*Eukaliptus

The story of *Eukaliptus is really, a story of undying hope, born of faith, courage and of course, the love that our Polish brothers and sisters have for the purebred Arabian horse. The way in which Polish people have faced life bravely, despite great challenges and tragedies, is inspiration for all of us, in how to live our lives, even when facing the most adverse circumstances. Although foaled in 1974, *Eukaliptus' story begins in 1907, when Count Jozef Potocki imported the beautiful gray desert-bred stallion named Ibrahim. He became a significant sire at Antoniny, siring horses that remain vital in Polish breeding, up until the present day. One of his most significant sons, Skowronek, became an influential sire for the Crabbet Stud in England and from there, to the world. His son, Naseem, was sold to Russia and when bred to the Janow Podlaski-bred mare, Taraszcza, produced yet another super-influential horse, the stallion, Negatiw, the sire of the most beautiful and genetically-prolific stallion, *Bandos. When bred to the Comet daughter, Eunice (out of the Amurath Sahib daughter, Epigona), *Eukaliptus was born. One of five full siblings (his full sister was Europa, a Polish National Champion mare and one of the best producing mares at Janow Podlaski), *Eukaliptus was tested at the racetrack, proving his athleticism by winning two races and placing in six other races and in 1979, was named the first Polish National Champion Stallion, eventually capturing the interest of Ignacy Jaworowski, to become the chief sire at Michalow State Stud, where he resided for most of his life, except for the time spent at Lasma Arabians in America. Over his lifetime, *Eukaliptus sired almost 400 foals, well before the vastly improved reproductive technology, as we know it today, was available to breeders. Much could be written about his many sons and daughters, which includes four Polish National Champion mares, all of whom continue to influence Polish breeding so positively. He crossed well with Palas daughters, especially with Emigracja (who traces in tail female to the *Nabor daughter, Eskapada), siring Emigrantka, Efemeryda, Emanacja, Emigra, Egeria, Erlanda and Emocja who matured into influential broodmares, furthering the influence of *Eukaliptus. One of the more interesting things about *Eukaliptus was found in his phenotype, because looking at his pedigree and understanding who he was out of,  you didn’t expect his dramatic, exotic type. His dam was a bay, strong-bodied horse, dry and elegant yes, but very Kuhaylan in body type. One would expect *Eukaliptus to resemble his dam but he favored his Ibrahim sire line with his overall old-world and classic breed type which was enhanced through his grey body color. He possessed a longer neck, not heavy and of a beautiful shape, maybe even swan-like but it was his charisma, the energy that emanated from his wonderful, fully black eyes which contributed to a very soft expression. An abundance of kindness radiated from his large, dark eyes, inviting a caress and a loving word from a human friend. His eyes were mesmerizing, possessing a depth that could pierce the stoniest heart. He was perceptive, possibly intellectually curious and was interested in humans and enjoyed their company. For many people who visited Michalow State Stud, the noble*Eukaliptus won many fans with his sweet nature, raising his foreleg in anticipation of being fed something sweet, like sugar.  The late Izabella Pawelec-Zawadzka once said of *Eukaliptus, “The depth of his big, dark eyes seemed to discover the essence of something great and eternal.” He was without a doubt, one of the greatest horses produced in Poland.