Eyes, Souls and Horses

*Ecaho (*Pepton x Etruria) as photographed by Anette Mattsson

Bred by Janow Podlaski and foaled in 1990, *Ecaho was sired by *Pepton, whose dam Pemba, was out of Penza (a Piewica daughter), sired by Czort (Wielki Szlem x Forta), one of Poland's top racehorses and sire of *El Paso, *Sambor and *Czortan, among others.  Why is Piewica important? Piewica was a 1953 mare, bred by the Tersk Stud, and exported to the Albigowa Stud, where she stayed, until the farm closed and then, was sent to Janow Podlaski, where she became one of the most important mares in the breeding program and foundress of the beloved "P" line of horses, like *Penicylina, Pilarosa and yes, Pianissima, that "P" line.  

Do you know that *Ecaho was approximately 20% Egyptian in blood? Etruria, his dam, was a daughter of Palas, who was 75% Egyptian, being a son of Aswan (Nazeer x Yosreia) out of the Nil (Sid Abouhom x Malaka) daughter, Panel. You will remember that Nil was known in Egypt as Azmi, before he was exported to Russia. 

*Ecaho was also of the celebrated Ibrahim sire line: 

*Ecaho-*Pepton-Bandos-Negatiw-Naseem-Skowronek-Ibrahim 

and in phenotype, was representative of the type we associate with horses of the Saklawi strain. However, it is very interesting that *Ecaho traces in his tail female line back to Woloszka, an 1810 mare foaled at Slawuta Stud and foundress of the Polish female family #10. Dr. Edward Skorkowski only classified Woloszka as Saklawi, because she embodied the characteristics of the strain to the highest degree. Why is this important? Authentic Saklawi horses are all about length, that is, longer heads, longer necks, longer legs, longer back and *Ecaho, like Woloszka, was loyal to the strain, as this horse was blessed with an amazing amount of scope. Visually, *Ecaho was a celebration for the eyes, as correct conformation and classic Arabian horse type formed a harmonious union. A Polish National Champion stallion, *Ecaho is also the son of national champions, as his sire *Pepton was a Polish National Champion stallion and his dam, Etruria, was a Polish National Champion mare.  

*Ecaho was an important and consistent sire of daughters. He sired handsome sons like Skoroneek IA but it is through his daughters that *Ecaho has and continues to exercise an impact. Think of his beautiful daughter, Emanda (out of the *Eukaliptus daughter, Emanacja). She in turn, when bred to Gazal Al Shaqab, produced the beloved mare, Emandoria. Some of my favorite crosses using *Ecaho, were with the *Eukaliptus daughters like for example, Esklawa, who produced Esturia. And with strong Kuhaylan type horses, *Ecaho sired mares like Palmetta and Alhambra (out of *Fawor-sired mares). 

 *Ecaho, whose very name honors the European Conference of Arab Horse Organizations, is one of those horses, very few in number, whose appeal is not only universal, his appeal builds bridges and now, since his passing, propels his memory into the consciousness of a diverse group of enthusiasts, regardless of breeding program or preferred bloodlines.

There is a Polish saying, "A man without a horse, is like a body without a soul."  *Ecaho gives truth to this statement. Without him, our souls would have been so much poorer. With him, our souls were enriched and deeply blessed.