Bronze Championship of Europe in 2017, despite her small size – in Arabians, however, the height in withers doesn`t play so important role, as in sports horses) needs some more explanations. One can`t define her as being sold without produce, because she was put to stud at Michałów and gave birth to three foals. First born were two colts (gelded soon), when a third progeny was the filly Eliksja, grey 2013, by Esparto (the best son of Ekstern). The breeders gave up on her too early – when she was at the stage of an „ugly duckling”. She was sold as a 2-y.o. to Slovenia, at the Janów Autumn Auction 2015, whereas such „breeding geniuses” should know, that Arabian horses, especially Pure Polish ones, are late maturing and need more time for their full development.
Amba (Eukaliptus x Albigowa), 2001 Grey Mare
At Vineyard Arabians Stud in Slovenia Eliksja became a star. In 2017 she won the Gold Championship of Senior Mares at Nordic Open and Spa Int. (including the special prize for The Best Movement). For the time being she gave birth to one colt by El Nabila B and three fillies by Albedo, brown, 2006 (Piaff – Albigowa), sold from Poland, because the Staff sticked him a label of „hard to handle” (by the way, I know directly from the owner, Mrs. Tamara Vrancić, that he has never created any problems in handling).This year, on Sept. 7-9th, in Prestranek (Slovenia) held was a show named „ The Arabian Horse week-end”. Eliksja won the Gold Medal in Senior Mares and the title of „Best In Show”. It means, that Polish breeding lost another treasure. Sold was a two-year-old filly, a daughter of the late Esparto, whose offspring was left in Poland in a limited numer. She wasn`t given a chance to prove her breeding value. So who sold out the best mares and stallions, who devastated the Polish breeding?
Granada (Monogramm x Grenlandia) 1996
The record-setting mares of auctions in 2013 and 2014, El Saghira 2007 (Galba – Emira), the World Top Ten Mare for 2012; and Piacolla 2012 (Enzo – Polonica), the Junior Champion Mare of Europe 2014, were bought by Arab countries for – respectively – 500 000 and 305 000 EUR. They didn`t leave behind successors in their mother stud, either. Piacolla was sold as a 2-year-old – was she estimated as „unpromising”?
One could say, that so unique experts might have their own reasons to act like that… Maybe they had, but did it empower t hem to accuse for the same „crime” the stud management active in the years 2016-2023? Within those years fans of the fired directors were mercilessly condemning every action of PiS nominees, including selling of Ekstern daughters. Nevertheless, nobody protestet, when the „unique experts” in the discussed period put for sale 5 valuable daughters of that epoch-making producer. The present paper doesn`t embrace stallions, but now in Poland his sons are hard to find!
Piacenza (QR Marc x Primawera), 2009
One could expect, that after their triumphal come-back the „Great Three” doesn`t repeat actions, for what they so fiercely criticized their predecessors. Just the opposite! During the auctions Pride of Poland and Summer Sale they made the same mistakes. On the sales lists put were the mares, who should never be entered there because of lack of their get put to stud, as well as the prices were inadequate to the horses` value, even including representatives of unique damlines and families. Perhaps those two gentlemen and one lady really believed, that they are specially privileged?
Eliksja