I love pouring over the old magazines, not only for images of old horses, but for the stories by and of the old breeders. The articles and interviews 'humanize' them, as well as sometimes providing insights. One of my favorite articles was one about small breeders; it was very eye-opening to see what have become big names and read about steps/goals/mistakes they've learned from as 'small breeders of national champions'.
Seeing this thread this morning reminded me of a little snippet involving the Pattersons. The first time I read it, I picked up on the Lacroix name; some months later, after I learned one of my tech clients apparently went to school with Dick Patterson, it made the second reading of the article even more interesting for me.
Excerpts from AHW July 1982, p. 219-222 Nichols-Delongpre feature section, "Mike...by Mike (Nichols)"
"I was introduced to Dr. LaCroix and after some conversation I asked whether he and Mary Jean might accompany me to Poland and show me the ropes. They said they'd love to and thus began one of the closest and most productive friendships I have had. I have been back to Poland 13 times since that first trip, and one of the most striking things I've found in the Polish breeders is their absolute honesty and their ruthlessness in assessing their horses. It's not at all unusual to hear Director Krzysztalowicz of Janow Podlaski or Director Jaworowski of Michalow look at one of his horses and say, "The back's too long" or "The neck's too short." It is this honesty that has enabled them to continue to breed superb horses throughout unimaginable hardships.
....
I think the hardest I ever laughed was in Poland. Don DeLongpre and I were sharing a car with Gene and Mary Jean LaCroix. After our experience with the truck we had dispensed foreverwith drivers and I was behind the wheel of a small, rented Polish car. We were coming from Janow Podlaski. A German tour bus had aboandoned one of its non-English-speaking passengers at Janow and we had offered him a ride back to Warsaw. We were obediently following Dick and Kay Patterson, who were in an equally small car, when their fan belt broke. If your fan belt breaks in Poland and you don't have another fan belt, there is very little you can do. There aren't service stations every few miles - nor, in fact, anything else, in the vicinity we were in. It was late at night, it was dark, there was no one else on the road. We looked under hoods, sat around, walked up and down wondering if anybody might ever come along, and if they did what language we would address them in. After several hours of this Dick Patterson decided he might as well drive on without a fan belt. The only thing is, he decided rather suddenly. We piled in the car and I drove to catch up with him as quickly as I could. The Pattersons' car was just two small tail lights receding in the distance. "Wait, wait," I yelled, "the K*ra*ut's not in the car. We can't just drive off. The K*ra*ut's not in the car." From the back seat very, very quietly, came Dr. LaCroix's voice, "Yes he is." There was a small pause and then about 15 minutes of wild laughter which we were never able to explain adequately to the German gentleman.
My friendship with Sheila Varian began when I went to see her horses. I rather crudely asked if I could buy *BACHANTKA. She told me I would have to marry her to get her. I did end up with a colt of *BACHANTKA's *BASK daughter, BALALINKA. That's BARBARY+++. My friendship with Sheila turned out equally well - a ten-year conversation about horses and related subjects from which I have learned a lot.
BACHANTKA
BARBARY+++Early in 1975 I went to visit Don DeLongpre at his ranch in California. I was interested because of Don's gifts as a breeder and a horseman and because of his stallion *ETER, who was not only by COMET but out of one of the very greatest daughters of AMURATH SAHIB, ESTOKADA. Don showed me his horses, and when he brought out *ETER the horse bounced and snorted and put his tail over his back and trotted around us in circles like a National Champion Park Horse. "He's really something," I said. Don looked at him and then looked at me and said, "He's never done this in his life." I was startled by his honesty and I have never ceased to be impressed with his honesty and fairness in the six years of our happy and successful partnership.
ETER...
*BUFA and *MARITSA are two mares that I wanted desperately. I missed *BUFA in Poland by about two weeks. She had been bought and imported to the United States by T.C. Halberg. I first saw her in Minnesota when it was about 20 degrees below zero. Mr. Halberg said she was not for sale under any circumstances. I called him twice a year for the next six years and he finally weakened. Today, we have five beautiful *BUFA daughters.
BUFA...
I have imported many horses from Poland. Some of them have become National Champions, some of them have produced National Champions. I love the Poles and I love the horses they have bred. But I have never understood assessing anything as a generality. I cannot deal with the idea of Polish horses or Russian horses or Egyptian horses or Crabbet horses. I can take only one horse at a time. I know that serious breeders have said this over and over, but it probably cannot be said too often. There are good and bad horses in all countries; probably the most good horss are here in our country. The question is:
which horse; which stallion of what breeding to mate with which mare? This is the challenge that endlessly fascinates."
polish foundation breeders, foundation breedersof polish horses in North America
Sep 27 2006, 08:44 AM
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