Bandos 1964, (Negatiw x Bandola)
 
 Polish Influence..a rich history
 
 By George B. Altenberg, Jr.
 
 The rich history of the Polish Arabian, which began in the 15th Century in Poland, has continued into the 20th century, and, based on the activity at the Polish Prestige sale in August 1997, will continue into the 21st Century. Polish Arabians were bought by breeders from around the world including Brazil, Egypt, Iran, Turkey, England, Switzerland and the United States. The Turkish breeders were the big spenders, purchasing BATYSKAF for $450,000.
 
 Historically, Polish Arabians have been used as foundation stock for the development of sport horses and even to this day the Polish Arabian is utilized in improving various sport horse breeds. It is a well known fact that the Hanoverians, Trakaners, Swedish Warmbloods, Oldenburgs and Andalusians have lines that trace to the Polish Arabian.
 
 During World War II, many of the Polish Arabians were taken to Hungary by the Germans. A small group were imported to the United States by the U.S. Army Remount, including WITEZ II, and with the help of Mary Nelson and others, were ultimately registered in the American Registry. After World War II there were approximately 52 registered mares in Poland.
 
 Also, during the war, several hundred of the Polish Arabians were taken to Russia, and through various exchanges over the years, some of the breeding lines came back to Poland.
 
 In Poland, many people hid Arabian Horses in their homes during the war, jeopardizing their own lives to save the horses they loved.
 
 For the past 50 to 60 years, through the breeding efforts in Poland by such noted individuals as Roman Pankiewiez, Ignacy Jaworowski, Andrzej Krzysztalowicz and Isabella Zawadzka, we have Arabian horses today from which we can devise our own breeding programs.
 
 The two distinctive types of horses that have been recognized are the KUHAILAN type which produced strong, dry and correct horses, which are more often bay or chestnut, and the SAKLAWI type which tended to produce more feminine progeny with a tremendous amount of beauty, elegance and refinement, which are more often grey. Janow Polaski stud farm has been noted for breeding predominantly KUHAILAN types, and the Michalow stud farm has been noted for breeding predominantly SAKLAWI. However, in recent years, it has been the blending of these two types that has produced national and international champions of great beauty, and bone, stamina, and sound dispositions.
 
 The most significant sire line that used in Poland after World War II was BAIRACTAR. This line produced the famous AMURATH SAHIB which was considered by many to be the secret ingredient in producing beauty and strength with substantial toplines and lengthy necks. The Poles have recognized this stallion as highly significant in producing these characteristics when present in the female tall in either stallions or mares.
 
 The next significant sire line would be the IBRAHIM line which produced the famous SKOWRONEK. Most would say that no line in the world has influenced breeding as much as the SKOWRONEK line. In the United States the SKOWRONEK line was carried through the CRABBET bred stallions, RAFFLES and RASEYN, and in Poland, through NEGATIW, BANDOS and his sons, EUKALIPTIUS and PEPTON.
 
 The next most significant line was that of KUHAILAN HAIFI and his sons, WITEZ, WITEZ II, and WIELKI SZLEM, and his son CZORT. WITEZ produced the wonderful horses BASK and CELEBES and the great mare, BANDOLA, who was BASKšS full sister, who in turn produced many great stallions, including BANDOS and BANAT.
 
 There are also the legendary horses that one canšt forget from this century, TRYPOLIS, who produced horses that are recognized for their stamina, good bone and racing ability, and, his grandson, COMET, who is deserving of an entire chapter himself in the Polish journals. He singularly crossed well with every line in Polish breeding, and represented the culmination of centuries of breeding. COMET had tremendous beauty, great structure, wonderful straight legs, nice short pasterns, a strong hip, and a substantial stifle muscle. COMET is now represented in Poland by the offspring of his grandson, PROBAT.
 
 The Poles have always bred horses of good structure, which emphasized great legs with short pasterns. However, the true secret to their breeding, as is the secret to breeding any good performance horses, is the ability to breed horses with powerful hips.
 
 In fact, if one were to trace the family lines one would see that the Poles emphasized strength of the hip more than any other characteristic in their breeding program. The strength of the hip was defined by how level the hip was, which meant that Polish breeders culled out rafter hipped horses, and by the length of the hip and the depth of the hip, meaning that the hip had a very powerful, large stifle muscle. If one were to tour the Arabian horse farms in Poland, one would see that the strongest characteristic in the hip is the large stifle muscles, which only enhances the horsešs ability to perform well both in races and performance classes. Once this hip is on a horse that has a good angled shoulder, it is destined to produce such wonderful action horses as BASK and EUROPEJCYK.
 
 During the 20th century, the Poles recognized that the great sire AMURATH SAHIB, produced wonderful mares, but it appears that the horses that will be the best brood mares for the 21st century will be those that are by BANDOS, and his sons, EUKALIPTUS, and PEPTON. In Poland BANDOS produced the wonderful mares, EUROPA, the dam of EUROPEJCZYK, ARRA, who produced the stakes and derby winner out of ARBA, and PENTODA out of PIEWICA, which has been the most significant mare line in recent Polish history.
 
 As American breeders we are very fortunate that David Murdock purchased BANDOS and brought him to the United States there are 150 BANDOS daughters which are coveted by breeders. Undoubtedly, the BANDOS daughters, if used wisely, can produce some of the greatest horses that we could see in the 21st century, and many of these mares, due tot the generosity of David Murdock, are now located in many breeding programs across the U.S., and each and every one ought to be selectively bred.
 
 Also, as we move into the 21st century we need to have gratitude for those who have been willing to preserve these wonderful horses, such as David Murdock, the McMillans at Meadow Wood Farms, and the manager of the farm, Gail Deuel, George Zbyszewski, and Thomas Skotnicki from Magness Arabian and many others. These individuals have helped shape Polish breeding by being generous with their time, and commitment in educating those of us who are now being introduced into the realm of Arabian breeding.
 
 There is much to be learned from the Polish breeders who have passed along their knowledge. For a student the great resources would be the books written by Roman Pankiewicz; Gladys Brown Edwards, along with the articles by Mary Jane Parkinson and Betty Finke. While many of the materials are now out of print, they may be available through the Polish breeders that have them on their bookshelves or by contacting Korona.
 
 The influence of Polish breeders has been worldwide and given the considerable efforts made by the Polish breeders in preserving the great family lines, we can only be the benefactors if we educate ourselves in the principles that make the Polish horses so great. I feel fortunate to have been exposed to such a wonderful love. I can only hope that everyone who gets involved in Arabian horses can share the excitement since raising Polish Arabians is an endeavor that not only expands the human mind, but opens ones soul and makes us understand the intense connection between man and animal.