The history of the Dahoman line within the Shagya breed

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This article was written by ©Krzysztof Kordalski from Poland, 
and brought on this site only with kind permission from the author, 
to whom I want to express my deepest gratefulness for letting me use this article on my website!
Any other rights belong to Mr. Krzysztof Kordalski, 
and the article may not be copied in whole or in part without written permission from the author!

(Click here for photopage of Dahoman horses)

THE DAHOMANS – DISAPPEARING LINE OF THE ORIENTAL HORSES

The history of this interesting line takes its beginning at the vast deserts of the Syrian plain Biszra inhabited by the Anaze Gjelas tribe. In 1846 a mare Dahoma, in fowl by Quaiduan el Harzan, give birth to a bay foal of pure-bread Arabian which was named Dahoman – this name has been passed from generation to generation until today.

The existence of this line has been threatened several times during over a century and a half long history of Dahomans, but thanks to many fortunate coincidences this line still exists and develops thanks to the contribution of various nations. In 1852 there came back to Babolna an expedition led by Major Ritter von Gottschlig. They had been sent to Syria to search out for and purchase pure breed horses. This expedition resulted in the purchase of 4 mares and 6 stallions. One of them was a Dahoman. His activity in the stud farm was comparatively short, as after just 4 years he was culled. The fate of the other stallions was very much the same: they were culled quite soon, too.

The Dahoman sired in Babolna 44 offspring, and out of his progeny 2 stallions were classified as the chiefsires. They were Dahoman II 1854) and a pure blood Dahoman III (1855). The history of the later one is closely associated with the end of the history of Dahomans in the Babolna stud farm. His sons Dahoman IV (1861) and Dahoman (1863) were the last chiefsires of this family born in this stud.

The history of Dahomans had its continuation at some other stud farm located in the Austro-Hungarian monarchy in Radautz, in Bukowina area. The first representative of this line in Radowice was the stallion Dahoman (1863). He arrived there in 1867. Later on the other sons of Dahoman III (1855) reached this stud: the above mentioned Dahoman IV (1861) born in Babolna, Dahoman II (1860) and Dahoman III (1863) born in Mezöhegyes.

As we can see the Dahomans mounted a kind of invasion of the Radautz stud making it their family nest. They were used there for breeding with various oriental-type mares, and with time the line of Dahomans began to grow and established itself as the line of half-Orientals. At that time one of the sons of Dahoman IV (1861) played a key role in that process. It was Dahoman VI born in 1873. Breeding this horse with mares coming from the Persian line of the Delpesent stallion was particularly successful. As the result, two colts were born in 1878: Dahoman VIII and Dahoman VI-8. It is thanks to them that the family truly developed.

In my opinion, a great share in the success of these two Dahomans had the mothers of these two colts: 156 Delpesent – the daughter of a Persian Delpesent and his granddaughter – 133 Delpesent I. Perhaps there was in their veins a strain of blood of the Persian war mounts admired so highly in the old times. Although it cannot be scientifically proven, this assumption makes the Dahomans even more mysterious and exotic. Dahoman VIII – the son of 156 Delpesent mare was the chief sire in Radautz and sired three sons, used later on in their home stud. Dahoman VI-8 out of 133 Delpesent I mare can be seen as a rejected cornerstone for both the stud farm in Radautz and the whole family. There is a very interesting story associated with him.

This horse was not selected as the chief sire and was sent to the stud of stallions in Drohowyz from where he was obtained by the Romaszkans family in Horodenka (Eastern Galicja). Horodenka was a big estate consisting of several exemplary farms. Both the soil and the climate were very good and favourable for horse husbandry - as they were everywhere in that area of Poland of that time. This land used to be the Turkish – Polish borderland and we have to assume that at that time oriental horses dominated in that area. Later on the horses from the nearby Radautz, located mere 100-km from Horodenka, heavily influenced the farm. The Horodenka stud was founded in 1825 and from the very beginning it was faithful to the old tradition of breeding oriental horses - still live in this region.

It is thanks to the chestnut Dahoman VI-9 leased by Baron James Romaszkan that this stud and the name of the breeder did not disappear in the course of history. In 1888 a mare Old Norma, bred and raised in Horodenka, gave birth to a very promising colt sired by Dahoman VI-8. Then the events took course just like in a fairy tale. The Radautz stud bought this colt and over there it grew up to be a fabulous horse. For a short time it stayed as a local sire in Malopolska region, but at the age of 6 it came back to Radautz where it was classified as a chief sire and given the name of Dahoman XII. He was one of the best stallions not only in his family but also in the history of this famous Austro-Hungarian stud farm. It sired outstanding offspring, both mares and stallions. Many of these stallions became the chief ones not only just in Radautz.

The fact that Jakub Romaszkan managed to breed such an outstanding stallion was not a mere coincidence. The chief sires used in the Radautz stud, i.e. Dahoman XI (1887) and Dahoman XIV (1888), were also from the Horodenka stud, and they were the sons of Dahoman VI-8. Baron Romaszkan was the only private breeder of Dahomans, whose stallions were used as the chief sires in the Radautz stud. However, his greatest success was Dahoman XII, considerably superior to his half brothers and the remaining Dahomans. His sons gave origin to some lines that exist until now.

One of them was Dahoman XVI, born in 1904 and active in his home studfarm from 1909 until 1919. The descendants of this horse were also very valuable and played an important role in the stud farms in Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia. Anyway, Dahoman XVI was in 1919 acquired by a Polish stud farm in Janow Podlaski, where he became the chief sire. Around that time his 12 sons and several daughters, along with some other Dahomans coming from other lines, arrived in Poland, too.

Dahoman XVI passed away in Janow in 1927 leaving there no noteworthy descendants. His successors were his sons active in the stud farms in Czechoslovakia, and the most noteworthy one was Dahoman (no number) born in 1912 in Radautz. (Some time later the grandson of this horse arrived in Janow, and - as time showed – it turned out to be a very important event in the history of the whole line. This stallion was sent to a military stud farm in Hostoun (HOSTAU in German) located in the western part of Bohemia, not far from famous Kladrub. Over there, in 1926 his son and successor was born - Dahoman II, a chief sire both in his home stud and in Kladrub.

Dahoman II also left in Hostoun his successor. It was Dahoman IV born in 1935. This horse was active after the WW II in Kladrub and then in Topolczanka in Slovakia (1951 – 1954). Dahomans were very highly admired in Czechoslovakia. They were bred both with English thoroughbreds and English part-breds producing excellent cavalry horses and head stallions. (An example of such breeding is Furioso XV-16 Dahoman who in the 50's arrived in Poland as a chief sire in Stubno and Samborzec). Among many advantages attributed to Dahomans those particularly stressed were enormous jumping talent, big frame, and substantial as for Orientals calibre (Dahoman II: 160-187-20.3, Dahoman IV: 160-196-21.2). In field studs Dahomans were particularly popular in southern and central Slovakia. The chief sires for those studs were brought from a stud founded in Topolczanka in 1921. Between WWI and WWII the chief sires active in Topolczanka were stallions of the Dahoman XVI and his brother Dahoman XX bloodline. (Both by Dahoman XII). The line of Dahoman XX died out in Slovakia in the 60's, and the last stallion that was hoped to prolong the Czechoslovakian dynasty of Dahomans was the son of Dahoman - IV Dahoman IX born in 1954 (160-192-21.0). 

In the years 1964-1968 he was active in his home stud. Unfortunately, none of his 6 sons was selected as the continuator of the line. In 1968 Dahoman IX was bartered to Poland and became the chief sire in Janow Podlaski, where he stayed until 1975. He sired many valuable offspring, mostly Anglo-Arabian part bred. They turned out to be very successful in their further breeding. Two of his particularly successful sons were the stallion Ermitaz (1969) out of Eri by Odeon xx, and the Stallion Chryzotyl (1970) out of Chryzeida by Shagaya XXXIII-2.

In 1984 Emerycha was born - a marvellous mare by Ermitaz. Nowadays she is the most valuable dam in Janow Podlaski. She can be called "the hen laying gold eggs". Emerycha, just like Eri, Ermitaz's mother, comes from a very valuable and successful family of mares Elita. In their veins there was a good amount of Dahoman blood. Elita was the daughter of a stallion named Kwestarz (Shagya X-3 – Darmocha ex Dahoman XX-2 by Dahoman XX).

Emerycha has produced a batch of excellent stallions. Emetyt (1987/98) by Kwarted is one of the best Polish sports horses. He was the chief sire in Anglo-Arab studs in Walewice and Boguslawice. Recently this horse has been leased to Sahms in Germany, where is equally successful. Another son of Emerycha – Emir (1993) by Arcyksiaze AA has been used in his home stud. as the chief sire for the third season. Recently he has drawn attention of some Canadian breeders who see him as an excellent sports horse. Young Emerson (1995/96) by Szal AA is also a promising stallion used in a private owned stud.

Apart from stallions Emerycha has given birth to some valuable mares –  dames in Janow stud. Emerycha herself still keeps laying "golden eggs" and recently her partner has been Veritas – a handsome Anglo-Arab leased from Germany in exchange for Emetyt.

I am sure that the Anglo-Arabs presently bred in Janow owe their value to a great extent to Dahoman IX, who sired not only stallions but also valuable dames, characterised by calibre, perfect movement, beauty, and gentle disposition.

The value of a dam is measured by her offspring and in this respect Arsena (Dahoman IX – Arsi by Saumur xx) has an excellent record. Her son Askar (1987) who won Polish WKKW in 1999 ranking, was used as a chief sire in Janow Podlaski and Mieczownica, and at recently has been leased to Lastrup near Brema in Germany. This is a horse endowed with marvellous movement and outstanding beauty. He passes both of these features onto his offspring with great reliability. Unfortunately, his descendants are not very numerous in Poland right now.

Askar, Ermitaz, Chryzotyl, Emerycha, Emetyt, Emir and many other horses that are the pride of Polish horse husbandry make Dahoman IX one of the most praiseworthy half-bred stallions in the history of Janow Podlaski.

Among many mares that were partners of this horse only two of them were half-bred Arabs: Etna and Emocja. Both of them were the daughters of the stallion Shagya X-32 and the above mentioned Elita by Kwestarz. Only the descendants of these dames could be classified as Dahoman extending the line and entered into the Shagya studbooks.

It is highly unlikely that planning the breeding program for Dahoman IX anyone in Poland took into consideration the necessity to preserve the Czechoslovak line of Dahomans. But the Syrian forefather of the family must have been born under a lucky star because the fate smiled at one of his descendants. 

In 1971 Etna gave birth to a bay cold by Dahoman IX who was given a prophetic name Eter ("Ether"). This very handsome and correctly built horse was not highly valued due to its small size (154-196-20.0) so soon "evaporated" from this elite stud. Two years later Etna gave birth to another colt by Dahoman IX. This one was also given a prophetic name. It was a very promising, handsome, and at caliber bay named Etat ("Full-time-job") (163-190-20.5). At first it was assigned to the stud in Bialka and was active in the Lublin area. Then he arrived at the stud in Walewice and in the years 1984-1985 was the chief sire leaving behind excellent offspring. Breeding Etat with the right mares resulted in exquisite, at caliber Anglo-Arab horses excelling in sport and breeding. The best ones were the stallions Hattrick (171-205-23.0), Manhattan (168-210-22.0), Hiszpanski Rytm (169-205-23.0), and Blank Schagya (169-195-21.0) - of the oriental type and most similar to the father - In 1998 Hattrick was selected the chief sire in Walewice, but the stallion passed away soon after having arrived at the home stud. A truly legendary in Lublin area (the natural mainstay of Polish Anglo-Arab horses) was grey Manhattan. He left numerous offspring highly valued also abroad. It is said that Manhattan and Hattric were taken into consideration as the chief sires for Janow. Unfortunately, Manhattan died in a tragic accident. Hiszpanski Rytm and Blank Schagya have been very successful at hipotheraphy and games for handicapped. Particularly successful in this field was Blank Schagya. Although this is an Anglo-Arab horse, it truly deserves the name of Dahoman. (similar cases took place in Radautz, where Anglo-Arab offspring of "genuine" Dahomans were granted this noble name. An example of that is Anglo-Arab Dahoman XVIII by Dahoman XII out of an English part-bred mare Toborzo).

Etat left also in Walewice good mares, for example grey Minnesota, a full sister to Manhattan, which gave birth to and excellent Minneapolis. Breeding successes of Etat were finally noticed by the breeders from Slovakia. In 1992 this aged stallion was exchanged for a group of 8 mares and left Poland. He was the last part-bred Arabian stallion used in Polish studs. The moment he arrived in Slovakia he was given the name Dahoman X and became a chief sire. In 1994 the first colts by him were born: Dahoman X-2 and Dahoman X-3, who in 1999 takes over his father's crown and takes the name of Dahoman XI. 

This stallion definitely does not equal Etat. He lacks the nobility that Etat possesses until today – that applies both to the harmony of shape and movement. Nevertheless I savour the fact that there is a hidden potential in Dahoman XI who will probably prevent this old line from dying out.  

Perhaps many will ask a question: In the name of what should we fight to preserve this line? 
The twilight of the twentieth century is not solely the dictatorship of economical calculation clearly pointing out to the fact that the line of Dahomans as the horses bred for the cavalry should die out. The end of this century is also filled with the longing for a romantic attitude towards a horse. In the era of the development of high technology, a horse does not need to serve as a tool, but should accompany man wherever is needed and in whatever function man can dream of. That is why, as long as there are people fascinated with the dynasty of Dahomans, this line must not die out. Dahomans are not worth breeding just because they are dying out. They display numerous fabulous traits, many of which are common or even characteristic of the whole line, even though we have to study them more in terms of their dynasty, and not genetics. In many representatives of this line there is a very narrow stream of Dahoman blood in a straight male line. There were few or even none inbreeds, but, as a renown Polish hyppologyst Roman Pankiewicz teaches, good blood tends to regenerate. This is a good explanation of some difference that can be seen in this line in comparison to other part-bred Arabian lines. The beauty of Dahomans is very often highly unique and while evaluating it we have to remember that the concept of an Oriental horse is not constrained solely to Arab horses. A very characteristic feature is their colour that breeds consistently true to type, often with a metallic golden and copper shine. (Dahoman IV born in 1861 was golden bay). The exceptions to this rule were extremely rare: there were some chestnut horses, and a few grey ones, e.g. Dahoman IX. 

There are very few studs where Dahomans are bred. Data obtained from German breeders show that there are still 3 lines of this family: Czechoslovakian in Topulczanka, Yugoslavian with the main centre in the stud owned by the Conradty family in Neuhaus in Germany, and a Romanian one with very few representatives. This last line after WWII was being developed in the Mangalia stud located by the Black Sea. All these 3 lines are derived from Dahoman XII (born in Horodenka in 1888). The Romanian line is derived directly, the Czechoslovakian one through his son Dahoman XVI (1904) while the Yugoslavian line develops through his grandson Dahoman XVI-18 (1917). In recent years the Romanian stud Mangalia stopped breeding half breds.  Nowdays they are bred in Slatina and again Radautz. It is in these studs where Dahomans and other breds are still raised. After the fall of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy and the rise of Romania, the numbering of the chief sires was continued. The last imperial-royal  Dahoman bore the number XXI. One of the sons of Dahoman XII was given the name of Dahoman XXII and became the founder of a new, Romanian line, and – simultaneously – the contunuator of the old tradition. He was born in Radowce, where the horses were bred until the evacuation in 1944. This Romanian line was developed in the Mangalia stud where the next 5 generations of Dahomans were born. The data that I obtained from the studbooks which at present are kept in Bucharest point out to some revival of this breed thanks to the sons of Dahoman XXXI. One of his grandsons also became a chief sire and bears the number XXXIX (1988) and as until now stays at the very top of the Romanian family tree. 

A very important centre where Dahomans are still bred is a stud located in Neuhaus located not far from Nurnberg. This stud can be called the oasis of Dahomans and it seems that the best and the most typical horses of this line are bred there. In the 70's Claudio Conradty brought from Yugoslavia Dahoman II-11, a stallion born in 1966 in the Karadjordjewo stud. He started a line, which developed wonderfully in Neuhaus.

Dahoman II-11 > Daikir (1975) > Djardan (1988) > Daru (1996) 
> Dabur (1985)

In 1990 two horses arrived in Neuhaus: Dahoman XXXI – an elderly (at that time) stallion imported from Romania, and his daughter Tura ex Dahoman XXXI-140. Unfortunately, this stallion did not extended his line there, but his daughter gave birth to a very promising Daru by Djardan. In this horse there met the strains of Yugoslavian and Romanian bloods. 

An interesting point is the presence of Polish accents in the lineage of the discussed stallions. 
The female bloodline of Daikir and Dabur descends from Lena out of Kadisza Mloda (1902) from Janow Podlaski. In the pedigree of Djardan's dam we can find Jaszmak and the famous Witez II – Arab stallions from Janow, and Aghil Aga (1926) a part bred Arabian from the stud of Wladyslaw Dunka de Sajo.

One of the grandsires of Dahoman II-11 on the dam's side was Oczeret (1933) – a Polish handsome stallion, half-bred Arabian, bred by Erwin Bohosiewicz in Podhajczyki, the grandson of Dahoman XVI-13 on the father's side, therefore another Polish Dahoman. During WW II Oczeret was sent to the Hostoun stud, at that time taken over by the Germans. Over there Oczeret sired Oskar (1945). His dam was Zalotna – a Polish pure-bred Arab mare. After the war Oczeret was taken to the USA. Fortunately, he left behind numerous offspring used later on in German and Yugoslavian studs for breeding Shagya horses. His son, Oskar, was acquired by a stallion stud in Klikowa, Poland, but unfortunately, he did not have a chance to play an important role in breeding. Polish, Czech, Slovak, Rumanian, Hungarian and Yugoslavian traits have met in Daru – a young stallion looked at as the hope to extend the German line of this foundation stock, or even the line of Dahomans in general. Ms Gariele Conradty counting out the whole variety of advantages of Dahomans pointed out to just one, but crucial disadvantage – there are just too few representatives of this noble foundation stock. There is just one comforting faith in the lucky star shining over the desert Dahoman and the continuous strike of luck that seems to follow his descendants.


I have been collecting input for this article for over a year and I have covered the distance of thousands kilometres travelling from a stud to a stud. However, I wouldn't achieve much without the help and kindness of other people. I want to express my particular gratitude to Ms Gabriele Conradty, who provided me with lots of valuable information about her horses and enabled me to access some extremely valuable works of a German hippologist Hans Brabenetz.
I also want to thank Mr Roman Pankiewicz – an outstanding Polish expert on Arab horses who made it possible for me to obtain lots of valuable materials.

Krzysztof Kordalski.


Zamosc, 03.03. 2000

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