In 2012, Tersk stud started a little breeding experiment, by using frozen semen of the stallions Aswan, Muscat, Moment and Mashuk on some of their mares. All of these horses are dead for a long time, but Aswan’s semen was frozen by that time for about 47 years and not to today’s standard, so nobody could be sure, that indeed any foal would result from this breeding experiment. The semen is actually stored with VNIIK (All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Horse Breeding), and when Tersk stud got the semen, they had to realize that it was in little “plastic sacks”, not straws, as today. So, once the content of the plastic sack was unfrozen, the whole lot had to be used!
They inseminated quite a number of mares which were available and in the right hormonal cycle with Aswan’s semen, but only Pelopia delivered a foal. The colt has grown into a two-year-old boy by now and although he is not considered as future breeding stallion, Tersk stud keeps him, as many visitors want to see the colt by the famous Aswan, as this experiment had received quite some media coverage in Russia!
Apollon Tersk as a foal next to his sire Aswan
… and as a two-year-old colt
Tersk stud was more lucky with the other, more recent stallions. From Muscat, they received four foals
• 2013 — Magnum Tersk (out of Monsterra)
• 2013 — Muscatella Tersk (out of Mary Poppins)
• 2014 — Jandarm Tersk (out of Nepogoda)
• 2014 — Belosnejka Tersk (out of Borodina)
two foals by Moment:
• 2014 — Miss Briz Tersk (Miss Psytadel)
• 2014 — Elman Tersk (Epokha)
and three by Mashuk:
• 2013 — Prince Mashuk Tersk (Pulca)
• 2014 — Puma Tersk (Propaganda)
• 2014 — Nidjama Tersk (Napevnaia)
Belosnejka (Muscat / Borodina) Best in Show 2016….
… and her dam Borodina (Piligrim / Molvina), WAHO Trophy Winner 2016 and Best in Show 2014
At the “Star of Five Mountain” Show held at Tersk stud in August 2016 and judged by Anna Stojanowska, Tamas Rombauer and Alexander Klimuk, some of these offspring were shown:
Belosnejka Tersk was Junior Gold Champion and Best in Show
Jandarm Tersk got a third place (two-year-old colts)
Puma Tersk got a third place (two-year-old fillies)
Nidjama Tersk achieved a fourth place (two-year-old fillies).
Especially Belosnejka, who is out of one of the best mares at Tersk stud, i.e. the recent WAHO Trophy Winner 2016 Borodina, will hopefully make it into the breeding barn. Her dam Borodina is also the mother of Banderos (by WH Justice), chief sire in Tersk. Borodina herself was also Senior Gold Champion Mare, Best of Breed and Best in Show at the same show in 2014, as well as twice Russian National Champion in Moscow.