Gips

photo: Viviane Demont

Among the notable stallions produced by Tersk Stud during the later years of the Soviet Arabian breeding program, Gips (Mashuk x Polinezia) holds a particular place of importance.
Born in 1984, Gips was sired by Mashuk, one of Tersk’s chief sires. This grey Aswan son was known not only for his own conformation and movement but also for his ability to reliably transmit these qualities to his offspring. Through Mashuk, Gips was a paternal half-brother to Vodolej, a stallion also noted for his movement, further underscoring Mashuk’s impact as a breeding sire. Mashuk's dam was Malutka who traced to the legendary Russian mare Mammona.
The dam of Gips, Polinezia, brought in the blood of the Koalicja family, a lineage rooted in Polish Arabian breeding and valued for its refinement and quality of type. Polinezia was an excellent broodmare, producing Pamir (1987) and Prikumsk (1988), younger full-brothers to Gips. Her sire, Nabeg (by Arax), was among the most influential stallions to stand at Tersk, known for producing a number of prominent sons including Menes, Neman, Nadejni, Peleng, Princip, and Tallin, among others. Polinezia’s dam, Polnoch, was a daughter by Nil, an Egyptian import like the better-known Aswan, both of whom contributed significantly to Tersk’s modern breeding program. Her daughter Polinezia, born in 1977, is among the best mares produced from the mating of Nabeg with the mare Polnoch.
His European show career began following his export from Russia in the early 1990s and included several significant achievements. In 1991, he won the title of International Champion at Frauenfeld and went on to become All Nations Cup Champion at Aachen, one of the most prestigious events in European Arabian showing. He continued to be successful throughout the decade, earning the title of Reserve European Champion at Menton in 1993, followed by International Champion titles at both Wels and Cervia in 1995. In 1996, he placed among the Top Ten Stallions at the World Championships in Paris and was a class winner at the European Championships in Vichy. He later earned the designation 'German Elite Stallion', recognizing his combined success in the show ring and influence as a sire within German breeding programs. While still at Tersk, where he held the position of chief sire prior to his export to Switzerland, Gips sired the stallion Piligrim (out of Postup). Piligrim would go on to carry forward his sire’s legacy within the Tersk program, also serving as a chief sire and producing a number of high-quality offspring for the Russian state stud. Later Piligrim was exported to The Netherlands and Germany where he produced the German Gold Ribbon stallion Avanpost (x Agata).
While in Switzerland, Gips sired Nil Tarik and the mare Nil Nouza. The latter became the dam of Nil Khaznah by Kubinec, a successful endurance horse who won the Araber Trophy endurance ride in 2010.
In his later years, Gips stood at Fischer Arabians in Bavaria, Germany. During his time there, he sired several notable offspring, including the black-bay GF Mashuk, who is not only halter shown but also excels in dressage and endurance competitions, and the chestnut GF Gips Ghost, who was awarded the white ribbon at the 2007 German stallion licensing.
Gips died in March 2007, having left a body of work as both a sire, mainly through his son Piligrim and show horse that marked him as a significant figure in the modern history of Russian Arabian breeding.