Long before the Polish State Studs started to incorporate straight Egyptian stallions like Laheeb; the Tersk Stud, through the use of the EAO stallions, Nil and Aswan, had already realized the benefits of using Egyptian bloodlines in its breeding program. In April of 1971, approximately 5 years or so into Aswan's tenure at Tersk, *Mars, an Aswan son out of *Magnolia, was foaled at the stud. This particular cross was so successful, it was repeated several times, yielding, among other horses, the full brothers *Magnificent, an AERC endurance champion and the Dutch National Champion stallion, *Mag, both stallions were eventually exported to America.
Aswan was credited for adding type and refinement to the Tersk horses, however, I want to believe that his impact as a sire was far more expansive than that, considering that he was a son of Yosreia, who is remembered as one of the most beautiful mares of her time, still to this day. A 1943 Hadbah Enzahiyah mare of the Venus branch; she was a daughter of Hind, a brown mare, out of Bint Rustem (Rustem x Bint Hadba El Saghira) sired by Ibn Rabdan. Like him, *Mars' body could be divided equally into 3 circles. This roundness of body points to Ibn Rabdan's influence, strategically coming from the mare side of the pedigree, enhancing what is already Yosreia's dynamic legacy to impart a harmonious and substantial frame, as well as length of neck and the ability to cross well with a variety of bloodlines.
The mare *Magnolia, although bred in Russia, was entirely Polish in her heritage. Sired by the Klemensow Stud's Arax (x Angara, a Wielki Szlem sired daughter and foundation mare at Michałów), she was out of Mammona, whom many refer to as the Queen of Tersk but really, was an Ofir daughter bred at Janow Podlaski, captured by the Russians and who journeyed for many miles from Janow Podlaski to Tersk, alongside her dam, Krucica (Farys II x Dora). It is one of those great stories in our breed that we embrace, as it conveys the courageous spirit and endurance of these horses. It is interesting to mention that the matriline goes back to the 1835 mare Sahara, who was purchased in Saudi Arabia by Count Juliusz Dzieduszycki, as a replacement for Zulejma, who had become injured and would not be physically able to make the long trip back to Poland. Sahara would eventually become the foundress of a significant line in Polish Arabian horse breeding.
Mars, as part of his training, was sent to the racetrack in Pyatigorsk, like his dam *Magnolia. He raced in a few races with moderate success, placing 2nd and 3rd in 2 of 4 races. Later in 1973, he was purchased by Henry and Silvia Garde and exported to Germany, where he was renamed "Marsianin." It is interesting to consider that his sire, who was known as "Raafat" in Egypt, was also renamed. He became "Aswan" in honor of the gift made by Egypt.
In 1975, Howie Kale saw *Magnolia for the first time. A big, brightly colored bay mare, he fell immediately in love with her but she was not for sale. An Amurath Sahib (Amurath II x Nana Sahib) grandaughter, she inherited his big size, along with a beautiful top line and croup. Figuring that if he couldn't buy the dam*, he would buy the son, Howie Kale along with Ken Guilbeaux purchased *Marsianin, importing him to America in 1978. Despite his training and performance background, he was campaigned exclusively as a halter stallion, reaching the pinnacle of success in 1981, when he was named the United States National Champion Stallion. Syndicated as a breeding stallion, he was credited for strengthening the hip, correcting the legs, adding size and passing a beautiful head. The marketing paid off, as *Marsianin sired 517 get, through the end of 1991, several of whom were also National winners, including Maisa El Mars (x Maisa El Bene), a two time US Reserve National Champion mare (1988 & 1989).
*Marsianin's death is recorded as April 2006, which if you do the math, works out to be 35 years, about 10 years longer than the age more commonly expected as a long equine life. Three years ago, a poem I had read pushed me into considering 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, regardless of ancestry, for as breeders, using all the sources available to us, we have bred the very best horse our breed has to offer. That's the greatest gift that *Marsianin has left us - inspiration through beauty, to help you realize that what you previously believed to be impossible, is really possible after all.
*In 1980, Howie Kale finally purchased *Magnolia, who at 21 years old, was named a Scottsdale top ten mare!
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