Comments on: Horses in History: A Hungarian heroine, part II

By: Lorraine

Lorraine — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 17:45:40 +0000

Hi Sarah! There are still horses from the Clover line, though the clover marker on the face rarely manifests itself anymore. You can find out more about the Hungarians being bred in America at http://www.hungarianhorses.org/ .

By: sarah

sarah — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 05:07:34 +0000

Great Story! Very inspirational! Can’t find any info on the web however! My dream one day is to own a Hungarian horse and be a trainer. My grandfather, who lived in Hungary during WW2, rode in the Calvary and used to tell me stories about the amazing horses from Hungary. Are there still horses being bred from the Clover Horse line today? Anyone know?

By: Lorraine

Lorraine — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 20:57:09 +0000

Also, CE, I forgot to answer the second part of your question. Igezo would have been born in around 1920, and by the time they left Hungary, it was 1945. You’re right that Igezo could not have produced all 64 of the horses on her string, but her daughters and sons produced more clovers as they were crossed out with other finely bred animals, which is how she came to have 64 horses in 25 years.

By: Lorraine

Lorraine — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 18:17:32 +0000

@CE, sorry for my long delay to your question- I actually don’t identify the horse in the photo as Igezo, and in fact that’s a piece of this story that has long bothered me. My best guess is that the photo is of her jumping another competitor’s horse, as was sometimes practiced in certain sorts of Jump-offs. I very much wish that I could find a photograph of Igezo.

@Laura thank you for sharing your story and this information! I credit Horse Nation as the first to “break” this story because yes, while the Shagya Arabian and Hungarian Warmblood folks (among others) make reference to the most dramatic parts of her story, they leave out a lot of the details and additional experiences that were included here. I don’t think that her heroic efforts in WWII or her breeding operation in Virginia give as much life to her as a full article can. (and frankly, a full article can’t give as much life as a full book can, so I am glad that such a thing is in the works!)

Thank you again for the information, Egon sounds like an extraordinary individual!

By: Laura Prowicz

Laura Prowicz — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 16:47:37 +0000

“and you’re right, almost none of it has made it to the internet. Horse nation broke this 70 year old story first, ha ha!”

I don’t know about that The Shayga-Arabian horse society as well as many USA based breeders of the Hungarian Horses do have much of the story about the two Countesses posted. My friend Egon Kamarasy in Carbondale is writing his memoirs and they will be full of personal, eye witness testimony about what happened. He fled Hungary around the same time as Judith and he was a Calvary officer. Here is a photo of Egon in his Calvary garb: http://www.udonet.com/egretlake/

I would DEFINITELY recommend getting in touch with Egon if you want to capture his memories on what happened in Hungary during the two big wars. His contact information is on his web page and is current. He is 93 now. I run his web site, I will also see him in a few weeks at the Dunnabeck Horse Trials. You may email me if you need more information.

Thanks. Laura

By: Laura Prowicz

Laura Prowicz — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 16:41:59 +0000

I have a Hungarian Sport Horse, and this story was told to me by my now 93 yo Hungarian friend, Egon Kamarasy in Carbondale, IL whom I was fortunate to meet when I was in college in the mid-80s and ride many of his Hungarian horses! As an a
dult I finally purchased one about 8 years ago from Egon – what a fantastic horse. They have the #1 best temperament of any horse I have ever known and smart. not to mention perfect conformation and movement. I just love the story about the two Countesses. It adds an element of intrigue to owning one of these magnificent animals. BTW: my horse is a twin to the lead horse in the Calvary photo. his sire was a Kisber-Felver cross and they were the main Calvary mounts of the Hungarian Empire.

By: CE

CE — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 16:25:03 +0000

I’m confused – in Part 1 it is said that the photo (of a gray horse) at the top of the page is of Igezo, but in Part 2 Igezo is described as bay…..

It also doesn’t say how she went from having 1 Clover horse to having 64 in a few years. Is there perhaps a bit of hyperbole going on here?

By: Lorraine

Lorraine — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 04:21:47 +0000

Hi riderwriter, thank you for your comments and kind words! At the end of the third and final part, I will include my full bibliography both for anyone’s interest and also to ensure that people can verify her amazing story. I know it’s hard to believe! And, even with three parts, there is so much more to her life and the background of the Hungarian Warmbloods than I could fit here. (and you’re right, almost none of it has made it to the internet. Horse nation broke this 70 year old story first, ha ha!)

By: RiderWriter

RiderWriter — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 22:45:16 +0000

I just went off and explored the Web a bit to see what else I might be able to learn about Countess Judith. All I can say is, WOW, I don’t know where/how you did all your research but I am truly impressed, because there sure isn’t much on the Internet! Could you possibly share any of your sources, if we’d like to do further reading?

By: RiderWriter

RiderWriter — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 22:05:49 +0000

I am seriously having a hard time believing this story is true… but it’s so extraordinary, I’m sure it is! “You can’t make this stuff up,” as they say. I will be waiting with bated breath for the third installment. How is it that Judith is not famous?

I am also very, very sorry for your loss of your own beloved horse.