After 5 colts the great Wizja finally had a daughter in 1988, the chestnut Wizjera. She was by the Russian stallion Tallin (Nabeg-Talantlivaia/Aswan). He was used at Tersk in 1984-1985 siring 13 foals before he arrived in Poland for an exchange with the Probat-son Gwizd. Tallin was a representative of the Bairactar sire line and his greatest achievement was his son Wojslaw (out of Wilejka – the fullsister to Wizja). He matched very well with the Szweykowska-line through Warmia producing Wilnianka (out of Wilejka) – 1989 Polish National Junior Reserve Champion Mare, Warsowia (out of Wendeta/Palas) – the dam of Polish Chief sire Wachlarz (by Arbil), Warsowia was sold to Lenita Perroy where she has been a very valued broodmare. Tallin is also the sire of Dzida (out of Debica/Elf) – 1988 Polish National Junior Reserve Champion Mare.
Wizja was then bred twice to Arbil (Banat-Arba/Comet) and had two daughters, Wiza in 1990 and Wiazma in 1991. It was important for Michalów to have a replacement for Wizja and with three daughters they decided to offer Wiza at the Polish Prestige auction and keep the other two, Wizjera and Wiazma.
Wizjera was put into race training as a 3-year old with 4 starts (0-0-1-0). She had 4 offspring before she was sold to USA, two fillies by Egon – Wenessa in 1993 and Wizula in 1996 and two offspring by Monogramm – Wizir in 1994 and Wizjerka in 1995. Wizir was gelded and Wizjerka was sold to the Polish private breeder Tarus Arabians. Wizula was also sold to a private breeder, Leszek Jarmuz, and she produced 6 offspring, all fillies, for 3 different private breeders.
Retained by Michalów was the tall, great moving Wenessa. Her sire Egon was a son of Enrilo, by many considered to be the best Probat-son. He was standing at stud only one season in Poland before he was sold at the Polish Prestige auction to Lasma Arabians in USA. He only had 12 foals in Poland, among them the stallions Egon and Dniestr (out of Draperia/Gedymin) and the mare Zguba (out of Zazula/Negatiw), the dam of the great Zagrobla. Enrilo´s dam was Emisja (Carycyn-Espada/Aquinor), also the dam of the legendary Emigracja (by Palas). Egon´s dam Epopeja was a chestnut daughter of Palas and out of the great Eskapada (Nabor-Estokada), 1981 Polish National Reserve Champion Mare at the age of 21 with her daughter Ekstaza (by Celebes) was the Champion Mare. I had the great fortune to work with Epopeja when she was sold to Sweden in 1987. She was a beautiful mare with a classical look and very look-alike to her dam Eskapada. Epopeja was in foal to Garnizon (Probat-Glownia), the 1987 Polish National Champion Stallion, as she produced so great with Probat and his sons. Egon was born in 1986 and he was the 1988 Polish National Reserve Champion Stallion. Epopeja had a gorgeous bay filly by Probat in 1987, Eskalacja, and she was later sold to France. In Sweden Epopeja had a colt by Garnizon, Epoz, a tall, athletic stallion. She had five more foals here, but unfortunately she only had colts.
Egon was a really pretty stallion and a great mover. He was used at Michalów for three seasons and then he went to a private breeder in 2000, Adam Wyrzyk. Unfortunately Egon was lost in an accident in 2002. His best offspring are Wenessa and Edina – Canadian National Champion Mare. Both Wenessa and Edina was sold at the annual auctions at Janow Podlaski to Jim Ferlita, USA.
Wenessa was raced for two seasons with 12 starts (2-0-1-1) and then she was bred to Ekstern and the grey Wilga was born in 1999. She is a real show-stopper like her dam and that is very significant for all of their offspring as well.
Wenessa was bred back to Ekstern and produced Wesola Nowina in 2002 and Wadi Halfa in 2003. The latter has three foals so far at Michalow, among them the handsome 2013 colt Wadi Kahil (by Kahil Al Shaqab).
Wenessa was also bred to Ganges producing the filly Wadi Musa and in 2004 she produced the bay Wadi Nur (by Gazal Al Shaqab). He would be the best race horse in Poland by Gazal Al Shaqab and he was very successful with 7 starts – 4xI (Koheilan I, Sambor Stakes), 1xII (Criterium Stakes), 1xIII (Bialka Stakes), 1xIV (Europejczyk Stakes) and he was the Best 3-year old. Unfortunately an injury put a stop to his career and in 2009 he was leased to Belzyce Arabians. In 2010 he returned to Michalów and was put into the breeding program. Wadi Nur is a tall (16 hands – 163 cm) handsome stallion with great movements.
Wilga was named 2001 Bialka Spring Show Junior Reserve Champoion Mare and at the same show Wieza Babel (Laheeb-Wiazma/Arbil) was the Champion, a great success for the Wizja-family. Wilga was raced with 7 starts in 2002 (0-1-0) and when she returned to Michalów she was bred to Gazal Al Shaqab.
Wilga had a filly in 2004 that was named Wilda and she has also been very successful in the showring – 2005 Junior Reserve Champion Mare Falborek, 2009 Polish National Senior Reserve Champion Mare, 2012 All Nations Cup Senior Bronze Champion Mare and Al Khalediah European Horse Festival Senior Gold Champion Mare in Nowe Wronska.
Wilda had 3 foals by Ganges (Monogramm-Garonna/Fanatyk) – 2010 colt Wilden, 2011 filly Wildara and 2012 filly Wildana. Wildara was shown at the Bialka Spring Show as a yearling and she was placed 2nd in a tough class. Unfortunately Wildara was lost shortly after the show, a big loss for Michalów.
In 2012 Michalów used the stallion Shanghai EA (WH Justice-Salymah/Khidar) and one of the mares bred to him was Wilda. She had a beautiful filly in 2013, Wilandra, and she was picked out by the breeder/owner of Shanghai E.A – Alberto Sorocco, to join his band of mares at Equus Arabians. She was shown in 2014 and was named International Gold Champion Yearling Filly, Travagliato in Italy. Wilda had another filly by Shanghai EA in 2014, Wildona, and I look forward to seeing her in the showring this summer.
Wilga had three colts in 2005-2007, Wembley (by Galba), Willars and Wiwat Maraam (both by Al Maraam). Willars was a Polish National Junior Top Five Stallion.
Wilga was bred to QR Marc and produced Waranga in 2009 and Wilges in 2010. She was sold in 2010 in foal to QR Marc and foaled a bay filly in 2011 – Wiktoria – for her new owner DB Arabians in Belgium.
The family of Wizja is strong and successful in the Michalów breeding program and they all have in common the great attitude and powerful movements.
Horses with charisma and personality and I am so happy to see Wizja´s impact at Michalów. Long live the Queen!
As always, Anette, your photos are beautiful. I want to add the conclusion to your treatise on Wizjera. She was sold to Strawberry Banks and had a number of foals there. I inquired about her in her later years when I found they were going to use her as a surrogate mare. Knowing her superb pedigree and qualities, I inquired about obtaining her and she became mine. That following spring I bred her to Goliat (Eukaliptus x Gildia by El Paso). She had heaves when I got her, so when she had attacks, she would be put on Ventapulmin (oral) or Dexamethazone (injectable). One had to use the steroid version carefully. She was ok through the winter and the following spring she foaled a gorgeous chestnut filly, who I named Wizja Zlota. Wizjera was doing fine with the pregnancy and the foaling and through the first month with the filly. Once in a while she had to be treated but recovered quickly. One morning, when the filly was a month old, I went to the barn and Wizjera had passed away during the night. She was fine, eating, and breathing well when I checked on her and the filly at evening stables. I was so distraught that the mare had a severe attack during the night and she had gone. I put the filly on milk replacer and she took to it right away being served in a bucket. There was no other mare who had foaled around the same time, so I didn’t want her to be alone or focus too much on humans. I went to the field and caught a wonderful old mare, who was well into her 20’s, to see if she would be a baby sitter. This was Dansel Pinata (El Paso x Halali Encrimson by Bask x Halali Enchanted by Comet). Pinata had not had a foal for years. But being a true war-horse, she accepted the filly and they became inseparable. Wizja Zlota had to stay on the milk replacer until “weaning” time, and did very well. She has turned out to be a very lovely mare and is still here at the farm. Wizjera was certainly a lovely mare and I am blessed to have had her and her filly. They, of course, joined Wilejka’s offspring here including Wojslaw, Weltawa, Wilenka, Wybranka and Goliat’s daughter from Wilejka, Walencia. This Szweykowska family is outstanding! Thanks for doing such a nice essay on this mare and her wonderful contributions.