Poland

Horse/Light Horse

Pony

Wild

    Poland has long been a land of horses and horsemen. Even today the farmers will crowd into their local town to hear a lecture on horse breeding and the best stallions to use--most of which are owned by the State studs. The subject is taken very seriously because correct breeding not only promises a good working strain, but also ensures a good price. (This was written before I began citing the dates for my sources so I don't really know when "today" was--it was probably in the 1970's or 80's.)
    Local fairs are held in most country districts and, although there are vendors of produce such as cabbages, the chief merchandise is livestock. The majority of the horses change hands either in the spring or after the harvest, but there are always a number of animals for sale at these markets at other times of the year. They are driven in through the night, sometimes from a distance of thirty miles, and plod along through the darkness while their drivers sleep. On arrival at the fairground the horses are put into shafts facing the carts, where the front end, piled with hay, provides an alfresco manger.
    Because of the nature of the countryside, the long distances to be covered and a dearth of good roads, Poland was, and has remained, a country for light and medium horses.
    The Polish cavalry bears a proud name in the history of war. In 1676 Sobieski, the famous Polish general who became king, defeated an entire Turkish army with only 20,000 cavalry of his own. Between the two World Wars, Poland, probably for financial reasons, did not mechanize her army to any extent, and in the tragic days of 1939, the cavalry was hurled against the invading German tanks. Both men and horses were the best trained and most daring in the world, but their brave efforts were inevitably unavailing against the weight of armored machines. The invasion was not stopped, and the Polish cavalry was largely destroyed. Probably many of those horses were Berberbecks (I believe this is the same that some sources call the Beberbeck), animals bred originally at a German stud early in the 19th century, that had been bought by the Polish government, and bred up with Thoroughbreds to make excellent cavalry horses.
    Masuren stallions are used with Konik or local mares to produce the compact, strong Poznan horses. Mainly used for agriculture, those Poznans with a percentage of Thoroughbred, or jumping Masuren blood, make good all-rounders. Another willing, economical type of work horse is the Sokolsk (sometimes written Sok'olsk), a breed built on horses from France, Belgium, and England. I have also found mentioned of a Mierzyn and a Huzulen horse, and Poland is also listed as the home of various cross-breeds between Arabs, Thoroughbreds, Hannover, Oldenburg, and East Prussian horses.