02/12/2007 Email from Melinda to *Witez II
Owners Network:
I had to put my beloved mare down last Tuesday. She had suffered
a
knee injury about four years ago. I had babied her along for all
that
time so that she was comfortable and content and able to get around
just fine. However, on Sunday I noticed a slight swelling of her
good
front leg, and by the next evening I knew it was time to help her on
her way. I think she had the same phenomena occur that happened
to
Barbaro – the good leg was having to support too much weight and
eventually couldn’t take it comfortably. I can’t begin to tell
you
what she meant to me, and what a special horse she was, but I have to
imagine that you know what I am talking about.
Wizty was my first
horse, purchased when she was 12 years
old. I have never bred her, but had many requests to do so over
the years.
As you can see by Wizty's age of 24, "Tia" is on the end of her life,
rather than the beginning or middle. She is such a special horse
to me, not only because she was my first horse, but because we have
developed one of those very special bondings that you only get in rare
instances. She had a knee injury several years ago, so, even if
everything else were perfect, I could not in good conscience have her
bred. Tia has free range of our ranch outside of the horse
pastures where the rest of our horses are kept. She can still
have "nose" contact, but is in no danger of her being bumped or
jostled.
Joining the *Witez II Owners Network is more to honor Tia than anything
else. She truly is an amazing mare. She is a
wonderful companion; sweet disposition, courage and the "eagle
eye" of her famous ancestor. My kids talk about it all
the time.
Tia is a High Percentage *Witez II Mare, carrying 18.75% *Witez II in
her pedigree. Her maternal grandsire, Fredro, was one of a very
few Pure Polish Arabians that *Witez II sired. Fredro was out of
the pure Polish mare *Sigleilan whose dam (in foal with *Sigleilan) was
in the same importation with *Witez II.
These legendary "Prizes of War" were captured from the German army in
1945, by General George Patton's Third Army. The herd of about
1000 horses of the best European breeds was kept at Hostau,
Czechoslovakia. The herd included the world famous Lipizzaner
mares and foals that were the breeding stock for the Spanish Riding
School of Vienna, Austria.
|
