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East WestEquestrian Arts

Heritage & Performance History

Polish Arabians &
The Legend of Witez II

The philosophy of "Piękny i Dzielny", mandatory track performance screening, and the WWII wartime odyssey of Operation Cowboy.

SECTION I

The Polish Protocol: Performance Screening and Selection in Polish Arabian Horse Breeding

1. The Breeding Philosophy: "Piękny i Dzielny" (Beautiful & Brave)

Unlike many regional breeding traditions that favored either purely aesthetic show traits or pure racing speed, Polish breeders established a balanced national ideal: "Piękny i Dzielny" (Beautiful and Courageous/Athletic).

Originating in the 16th century and formalized through state stud farms—most famously Janów Podlaski (founded in 1817), Białka, and later Michałów—the Polish program treated the Arabian horse not as an ornamental luxury, but as an elite functional athlete capable of military service, long-distance cavalry duty, and improving farm bloodstock.

POLISH BREEDING SELECTION TRIAD

01
CONFORMATION & BREED TYPE

Seglawi / Kuhailan Classic Beauty, dry head, arched neck, structural balance.

02
PERFORMANCE TEST

Mandatory Służewiec Track testing: Soundness, Wind, Heart & Stamina under saddle.

03
CHARACTER & HARDINESS

Willing temperament, mental resilience, trainability, and metabolic recoverability.

2. Training and Performance Screening

In Poland, a young Arabian could not be approved for elite breeding stock based on pedigree or beauty alone. Every prospect had to prove its structural soundness, cardiovascular strength, and mental fortitude under saddle.

The Race Track Selection System

Beginning in 1926 (initially at the Pole Mokotowskie track and later at the Służewiec Racecourse in Warsaw), Poland introduced mandatory race-track testing for 2- and 3-year-old Arabians before they could enter the breeding herd.

  • Age & Duration: Young horses entered race training as 2-year-olds and competed for 1 to 2 full seasons.
  • The Goal: The track was not used to transform Arabians into sprint-specialized Thoroughbreds. Instead, it was an intensive stress test designed to reveal physical weaknesses, metabolic flaws, or poor mental stamina under pressure.

The Screening Evaluation Criteria

Evaluation AreaWhat Evaluators Looked ForSelection Result
Legs & TendonsClean joints, dense bone, absence of splints, bowing, or windpuffs after high-speed work.Horses with soft bone or chronic unsoundness were culled from breeding regardless of head shape.
Respiratory & WindClear airways, large nostril expansion, absence of roaring or exercise-induced fatigue.Ensured maximum oxygen uptake and stamina for long-distance performance.
Heart & RecoveryHeart rate recovery time after intense gallops; ability to bounce back quickly after consecutive racing days.Identified high metabolic efficiency and fatigue resistance.
Spirit & TemperamentWill to win, calm demeanor in crowded paddocks, willingness to work with the rider under stress.Ensured retention of "bravery" and trainability rather than nervous temperaments.
SECTION II

The Knight's Journey: Witez II and the WWII Rescue of Europe's Equine Treasures

1. Foaling & Heritage at Janów Podlaski

Foaled on April 1, 1938, at Janów Podlaski, Witez II (a bay stallion) represented the peak of Polish breeding strategy. His name came from an archaic Polish word for "chieftain," "knight," or "hero".

  • Sire: Ofir (by the desert-bred Kuhailan-Haifi, imported directly from Arabia in 1931 by Prince Roman Sanguszko).
  • Dam: Federacja (tracing to historic Polish and Hungarian Bábolna bloodlines).
  • The Golden 1938 Crop: Ofir’s first foal crop produced three colts that redefined global Arabian bloodlines: Witez II, Witraż (sire of the legendary *Bask), and Wielki Szlem.
THE HISTORIC 1938 OFIR TRIO
DESERT IMPORT (1931)KUHAILAN-HAIFI
JANÓW PODLASKI SIREOFIR
WITEZ II

Exported to US Army Remount & Calabia Ranch

WITRAŻ

Sire of Legendary *Bask

WIELKI SZLEM

Premier Polish Broodmare Sire

2. World War II and the Capture to Hostau

When Nazi Germany and Soviet forces invaded Poland in September 1939, Janów Podlaski was caught in the middle. While Soviet forces seized much of the older breeding stock (including Ofir), the yearling Witez II escaped Soviet capture.

Under German military occupation, Witez II was put into race training, but wartime cancellations kept him off the public track. As WWII progressed, Nazi authorities seized elite horses from across occupied Europe—including Thoroughbreds, Lipizzans, and Polish Arabians—and gathered them at a centralized stud facility in Hostau, Czechoslovakia (now Holýšov in the Czech Republic) to breed military stock. Witez II was transferred there as a breeding stallion.

HISTORIC RESCUE MISSION (APRIL 1945)

3. Operation Cowboy: The Rescue at Hostau

In the final days of WWII in Europe, Hostau was directly in the path of the advancing Red Army. Fearing that the prized horses would be slaughtered for meat by starving troops, captured German officers secretively appealed to the U.S. Army.

General George S. Patton Jr., an avid horseman and 1912 Olympic equestrian competitor, personally authorized a daring mission behind Soviet lines.

On April 28, 1945, Colonel Charles H. Reed led the 2nd Cavalry Regiment in "Operation Cowboy." They crossed into hostile territory, accepted the formal surrender of the German garrison, and evacuated hundreds of horses—including the Spanish Riding School Lipizzans and Polish Arabians—back across Allied lines. Because Witez II was one of the few horses broken to ride, he was ridden under saddle during the dangerous retreat.

4. Arrival and Impact in the United States

In late 1945, Witez II was shipped across the Atlantic aboard a U.S. Army transport vessel to the United States.

US Army Remount Service

Witez II initially served at the U.S. Army Remount Depot at Pomona, California, standing at stud for military cavalry refinement.

Calabia Ranch & Show Honors

Purchased by Earle and Frances Hurlbutt. Named 1951 Grand Champion at Southern California All-Arabian Show and 1953 Pacific Coast Champion Stallion.

Legacy: Witez II sired 223 foals, transferring Polish athletic structure, dense bone, gentle disposition, and dark bay color into American Arabian show and performance lines. He lived out his life in California and Parker, Colorado, passing away in 1965 at age 27.

References