Kwestura

photo: Betty Finke

Few mares in modern Arabian breed history have so completely embodied the ideals of their ancestry as Kwestura, the 1995 chestnut masterpiece bred by Michalow State Stud. Celebrated across continents and across decades, Kwestura stands not only as one of the most decorated mares ever produced in Poland, but as a global standard-bearer for Arabian type, elegance, and show-ring presence.
Her sire Monogramm—a son by Negatraz and Monogramma—would become one of the most transformational sires ever used in Poland, and Kwestura remains his most iconic daughter. Through Monogramm, she carries the powerful Bask sire line, while her dam Kwesta contributes the esteemed Carmen tail-female line that produced the legendary Comet.
From her earliest days, Kwestura drew attention for her near-perfect silhouette: a long, arched neck, a dry and expressive head, exceptional smoothness of body, and movement that seemed to float above the ground. Polish breeders have long remarked that there has never been a more beautiful yearling filly in the modern era. She justified this reputation immediately, becoming Polish National Champion Filly in 1996.
Her rise to international acclaim began swiftly. Kwestura was All Nations Cup Champion Mare at just four years old in 1999 and soon followed with the European Senior Champion Mare title in 2000. That same year, she earned World Reserve Champion Mare in Paris. Her two Polish National Reserve Championships (2000 and 2001) remain one of the great ironies of her career—she is the most internationally decorated mare in Polish history never to have secured a Senior National Gold title at home.
In the early 2000s, Kwestura was leased to Mike Nichols in the United States, where she proved equally untouchable. She never placed below first and became 2002 U.S. National Champion Mare, the first Monogramm daughter to do so. Her American-born offspring include the important mare Kashmir NA (by Bravado Bey V) and the performance gelding Kamelot NA+, by Jullyen El Jamaal.
Returning to Poland, Kwestura produced one of her most influential foals: the grey colt Kabsztad, by Poganin. Kabsztad matured into an international sire and show horse, earning titles including European Silver Champion Stallion in 2020. Her consistency as a broodmare would later continue in the Middle East through daughters by QR Marc, or AJA Justified.
Kwestura’s show career, however, was far from finished. In 2007 and again in 2009, she achieved the pinnacle of global competition as World Champion Senior Mare in Paris. In 2010 she added the Dubai International Gold Senior Mare title, and in 2014—at nineteen years of age—she returned once more to the spotlight as World Platinum Champion Mare, a distinction reserved for living legends.
Her fame reached another historic milestone in 2008, when she entered the Pride of Poland Sale as the star lot. After intense bidding, she sold to Ajman Stud for a record-setting €1.125 million, the highest price ever paid for a Polish Arabian at that time.
Today, at the age of 30, Kwestura enjoys a peaceful life in Germany with Elisa Grassi and Frank Spönle, still radiating presence and vitality well into her senior years. Long celebrated as the 'Queen of the Ring', Kwestura remains a living testament to the brilliance of Polish breeding and the enduring global influence of Monogramm.