An Interview with Jerzy Bialobok

Page 1

an interview with

Jerzy Białobok director of Michałów Stud

b y

A n e t t e

E

M a t t s s o n

veryone familiar with the showring knows of the

Michałów State Stud in Poland, where great horses like Emandoria, El Dorada, Kwestura, Ganges,

Emigrant, and Elkana were bred. This famous stud farm has been breeding Arabian horses since 1953 and is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2013.

With over 100 broodmares and a total of 400 Arabians at

the stud, Michałów is the largest Arabian horse farm in Poland

and is considered to be one of the most prestigious and successful farms in the world. Michałów is located in the beautiful Holy Cross Mountain (Świętokrzyskie) province of Poland in the

Above left: Mitra (Celebes x Manilla by Doktryner) with Jerzy Białobok, Izabella Pawelec-Zawadzka and Urszula Białobok at Michałów. Above right: Urszula Białobok riding Dambor (Badr Bedur x Daszawa by Nabor) and Jerzy Białobok riding Eufrat (Elf x Estebna by Nabor). Both of the above were taken in the late 1970s, most likely 1978.

For the last 16 years Director Białobok has been at the helm

region of Ponidzie between Pińczów and Wodzisław glacial

of the stud after the retirement of Director Ignacy Jaworowski.

and 100 km north of Krakow, Michałów lies within the crux of

manager at Michałów.

crests. Just 45 km south of Kielce, 230 km south of Warsaw,

authentic “Old Poland.” The ancient capital of Wislica is found

He lives at the farm with his wife Urszula, who is the breeding I had the pleasure of sitting down with Director

just 25 km to the northeast of the stud, where civilization thrived

Białobok after the 2013 Bialka Spring Show in June, and as a

the first Polish king in 966.

through the history of the stud.

under Christian rule a century before Mieszko I was crowned as

thunderstorm raged outside the office, we had a wonderful walk

32 b ARABIAN HORSE WORLD b AUGUST 2013


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