Bask
Encyclopedia
Bask, bred at the Albigowa
State Stud in Poland and foaled in 1956, was a bay Arabian
stallion
who was imported into the United States in 1963 by Dr. Eugene LaCroix of Lasma Arabians and became a major sire of significance in the Arabian breed.
. His dam was Balalajka, a daughter of Amurath-Sahib, deemed one of Poland's finest broodmares. He was sent to the race track, as it was typical in the time for horses to be sent to race as three-year-olds in order to determine the horse's athletic ability and soundness. In 1961, Albigowa ceased breeding Arabians, so after his horse racing
career, Bask was sent to the Janow Podlaski
stud.
Bask was a member of a "family" of considerable significance. All but one of Balalajka's progeny were by Witraz, and hence full siblings to Bask. His full sister Arfa was the dam of Argos, who was an important sire in Great Britain for Patricia Lindsay. His full sister Bandola was a mare of significance known as "the Queen of Poland", and was the dam of Bandos, by Negatiw. Bask's 3/4 sister Bachantka (by Wielki Szlem) had been imported to the United States in 1961 by Varian Arabians
, where she was a Top Ten champion and major foundation mare
for the Varian program.
Bask's name was chosen by Roman Pankiewicz, who was deputy manager of Albigowa at the time. Pankiewicz stated, "I always tried to give horses short, nice names, easy to translate – because their export had already begun in those times. And Bask [in Polish] is a courageous inhabitant of the Basque Country in Spain...the Basques are hard-working people. And so the horse became Bask. That name suited him like no other."
extensively in Poland, (4/40, 8/7/7) Bask was not evaluated as breeding stock until he was six. He never was put to stud in Poland, because the Janów Podlaski
stud already stood a number of Witraz sons. For this reason, the Poles were also willing to sell him. He was actually scheduled to be gelded
upon his return from the track, but instead was purchased for the relatively modest sum of $3000 by Dr. LaCroix, who initially intended to resell him to a Swedish breeder, but when that sale fell through, took the horse to America.
Upon arrival in the United States, after a very rough journey by ship, Bask was put to stud and retrained for the show ring. Bask earned his Legion of Merit from the International Arabian Horse Association (now Arabian Horse Association
), and was the 1964 United States National Champion Halter
stallion and the 1965 United States National Park horse Champion, one of only four Arabian stallions to ever win national championships in both halter and performance. He was also 1967 reserve national champion in the harness driving
equivalent of park, formal driving. He is the only horse to have ever won dual national championships in halter and park.
Arabian foals, most in the time before artificial insemination
was widespread in the horse industry, and 196 of these were United States or Canadian National Champions. His impact on American Arabian horse breeding has been described as "colossal".
Bask died on July 24, 1979 from colic
. His body is now interred at the Kentucky Horse Park
in its Champions Cemetery, and he is honored with a bronze statue in the lobby of the International Museum of the Horse.
Albigowa
Albigowa is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Łańcut, within Łańcut County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in south-eastern Poland. It lies on the Sawa river, approximately south of Łańcut and east of the regional capital Rzeszów....
State Stud in Poland and foaled in 1956, was a bay Arabian
Arabian horse
The Arabian or Arab horse is a breed of horse that originated on the Arabian Peninsula. With a distinctive head shape and high tail carriage, the Arabian is one of the most easily recognizable horse breeds in the world. It is also one of the oldest breeds, with archaeological evidence of horses...
stallion
Stallion
A Stallion is a male horse.Stallion may also refer to:* Stallion , an American pop rock group* Stallion , a figure in the Gobot toyline* Stallion , a character in the console role-playing game series...
who was imported into the United States in 1963 by Dr. Eugene LaCroix of Lasma Arabians and became a major sire of significance in the Arabian breed.
Ancestry and early history
Bask's sire was Witraz, by the famed Ofir, who also sired Witez IIWitez II
Witez II was a bay Arabian stallion foaled at the Janów Podlaski stud in Poland. Foaled April 1, 1938, he spent his early years at Janów at a time when Poland was under occupation by Nazi Germany before ultimately arriving in the United States in 1945, where he lived for the remainder of his life...
. His dam was Balalajka, a daughter of Amurath-Sahib, deemed one of Poland's finest broodmares. He was sent to the race track, as it was typical in the time for horses to be sent to race as three-year-olds in order to determine the horse's athletic ability and soundness. In 1961, Albigowa ceased breeding Arabians, so after his horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
career, Bask was sent to the Janow Podlaski
Janów Podlaski
Janów Podlaski is a village in Biała Podlaska County, Lublin Voivodeship, in eastern Poland, close to the border with Belarus. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Janów Podlaski...
stud.
Bask was a member of a "family" of considerable significance. All but one of Balalajka's progeny were by Witraz, and hence full siblings to Bask. His full sister Arfa was the dam of Argos, who was an important sire in Great Britain for Patricia Lindsay. His full sister Bandola was a mare of significance known as "the Queen of Poland", and was the dam of Bandos, by Negatiw. Bask's 3/4 sister Bachantka (by Wielki Szlem) had been imported to the United States in 1961 by Varian Arabians
Sheila Varian
Sheila Varian is a breeder of Arabian horses who lives and works at the Varian Arabians Ranch near Arroyo Grande, California. She grew up with a strong interest in horses, and was mentored in horsemanship by Mary "Sid" Spencer, a local rancher and Morgan horse breeder who also introduced Varian to...
, where she was a Top Ten champion and major foundation mare
Mare (horse)
A mare is an adult female horse or other equine.In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse age three and younger. However, in Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four years old; in harness racing a mare is a...
for the Varian program.
Bask's name was chosen by Roman Pankiewicz, who was deputy manager of Albigowa at the time. Pankiewicz stated, "I always tried to give horses short, nice names, easy to translate – because their export had already begun in those times. And Bask [in Polish] is a courageous inhabitant of the Basque Country in Spain...the Basques are hard-working people. And so the horse became Bask. That name suited him like no other."
Accomplishments in Poland and America
Having racedHorse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
extensively in Poland, (4/40, 8/7/7) Bask was not evaluated as breeding stock until he was six. He never was put to stud in Poland, because the Janów Podlaski
Janów Podlaski
Janów Podlaski is a village in Biała Podlaska County, Lublin Voivodeship, in eastern Poland, close to the border with Belarus. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Janów Podlaski...
stud already stood a number of Witraz sons. For this reason, the Poles were also willing to sell him. He was actually scheduled to be gelded
Gelding
A gelding is a castrated horse or other equine such as a donkey or a mule. Castration, and the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male horse to be calmer and better-behaved, making the animal quieter, gentler and potentially more suitable as an everyday...
upon his return from the track, but instead was purchased for the relatively modest sum of $3000 by Dr. LaCroix, who initially intended to resell him to a Swedish breeder, but when that sale fell through, took the horse to America.
Upon arrival in the United States, after a very rough journey by ship, Bask was put to stud and retrained for the show ring. Bask earned his Legion of Merit from the International Arabian Horse Association (now Arabian Horse Association
Arabian Horse Association
The Arabian Horse Association is the single national organization that is the only breed registry that registers Arabian horses in the United States...
), and was the 1964 United States National Champion Halter
Halter (horse show)
"Halter" is a term used to describe a type of horse show class where horses are shown "in hand," meaning that they are led, not ridden, and are judged on their conformation and suitability as breeding stock...
stallion and the 1965 United States National Park horse Champion, one of only four Arabian stallions to ever win national championships in both halter and performance. He was also 1967 reserve national champion in the harness driving
Driving (horse)
Driving, when applied to horses, ponies, mules, or donkeys, is a broad term for hitching equines to a wagon, carriage, cart, sleigh, or other horse-drawn vehicle by means of a harness and working them in this way...
equivalent of park, formal driving. He is the only horse to have ever won dual national championships in halter and park.
Influence on American breeding
Bask sired 1050 purebredPurebred
Purebreds, also called purebreeds, are cultivated varieties or cultivars of an animal species, achieved through the process of selective breeding...
Arabian foals, most in the time before artificial insemination
Artificial insemination
Artificial insemination, or AI, is the process by which sperm is placed into the reproductive tract of a female for the purpose of impregnating the female by using means other than sexual intercourse or natural insemination...
was widespread in the horse industry, and 196 of these were United States or Canadian National Champions. His impact on American Arabian horse breeding has been described as "colossal".
Bask died on July 24, 1979 from colic
Horse colic
Colic in horses is defined as abdominal pain, but it is a clinical sign rather than a diagnosis. The term colic can encompass all forms of gastrointestinal conditions which cause pain as well as other causes of abdominal pain not involving the gastrointestinal tract. The most common forms of colic...
. His body is now interred at the Kentucky Horse Park
Kentucky Horse Park
Kentucky Horse Park is a working horse farm and an educational theme park opened in 1978 in Lexington, Kentucky. It is located off Kentucky State Highway 1973 and Interstate 75 in northern Fayette County in the United States...
in its Champions Cemetery, and he is honored with a bronze statue in the lobby of the International Museum of the Horse.