The Story

"And the crowd goes wild!" - sports announcers' favorite comment when spectators completely and noisily lose themselves in enthusiasm for a sports hero. Every now and then -- and perhaps not often enough - crowds at the U.S. Nationals behave in a similar manner as they attach themselves to a contender so demonstratively, so thoroughly, and so loudly that all others (no matter their quality) pale in significance. It happened this year at Albuquerque.

From the moment *Emanor and Michael Byatt stepped into the arena for the stallion semifinals, spectators had their winner and they never let up in the din they created in support of him. When *Emanor was named National Champion Stallion, that cheering was heard half way around the world. Through fast fingers on a cell phone, Jerzy and Urszula Bialobok at Michalow Stud in southern Poland (where *Emanor was bred) heard the crowd noise as George Zbyszewski shouted over the roar, "You have a champion!"

"It was a sleepless night for us, and when George Zbyszewski called, we could still hear the American audience ovation," Jerzy Bialobok recounts. "Even though it was about 4:00 a.m., we immediately woke up the Jaworowskis and telephoned the news to our friends, including Izabella Zawadska in Warsaw and to Janow Podlaski Stud where *Emanor's sire *Wojslaw is standing."

At Tingley Coliseum, there were many Polish hugs. From Poland: George Zbyszewski (who was instrumental in importing *Emanor) and Tomasz and Dorothy Skotnicki, all native Poles now working with Arabians in the United States; Marek Gryzbowski of Polish Prestige; and Wojciech Kwiatkwoski, publisher of European studs. And in the midst of all that joy, the two Americans, Ron and Mila Hart (Windhorse Farm at Santa Ynez, California) who subsequently purchased *Emanor and were central to all the excitement.

"Ron and I are so proud of *Emanor, " says Mila. "We knew he was wonderful, but we had to wait and see what the rest of the world thought about him. Apparently, they agree with us.

"We're small breeders, so we really didn't expect all these highs from just one horse, and we're just astounded and enthralled. When First Cyte was announced as Reserve, I assumed that the National Champion would be Desert Heat or Psymadre, and I prepared myself to smile and congratulate them.

"We all stormed the ring to be with *Emanor for the trophy presentation - all of us who had anything to do with bringing *Emanor to this moment, about 20 of us actually. It was wonderful to know that the horse had accomplished something and it wasn't just because he was pretty, but a win that he deserved and that he has a lot to offer the breed."

The cosmopolitan group and hundreds of well wishers partied well into the night, and the Harts received a phone call from Bialoboks who expressed their thanks for bringing *Emanor to this honor. One of the three judges who had *Emanor in first place on the cards came to the party and shed a few tears of joy with the Harts.

*Emanor set a record on the way to that victory party. Americans have imported four Polish stallions titles: *Bask in 1964, *Aramus in 1970, *El Paso in 1976, and *Emanor in 1999. But *Emanor is the only international champion stallion. When he arrived in the United States in September 1998, he was just weeks from high-trot victory passes as Polish National Champion Stallion, he was the high-point horse of the show (with 95.67 points), and collected 20 points from two or three judges for type, head and neck, and movement, plus another 20 for body.

When George Zbyszewski came home from that show - he was one of the judges - he visited the Harts, carrying only several snapshots , and about 30 seconds of video of *Emanor, and the conviction that *Emanor would do even better in the United States. Just enough to convince Harts to begin negotiations for *Emanor. No, the Poles wouldn't sell just yet, but they would consider a lease, with certain conditions, one of which was that *Emanor remain in George's care at all times. After a flurry of faxes and rushed lab work and paperwork, *Emanor touched down in Los Angeles in late September 1998.

The word of *Emanor's world-beater trot and his bold totally masculine look sped through the Arabian horse community, and his Scottsdale appearance gave spectators their first look. There, he unanimously won Stallions of 1992 and 1993, which got him to the championship lineup. Region 5 Champion Stallion cam next, than Canada where *Emanor won National Reserve Champion Stallion. Which brings the story to Tingley Coliseum, *Emanors burning of the green shavings and the blanket of red roses.

The story of creation of *Emanor actually begins with a Polish auto accident. On New Year's Eve 1991, Ignacy Jaworowski, then Director (now consultant) of Michalow Stud, was badly injured and spent the month of January in a hospital. Traditionally, stud personnel devote January days to fine-tuning the breeding plans, as the breeding season begins on February 1. So Director Jaworowski had much to ponder as he convalesced. Among the issues: how to breed Emanacja (*Eukaliptus x Emigracja by Palas), of Michalow, and Director decided on him for Emanacja's 1993 foal, to determine how this Seglawi-Kuhlaian cross would work. "It worked fantastic," says Jerzy Bialobok.

The mating brought together a blending of European winner genes. Emanacja herself: the daughter of two Polish National Champions (*Eukliptus and Emigracja), 1987 Polish National Junior Champion Filly, 1999 Polish National Champion Mare and Best in Show; full sister of Emigrantka, 1992 Polish National Mare; dam of Emilda, 1996 and 1997 Polish National Reserve Champion Mare, and 1999 European Champion Mare; and dam of Emanta, Polish National Reserve Junior Champion Filly. And from *Wojslaw, 1991 Polish Champion Racehorse Sire, and Blommeröd Reserve Champion Stallion.

The *Emanor story then moves to the racetrack at Warsaw, where George, on one of his annual visits to Poland, saw him in summer 1997. *Emanor raced two seasons with this record: 19 (3-2-4-3) and placed fourth in the Derby. "He had a different look even then," George remembers. "Brighter and better moving than most of the horses when they were presented. And I thought 'That's the horse!' I next saw him on New Year's Eve 1997 when I stopped by Michalow on my way from Waraw to my mother's home in southern Poland. When he was trotted out in front of the barn, I knew this horse belonged to the United States, that he's an international horse. Was I excited? I videoed him and when I viewed the film, the camera was shaking - all while I'm trying to play it low-key."

Then came the 1998 Polish National Show, the lease and importation, *Emanor's arrival at George Z training (Auburn, Washington), and the readying of *Emanor for halter competition. "*Emanor has not been intimidated in his halter training and maybe that's why he shows so magnificently," says George, "This horse has so much freshness and we knew if we overschooled him, we would destroy that freshness. That's why I so much admire and respect what Jeannie Keilman did in conditioning and schooling him. She deserves the credit for the way he looks and for the way he performs and for his willing attitude. Michael Byatt flew here to work with him several times, so what people saw at Albuquerque was the outcome of a team effort: the Harts who trusted my feeling about the horse; Jeannie for her expertise; and Michael for his appreciation of the horse."

*Emanor had no time to bask in the glory of the National Championship, The team goal for 2000 was to get him back in the showring under saddle at Scottsdale. There he won the English Pleasure Championship class. "If people think they've seen this horse in his glory as a halter horse, he's going to knock their socks off when he trots through the in-gate under saddle," George notes. "People should know that this horse wears only eight-ounce shoes. When he arrived from Poland, we put the usual 13.5-ounce shoes on him. He wore them only two days because at the trot his motion is so extreme he was hitting himself under the belly and causing bleeding." "I've ridden *Emanor," says Mila Hart. "So I've had the pleasure of being up on the most balanced horse ever. George told me, 'Look down, bend over, and you'll get a knee in the chin.'"

Early in 1999, *Emanor's book as a breeding stallion was closed for 2000, but then reopened for 20 more mares when he demonstrated that he could handle the pressures of both the breeding barn and the show arena. Those 20 breedings, at $5,000, are almost sold out. The Harts have seven mares ine foal to him, and about 30 outside mares will foal in 2000. *Emanor's tail female line is one of the most famous, not only in Poland, but in the world, and several European champions come from that family. They all demonstrate the movement, charisma, correct conformation, large frames, dryness of tissue and, probably what is most important to the showring, the natural attitude to show off and to be admired."

So we salute the last U.S. National Champion Stallion of the century. For the *Emanor team, he brings new perspectives to the breed. *Emanor lets us begin the new millennium with a horse that is different, once who brings both athletic ability and beauty in one package, one who will narrow the gap between halter horses and performance horses. "It couldn't happen at a better time," says George.

Story complements of The Arabian Horse World.
Story by Mary Jane Parkinson
Featured in the January 2000 issue