Skowronek Series Pre 1921
It’s easy to get lost following any 200 year history and the Skowronek saga is no different. The storyline breaks into two periods of time: the history before his 1921 registration in Weatherby’s GSB and then the commentary post 1921. Each part will be examined sequentially.
Each post will include links to English translations of the relevant documents along with links to the original sources in Russian, Polish, German and French. Each translation includes editor’s notes, footnotes clearly explaining any controversial translations and cross references to other documents. Articles will be available later this summer on www.skowronek.io, the FaceBook page Skowronek – A Partbred Arabian Horse, and this blog.
List of Articles
- Cast of characters prior to 1921
- Early primary sources (1799-1876)
This includes a fully translated Slawuta Stud report from 1799, along with historical commentary on the Sanguszko family’s breeding operation from two brothers, Wladyslaw Sanguszko (1839 and 1850) and Roman Sanguszko Sr. (1876). These sources are often referenced by later authors. - The Blunts, the Potockis and the Sanguszkos (1882-1895)
The Blunt’s relationship with the Potockis began in 1882 with a meeting in Egypt. The story follows this relationship through Lady Anne’s journals and Wilfred’s letters from 1882 to 1895, including the Blunt’s visit to Antoniny in 1884 and Wilfred’s visit to Antoniny and Slawuta in 1895. - Secondary sources prior to 1900
Works in Polish and German will be examined to see how writers portrayed the horses of the Sanguszko and Potocki families prior to 1900. - Roman Sanguszko Jr., the Blunts and the 1903 Russian Arabian Stud Book (1899-1903)
In perhaps the most interesting portion of the story, readers will evaluate the correspondence from the Russian government to Roman Sanguszko Jr. in 1899, his request for advice on the subject to the Blunts, the Blunts reply including Lady Anne’s journal entries on the subject, Sanguszko’s reply to the Russians and then finally the Russian Arabian Stud Book of 1903. Viewed together they offer a vivid portrait of the thinking across Europe on Skowronek’s ancestors in the 10 years prior to his birth in Russia in 1909. The source documents are in Russian, French and English. - Secondary sources 1902-1907
Portions of Polish and German secondary sources written just after the turn of the century will be analyzed. These texts are widely cited by writers after 1921. - Early versions of the history of the Sanguszko Stud
There have been a number versions of the history of the Sanguszko Stud written by the Sanguszko family in different languages for different audiences. Readers will be able to compare versions published in 1860 in Russian, 1876 in Polish and Russian as well as other versions referenced in Polish and German secondary sources but otherwise lost to history. - Ibrahim
Much of what we know about Ibrahim, the sire of Skowronek, comes from a short German language article published in 1910. Ibrahim’s provenance will be analyzed based on this information. - Skowronek pedigree analysis
Using the standards described in the 1903 Russian Arabian Stud Book, each of Skowronek’s root ancestors will be evaluated in order to calculate his total amount of Arabian blood. These are the standards used to evaluate horses said to be Arabian, born in Russia at the time of Skowronek’s birth in 1909. This criteria is described in the article Judging Skowronek. The pedigree for Skowronek in the Janow Podlaski pedigree database will be used for this analysis. The information on the origin of each root ancestor is based on the historical documents introduced in this series of articles. - Skowronek’s registration documentation for the Arab Horse Society Stud Book in 1919 and Weatherby’s GSB in 1921
Analysis of the information that was provided for Skowronek’s registration in two British Stud books. - Summary of the information before 1921 and lessons learned
For those following along, previous posts about Skowronek are below:
Any suggestions or requests for information are welcome.
The Mu’niqi and Jilfan strains originated from a cross of Arab and Turk. yet they are considered asil, though the Blue Arabian Catalog listed such separately. Skowronek’s pedigree problems consist of a likely high quality, part Arab turkish warhorse, maybe an imported English Thoroughbred which is Turk and Arab and some miscellaneous in the background but looked more anglo arab in the 1800s than now, and mares all or most of who have the same mtDNA as established asil mares with strain names.
essentially then, Skowronek is the equivalent of a Mu’niqi.
I believe that you are referencing Raswan’s unproven theory about SOME of the Managhi and Jilfan animals. That is not a good basis upon which to make statements of fact.
Christine: Not exactly. First of all the Muniqi and Jilfan strains did not originate from Turcoman crossbreds. The Muniqi were an already established strain by the time the supposed crossing of a certain marbats mares with Turkish stallions is alleged to have taken place. This was Raswans relatively well known ,’Muniqi theory,’ which to be fair some observers have surmised, may repeat may- have a basis in fact given the recent revelation that the Darley Arabian quite possibly has a Turkish Y chromosome. This is complicated of course by the known and proven geological record that both the Turkoman and arabian as well as the Caspian, and Barbs all descend from the Afro Turkick horse which was one of the 4 surviving types or small s strains of post ice age horses that later became domesticated. The Afro Turkick horse is called that because its remains have been found in parts of geographical Turkey and Northeast Africa as well as some of the Asil Arabians cradle countries.
Skowronek was known not be an Asil arabian. In some of the Sangusko correspondence the Polish nobles liken their horses to those produced by the Hungarian Babolna stud farm which they point out always kept at least a small nucleus of breeding stock which only came from traceable desert breds. In the Babolna system the purebreds were used to breed into what later became the Shagyas to keep them from getting too Warmblood like. NASS founder Adele Furby was told by the established European breeders that the cross back to desert bred Arabs should not be more often than once every 4th generation. The Hungarians were ok with admitting that their horses were not purebreds. Why the Poles played lets pretend is something that only they can answer. But the world is better off in knowing the truth so that truly Asil horses can be protected and preserved.
best wishes ‘Bruce Peek