Poland's Wielkopolski Rooted in History

The modern Wielkopolski / Polish warmblood.

by Jean Morris

Poland. The land retains remnants of the primordial forest once inhabited by the primitive Tarpan, and is the birthplace of the modern Trakehner. The history is one of invasion, occupation and partition. Each turn in the tide of events of this troubled country has contributed to the development of a horse named after the heartland of its people - the Wielkopolski.

The story of the Wielkopolski begins 15,000 to 20,000 years ago, when the Cro-Magnon inhabitants of southern France and Spain painted their sacred places with the animals they observed, hunted and admired. While most of the equine paintings depict the stocky dun-coloured creatures we associate with Przewalski’s Horse, we occasionally see smaller, lighter-built, ash-grey or white horses cavorting on the limestone walls.

Ten thousand or more years later, in the 5th century BC, Herodotus, a Greek historian, reported the existence of small, white wild horses in the region of today’s Ukraine. These are the earliest historic references to the primitive horses that arrived from the southern steppes of Asia. They were called “tarpan”, which means simply “wild horse”.

At the time of Herodotus, deforestation had already commenced. By the end of the 15th century, only small tracts of ancient forest, inhabited by bison and tarpans, remained. One such tract, located in Bialowieza, northwest Poland, was designated a royal hunting reserve. Some of the Tarpans were captured and domesticated. With domestication, the Tarpans’ primitive characteristics, such as their black upright mane, dorsal and leg stripes, gradually diminished and they became known as the “little horses” or “koniks”.

Further south, the Islamic threat to Christianity in Palestine added its contribution to the development of the Wielkopolski. During the 12th century European Christians walked or rode on crusade to Palestine to save the Holy Land from the “infidel”. In 1190 an order of knights, restricted to German noblemen, was founded in Acre, Palestine, to run a hospital for wounded crusaders. Eight years later these Teutonic Knights of Saint Mary’s Hospital at Jerusalem changed from a charitable to a military order to help fight the Turks.

The Teutonic Knights became a powerful fighting organization, and in 1210 the King of Hungary invited them to eliminate the pagan Slavs from the region north of Hungary, bordering the Baltic Sea. The Knights arrived, completed their religious “cleansing” of the area, and in 1226 received Prussia (northern Poland) as a reward. They repopulated the region with settlers from Germany and started controlled breeding of horses based on the native konik. No doubt Arab horses, brought with the Knights from Palestine, contributed significantly to the programme.

In 1410, the Christianized Slavs united and defeated the Teutonic Knights. Islam was expanding and from the 15th to the end of the 17th century, most of Hungary was occupied by Turks and their Arab horses. Although Poland remained essentially Prussian, Hungary forms part of the southern border, and the influence of the Arab horse moved north.

In 1732, Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia founded the Royal Trakehner Stud at Trakehnan (a part of Prussia that is now central Poland), to produce horses worthy of carrying the officers of the German cavalry. Starting with descendents of the horses developed by the Teutonic Knights, the stud’s initial produce was too small for the purpose intended. Kladrubers were added to the programme, but, although they brought size, their roman noses detracted from their appearance. Arab stallions were then introduced. The result was a large, attractive, hardy horse, ideal for German cavalry officers - the Trakehner. Pedigrees were recorded and performance testing commenced. Trakehnen was destroyed during the Napoleonic war, but was restored and is currently administered by the Polish Ministry of Agriculture.

Breed improvements continued using English Thoroughbreds and Arabs. By 1913, 84 per cent of Trakehner mares were by Thoroughbred stallions, but the high quality Polish Arab blood was always present. Performance testing was standardized. Three-year-old stallions were tested in dressage and over cross-country fences, as well as pulling wagons to demonstrate their willingness (a requirement for the cavalry). The best were branded with the familiar elk antlers and used for breeding at the depot. The lower quality horses were designated “East Prussian” and used for sport.

At the end of World War Two, retreating Germans took some Trakehners, but the Russians removed most of them (forming the foundation of the Budionny breed). The Polish authorities collected all the remaining Trakehners and sent them to Liski, a cavalry remount depot in the Masury district of north-eastern Poland. They were identified as Masuren horses. The Liski Stud still specializes in the Trakehner bloodlines.

Poland became a Soviet satellite and communist state. The attempt to create collective farms was unsuccessful and abandoned in 1956. Consequently, farmers continued to work their small traditional plots with horses, maintaining the need for multi-purpose horses suitable for light agricultural work and riding.

In order to fill that need, Masuren horses were bred with those that had been developing along similar lines at studs in Poznan, western Poland, thus creating the Wielkopolski. The desired type was still the ideal cavalry officers’ horse: one with good looks, size, movement and a willing temperament, that could also work the land.

The Wielkopolski has an average height of 16.2 hh, is solid coloured, with good bone, a deep body and visible hint of oriental blood in the fine, wide-browed head. They are easy keepers, well tempered and sound - evidence of their tarpan heritage. Because of the high percentage of Thoroughbred and Arab blood, the Wielkopolski excels at cross-country, as well as stadium jumping and dressage. The heavier specimens are still used for agricultural work in rural areas, but the trend is ever towards the lighter, athletic type.

Whether working in harness, for transportation, for war or for pleasure and sport, the Wielkopolski carries much of the history of Poland in its blood.

The Fate of the Tarpans

Towards the end of the 18th century, settlers arrived in the steppes adjacent to Bialowieza. They considered the Tarpans vermin and systematically exterminated them. After the first World War, in an attempt to reproduce the Tarpans, selected koniks were released in what had become Bialowieza National Park, but in 1939 Hermann Göring claimed the park as a personal hunting reserve and had the feral koniks killed or sent to war. In 1954 another programme was initiated to selectively breed the remaining koniks for primitive features. These modern Tarpans and wild bison may be seen today grazing in the protected forest of Bialowieza, now a World Heritage Site.

About Poland

Poland is open and welcoming to visitors. The tourist industry is not as fully developed as in western European countries, but the spirit of free enterprise is well established and shops are plentifully supplied with everything a visitor may require. Although you need to carry toilet paper for use in the public facilities, you do not have to bring it from Canada!

Entry requirements: Canadian citizens require a valid passport and visa. Visas are available from the Polish Consulate and take about two weeks to process.

Electricity: 220 volts, 50 Hz.

Language: Polish is the primary language. German and English are also spoken in larger cities and tourist areas.

Currency: 1 Zloty (zl) = $0.37CDN

Credit cards are accepted in large tourist establishments, but generally not in rural areas or small cafés and shops. ATMs do not always dispense cash to foreigners. Check with your bank before leaving.

Tipping: It is customary to tip 10 per cent in restaurants but in cafés round up to the nearest zloty. Hotel and train station porters expect about zl 2 per bag.

Climate: The best time to travel is late spring and early fall. Lightweight clothes suitable for layering are best due to the changeable weather.

Travel: There are three levels of train service: express and fast are good. Avoid “normal” which are very slow. Buses are sometimes faster and are the preferred mode of transport in rural areas.

Food: Barszcz (borscht or beet soup), with rye bread; pork, freshwater fish and pierogi. Cream is a staple ingredient in desserts. It is best to avoid drinking tap water.

Alcohol: Polish beer and vodka!

Riding is available at three Wielkopolski studs: in Lack, Raçot and Sieratow. Contact ORBIS, the Polish Travel Bureau Inc. for more information.

Tel. (212) 867-5011 (New York) or go to www.polhorse.pl.