This week, between the floods, the heat and the wildfires, on top of the war in Ukraine, the rising costs of just about everything and the spread of the monkeypox virus, the evening news broadcast can crush the joy right out of a man's heart. It's very difficult to be happy when so many people around the world are suffering. And then, when all hope seems lost, out of nowhere, the Arabian "dream horse" materializes and through his unbelievable beauty, the problems of this world are temporarily forgotten. So it is for me today and an Arabian Insider video of the 16-year old stallion, Kabsztad (Poganin x Kwestura), one of the lots consigned to the 2022 Pride of Poland sale, to be held in two weeks (August 14th and 15th). I was surprised to find a mature, proven stallion of his quality offered in the sale. To me, this is the kind of horse a breeder keeps, having spent decades just trying to create him.
Bred and owned by Michalow Stud, Kabsztad is a Laheeb grandson and 25% of his almost 33% Egyptian blood comes via Laheeb. Through Kwestura, there are two lines to Aswan and one line to Nil. Also through *Kwestura, the matriline goes back to Gazella, one of four desert-bred mares purchased by Count Julius Dzieduszycki for his Jarczowce Stud. Gazella founded one of the most influential families in Poland. A horse like Kabsztad underscores her continuing influence in Polish breeding programs.
As wonderful as the Gazella matriline is, in phenotype, it is my belief that Kabsztad is strongly influenced by his sire, Poganin and therefore, his grandsire, Laheeb. Like his sire, he is strong of body, close-coupled, with a smooth topline. His chest is broad, his heart girth is deep and the ratio of a long forearm to a short cannon is almost perfect. However, I would be amiss if I didn't point out that Kabsztad has a little more stretch, a little more length in his flowing lines (that neck, oh my), as compared to his sire and that stretchiness has to come from somewhere, perhaps the impact from the fabulous chestnut mare, *Kwestura, a Monogramm daughter and paternal sibling of the recently deceased stallion, Ekstern.
Many people over the years have also been enchanted by Kabsztad's strong, correct conformation in addition to his overall classic beauty, as the stallion has earned an impressive show record, over the course of 12 years, with many Championships in several countries across Europe, as well as in the Middle East. He was shown at the Salon du Cheval in three World Championships: 2011, 2012 and 2017, earning a top ten in the Senior Stallion Championships each year.
Recently, I came across a poem by Chief Tecumseh, a great Warrior Chief of the Shawnee nation. He commands us to be the hero in our lives, to live in a way that brings beauty to all we do. Horses like Kabsztad, if we let them, open up our minds and hearts to what is really possible in life, when we free ourselves from the self-inhibiting limits we impose on just about everything, even breeding horses. A beautiful horse, approaching a level of perfection previously believed to be impossible, is a horse to be celebrated, for we have bred, as breeders, the very best horse our breed has to offer. It is the breeders of the Arabian horse who really, are the every day heroes that Chief Tecumseh alludes to in his poem and whom, for people like me, have bred horses who have the power to pull us out of our darkest moments, to inspire us with their beauty. It is for them, that this blog is dedicated.
***Many thanks to Arabian Insider for the video of Kabsztad, uploaded to your YouTube channel.***
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