Gaspar 1998
The 1998 grey stallion Gaspar, bred by Poland’s world-renowned Michalów State Stud, stood as a very good exemplar of Polish Arabian breeding. Crowned Polish National Champion Stallion in 2006, Gaspar had a pedigree that combined the refined strength of the Probat line with the charisma and elegance of Emigrant, Gaspar developed into a stallion of striking type, fluid motion, and international appeal.
His sire, Emigrant (Ararat × Emigrantka by Eukaliptus), was himself a celebrated Michalów-bred grey stallion, European and Polish National Champion Stallion and known for passing on extreme refinement and a strong, elastic topline. Emigrant was a son of Ararat, a son of the legendary Palas (Aswan × Panel) who significantly modernized Michalów breeding.
Gaspar's dam, Gaskonia, was sired by the influential bay stallion Probat (Pohaniec × Borexia), a stallion whose impact on Polish breeding cannot be overstated. Probat brought tremendous structure, bone, and powerful motion to his progeny and was a major sire of broodmares as well as sires across Europe. Gaskonia herself was a distinguished show mare, Polish National Champion Mare. During her breeding career she produced only four foals. Among them was Gaspar, arguably her most influential. Despite her limited foal record, Gaskonia's contribution to the breed was far from negligible. For many years, she served as a foster mare at Michalów, helping raise orphaned foals. Her temperament and nurturing disposition were widely admired, making her as valuable in the barn as she was in the show ring. Gaskonia passed away in 2018, just six days before her 31st birthday.
Gaspar was a well-balanced stallion of correct structure and good proportions. He had a dry, expressive head with large eyes, a well-shaped neck with clean throatlatch, and a level topline. His body was deep and strong, with good coupling and a well-set tail. Gaspar was particularly known for his excellent movement.
Following his show successes in Poland, Gaspar was acquired by Christine Jamar-Demeersseman of Jadem Arabians in Belgium, a respected breeder known for curating an elite collection based on Polish-influenced Arabians.
Later, Gaspar was exported to the United States and stood at Valley Oak Arabians in California. His presence in the U.S. allowed him to influence a new generation of Arabian horses in North America.
Gaspar represented a thoughtful blend of two of Michalów’s strongest breeding elements—type and structure from Emigrant, with the substance and movement of Probat through Gaskonia. Though not a heavily used sire, his impact is evident in the quality and consistency of his offspring, especially in movement and overall correctness.
