Organizer of famous Arabian horse auction cancels contracts with two stud farms

Polturf, an organizer of the world famous Pride of Poland Arabian horse auction, has terminated contracts with two state-owned stud farms, in Janów Podlaski and Michałów, the company announced. Barbara Mazur, the co-owner of the company, told private broadcaster TVN24 that the main reason behind the decision was the lack of contact with the two facilities after their long-time directors were sacked a few weeks ago. Since the presidency changed "there has only been one meeting. We haven't received any information regarding the event and which horses will be put in for the auction. Under these circumstances, the company sees no possibility to organize the event at the same high level as before," Mazur said. She also claimed that there are signals that foreign visitors are cancelling their visits. The first auction of Arabian horses was organized in 1970, and since 2001 it's been dubbed the Pride of Poland. It is organized at the state-owned Janów Podlaski, a 199-year-old breeding center, one of the three most prestigious Arabian horse stud farms in Poland. In February, the Minister of Agriculture sacked the long-standing directors of all of the three entities, citing financial irregularities as the reason.