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| ASA Farm breeds for the FUTURE of the Arabian breed! |
ASA Farm breeds for the FUTURE of the Arabian breed!
In a true commitment to the future of the Arabian breed, ASA Farm is breeding horses for the future from horses of the past. They focus on historical, pure Polish bloodlines, like in the days of when Poland used to breed for “themselves” and not the international market like they do today. Just like a gourmet meal, it would be a disaster for a chef to have all of his ingredients blended together before he cooked the meal, the same is true for a breeder of horses: if the bloodlines are not separate, it is very difficult to change the outcome! If a chef had flour, water, shortening and sugar, and if he or she could not manipulate the amounts of the ingredients, the chef could not make a pie crust and bread, very different items; the same holds true for a horse breeder focused on producing a foal which “fits their ideal or picture” of the ideal Arabian.
That does NOT mean that ASA Farm doesn’t have some stunningly beautiful horses! ASA Farm has horses that can be competitive in today’s halter world, and receive some of the highest scores for conformation possible. Just recently, their senior stallion, Bonne Vivant +++//, won the prestigious title of Scottsdale Champion in hand, with the highest score in the history of sport horses at Scottsdale (ten years). At that same show, in February of 2011, Bonne Vivant+++// also won Scottsdale Champion First Level Dressage, Scottsdale Champion High Score First Level Dressage, and Scottsdale Reserve Champion High Score Second Level Dressage. Now showing successfully in Third Level Dressage with Lindsey Anderson O’Keefe, the youngest person ever to attain the status of a USDF Gold Medalist, Bonne Vivant+++//, recently was in the ribbons in every class at a very prestigious OPEN Dressage show on the west coast, competing against Olympians and their mounts! This is a tough order for an Arabian!
Bonne Vivant+++// recently won FOUR NATIONAL TROPHIES and a Top Ten in Canada. He won both in hand AND under saddle. THAT is the mark of a true, quality Arabian: one who can win at being pretty and well-conformed, and then win under saddle, proving himself worthy of being a stallion.
Some examples of the recent horses that ASA Farm has bred: direct pure Polish offspring of three-time National Champion Park horse, MHR Nobility, out of a daughter of National Champion Promotion, who was by National Champion Park and Halter Stallion, *Bask++ and out of National Champion Park Horse, *Prowizja (quite a feat for a MARE!). *Prowizja, also was the DAM of FOUR National Champions in Park and Formal Driving, Promotion, Pro-Fire, Ibn Prowizja and Cometego. ASA Farm also has three daughter of six-time National Champion Park Horse, Allience+// (by National Champion *Aladdinn, and out of A Love Song, who was also the dam of National Champion, A Temptation). They also have bred Bonne Vivant+++/ sons and daughter out of some of the best Polish performance bloodlines in the world, and even offspring of one of the youngest still-producing pure Polish *Bask++ sons in the world!
ASA Farm’s broodmares have consisted of daughters of *Negotka (dam of Negatraz), *Amfibia (dam of Ariston), Negatraz, Gdansk+, Cognac (out of a Celebes daughter tail-female to Balaljka, *Bask++’s dam), *El Ghazi (out of a Celebes daughter tail-female to 25 Kemir), Promotion, Gwasz El Ajzaa, Wisdom, *Sambor++, Kadence (the *Bask++ son) and Monogramm.
They have exported horses and dogs to Italy, Belgium, Spain, Russia, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.
ASA Farm is a “boutique” operation and has the passion and the knowledge to mentor both new and established Arabian breeders. Having bred pure Polish horses since 1983 and Arabians in general since 1972, owner, Cheryl Showah, also has an undergraduate degree from California Polytechnic University at Pomona, California (also known as Cal-Poly) in Agricultural Business Management/Equine Science, and then an MBA from the Lubin Graduate School of Business in New York City, she is well-qualified to offer advice and help in terms of running a successful Arabian business. She has also been a consultant to several very successful farms. Most of the horses bred by ASA Farm are used in breeding programs around the globe due to the extremely high caliber of the mares used to produce their foals, as well as utilizing top bloodlines in the sires that they breed their select mare herd to. |
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| WHAT IS DRESSAGE? |
WHAT IS DRESSAGE?
Dressage is a classical method of training horses, based upon the
horse’s natural responses, as carried out in a gradual, planned
program during which the horse’s athletic abilities are improved in a
systematic manner. As a result, the horse becomes capable,
comfortable, and responsive in partnership with the rider without the
use of force.
Dressage competition at various levels of achievement is the ultimate
test of the training program to determine whether the desired
harmony between horse and rider has been achieved.
The rules pertaining to dressage competition prohibit the use of
artificial appliances, training aids, and drugs, which would force the
horse to submit. Instead, the emphasis is upon training and a
cooperative partnership with the rider.
Major competitions are carefully monitored to assure that there is no
unnecessary force or harshness displayed. Unlike other horse sports
in which horses enter training at a relatively immature state,
dressage training is usually not seriously begun until the horse is
three or four. The top levels of achievement require five or more
years of progressive training and it is not unusual to see horses in
international competition in their late teens. This, in itself, places a
premium on good care and soundness throughout the horse’s life.
While supporting the concept of animal welfare in its broadest form,
the United States Dressage Federation, Inc., also recognizes that it is
unrealistic to ascribe human emotions and responses to the horse
which in its wild state is a creature of flight, living a hard and
precarious existence. Under domestication, the horse is assured of
ample food, water, and shelter, as well as protection against
infectious diseases and damaging parasites, thus leading a longer
and healthier life with a high rate of survival.
As an educational organization, USDF has numerous programs,
which teach people how to pursue the accepted, humane training
methods.
A program of certifying instructors also emphasizes protecting the
horse’s welfare in pursuit of dressage training.
Information provided by the United States Dressage Federation.
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| ASA FARM'S MISSION STATEMENT |
ASA FARM
"I didn't know those horses still existed..." Gene La Croix commented to Cheryl, while at Scottsdale a few weeks ago.
ASA Farm's mission is to preserve the rare, pure Polish bloodlines that have produced so many National Champions in Park, English Pleasure, and Pleasure Driving, and STILL have an enormous impact on the Arabians of today's winner's circle.
ASA Farm is TAKING A STEP BACKWARDS - IN ORDER TO STEP INTO THE FUTURE WITH OUR BREEDING PROGRAM.
Many people know our stallion, Bonne Vivant+++/, but we would like to introduce our elite herd of mares, and explain our breeding philosophy.
We have direct, pure Polish daughters of *El Ghazi, Promotion, Cognac, Monogramm, *Pepi PASB...
Here are some of our mares (for reference):
Zsa Zsa Ghazi (*El Ghazi x *Cewka by Celebes x Cerisola, to 25 Kemir, a rare line.)B M
Hot Toddye (Cognac x *Halda by Celebes x Harsza-Ego x Harfa - out of Arfa, *Bask++'s full sister) Gr M
Prosha AA (Promotion x BPL Osha by Gdansk+ x MHR Marada)Blk bay mare in foal to Allience+//
Poetry N Motionn (Promotion x Gitara TF - Traditio x Gitana PASB) Blk Bay Mare in foal to Allience+//
Extremly Noble (MHR Nobility x Emillia by *Pepi PASB x Giemza-Natl Res.Ch Driving)B M
in foal to Bonne Vivant+++/
Gitara TF (Traditio by Gdansk+ & Witez II, x Gitana PASB by Eskimos x Gilza)B M in foal to 31 year old Kadence by *Bask++
Emmocja (Monogramm x Zymienah - Diem-Negatiw x Dimatra, to El-Zabibe "E" line) Gr M
Emillia (on lease) (*Pepi PASB x Giemza-Natl Res. Ch Driving by Palas) English champion Gr M
Miss Nobility EA (on lease) (MHR Nobility x Amflisia-*Flis x *Amfibia) Ch mare
ASA G.I. Jane (Kadence by *Bask++ x Gitara TF by Traditio to Gilza) Ch filly
ASA (pending) (Kadence by *Bask++ x Gitara TF by Traditio to Gilza) Bay filly
ASA Harmonye (Allience+// x Hot Toddye by Cognac x *Halda)Gr filly
Sheila Varian once asked Cheryl, "Why would you want to breed pure Polish horses?" At that time, it wasn't easy to articulate, but over the last five years, I have defined ASA Farm's goal, our mission, my epitaph. Our mission is to preserve the bloodlines which produce the exciting, NATURAL Park horses, the high-stepping BALANCED English horses, and the beautiful cadenced driving horses.
Our horses have natural drive from behind. They have natural motion.
One Promotion son that we bred, Pro-Action, trotted 3 inches ABOVE level with racing plates and 3-1/2" toes. Our mission, our passion: horses with natural talent that can be bred "pure Polish" to preserve a SEPARATE gene pool which then allows us, as breeders, to make different RECIPES or FLAVORS of horses.
If you were a chef, could you make a lovely meal if all of your ingredients were put into a blender FIRST?
Thanks for reading and God bless.
Cheryl and Andre (he FINALLY caught Arabitis...)
PS PEDIGREES and some videos are available at www.asafarm.com
Unless we can use DIFFERENT INGREDIENTS, in DIFFERENT QUANTITIES as a breeder, we can NOT be as successful as a talented chef making a 5-star meal!
ASA Farm is committed to breeding the finest Pure Polish performance bloodlines that are available today, in order to preserve and protect the unique qualities of the magnificent Arabian horse and to maintain an individual that is genetically prepotent within a concentrated gene pool. We breed not only for performance horses that have Arabian beauty and type, but also can be used as "seed stock" for the production of future generations of beautiful athletes, providing our clients with National-calibre Arabians in the English pleasure, Pleasure driving, Park, and Sport Horse disciplines (including Dressage), with the beauty, structure, and conformation to also be successful in halter. ASA Farm provides the back-up support necessary to help maximize our clients' enjoyment and their horses' potential.
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| Breeding Decisions 101 by Cheryl Showah |
Breeding Decisions 101
~ How to make a breeding decision ~
by Cheryl Showah, Owner and breeder of National and International Champions in Arabian horses and Italian Greyhound dogs.
The first and most important part of making a breeding decision is to DEFINE YOUR GOALS: Are you breeding to produce a halter horse? A performance horse? A combination of the two?
After you define your goals, step two is to REFINE YOUR GOALS:
If you're breeding to produce a performance horse, is your goal to produce a western horse, trail horse, working western, barrel, reining or pleasure horse, an English pleasure horse, Park horse,
Dressage horse, Country horse, pleasure horse, or backyard pet?
At what level do you want to compete? Are you committed to producing a National Champion or a life-long buddy?
Or a horse to produce, and then hopefully sell to make a couple of bucks? Or are you in the breeding business and has this economy gotten you on edge enough to finally set your goals on paper?
Now comes the tough part. (And you thought horses were easy?)
Step three is to accurately EVALUATE YOUR BREEDING STOCK.
We have been breeding for over three decades, and we still hire people to come to our farm and evaluate our herd and our young stock. Then when we send them to outside trainers; we have a pretty good idea as to "what we have" ahead of time.
Ask yourself, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE on the mare or stallion that you have chosen to use? Is their show record marketable? Or just something that you are "doing for yourself" so marketability is not factoring into this equation. We actually have two parallel programs here at ASA Farm. We have a "Polish Preservation Program" in process, whereby we are "making replacements" for some very rare "pure Polish" (some people call it 'straight Polish') blood stock. We are actually taking a step backward with this program, as we feel that the foundation stock that created these horses have something to offer that the 'modern bloodlines' do not offer. So we are creating some replacements that happen to be young, to replace some of these thirty-year old horses' pedigrees. Almost everyone has heard of *Bask++. He changed the Arabian scene. He was a Polish imported Arabian stallion who was very different, upright, big trot, and a very consistent 'look' in terms of type (they call it the Kuhailan type). We just used a THIRTY ONE year old stallion, that is a direct son of *Bask++ and still siring foals. Our broodmare band is mostly older at this point in the game, and we have several fillies which are "coming of age" within the next several years, but more on them later.
The second part of our program involves marketing a name-brand stallion. His name is BONNE VIVANT +++/, and he is a multiple National Top Ten winner, USDF Horse of the Year for Regions 2 & 3, and have a dozen Regional Championships and Reserves. So we have been collecting mares to be bred to BV+++/, and also plan on breeding these "replacement fillies from our pure Polish Preservation Program" to BV+++/ in the near future,
The hard part about this business plan is that it will obviously take longer than if we just went out and bought some "run of the mill" Arabian horses and started breeding them. It took us many years to locate these older, rare-pedigreed mares. It then took some time to get their reproductive tracts "back in working order". And then we have to raise the fillies to be future replacements for their mothers.
If we didn't feel so strongly about the need to preserve these historic bloodlines in a pure form, we wouldn't be doing this, as it's three times harder than 'just breeding'. We are breeding with a very strong purpose in mind. We have certain female lines that we are trying to preserve while they are still available in a "pure form". The Thoroughbred people have "lost" many valuable sire lines and female lines over the years, and so have many other breeds.
If we fail to preserve these lines, we, as breeders, will lose the ability to create that "hybrid vigor" so necessary to make spectacular horses. We need the excellent foundation, the "cellar or basement of the house" so to speak, to make sure that the walls are built straight and true. When building a house, the foundation is costly. But a good one is imperative for the integrity of the structure. The integrity of a good structure in a horse is just as important.
Recently, when writing an article on Arabians in Dressage for the Arabian Horse World Magazine, I did research on the "other breeds" in Dressage, and found some interesting information. Many of the top Dressage horses trace "tail-male" to the Darley Arabian. All three top finishers at the WEG in KY, Ravel and Morelands Totilas, and Mistral Hojris trace to the Darley Arabian in their tail-male line. The Darley Arabian, along side with the Godolphin Barb and the Byerley Turk, and the three important founders of the Thoroughbred breed of horse.
Also, virtually all of the top Thoroughbred racing horses, including Seattle Slew, Bold Ruler, Nasrullah, Secretariat, Princequillo (Secretariat's mother's sire), Zenyatta, Rachel Alexandra, Native Dancer, Ruffian, Summer Bird, Funny Cide, (Seabisquit's tail-male line was the Byerley Turk) ... SHALL I CONTINUE?
WHAT IF THIS BLOODLINE WERE NO LONGER AVAILABLE?
Losing the ability to have diverse and SEPARATE gene pools from which to choose as a breeder, is like having all of the ingredients of a recipe put in a blender BEFORE the meal is prepared, so that you would have equal parts of protein, starch, spices, etc., and NO variation possible. Could you imagine the dilemma that a chef would face under these circumstances? What if you HAD to use as much cinammon as apples in your next pie? |
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| Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis |
EPM
I have personally had two horses affected with EPM.
Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis (EPM) is a disease primarily spread by the opossum; they carry the protozoa and most likely spread it in their droppings when horses eat off the ground, or graze on grass, or eat contaminated feedstuffs. This disease is called the 'great imitator' because it mimics a number of other neurological diseases. The 'simple explanation' is that the protozoa attach to the grey matter of the spinal column and can cause harm to the horse by causing a weakness to the affected area.
Some "in training" horses show a weakness in taking canter leads, or may even become stubborn transitioning into a canter. Other horses may stumble and fall down. Some progress quickly, and because this disease mimics many other neurological diseases, some vets fail to identify it quickly enough. Thankfully, my regular vet suggested that I call the vet who runs the local vet hospital, as he has had more experience with neurological diseases.
Horse owners need to be aware of these diseases so that we can advocate for our horses in the absence of a vet with experience in this arena. It is our responsibility to become educated on these matters if we are to own horses, and that is the value of these forums. I applaud you for seeking information before your purchase. You are the type of person that I want buying my horses, because I know that they will be properly cared for during their lifetime, and that they have the possibility to reach their potential.
Our most recent case, affecting one of our prized broodmares, happened just a few weeks ago.
She presented with what initially looked like colic, but when we went to walk her, she almost fell down, nose first! It then looked like some sort of neurological disorder. After two or three days on the medication, she started to show improvement. Now, she looks normal, but the protozoa might only be supressed at this time, and not completely killed off - - - just like taking an antibiotic when you are ill, the 'anti-protozoal' Rx may only suppress the bugs and not entirely kill them off.
We also had a stallion affected with EPM. He had trouble staying on the phantom when being collected, UNTIL he was treated. It NEVER affected his sperm count and he always had 100% conception ratio. He, to this day, has what my breeding vet calls "rocket fuel"! A half-dose of his frozen semen got a maiden mare in foal on the first try (she was our test mare, he was and still is shipping fresh-cooled semen with 100% conception ratio and fabulous 'swimmers'!)
Back in 2007 just a month or two after he had been treated and he 'seemed' to be fully recuperated, he was negatively affected by a long trip to and from a horse show, and looked 'unhappy' for quite a period of time, until we realized that he had a relapse.
(I as his owner/manager made the observation this time, and not the vet. You need to KNOW your horses, their mannerisms, habits, personality, what their poop looks like, etc.) We re-treated him, and re-tested him, and he was fine.
Now, some 3-1/2 years later, he is doing great, having been in 66 classes in 2010, both under saddle and in-hand this year alone, and has THREE National Top Tens, UNDER SADDLE, as well.
The "main" medication is by Bayer, and is called Marquis. It is very expensive, ranging from about $800. to $1,500. for four tubes of paste, depending upon where it is purchased. Some vets like to "double dose" in the beginning in severe cases. Our mare was severe as she nearly fell on her nose when we tried to walk her out of the stall. And she was clearly having issues with her sight and her personality changed for about two weeks, suddenly, also. She appeared to lose the sight in her good eye (she was blind in one eye from an old injury when I purchased her some years ago), and during what I believe was the "die off" phase of the protozoa remnants polluting her system, had a very negative reaction and was very nervous and upset. It was probably a combination reaction with the brain stem involvement coupled with the 'die-off' toxins. She had extreme reactions to small amounts of stimulus (That is called 'hyper aesthetic' in vet terminology). Since this disease can relapse, and most of the "good vets" are now understanding how to treat it, hopefully insuring that the protozoa are killed off.
(one of my vets likes to treat for at least a year),
For a while some of the symptoms mirrored other neurological illnesses and diseases, that is why they call EPM, 'the great imitator' and that is one reason why it frequently goes untreated... EPM does NOT have to ruin your horse. But it sometimes takes a strong-minded advocate, willing to go online and on the phone to do research "on the fly" in an emergency, and for follow-up care.
In a case of the purchase of a horse with EPM, I would not rule out the horse, but perhaps if you really like the horse, take the time to research when the symptoms were first noticed, when the horse was treated, and if follow-up tests were done to determine whether the protozoa were reduced and/or eliminated from the system. There are molecular-level tests available now which look for bits of DNA from the protozoa in the horse's system, rather than testing for a "titer", as in many tests, that are cutting-edge at the time. Perhaps you could purchase the horse "on trial" if you really liked her and have her evaluated or tested as a part of the pre-purchase. A good horse chiropractor/acupuncturist could be very helpful in making an educated decision.
Just know that there are National titles after EPM, IF it is treated correctly, and in a timely manner.
Please note: The above is intended as "friendly advice and sharing" only. I am NOT a vet, the above article is not intended as medical advice. Please always seek the advice of a QUALIFIED veterinarian.
UPDATE: Our broodmare just delivered a beautiful, healthy, filly! Thank the Lord!!!
Blessings, Cheryl Showah www.asafarm.com
About the author, Cheryl Showah, ASA Farm is committed to breeding the finest Pure Polish performance bloodlines that are available today, in order to preserve and protect the unique qualities of the magnificent Arabian horse and to maintain an individual that is genetically prepotent within a concentrated gene pool. We breed not only for performance horses that have Arabian beauty and type, but also can be used as "seed stock" for the production of future generations of beautiful athletes, providing our clients with National-calibre Arabians in the English pleasure, Pleasure driving, Park, and Sport Horse disciplines (including Dressage), with the beauty, structure, and conformation to also be successful in halter. ASA Farm provides the back-up support necessary to help maximize our clients' enjoyment and their horses' potential.
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| The famous Polish breeder, Zenon Lipowicz, passed away October 4, 2010 at age 79 |
From the Janów Podlaski Stud website, dated October 4th...
Our Dear Friend Zenon Lipowicz has passed away in Arizona yesterday, at the age of 79. He was well known for his deep knowledge of Arabian horses and Arabian horse racing in particular. An accomplished breeder, trainer and rider
Zenon Lipowicz was particularly closely bound to Janów Podlaski bred horses.
He trained *Algorab and *Sambor among others (both were named "The Racehorse of the Year" in the US). With his wife, Jolanta, he was also taking care of the famous *El Paso while he was standing at Lasma. Zenon was a frequent visitor to Poland, and Janów Podlaski was always on his schedule... We shall miss him a lot.
ASA Farm got their start in Pure Polish Arabians in 1983 after falling in love with the big red horse, *Sambor+. They purchased the mare, EJ Samboryna, (bred by Sir William Farm which was owned by Leon and Doris Rubin, although Samboryna did not have the "Sir Wm" prefix in her name). Samboryna was out of Cortryna, the *Carrador x *Trynca daughter, making her a 3/4 sister to the National Champion Race Horse and sire, Samtyr +. Samboryna produced National Champions and Regional Champions in English Pleasure, Pleasure Driving and Park. Mr. Lipowicz's legacy will live on in our hearts and our horses' bloodlines. He will be missed.
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| Tribute to Ignacy Jaworowski |
Tribute to Ignacy Jaworowski
from Kay (Patterson) Sharpnack and Richard Patterson
(formerly Patterson Arabians)
Where to start . . . how to weave all the memories that come flooding back, covering 3 decades together? Tis truly now the end of an era - both of our good friends and mentors are gone: first Director Andrez Krzysztalowicz who was Janow Podlaski State Stud, and now Director Ignacy Jaworowski, who was and always will be Michalow to us. Both men, true breeders and visionaries, who single-handedly rebuilt the Arabian horse breeding programs in Poland after the ravages of World War II.
For Richard and me, the journey with Director Jaworowski and his charming and gracious wife Maria began in June of 1968 on our first trip to Poland. This would be followed by at least one trip annually for over 20 years in search of knowledge and breeding stock (the importation of over 100 horses) for Patterson Arabians in Sisters, Oregon.
Dr. Edward Skorkowski, founder of both the Polish Arabian Horse Registry and the racing program, met us at the airport in Warsaw and acted as our personal guide for several weeks, immersing us in Polish history, culture, and taking us to the two State Stud farms breeding Arabians: Janow Podlaski and Michalow and a number of stallion stations, introducing us to extraordinary men and their horses.
Behind the Iron Curtain, the years faded as we took a trip back in time on the long, slow drive south to Michalow, winding our way in, out, and around horse-drawn carts, bicycles, and cows dragging picket chains, on unpaved roads. Hand and horse labor in the verdant, fertile farm land. Then - beautiful stone stables, with tile roofs, and a tall handsome, aristocratic man dressed in a blue Polish army uniform and hat, carrying a cane, met us at the office - Director Jaworowski, who soon became “Ignac” to us. The cane was used to point out horses, move them apart in the stables where each was tied beneath its name sign) or just to emphasize a point as we communicated in a cocktail of Polish, German, French and English.
Our arrival in Poland propitiously coincided with a bi-annual inspection and evaluation of all the mares and foals by a group of breeding experts from the Horse Breeding Department of the Ministry of Agriculture. Ignacy introduced all the horses one by one. Richard took notes, while I took slides. There was lots of laughing as we stumbled over the names and pedigrees that we had already memorized, using English pronunciations. A good example (although, she belonged to Janow) would be EUNICE - but in Polish, “Eh-ooh-neet-sa.” The polish word for stallion is ogiery, and I remember Ignacy doubling over in laughter when we asked if we could please see the next ogorek, which was the Polish word for pickle.
Ignacy & Maria were so kind to us, giving an open invitation to come and stay with them at Michalow any time we came to Poland. Many days were spent in their small, treasure-filled home which was close to the foaling barns. Maria is an excellent cook and around her table we spent a virtual condensed lifetime exploring recipes for breeding great horses. Ignacy immediately recognized that we were students with an insatiable thirst for learning about the old Polish horses, their pedigrees, and how to cross the various lines. He shared willingly from his great store of archive photos, books, and practical knowledge. He also spoke openly and honestly of his successes and failures with various bloodlines and specific horses - this often done over a snack of chocolate cookies and vodka. He introduced us to Roman Pankiewicz (breeder of *Bask+) and acted as interpreter, as Roman, spoke no English. He also introduced us to Zygmunt Braur, one of a few private breeders whose entire life and meager fortune was spent breeding Arabian horses.
Ignacy loved best beautiful grey Saklawi horses. Part of the magic of Michalow was walking into the stables and seeing rows of beautiful grey mares with huge black eyes looking your way, and then when turned loose, charging joyfully out to pasture with tails flagged. Ignacy’s program and phenotypic goals at Michalow were quite different from those of his good friend and competitor, Andrzej Krzysztalowicz. He did not really care for strong Kuhailan type horses (although he always used some in his program) and he would wrinkle up his nose and make a face when speaking of Muniqui pheontype and or the mention of any French blood. He had very definite opinions of what he liked and would tolerate in his breeding program - a quality necessary for any true breeder to produce consistency of type. Michalow has and hopefully will always be known for its beautiful white mares, the true legacy of a master breeder’s vision.
Among the great horses we were blessed to see in 1968 at Michalow were:
Mares
Daszawa (Nabor - Daribba)
Druchna (Rozmaryn - Darda)
Ela (Miecznic - Lala)
Estebna (Nabor - Estokada) perhaps the most beautiful Saklawi mare we have ever seen
Fatma (Anarchista - Forta)
Forta (Kuhailan Abu Urkub - Porta)
Potencja (Priboj - Taktika)
Warmia (Comet - Wadera)
Zwota Iwa (Arax - Cesima)
Stallions
Ariel (Sedziwoj - Arfa)
Celebes (Witraz - Canaria)
Chazar (Laur - Celina)
Czardasz (Wielki Szlem - Baza)
Espartero (Nabor - Ela)
Gwarny (Amurath Sahib - Gwara)
I list these horses to illustrate our first big lesson from Ignacy, which was the huge value of Amurath Sahib as a broodmare sire. Over 50% of the above mares and stallions carry his blood. The influence of Amurath Sahib in Polish breeding cannot be over emphasized. He must go down in Polish breeding history as the greatest broodmare sire of all time as far as genotypic influence on phenotype. The line (Bairactor) comes from the Babolna Stud in Hungary and is intensely inbred to a stallion named Tajar, who from photos exhibits this same phenotype. Unfortunately, Aquinor (Miecznik - Amneris) and the Amurath Sahib daughters, Amneris, Darda, and Daribba, had already passed away, but Ignacy had photos.
As the years passed, the warm, intimate, relationship with our mentors matured. We grew, as did our breeding program from the synthesis of ideas and knowledge soaked up from the many hours of serious discussion. It was the mares - always the mares and their ability to produce consistent quality that came first and foremost. Ignacy was extremely competitive, proud, and covetous of his mares. Everyone knows that it is not difficult to pick out the most beautiful mares, or the best producers. It was very hard to buy a good mare from Ignacy - much harder than it was from Andrzej. We had to ask him year after year for the same mare, until he might finally relent and put her into the annual Polish Sale, so we could bid against others to buy her. Pretty smart marketing technique, as he knew that we were not about to be out-bid on a horse we wanted to add to our program.
Richard and I were driven to breed “Beautiful Polish Arabians” (the Patterson Arabians slogan for years of advertising.) Ignacy realized, year by year, how well his students were doing and eventually treated us as breeders on totally equal ground. Each year we brought him an inventory list of our horses and asked him (knowing their pedigrees) how he would breed them. We would then do the same with the Michalow list. The brain-storming sessions were wonderful fun, and we always agreed that disagreement was OK. Foals born the following year would bear out the validity of the breeding decisions.
Patterson Arabians bought many great horses bred by Ignacy over the years, among them some fabulous Comet and Negative daughters. Perhaps his biggest surprise with one of our purchases was that of *Deficyt 1979 BS (Algomej - Dewiza, a special Negatiw daughter tracing back to Darda, dam of our Comet son *Dar.) *Deficyt was on the track and sold in the 1983 Silent Sale at Janow in conjunction with the annual Polish Prestige Auction. An elegant bay stallion, we had been watching as he grew up, *Deficyt had a good race record and was poetry in motion unshod. Much excitement as Mike Nichols and David Murdock were among the bidders.
The early Polish Silent Sales were truly silent. Progressive bids were never posted anywhere, so we and Leonard & Jean Skeggs, Locust Farms, Ohio (our partners for this horse only, who never saw *Deficyt until after he was purchased) didn’t have a clue as to what anyone else was thinking - or even if we were bidding against ourselves! The morning of the final day, we decided to bid our hotel room number, 603, that was $603,000. Looking back it seems incredible, but that was then. We had the winning bid, with David Murdoch’s bid an unbelieveably close $600,000, followed by Mike Nichols with $500,000 as I recall. Ignacy was stunned. Now, one would think that the breeder of such a horse might want to repeat the breeding of a horse that brought so much money (a Polish record to date) to the stud farm. Not, Ignacy! He did not especially like Algomej (a favorite of ours) because of the Pietuszok in his pedigree, and thought *Deficyt was just another “nice” young stallion. With this one exception, Ignacy continued to breed Dewiza to Saklawi stallions. Director Jaworowski at his finest - a man of principle, steadfast in his focus! We understood his reasoning.
Just as we spent time in their home, Ignacy and Maria were guests in our home on a
number of occasions throughout the years. He delighted in these times as he was personally able to see the magical results of some the influence of his mentorship. Ignacy loved Negatraz and thought him to be the best bay, pure Polish breeding son of *Bask+.
It was always our dream to send Negatraz to Poland for 2 breeding seasons to return in a small way the great gift given us over the years by both Ignacy and Andrzej. Due to the difficulty of shipping a horse behind the Iron Curtain with the Solidarnosc movement picking up steam, it was an impossible dream.
However, in 1983, we purchased the “Queen” of Bob Stratmore’s, Make Believe Farms, Russian breeding program, *Monogramma (Knipple - Monopolia), at the age of 18 for $250,000 cash to breed to Negatraz. The first born of 4 full siblings was Monogramm, an outrageously beautiful chestnut colt. He was sold at one year of age to the Bishop family, in California, who were looking for a world class colt. Ignacy saw him at Scottsdale a few years later with Iza Zawadska and knew that he needed Monogramm at Michalow. Thanks to the generosity of Bill & Meredith Bishop, our fantasy was vicariously and prophetically fulfilled. Monogramm went to Poland on breeding loan to Michalow. Ignacy bred Monogramm to everything he could, and finally shared him a bit with Janow. Even after Monogramm’s return to the USA, Ignacy had the foresight to continue to breed to him with shipped semen. The rest is history. Monogramm daughters and sons bred by Director Ignacy Jaworowski have brought fame and fortune to Michalow State Stud since Poland’s independence, winning championships in every country in which they have been shown, the world over. Both Ignacy and Andrzej told us many years ago that such a breeding stallion comes along perhaps once in every 50 years.
My proudest moment as a breeder was returning to Poland and watching with my special friends, Ignacy & Maria Jaworowski, Andrzej Krzysztalowicz, Izabella Zawadska, and Roman Pankiewicz as 5 Monogramm daughters, all bred by Michalow took first through fifth place in the Two Year Old Filly Class at the 1997 Polish National Show. I do not recall ever having seen the get of one sire take all of the places in any given class at the Polish National Show. To be the breeder of such a sire is a special blessing. That day was a gift I shall never forget. I only wish that Richard had been there too.
Ignacy, we are so thankful that the knowledge you so patiently shared with us, came back around to you through Monogramm to bless Michalow and Poland at the end of your journey. We know that your legacy at Michalow continues in the capable hands of Jerzy and Urszula Bialobok.
And . . . Maria, we love you, and realize what an important part you played in the story. (12-8-2004. used with permission of Kay Patterson. Thanks, Kay! God bless you.)
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| PHOTOS, VIDEOS AND HORSES UNALTERED |
ASA Farm does not alter photos, videos, and horses' conformation.
In this day and age of computer graphics, surgery, and photoshop, here is a word of caution to people shopping for horses from a farm where they do not know their policy on this important issue. We know of photos where the horse "magically" has a different head than it would "in person", or has funny black mark put below the eye, "makeup" painted on after the photo was taken...and when you see the horse, you wonder what happened!
Forewarned is forearmed!
We occasionally remove the "boy parts" in a stallion photo shoot, but haven't had to do that in awhile, so don't think there are currently any photos of that nature on our website at this time...this we believe is not truly conformationally altering the horse (some would disagree) We're sure the horse would disagree! And we sometimes remove a hand or leadline. But we do not alter the individual.
In conclusion, know what the farm's policy is on this issue before signing on the dotted line! When we sold a horse recently, the people said that he was the ONLY horse that they had come to see that was accurately represented. They had been to many other farms and viewed many other horses. We were proud because they not only liked the horse well enough to purchase him, but because we did not waste their time by inflating the qualities of the horse beyond what the horse actually was. ASA Farm has been breeding quality Arabian horses for over 3 decades, and we are committed to fairly representing our stock. |
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| Arabian Stallions get a bad rap... |
I started riding Arabian stallions when I was 14 years old.
No, they were not “nuts", quite the contrary...they were loving,
kind and gentle. And they kept me out of trouble as a teenager.
Matter of fact, the Arabian Horse Association used to run ads
saying, “...Keep your kids out of trouble... buy an Arabian horse”,
which was a great way for me to “sell” my dad on the idea of getting me an
Arabian! And it was TRUE! I didn’t have the time or desire to get into
mischief as a teenager, I just wanted to go to the barn and ride and care for
my wonderful Arabian horse!
The Arabian Horse Club of Connecticut (“Club of the Year in 2008”) used to bring Arabian horses to the “Great Danbury State Fair” in Danbury, Connecticut to promote our wonderful breed. And, yes, we brought STALLIONS! I would get to the fair before 5:00AM to feed and exercise the horses. Leading the parade in Arabian native costume every day for ten days, I was committed to the horses being ready to do their “job”. Usually
riding each horse alone, I would head for the “infield” of the dirt car
racing track, after a walk around the parade route to make sure that
the horses wouldn’t be scared by the many big statues, waving flags, and
a few bridges over the various ponds, streams and waterwheels near the DutchVillage. Until his retirement, the Postmaster called me, “Desert Princess”, because of my local “fame” in leading the parade on an Arabian horse!
One of my favorite stallions was Kamarin AHA#20258, a tall, chestnut Naharin son, owned by a lady from New York City. He would stand like a gentleman, allowing me to tack him up without help, and mount unassisted, and back then, remember there weren’t any helmets, either! Kamarin and the other Arabian horses always kept me safe and we had a ball!
My first purebred Arabian horse was a stallion, Sur Balastra+, who won
at the Arabian Class “A” in English pleasure, western pleasure, ladies’ side-saddle, Arabian native costume, halter, and Regional level in English Pleasure Amateur-Owner to ride, and was also a wonderful trail horse,
going through rivers and up mountain passes when I was an undergraduate student at Cal-Poly, Pomona, where I earned a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Business Management-Equine. “Sur” used to be one of those special show horses who didn’t get nervous at shows. He would take naps, and frequently I would join him, sleeping curled up next to him. He would
always “nudge” me when he wanted to get up, and waited for me to go to the doorway of the stall before he would rise. (Kids, don’t try this at home without your parents’ or trainer’s supervision, though!)
Unfortunate for the breed, current training methods frequently use whips and other aggressive methods especially in halter (the beauty contest type of showing), making the Arabians nervous, and the gentle,
loving nature sometimes isn’t as obvious. But I can assure you, that I
STILL ride stallions, and they are my absolute favorite. Now, be aware that not all bloodlines of Arabians are kind, just like any breed of horse, there are some bloodlines that are for experienced riders, and most breeders can steer you in the correct direction. I also own some “hot” horses, and love them, and I also own some “kid friendly” ones, too, it depends upon their bloodlines, training and handling.
Thankfully, my trainer, Larry Jones, is a “horse whisperer” using
kindness and loving methods to train my horses. My stallion, BONNE VIVANT, is wonderful to ride, and I look forward to many wonderful years with him and the Arabian breed.
The Arabian horse is MY KIND OF HORSE!
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| ASA Farm is committed to breeding the finest Polish bloodlines |
ASA Farm is committed to breeding the finest Polish and Pure Polish performance bloodlines that are available today, in order to preserve and protect the unique qualities of the magnificent Arabian horse and to maintain an individual that is genetically prepotent within a concentrated gene pool. We breed not only for performance horses that have Arabian beauty and type, but also can be used as "seed stock" for the production of future generations of beautiful, winning Arabians, that will continue to breed “true”.
We have DIRECT daughters of Gdansk++, MHR Nobility, Cognac, Promotion, *Pepi PASB, Monogramm and Negatraz. Our stallion is BONNE VIVANT, a direct Monogramm son out of Bonne Cherie by *Bandos x Bonfieree by *Bask++ x *Boltonka++. We occasionally use outside stallions to add an extra dimension to our gene pool.
We are glad to mentor new people in Arabians and have been breeding Pure Polish Arabians for more than 25 years and Arabians and Half-Arabians for over three decades. We occasionally offer show and breeding-quality Arabians for sale.
We have bred National and Regional Winners in English Pleasure, Pleasure Driving and Park, and have bred National and International Champions in Italian Greyhound Dogs. We have also bred Champion Saluki dogs. We even have a Russian Champion living in Finland!
Our stallion, BONNE VIVANT, is both a REGIONAL RES CHAMPION HALTER STALLION ("main ring") AND a REGIONAL CHAMPION STALLION SPORT-HORSE-IN-HAND (with the highest score of the show in the largest Regional in the Country!) and proven sire of high quality foals, combines the beauty of the Arabian with the performance ability of the *Bask++ line. His eyes will soften your heart!
God bless and enjoy your Arabians which are clearly a gift from above!
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| ASA Farm by Dixie Fenton, from The Arabian Horse Magazine - UK |
Polish Connections ASA Farm By Dixie Fenton Cheryl Showah, owner of ASA Farm located in the historic town of Washington Depot, Connecticut, has been breeding Arabian horses since the late 1960s. Gaining the attention of Lois Selby Perry, daughter of the famous Roger Selby, who imported *Raffles from Lady Wentworth’s Crabbet Park Stud in 1932, Cheryl was offered a financial grant in 1975 from The Arabian Horse Owner’s Foundation to study *Raffles at the (then) Arabian Horse Registry of America, Inc. Cheryl then graduated from Cal-Poly studying equine science under the expert tutelage of William Hughes and Norman Dunn. “I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to spend countless hours ‘on the rail’ with Bill, Norm, Gladys Brown Edwards and Frank and Helen McCoy, among many other prominent Arabian devotees,” Cheryl said. Cheryl’s breeding program progressed and she acquired her first Pure Polish horse in 1983, a direct daughter of *Sambor++, and a ¾ sister to the National Champion Racehorse, Samtyr++. Bred to the then Leading Living Sire of National Champions, Wisdom (*Bask++ x Wizteria by *Bask++), she produced a horse named Mr. Wisdom, who went on to win numerous national titles with his new owners Julie and Bill Wrigley. Cheryl owned the famous mare, Nadjana (Gdansk++ x *Negotka), ¾ sister to the legendary Negatraz. Nadjana won the Open English class at Scottsdale as a 3 year-old and sold for $700,000 before Cheryl acquired the mare. Her horses also included a direct offspring of *Amfibia, Wisdom, Gwasz El Ajzaa, and the National Champion Promotion (ex *Prowizja). Promotion is an interesting Polish phenomenon as he was a National Winning Park horse, sired by a National Winning Park horse and out of a National Winning Park horse – and he has three full siblings who won National Championships in Park – Ibn Prowizja (1976), Cometego (1978) and Pro-Fire (1980). Currently, Cheryl has collected an impressive group of broodmares which include her Pure Polish direct daughters of Gdansk++, Cognac (tail-female to Balalajka), three Promotion daughters, a Negatraz daughter out of *Cyrenajka (who sold for $101,000 at the Polish Prestige sale), two daughters of three-time US National Champion Park Horse MHR Nobility++, an English Champion daughter of *Pepi PASB (a Celebes son) and a direct Monogramm*** daughter, with the same tail-female line as *Ecaho. Bonne Vivant (Monogramm x Bonne Cherie by *Bandos x Bonfieree), ASA Farm’s herdsire, is a multiple Regional Champion Stallion in both main-ring and sport horse, and a multiple Grand Champion. Son of the world-famous Monogramm, and out of one of the most beautiful daughters of *Bandos, Bonne Cherie, daughter of Bonfieree, who sold as a part of a 3 mare package for $3.6 million back in the 80’s. He is a beautiful bay with four white socks and a faint star and snip. According to the Polish Arabian horse expert Tomasz Skotnicki,“Bonne Vivant’s pedigree is difficult to match. The horse is bred close to *Bask++ and he has similar movement and character. It is amazing coming from someone who still remembers well ‘the Great One’. He is a breeder’s dream. COME MAKE HISTORY!” Bonne Vivant is standing at University of Massachusetts, under the expert care of Dr. Carlos Gradil, DVM, where fresh-cooled shipped and frozen semen will be available. BONNE VIVANT was named the REGION 15 GRAND CHAMPION STALLION SPORT-HORSE-IN-HAND in 2008, at the BIGGEST REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP SHOW this year (US and Canada), AND with the HIGHEST SCORE OF THE SHOW in sport horse! Cheryl, who was featured on the Martha Stewart Omnimedia TV Show PetKeeping with Marc Morrone, also breeds National and International Champion Italian Greyhounds, proving that animals are central to this family. “With seven little toy dogs and over twenty Arabians and two American Saddlebreds (daughters of the World Grand Champion HARLEM GLOBETROTTER nonetheless!), life is quite hectic but very enjoyable, thanks to the wonderful animals that we have been blessed with,” smiles Cheryl. “May God bless you, your families and your animals and may your adventures with Arabian horses be as wonderful as ours have.” |
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| HIGHEST PRICES PAID AT THE POLISH PRESTIGE SALE OVER THE LAST 30 YEARS |
HIGHEST PRICES PAID FOR POLISH HORSES
AT THE POLISH PRESTIGE SALE
The prices of Polish horses paid at Janów Podlaski during 30 years+ of the Sale history are as follows :
Year Of Sale Horse Year of birth
Colour, sex
Breeder SireDam/by Price(EUR) Purchaser (country)
2005 ELANDRA 1995
grey mare
Michalów Monogramm
Erlanda/Eukaliptus 290 000 USA
AMBA 2001
bay mare
Janów Podlaski Eukaliptus
Albigowa/Fawor 85 000 USA
LARISSA 1992
grey mare
Michalów Eukaliptus
Linda/Palas 80 000 USA
2004 PALESTYNA 1994
grey mare
Michałów Monogramm
Palestra/Penitent 300 000 USA
ESKALOPKA 1994
grey mare
Michałów Monogramm
Egzotyka/Probat 140 000 UAE
SAVVANNAH 1997
bay mare
Janów Podlaski Monarch AH
Sarmacja/Gil 135 000 UAE
EKSCELLA 1994
grey mare
Michałów Monogramm
Estancja/Palas 120 000 USA
2003 EMBELLA
ELWIA 1995
grey mare
Michałów
1996
grey mare
Michałów Monogramm
Emanacja/Eukaliptus
Ecaho
Etopka/Eukaliptus 140 000
140 000 George Z (USA)
United Arab Emirates
Year
Of Sale Horse Year of birth
Colour, sex
Breeder SireDam/by Price(USD) Purchaser (country)
2002 WIEŻA WIATRÓW 2001
dark bay filly
Michałów Ganges
Wiaźma/Arbil 220 000 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
2001 EGNA 1992
grey mare
Michałów Eukaliptus
Egzotyka/Probat 120 000 Shirley Watts (England)
2000 EUZA
ALEJKA
PAMIR 1995
grey mare
Janów Podlaski
1985
bay mare
Janów Podlaski
1984
grey stallion
Janów Podlaski Etogram
Eura/Fawor
Palas
Aleja/Bandos
Probat
Parma/Aswan (Raafat) 110 000
100 000
100 000 Shirley Watts (England)
Shirley Watts (England)
Paulo A.P.Bilyk (Brazil)
1999 DRUID
ALBULA 1993
bay stallion
Michałów
1994
bay mare
Janów Podlaski Wojsław
Dalida/Probat
Fawor
Algeria/Celebes 500 000
130 000 Jockey Club (Turkey)
UK
1998 EMILDA 1990
grey mare
Michałów Pamir
Emanacja/Eukaliptus 200 000 Shirley Watts (England)
1997 BATYSKAF 1990
grey stallion
Janów Podlaski Pamir
Bajeczka/Bandos 450 000 Jockey Club (Turkey)
1996 ELEUZA 1991
grey mare
Michałów Eukaliptus
Etopa/Partner 71 000 Raymond Mazzei (USA)
1995 PISANKA 1990
grey mare
Janów Podlaski Pepton
Pilarka/Palas 35 000 Jacques Mazet (France)
1994 PALBA 1985
grey mare
Michałów Penitent
Pliszka/Gwarny 100 000 Shirley Watts (England)
1993 FLORIA 1988
grey mare
Michałów Penitent
Fladra/Bandos 45 000 Bob Magness (USA)
1992 HAWANNA 1987
grey mare
Janów Podlaski Argo
Hajnówka/El Paso 50 000 Arnold Fischer (USA)
1991 EMFAZA 1980
grey mare
Michałów Eukaliptus
Ekstaza/Celebes 60 000 Arnold Fischer (USA)
1990 PILARKA 1975
grey mare
Janów Podlaski Palas
Pierzga/Negatiw 215 000 Paolo Gucci (Anglia)
1989 ALBANETA 1985
bay mare
Janów Podlaski Banat
Algeria/Celebes 90 000 Richard Freeman (USA)
1988 WECZERA 1979
grey mare
Michałów Bandos
Warmia/Comet 106 000 Loyal McMillan (USA)
1987 ALOES 1973
bay stallion
Janów Podlaski Celebes
Algoa/Czort 395 000 Abdul Al Saihati (USA)
1986 HARACZ 1976
grey stallion
Janów Podlaski Palas
Harmonia/Negatiw 385 000 John Jates (USA)
1985 ALGIERCZYK 1977
bay stallion
Janów Podlaski Engano
Algeria/Celebes 310 000 Abdul Al Saihati (USA)
1984 BANAT 1967
bay stallion
Janów Podlaski El Azrak
Bandola/Witraż 525 000 Lasma Arabians (USA)
1983 DEFICYT 1979
bay stallion
Michałów Algomej
Dewiza/Negatiw 609 000 Leonard Skeggs (USA)
1982 BANDOS 1964
grey stallion
Janów Podlaski Negatiw
Bandola/Witraż 806 000 David Murdock (USA)
1981 WERSJA 1975
bay mare
Michałów El Paso
Warmia/Comet 115 000 David Murdock (USA)
1980 PERSJA 1975
grey mare
Michałów Namiet
Platyna/Czardasz 185 000 David Murdock (USA)
1979 ALGOA 1964
bay mare
Janów Podlaski Czort
Algonkina/Pietuszok 88 000 Eugene LaCroix (USA)
1978 DACJA 1973
grey mare
Michałów El Paso
Daszawa/Nabor 90 000 Alec Courtelis (USA)
1977 CARAWELLA 1971
grey mare
Michałów Negatiw
Czatanoga/Anarchsita 153 000 Leonard Skeggs (USA)
1976 SALETRA 1967
bay mare
Janów Podlaski Gwarny
Salina/Comet 67 000 Eleanor Romney (USA)
1975 DAGMARA 1970
grey mare
Michałów Negatiw
Daszawa/Nabor 21 000 Leonard Skeggs (USA)
1974 DRATWA 1966
grey mare
Michałów Badr Bedur
Darda/Amurath Sahib 20 000 Leon Rubin (USA)
1973 ARENDA 1968
bay mare
Janów Podlaski El Azrak
Arkadia/Wielki Szlem 25 000 Richard Patterson (USA)
1972 BAHAR 1968
bay stallion
Janów Podlaski Ego
Banda/Pietuszok 17 000 Paul Guthrie (Canada)
1971 CZAROWNA 1961
bay mare
Nowy Dwór Comet
Czaruta/El Haifi 10 550 Leon Rubin (USA)
1970 BAJDAK 1962
bay stallion
Janów Podlaski Comet
Bajdara/Gabor 30 000 Denis Sculli (USA)
The highest prices of Polish horses sold abroad :
The place of Sale Year Horse Price (USD) Purchaser
USA - Polish Ovation Sale 1985 PENICYLINA
DIANA 1 500 000
1 200 000 David Murdock
Jim Palafiato
USA, negotiation in Poland 1981 EL PASO 1 000 000 Armand Hammer (USA)
USA 1976 ELKANA 175 000 Aude Espourteile (USA)
USA 1969 NABOR 150 000 Tom Chauncey (USA) |
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