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84-705: In the 1880s, Count Sergei Aleksandrovich Stroganov and his brother-in-law Prince Aleksandr Grigorievich Shcherbatov found a spot at the foot of Mount Zmeika (“small snake” in Russian) in the Northern Caucasus they felt was ideal for establishing a horse breeding farm. The two traveled to the Middle East in 1889 and purchased several purebred Arabian horses for use in their new breeding program. Stroganov also purchased horses from Crabbet Arabian Stud in England , including

168-579: A dark bay mare eventually named Queen of Sheba , purchased from the Sheykh of Gomussa and his cousin in the summer of 1878; and a chestnut mare named Rodania. All three have left many descendants. Through their connections among the tribes, the Blunts also heard of a celebrated grey stallion. They sent a trusted friend, Zeyd Saad el Muteyri, to buy him; the horse was named Azrek, and became an influential sire. The Blunt family (and to include one generation prior, that of

252-546: A female ancestor, the Gale family), of whom Wilfred was the primogeniture heir, inherited and enjoyed the manor and forests of worth including Crabbet Park House they erected in Queen Anne Style, since the year 1698. As important to Crabbet as the desert Arabians were, the collection of Egyptian leader Abbas Pasha proved an equally valuable source. This Governor of Egypt acquired horses from Arabia and Syria ; his stock formed

336-463: A few stallions from Poland: Arax in 1958, Semen in 1962, and Elfur (a full brother to *El Paso) in 1972. Of these stallions, Arax had the greatest impact on Tersk’s program, siring the influential stallion Nabeg and a number of quality daughters. Nabeg's most influential daughters include the U.S. National Top Ten Mare *Poznan, and Pesnianka, a dam of race and show champions in Europe. Nabeg’s sons include

420-713: A large North Caucasian diaspora. Much of the Northern Caucasus seceded from Russia in March 1917 as the Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus , taking advantage of the instability caused by the February Revolution and becoming a minor participant in the Russian Civil War . Mountainous Republic troops engaged in fierce clashes against the invading White General Anton Denikin 's Volunteer Army , before

504-460: A largely intervening wood, much reduced, including by motorway, is a residential development which makes up part of the Pound Hill neighbourhood of Crawley, (or more traditionally still considered Worth), West Sussex. Most of the roads have equestrianism names, or Wentworth, Blunt and albeit much more recently relevant Lytton and similar reflecting the centuries-old family that used to have ownership of

588-508: A long low back , a "wasp-waist," and a thick neck and throatlatch. But because Aswan’s faults were different than the Tersk mares’ faults, they often complemented each other well. Aswan sired 299 offspring over 20 seasons at Tersk, more than any other stallion in the stud’s history. Some of Aswan’s best-known sons included Palas (out of a daughter of Nil, the first stallion given to the USSR by Egypt), who

672-599: A long relationship of buying and leasing horses; sometimes the studs were adversaries and sometimes partners. A third stud, Courtlands, was also held up to be of the same level, and the three competed against each other at annual shows such as the one at the Roehampton Club . In 1926, she again received a significant infusion of much-needed cash when the famed Kellogg Arabian Ranch in California, owned by breakfast cereal magnate W. K. Kellogg , spent over $ 80,000 to purchase

756-467: A number of Crabbet horses. Lady Wentworth rejected Wilfred's "desert conditions" theory as well as a prevailing conviction that Arabians were naturally the size of large ponies (that is, under 14.2  hands (58 inches, 147 cm)). She first proved that Arabians could produce taller horses from the progeny of Rijm, a grandson of Rodania, who reached 16.1  hands (65 inches, 165 cm). Her great contribution to Arabian breeding, however,

840-662: A principal centre of Arabian horse breeding in England. However, there were many problems along the way. The Blunts spent much of their time travelling in Arabia and did not know what was going on in their absence. The pastures were ill-tended, the stables and paddocks not cleaned, stallions were shut up without exercise for weeks at a time. The Sheykh Obeyd stud fared little better while the Blunts were in England. Horses in Egypt were cared for by inattentive grooms and alcoholic managers, left tethered in

924-596: A problem for Lady Wentworth and the Crabbet Stud. In the war years, even though Lady Wentworth cut back her herd due to shortages and the necessity for the Stud to be completely self-supporting in horse feedstuffs, horses such as Grey Royal, Silver Gilt, Indian Magic, Silfina, and Serafina were produced. While Crabbet was bombed during the war, with over 32 incendiaries dropped, all landed on farmland and no humans or horses were injured. A Canadian Army Supply Unit took over part of

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1008-409: A small herd of her own. Wilfrid then attempted to seize the horses and land, making a nighttime raid on Crabbet and initially taking all of the horses, including those already legally owned by his daughter. The mare Bukra, too near foaling to travel, was shot on Wilfred's orders. Bitter and anxious to pay off his creditors, Wilfrid sold 37 horses, exporting several to W.R. Brown's Maynesboro stud in

1092-464: A theatrical tendency to thunder and lightning stage effects which verged on melodrama...and his temper was not improved by hashish and morphia..." Lady Anne died in 1917, passing on her titles to her only child, Judith , who became known as Lady Wentworth . The Crabbet estate went to Lady Anne's granddaughters, as did what horses she still owned in England. Judith had already purchased back some animals that Wilfred had sold to third parties and thus had

1176-559: A wide blaze going all the way over his nose and lips, Kubinec’s white markings weren't considered acceptable in the Tersk breeding program. According to Dr. O.A. Balakshin of the All Russian Research Institute of Horse Breeding, “Too many horses now have white markings on their head and legs. This is undesirable and should be eliminated by selection.”. Kubinec was sold in 1991 and began making his mark in European show rings. He

1260-667: Is bordered by the Sea of Azov and Black Sea to the west, the Caspian Sea to the east, and the Caucasus Mountains to the south. The region shares land borders with the countries of Georgia and Azerbaijan in the South Caucasus . Located in the south of the region, Mount Elbrus is the tallest peak in Europe. Krasnodar is the most populous among the urban centres in the region. The North Caucasus came under Russian control in

1344-529: Is often also encompassed under the notion of a Ciscaucasus region, thus the northern boundary of the Forecaucasus steppe or Nogai steppe is generally considered to be the Manych River . Owing to its mild climate compared to much of Russia, the region has been described as Russia's " sunbelt ". Ancient cultures of the Northern Caucasus are known as Klin-Yar community, with one of the most notable cultures being

1428-560: Is required to be rated “Elite” or “Grade I” in the Russian Stud Book. Horses that receive lower grades are sent to other studs or sold. The current stud director is Vladimir Tolmachyov. Northern Caucasus The North Caucasus , or Ciscaucasia , is a subregion in Eastern Europe governed by Russia . It constitutes the northern part of the wider Caucasus region, which separates Europe and Asia . The North Caucasus

1512-559: The Republic of Adygea , Karachay-Cherkessia , Kabardino-Balkaria , North Ossetia–Alania , Ingushetia , Chechnya , and Republic of Dagestan and to the north: Kalmykia . Geographically, the term North Caucasus also refers to the northern slope and western extremity of the Greater Caucasus mountain range, as well as a part of its southern slope to the West. The Pontic–Caspian steppe area

1596-662: The Sheykh Obeyd estate near Cairo to facilitate this. Their daughter Judith Blunt-Lytton, 16th Baroness Wentworth carried on the stud until her death. The stud was sold up in 1971, but its bloodlines continue to influence the breed worldwide in the 21st century. The Blunts' Arabian journeys are described in Lady Anne's books Bedouin Tribes of the Euphrates and A Pilgrimage to Nejd , based on her journals, though heavily edited by Wilfrid. In

1680-594: The Soviet Union , Raafat by Nazeer , who was renamed Aswan by the Soviets in honor of the dam project. Aswan had a profound influence on the Tersk breeding program. As a whole, the broodmare band at Tersk had generally good structure but lacked some elements of Arabian type. Aswan introduced a more extreme dished head with large nostrils, large expressive eye, long level croup, and high tail carriage. He also had obvious faults, such as offset front knees, post-legged back legs,

1764-464: The foundation for the stud of Ali Pasha Sherif . The Blunts made their initial visit to Ali Pasha Sherif in 1880 and purchased the stallion Mesaoud , in 1889. Lady Anne wrote of the stallion : "He is four white legged and high up to the knee but surprisingly handsome." As he aged, Ali Pasha Sherif's health failed and he encountered financial and political problems, leading to the ruin of his stud. In 1896 and 1897 Lady Anne inspected what she called

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1848-649: The "commonly-accepted division" that separates Europe from Asia. Russia completed the conquest of the North Caucasus by 1864. Between the 1850s and World War I, about a million North Caucasian Muslims, including Circassians , Chechens , Ingush, Ossetians, and others, became refugees in the Ottoman Empire . The Ottoman government settled North Caucasian refugees in territories of modern-day Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, Iraq, Georgia, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Kosovo, Greece, Cyprus, and North Macedonia, creating

1932-441: The "sad remnants" before they were sold at auction, and was able to procure several of the best horses that remained. Some of these horses remained in Egypt, at a stud farm owned by the Blunts called Sheykh Obeyd . Thus, according to breed expert Rosemary Archer, some of today's horses of Crabbet breeding carry a higher proportion of Abbas Pasha blood than many present-day Egyptian Arabians. Thanks to these purchases, Crabbet became

2016-592: The 19th century, following the Caucasian War between the Russian Empire and the various regional powers. The territory is the southernmost portion of Russia and is divided between a number of republics and krais . It is administered as part of the North Caucasian and Southern Federal Districts and consists of Krasnodar Krai , Stavropol Krai , and the constituent republics, approximately from west to east:

2100-578: The 80% inheritance tax owed on Lady Wentworth's estate and keep the Stud going. What followed was the largest single consignment of Arabians ever made from England, to Bazy Tankersley 's Al Marah Stud in the USA. In 1961 Covey also sold the stallion Sindh to Dora Maclean of Fenwick Stud in Australia, where he became one of Australia's most important Arabian sires. For twelve years the stud ran smoothly under Covey, with twenty to thirty horses plus visiting mares; for

2184-657: The Arabian-dominated field of endurance riding , highlighted by 100-mile competitions such as the Tevis Cup in the USA and the Australian Quilty 100-Mile Endurance Ride. Crabbet breeding is also popular in the "Sport Horse" disciplines such as Dressage and show jumping , for which the Arabian Horse Association now sponsors a National Championship. Thus, the modern Arabian of Crabbet ancestry can be seen in

2268-664: The Blunts agreed to a formal separation. The Stud was divided. Lady Anne signed a deed of partition drawn up by Wilfrid. Under its terms, she kept Crabbet Park and half the horses, while he took Caxtons Farm, also known as Newbuildings, and the rest of the stock. Soon thereafter, Lady Anne retired to Sheykh Obeyd in Cairo, where she lived for most of the remainder of her life. Wilfrid frequently had to sell horses to pay his debts. Lady Wentworth wrote of her husband, "His tyranny and spirit of discord eventually alienated him from his family, from most of his friends, and from several countries...He had

2352-572: The Crabbet stock with Skowronek was extremely successful, and the resulting animals not only sold throughout England but were exported to Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Russia and the USA. Lady Wentworth herself was satisfied that Skowronek was a purebred (or asil ) Arabian, tracing his pedigree and strain to several reliable desert sources. In

2436-644: The Crabbet stud. An even smaller group of breeders maintain preservation bloodlines tracing strictly to the horses imported or bred by the Blunts. For the average Arabian horse owner, horses with Crabbet ancestry are noted for athletic ability, attractive appearance, and good dispositions. They are popular in under saddle classes and seen in many equestrian disciplines, both those limited to Arabians and those open to all breeds. The particular virtues of Crabbet horses - sound, athletic conformation, good movement, solid temperament and performance ability - show up especially well in under saddle competition, and particularly in

2520-687: The General Stud Book, however, Skowronek's pedigree ends with three grandparents. This has led some Arabian enthusiasts to question if Skowronek was in fact a purebred. His sire, Ibrahim, was desert-bred and imported to Poland . His dam Jaskoulka (variously known as Yascolka or Yaskolka) was a Polish-bred Arabian. However, while the Poles had bred Arabians for centuries and kept careful pedigree records, they also crossed Arabian stallions on Thoroughbred and other non-Arabian mares. In addition, some breeders used different terminology to distinguish horses bred in

2604-512: The Hills left a significant impression on the breed. Tersk attempted to purchase Skowronek himself from Crabbet Stud, but he was not for sale. World War II added significant bloodstock to Tersk, at the expense of Poland ’s Arabian breeding program. In 1939 the Soviets removed many of the best Arabians bred at Janów Podlaski Stud Farm in Poland and marched them over 1,000 miles back to Tersk Stud. Among

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2688-545: The Kellogg Ranch. In this period, Lady Wentworth also sold horses to Australia, Brazil, Holland and Portugal. Nonetheless, the Depression years resulted in the birth of many fine horses, including Sharima, Indian Gold, Indian Crown, and Sharfina. During World War II , Lady Wentworth's aunt, Mary Lovelace, died, leaving a large fortune. This inheritance was much needed and marked the end of the financial problems which had been

2772-547: The Russian Revolution. In 1921 Marshal Semyon Budyonny , an accomplished horseman and cavalry officer, ordered two farms near Mineralnye Vody , the former Stroganov breeding farm and the nearby farm of White Army General Sultan Ghirey-Klych to be renamed and used for restoring the devastated Russian horse population. Today the stud is known as Tersky Horse-Breeding Farm No. 169. There is no indication Stroganov and Shcherbatov or their breeding stock had any involvement in

2856-608: The Russian Stud Book until 1978, meaning any Arabians imported to the U.S. directly from Tersk Stud were not permitted to be registered. The reason given by the Registry in a letter to Mr. Ed Tweed was “we mustn’t deal with the Russians” after Tweed attempted to register the Tersk-bred mares *Napaika and *Palmira and the stallion *Park in 1963. Tweed argued that the Tersk-bred *Naborr was registered by AHRA that same year with no problems, to which

2940-548: The Soviet Union in 1991 brought Tersk's future into question. By the mid-1980s, Russian Arabians were viewed as an exotic and profitable business in the U.S. Notable examples include Pesniar, who was purchased from Tersk in 1981 for $ 1 million, and Peleng, who was purchased for well in excess of $ 3 million in 1985. Before American-purchased Tersk Arabians were eligible for registration in the U.S., Howard F. Kale traded two Standardbred stallions worth $ 1 million each to Tersk Stud for

3024-414: The Stud to its manager, Geoffrey Covey, but as he predeceased her by a few days it passed to his son Cecil. (The Queen Anne house itself passed to Lady Wentworth's daughter Lady Winifred Tryon, who sold it; today, it is an office block and its royal tennis court has been restored.) Fortunately, Cecil Covey had inherited some other land. Only by selling land and nearly half of the 75 horses was he able to pay

3108-493: The Tersk breeding program. Of the three outcross stallions, Gvizd had the greatest influence through a few of his daughters and his son, Negasimyi, who later became a sire of racehorses at Tersk in the mid-1990s. Gvizd's daughter Purga produced the stallion Padishah (by race winner Drug), who won several halter championships in Europe in the early 2000s. Gvizd also sired Pogojii, winner of four stakes races in Russia. The dissolution of

3192-463: The United States. Between thefts and sales of horses at Newbuildings, many horses of the original Blunt breeding program were lost to Crabbet. In turn, Judith and her children forcibly took her favorite mare, Riyala, from Wilfrid's stable, and purchased back many horses from their new owners. A protracted lawsuit ensued between Wilfred and both his granddaughters' trustee and his daughter. Eventually

3276-772: The advancing German troops, the Tersk horses were evacuated to western Kazakhstan where they faced harsh weather and terrain. However, they returned to Tersk in 1943 with few losses. The Ofir daughter, Mammona, had an extensive influence upon the Tersk breeding program. She produced the stallion Pomeranets, who influenced both the Arabian and Trakehner breeds; the mares Nomenklatura (dam of Nabeg), Monopolia (dam of Monogramma), Metropolia (dam of *Menes), Malpia (dam of * Muscat , 1980 U.S. & Canadian National Champion Stallion, and *Moment), and *Magnolia (dam of *Marsianin, 1981 U.S. National Champion Stallion). Aside from Ofir, other notable stallions brought to Tersk from Poland included Piolun,

3360-671: The ancient Koban culture . Ciscaucasus was historically covered by the Pontic–Caspian steppe , mostly on fertile calcareous chernozyom soils, which has been almost completely tilled and grazed. It is bounded by the Sea of Azov on the west, and the Caspian Sea on the east. According to the Concise Atlas of the World, Second Edition (2008), the Ciscaucasus region lies on the European side of

3444-584: The annual Tersk auction starting in 1985 and the values of all big-investment Arabian horses dropped dramatically after the U.S. tax laws were changed in 1986. After that point, breeding "straight Russian" Arabians, or horses that were descended only from Tersk-bred horses, was not as common in the U.S. Some American breeders increasingly crossed Russian-bred horses with other lines to produce more exotic type and movement, while Arabian sport horse breeders outcrossed to Russian lines for their athletic ability. The Arabian Horse Registry of America (AHRA) did not approve

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3528-490: The characteristic Arabian refinement. In 1936, a shipment of 25 horses came from Crabbet Arabian Stud in England , some of which were descended from horses that had lived at the Stroganov and Shcherbatov stud and perished during the revolution. There were six stallions in the purchase, of which Naseem (a son of Skowronek and great-grandson of Mesaoud ) was the most influential. Among the mares, Rissalma, Rixalina, and Star of

3612-510: The confiscated Polish mares, Taraszcza, was bred to the Crabbet-bred stallion Naseem at Tersk and foaled a grey colt named Negativ in 1945. Negativ sired 12 foal crops in Russia, but because they did not excel on the racetrack he was sold to Poland in 1962, renamed “ Negatiw ,” and sired better racehorses out of the Polish mares. Negativ’s best-siring sons at Tersk were Suvenir and *Salon, the latter

3696-399: The courts ruled against him. At one point, after Wilfred had shot seven more horses, the trustee obtained an injunction to prevent the sale or destruction of any more animals. In 1921, the court declared that Wilfrid's seizure of horses was illegal, and that even the deed of partition was invalid, having been signed by Lady Anne "under duress". Judith was able to buy out her daughters' share in

3780-471: The dam of *Pesniar, who was purchased for $ 1 million and imported to the U.S. in 1981; Molva, called Aswan’s most beautiful and best-producing daughter by former Tersk director Alexander Ponomarev and the dam of Wympel; and Karinka, a full sister to Kilimanjaro, an accomplished race mare and the dam of Russian Derby winner and European Champion Stallion Drug. The *Menes son Balaton, out of the Aswan daughter Panagia,

3864-630: The desert and imported to Poland from the descendants of those horses bred in Poland, with translation issues leading some English language researchers to argue that second and third generation Polish-bred purebred Arabians were not actually purebred. For these reasons, some people argued that his dam was not asil . However, research of Jaskoulka's pedigree shows that her sire Rymnik and her dam Epopeja (also spelled Epopeia or Epopya) both traced to Abbas Pasha horses. Nonetheless, due to this controversy, some private breeders' organizations, such as Al Khamsa , exclude descendants of Skowronek. Crabbet's peak year

3948-473: The development of the new breed. From the beginning of its history, the stud has tested its horses on the racetrack . Tersk Arabians are sent to the Pyatigorsk racetrack at the age of two and may race one or two seasons. The best performers race on Sundays, with two-year-olds running 1,400 meters and older horses running 1,600 and 1,800 meters. The top individuals may be used for breeding at Tersk or return to

4032-404: The estate from the trustee, who was anxious to liquidate the assets. Upon Wilfrid's death in 1922, Judith bought Caxtons Farm from her father's executors and finally reunited the entire stud. Lady Wentworth had an unhappy marriage, divorcing in 1923. Upon the death of Lady Anne Blunt in 1917, she obtained her mother's title, and became the 16th Baroness Wentworth. (The Wentworth title, one of

4116-670: The fall of the Soviet Union, including a low-level armed conflict between Russia and militants associated with the Caucasus Emirate and, from June 2015, the Islamic State . The insurgency became relatively dormant in its later years. During its peak, the violence was mostly concentrated in the North Caucasus republics of Chechnya , Dagestan , Ingushetia and Kabardino-Balkaria . Occasional incidents happened in surrounding regions, such as North Ossetia–Alania , Karachay-Cherkessia , Stavropol Krai , and Volgograd Oblast . While

4200-486: The first time, the Crabbet sires were open to outside breeders. In early 1970, however, Covey learned that the government planned to build the M23 motorway connecting South London with Gatwick Airport and Brighton. The motorway eventually bisected Crabbet Park, and, having lost most of the horse pastures to development, in 1972 Covey reluctantly sold off the last of the Stud. Today the western half of Crabbet Park and Burleys Wood,

4284-492: The founding of the Soviet-run Tersk Stud. Arabians were re-introduced to the new Tersk Stud in 1925 and the first French Arabian imports arrived in 1930. These included the stallion Kann and six mares, most notable of which was Carabine. Koheilan IV was imported from Hungary . The French horses had generally good conformation but were lacking Arabian type, so the stud’s managers searched for quality breeding stock with

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4368-469: The horses making the trek was Mammona, a bay suckling filly whose name meant “treasure” in Polish. Mammona’s sire, Ofir, was also in the group of horses moved to Tersk. He had already left his mark on the breed by siring the famous "three Ws" in Poland: Witraz (the sire of * Bask ), * Witez II , and Wielki Szlem. Ofir did not sire the same caliber of horses at Tersk as he did in Poland. In 1941, to evade

4452-444: The hot sun without shade or water, and many died. Further, Wilfrid Blunt had no experience of horse breeding and believed that Arabians should live in "desert conditions" - that is, with little food or shelter provided. Lady Anne disagreed, but she was not able to demonstrate the superiority of her methods of horse management until the Blunts separated in 1906. In that year, Wilfrid's mistress, Dorothy Carleton, moved in with him, and

4536-545: The insurgency was officially declared over on 19 December 2017 when FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov announced the final elimination of the insurgent underground in the North Caucasus, counter-terrorism operations in the North Caucasus have not ended. In June 2022, the US State Department advised citizens not to travel to the North Caucasus, including Chechnya and Mount Elbrus , due to terrorism, kidnapping and risk of civil unrest. Other paramilitaries active in

4620-465: The land. At least 90% of all Arabian horses alive today trace their pedigrees in one or more lines to Crabbet horses such as Mesaoud and Skowronek . Many major Arabian sires worldwide show a strong Crabbet influence in their bloodlines. Polish and Russian bloodlines have a Crabbet influence through the Skowronek son and Mesaoud grandson Naseem , and his son Negatiw (or Negativ). Mesaoud himself

4704-427: The last minute, the export was cancelled and Lady Wentworth suddenly was the owner of Skowronek. Clark was a rival Arabian breeder, and Lady Wentworth may have used the agent as a front; concerned that if Clark had known she was interested, he might have increased the price - or refused to sell the horse at all. Clark was not happy with the result, and the two breeders had a somewhat cool relationship after she purchased

4788-624: The latter's defeat at the hands of the Red Army . The region was informally occupied by the Soviet Union shortly afterwards, and the republic was forced into accepting a nonviolent annexation in January 1921. It was reformed into the Mountainous ASSR , which was later dissolved in October 1924, replaced by a series of autonomous Okrugs and Oblasts. The outer border of the Soviet Union's North Caucasus Krai

4872-486: The mares Makbula and Sobha, and the stallion Mesaoud , who came from Crabbet Stud by way of Kleniewski Stud in modern-day Poland . Shcherbatov died in 1915. During the 1917 Russian Revolution , Stroganov fled to Paris where he remained with his family until he died in 1923. The Stroganov estate was seized by Russian revolutionaries and none of the Arabians of the Stroganov and Shcherbatov programs are known to have survived

4956-522: The oldest in England, is one of the few that can be passed through the female line.) By the time she took over the Stud, Crabbet Park had been leased. The Stud itself retained only eight horse boxes, some cowsheds and a few weed-choked pastures. The horses had been sorely neglected, some had starved to death, and others took years to recover. Lady Wentworth spent many years carefully rebuilding her stock and refining her breeding practices. To raise funds, she sold some bloodstock back to Egypt in 1920, including

5040-429: The racetrack for another season. Many others will be sold at the age of three. While race records are important to the Tersk breeding program, Dr. Balakshin stated “…good racing results are not the only criterion for selecting young stock for breeding purposes. Excellent runners which deviate from breed type may be used for limited breeding or else they are eliminated from selection.” Any horse used for breeding at Tersk

5124-695: The region have included the Confederation of Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus , an anti-Georgian organization and a participant in the 1992–1993 Abkhaz conflict that based its flag and political agenda directly on those of the Mountainous Republic. The North Caucasus, especially in its mountainous territories, has the highest life expectancy in Russia. The region is known for a large number of centenarians . Russian political subdivisions associated with

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5208-525: The region include: Crabbet Arabian Stud The Crabbet Arabian Stud , also known as the Crabbet Park Stud , was an English horse breeding farm that ran from 1878 to 1972. Its founder owners, husband and wife team Wilfrid Scawen Blunt and Lady Anne Blunt , decided while travelling in the Middle East to import some of the best Arabian horses to England and breed them there. They maintained

5292-469: The registering of Arabians imported directly from the Soviet Union in 1978, and *Napaika and *Palmira were registered that same year. Tersk Stud is located in the Caucasus Mountains in southern European Russia. The nearby town, Mineralnye Vody , means "mineral waters" and is renowned as a spa town. The weather is mild, ranging from 40 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter to nearly 80 degrees Fahrenheit in

5376-446: The registry replied that a Russian-bred horse may be registered by AHRA as long as the horse was owned in England or Poland for several years before its sale to the U.S. (*Naborr was sold by Tersk to Poland and used there for a number of years before he was imported to the U.S.) “We (Americans) are not as intimately acquainted with the Russians as the Poles and British, and we need not deal with them.” AHRA eventually accepted and approved

5460-509: The sire of Priboj (out of Rissalma, who had been purchased from Crabbet Arabian Stud ); and Taki Pan, the sire of the mare Taktika, who produced the mare Ptashka and the stallions *Pietuszok and Topol (all by Priboj). Topol's son Naftalin sired very good racehorses, including Aspect, who won 28 of 39 races. *Pietuszok was exported to Poland in 1958, where he sired successful racehorses like Wosk, *Orzel, and Wilma (the dam of *Wiking, whose offspring have earned over $ 8 million in purses). Another of

5544-468: The sire of both the U.S. and Canadian National Champion Stallion *Muscat and Tersk head sire *Moment. Another Negativ son, Nabor (later renamed * Naborr when he was imported to the U.S.), sired just 9 registered foals at Tersk, apparently because his offspring were considered too delicate for the Tersk program, and was exported to Poland in 1955. The Poles sought a stallion of the Ibrahim sire line, and had hoped to purchase Negativ from Tersk but were unable at

5628-446: The stallion *Muscat. Russian horses also retained their value within the U.S. A half-interest in the aged broodmare *Nariadnaia was sold at auction in the U.S. for $ 580,000 in 1983 and the stallion *Abdullahhh was sold for $ 3.2 million at a U.S. auction in 1984. The Soviets noticed the inflated prices that westerners were willing to pay for their horses and accordingly set high reserves on their auction lots. Prices began to come down at

5712-427: The stallion and used him as a model for several bronzes, then sold him to Webb Wares, who used him as a hack , and eventually sold him to H. V. Musgrave Clark, where he was shown and used at stud for the first time, coming to the attention of Lady Wentworth. Lady Wentworth bought Skowronek under circumstances that remain a bit confusing even today. Clark believed he was selling the horse to an American exporter, but at

5796-399: The stallion. While Count Potocki apparently found Skowronek unimpressive as a colt, having sold him to Winans for 150 pounds, the gray became a spectacular stallion and was named "Horse of the Century". Lady Wentworth later turned down an offer of $ 250,000 from the Tersk Stud , and bragged that she once received a cable "from the Antipodes" addressed to "Skowronek, England." The outcross of

5880-443: The stallions *Menes, *Pesniar, and *Nariadni, all three imported to the U.S. Peleng, another son, was sold for $ 3.2 million but tested positive for piroplasmosis ( Equine babesiosis ) and was never permitted to enter the U.S. Nabeg can also be found in Trakehner pedigrees through some of his sons and daughters. Unfortunately Nabeg died young, having left only eight foal crops. In 1958, the Sid Abouhom son Nil (named Azmy in Egypt)

5964-514: The stallions Kasmeyn, Sotamm, and Hamran, as well as the mares Bint Riyala and Bint Rissala. She also sold a number of horses to Spain's Duke of Veragua , including five Skowronek daughters. In 1925 the Crabbet Stud was visited by Annie Henrietta Yule (1874-1950) and her only child Gladys Meryl Yule (1903-1957). They were extremely wealthy women from an Anglo-Indian merchant family, and on settling in England had decided to turn their home at Hanstead Park into an Arabian stud farm. This visit began

6048-434: The stud, with soldiers billeted in the house and even in some of the horse boxes. After the war, she purchased the stallions Raktha and Oran, and produced other significant breeding stock including Sharima, Silver Fire, Indian Gold, and Nisreen. By the time of her death in 1957 at the age of 84, she owned 75 horses, noted for their height, excellent movement and regal carriage. Lady Wentworth died on 8 August 1957. She left

6132-584: The summer. While the weather is not harsh, the mares and foals at Tersk Stud live a rugged life outdoors most of the time. There are no fences around the stud, so mounted watchmen follow and monitor the herds night and day. The horses are brought into the barn twice each day to be fed and checked, but otherwise they are free to enjoy the open spaces. Tersk is best known for its purebred Arabian horses , but it has also hosted breeding programs for Akhal-Tekes , Terskys , Kabardins , and Dons . All Terskys were transferred to nearby Stavropol Stud in 1945 to continue

6216-492: The time, but were satisfied to own his son Nabor instead. Nabor was exported to the U.S. in 1963, becoming the first Tersk-bred Arabian to go to the States. *Naborr was owned in the United States by Anne McCormack, and then upon her death was purchased at auction by Tom Chauncey and entertainer Wayne Newton . None of Negativ’s Tersk-bred daughters had a significant influence on the Tersk program. After World War II , Tersk imported

6300-522: The winter of 1877/1878 they left Aleppo for what is now Iraq and reached the camps of Faris, a prince of the Anazzah tribe; Ferhan and other Bedouin leaders. Wilfrid became the blood brother of Faris. On a subsequent trip in 1881 the couple reached the heart of the Najd in what is now Saudi Arabia. Among the horses the Blunts acquired on these journeys were the bay filly Dajania, purchased on Christmas Day in 1877;

6384-529: Was 1929, when over 30 mares were bred. But as the Great Depression deepened, it affected Crabbet Park, with Lady Wentworth only breeding 8 foals in 1932, and 2 foals in 1933. To reduce the size of the herd, she made major sales in 1936 to the Tersk Stud of the Soviet Union , selling 25 horses, including the beautiful Skowronek son Naseem. The stud's financial picture also improved by selling 3 more horses to

6468-477: Was Rafyk, who was imported, along with two Crabbet mares , in 1891. Today, Australia now has a significant number of "pure" Crabbet lines, undiluted by infusions from other sources, with possibly the highest percentage of straight-and high-percentage Crabbet blood in the world. A small number of Arabian horse breeders continue to produce preservation or "straight" Crabbet bloodlines, with all animals produced descending in every line from horses bred or purchased by

6552-585: Was a gift to the Soviet Union from Egypt in appreciation for the USSR’s assistance in funding the Aswan Dam . Nil sired only 16 foals before his untimely death in 1960, but still left a lasting impression on the Tersk program. His loss was unfortunate because, based on his structure and brief siring record, Nil could have been as significant to Tersk as his successor. In 1963, the Egyptian government gave another stallion to

6636-478: Was exported to Poland and became a head sire at Janów Podlaski Stud Farm for many years; Kilimanjaro, a German National Reserve Champion who sired champions in North America and Europe; Patron, who sired the U.S. and Canadian National Champion Stallion * Padron before his untimely death; and Plakat, a European champion who sired many champions himself. Aswan excelled at siring broodmares . Examples include Pesnia,

6720-427: Was foaled in 1982 at Tersk and was immediately identified as the stud’s next great hope. Balaton became one of the youngest stallions to become a head sire at Tersk at just three years of age, and Tersk Director Alexander Ponomarev called him "the horse of the century at Tersk" after his first foal crop arrived. The Balaton son Kubinec, out of the *Muscat daughter Kosmetika, was foaled at Tersk in 1987. A chestnut with

6804-550: Was her outcross of the Blunt bloodstock to Skowronek . Lady Wentworth knew that she needed additional horses to outcross on descendants of her parents' original bloodstock. Therefore, she added the chestnut stallion Dargee, and her most famous purchase, the gray stallion Skowronek . The English painter Walter Winans bought Skowronek from Count Josef Potocki's Antoniny Stud in Poland , where he had been foaled in 1909. Winans rode

6888-607: Was named German National, European, and World Champion Stallion as well as European Conference of Arab Horse Organizations (ECAHO) "Five Star Stallion" and his offspring are desirable around the world today. In the mid-1980s, Tersk Stud introduced a few different outcross stallions, such as the Polish imports Gvizd ("Gwizd" in Poland) and Harfiaj ("Harfiarz" in Poland) and the English-bred pure Spanish Esplendor. Gvizd, Harfiaj, and Esplendor left Tersk but some of their descendants were used in

6972-424: Was sold to Russia in 1903. Spanish bloodlines have a Crabbet influence through the stallion Nana Sahib and others. Even major historic "Egyptian-bred" sires such as Nazeer trace to Mesaoud through his Crabbet-bred grandson, Sotamm. The Crabbet-owned stallion Raktha, sire of Serafix , was exported to South Africa in 1951, along with several other Crabbet horses. The first Crabbet stallion imported to Australia

7056-604: Was the same as that of present-day North Caucasus Economic Region (Raion) which includes an oblast ( Rostov Oblast ), two krais ( Krasnodar Krai and Stavropol Krai ), and seven republics. The former North Caucasus Military District (Okrug) also included Astrakhan Oblast , Volgograd Oblast , and the Republic of Kalmykia . Its administrative center was Rostov-on-Don until 10 January 1934, Pyatigorsk until January 1936, then Ordzhonikidze (today Vladikavkaz) and, from 15 December 1936, Voroshilovsk (today Stavropol). The North Caucasus region experienced widespread unrest and insurgency after

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