Brave

In 1939, an advancing German army was pressuring Poland from the west. By September, the air raids had intensified and artillery fire became heavier, as the Germany Army neared Janow Podlaski Stud. The Germans were determined to claim as much of Poland as they could, before the Soviets did. On September 11th, Stanislaw Pohoski and Andrzej Krzysztalowicz, the directors of Janow Podlaski Stud during this period of time, made the difficult decision to evacuate approximately 250 - 300 horses, to an area east of Janow Podlaski Stud, near the Bug River. Weary, after three days travel on muddy, unpaved country roads and having lost horses, Director Pohoski decided that they would return to Janow Podlaski and face whatever circumstances the stud farm was under. The horses returned to find Janow Podlaski occupied by the German army, however, not for long; as news from the east foretold of the arrival of the Soviets, who like the Germans, had a strong appetite for Poland and Janow Podlaski Stud was very much, the prize. The withdrawing German Army enabled Janow Podlaski to be briefly occupied by the Russians. When the Soviets left, they took all of Janow Podlaski's horses, except for one: the Fetysz daughter, Najada (pronounced neigh-yah-dah), out of the vitally important desert-bred mare, Gazella, imported by the Dzieduszycki family. As her assigned Soviet handler tried to load her into the railroad car, Najada was not having any part of it. She refused to be as compliant as the other horses were being. Whether she was as "head-shy" as she was remarked to be and did not appreciate a rushed, less-than-patient manner or the mare was extraordinarily perceptive and quickly understood that she would be leaving her beloved country forever; Najada refused to enter the box car. The more the handler insisted, the more violent her refusal became. Seconds became minutes, while minutes started to divide hours. One version of Najada's story is that she killed her handlers as they tried to load her into the railroad car and ran far away, where she was quickly forgotten by the Russian soldiers. Another story, says that her handler was not killed but severely injured and in the resulting confusion, Najada was forgotten and left behind by the Russian army. And yet another story tells of an impatient (and inexperienced) Russian soldier, under pressure by his superiors, quickly grew tired of the mare's antics and turned her loose, happy to see her gallop away. Whether or not her handler met with mortal danger is not important, as is the fact that brave Najada had made her point, without danger to herself and was left behind at Janow Podlaski stud, just as she desired. The Polish resistance had found a new heroine, in the form of a feisty and spirited mare. This mare, along with many of the horses  eventually returned to Janow Podlaski, would play a vital role in the years ahead. When bred to the Zabawa-bred Bad Afas (Kuhailan Afas x Bad), Najada foaled a filly named *Naganka. Purchased by Patricia Lindsay for Sheila Varian, she was exported to America, to become part of the Varian Arabian breeding program. Naganka was bred to Bay Abi and foaled Bay-el-Bey, an important stallion for Varian Arabians and the sire of Bey Shah (out of the *Bask daughter, Star of Ofir). Through Bey Shah, the blood of the brave Najada flows in  Marwan Al Shaqab and the incredible legacy of sons and daughters like QR Marc and his sons, the much loved world class stallions: Pogrom and Equator.