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Oakwerth
Arabians was started by Steve
and Mary Jo Wertheimer with
a 1974 tennis bet. With
MJ's
decisive victory on the court,
Steve had to pay up and they
brought home the Polish bred
mare, Contessa B+++ (*Bask
x Countess of Lasma (Count
Dorsaz)) from Chauncey Arabians
in Scottsdale, Arizona. Little
did they know, it was only
the beginning of a long journey
filled with wonderful memories
and bonds made between human
and horse. |
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Over
the years, choosing to focus
on the mares as the foundation
for our program, we have been
lucky to purchase mares with
impeccable Polish bloodlines,
thanks to the help and assistance
of those who blazed the trail
before us. The
Patterson's,
in central Oregon, were especially
generous with their time and
knowledge, and to them we owe
a debt of gratitude. Through
careful consideration, we acquired
the pure Polish mares Amber
Lit (*Bask x Bint Ambara (Comet),
*Bangla (*Ego x *Banda (Pietuszok)
and *Delta (Negatiw x Doliwa
(Comet). As
an added bonus, we also came
home with a couple of llamas
for good measure! In
addition, we purchased Lite
My Fire (*Bask x Dargantka (*Cytrys))
and Cryztalight (*Bask x Cryztal
(Czester)) at one of the glamorous
Lasma auctions in 1979, when
wearing your mink coat and diamonds
was par for the course. Several
additions made through the years
of such graceful and splendid
mares like *Ekspresja (*Bandos
x *Elegia (Comet) and Daciaa
(*Druch x *Dagmara (Negatiw))
have only further contributed
to our goal of creating a beautiful,
versatile and athletic horse.
A horse that is a kind and willing
companion, able to wow them
in the show ring and then just
as easily, be toting a youngster
around, trustworthy and reliable.
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While
Oakwerth's
aim is to focus on breeding our
mares to outside stallions, we
have been fortunate to have a
few fantastic stallions along
the way. Our first great gentleman
was Stargard (*Cytrys x Silver
Song (*Bask)). He was a joy to
have in the barn, and he lived
out his years with us, keeping
an eye on his mares until the
ripe age of 30. In 2000, Oakwerth
was blessed with the exquisite
stallion, *Europejczyk (*El Paso
x Europa (*Bandos), Polish National
Champion Stallion and Racehorse
of the Year. We experimented with
breeding Anglo-Arabians, a venture
that has proved very successful.
These horses have size, sensibility
and a great presence both on and
off the job. We could not have
been more pleased with the contributions
that *Europejczyk has made for
both the Purebreds and the Anglos.
They seem to have acquired the
wonderful temperament and kind
eye of their sire. The unexpected
loss of *Europejczyk in Nov. 2005
was one felt both at our barn,
and all around the Polish Arabian
community. Thankfully, we have
a promising young replacement,
OKW TouchÈ,
out of OKW DÈj‡ Vu
(VF Premonition). We anticipate
great things from him. Currently,
our stallions at stud are OKW
Entrigue (Allience x *Ekspresja
(*Bandos), a champion dressage
stallion winning titles all over
the place, and OKW Zhivago (*El
Paso x Zapraszka (Negatraz), a
beautiful stallion with wins in
the reining arena and the kindest
personality of any stallion we've
seen.
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So
while occasionally exploring
other avenues, such as outcrossing
to other bloodlines and breeds,
we always come back to the
pure Polish Arabian, the one
that started it all for us,
and the one that possesses that
rare quality that translates
across the board. We take pride
in breeding the best that we
can, and creating wonderful
horses that can do the shows,
do the trails, and most importantly,
become a part of someone's
family. Mary Jo and Steve's
three children all grew up with
a deep love of horses, and with
the passing of Steve in 1982,
MJ and the kids have continued
on with the horses. Christine,
the oldest, is a regular at
the shows, riding her own horses
as well as Oakwerths. The bug
has already bitten her two children,
Alexander and Josephine, showing
in lead line and loving every
minute.
We'd
like to thank everyone who
has offered us guidance, friendship
and respect over the years,
and we look forward to many
more years of breeding wonderful
pure Polish Arabians. Enjoy!
The
Wertheimer Family
Mary
Jo, Chris, Kari & Scott
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