The history of the stud farm dates back to the
Napoleonic Wars, as a result of which the number of horses on Polish lands decreased rapidly. Horses were too valuable for the army and the economy not to be noticed by those in power at that time. In order to regain the slowly losing position of horse power, at the request of the Administrative Council of the Kingdom of Poland, by decree of
Emperor Alexander I in 1817, a government herd of horses was established, which became the beginning of the stud farm. The decision to locate the state herd there was determined by the existence of the large Wygoda farm near Janów and a large former Austrian stud farm. The organizer and first manager of the Janów stud farm in the years 1816–1826 was Jan Ritz, a veterinarian. He created the foundations for future breeding by obtaining, with the permission of Alexander I, breeding stock from imperial stud farms and purchasing horses from private Russian and English breeders. In December 1817, he imported 54 stallions (25 English, 9 Arabian, 4 Danish, 2 Mecklenburg, 2 Caucasian and Italian), 100 mares and 33 foals. His main assistant as herd overseer was a former French officer, Jan Gosselin, who stayed in Poland after 1812 and started a family there. His daughter was one of the enthusiasts, . In the 19th century, the Janów stud farm became a major equine center in central Poland. With the help of the Russian governor of the Kingdom of Poland,
Ivan Paskevich, a horse lover, the stud experienced a
golden age. In 1841, according to the plans of the architect
Enrico Marconi, the first brick stable was built, and in 1848 the second stable was constructed with a
neo-Gothic clock tower. The clock was purchased for the then enormous sum of 363 rubles (2,400
Polish złotys. In addition to the government herd of horses, there was also a veterinary school and a practical
riding and
dressage school (since 1824). The herd's management included, among others: cups and medals and other decorations of horses purchased in Europe (e.g. silver cups of the mare Armida, winner of multiple races held in Warsaw), numerous paintings on horse themes, and an equine library with a number of Polish and German magazines. During this period, specialist and court counselor Filip Eberhardt managed the stud farm until the end of the 1870s as the overseer of the government herd. From July 1861, the titular function of the herd director was held by the actual councilor of state, equerry of the imperial court, (1811–1891). In 1885, the Russian Count Alexander Nierodka built a brick stable with 85 stalls. He also brought a number of valuable horses from Western Europe, including
Thoroughbreds and Arabian horses. It was then that the first Arabians appeared in Janów. In 1887, the count designated one of the stables specifically for racing horses. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, Janów Podlaski was the most important center of breeding and equine knowledge in the western part of the
Russian Empire. At the beginning of the 20th century, Janów had a characteristic Janów horse, as it was called in professional literature, "with a proper, strong build and a firm and resistant constitution." Two breeding lines were developed but all achievements were lost with World War I. In February 1914, the herd was taken east where almost all died. The idea of recreating the stud farm in Janów from scratch was considered in 1918 by a group of Polish enthusiasts and equestrians. In April 1919, pure-bred Arabian mares were brought to the decimated Janów stables. Already by the 1920s foreign stud farms (e.g. Czech and German) were again buying horses from Janów. In 1924, the Janów stud began to specialize in breeding pure-bred Arabian horses.
World War II The period of prosperity was interrupted by the outbreak of the next war, during which approximately 80% of the horses from the stud disappeared. Initially, about 200 horses were evacuated to
Volhynia. After the
Soviet invasion of Poland on 17 September 1939, the horses were transported to Janów, but many horses went missing during this transport. The
Red Army took over the stud farm, set fire to the buildings, stole the horses that had been evacuated, and took them deep into the USSR—a 1,000 mile trek—to
Tersk Stud. Among them was the mare and the stallion who became the foundation stock of the Arabian horse farm at Tersk. By October 1939, the few remaining Arabians at Janów were plundered by local residents, with the consent of the
Soviet occupiers. Once the stud farm was occupied by
Wehrmacht German troops,
Gustav Rau, commissioner for horse breeding and stud farms in the
General Government, appeared. It resulted in some famous breeding stallions, such as Witraż and Wielki Szlem, being returned to Janów, as well as other purebred horses. By 1940, a horse parade and a breeding review were held at the Janów stud farm. , the commandant of the stud farm, made sure that the horses and their
grooms were doing well, considering wartime conditions. Scientific research was conducted at the stud farm under the supervision of
Bernhard Grzimek on, among other things, the horse's instinct to return to the stable. In July 1944, a herd of about 300 pure-bred Arabian horses was evacuated to
Nazi Germany, where it suffered losses during the bombing of
Dresden. Horses from other Polish stud farms were also delivered to
Saxony, including , the , the Haack estate in
Dębice, and the Stud Farm in
Kozienice.
Post war The horses returned to Poland in November 1946 by sea. For many weeks, two ships transported horses between
Lübeck in Germany and
Gdynia in Poland. 80 mares and foals returned to Janów Podlaski on November 1, 1950, and the stallions scattered among other stud farms didn't find their way to Janów until 1960. The famous stallion
Witez II did not return from Germany and was sent instead to the USA as
war booty by American General
George S. Patton. == Leadership ==