Oakwerth Arabians was started by Steve and Mary Jo Wertheimer with a 1974 tennis bet. With MJ's decisive victory on the court, Steve had to pay up and they brought home the Polish bred mare, Contessa B+++ (*Bask x Countess of Lasma (Count Dorsaz)) from Chauncey Arabians in Scottsdale, Arizona. Little did they know, it was only the beginning of a long journey filled with wonderful memories and bonds made between human and horse.

Over the years, choosing to focus on the mares as the foundation for our program, we have been lucky to purchase mares with impeccable Polish bloodlines, thanks to the help and assistance of those who blazed the trail before us. The Patterson's, in central Oregon, were especially generous with their time and knowledge, and to them we owe a debt of gratitude. Through careful consideration, we acquired the pure Polish mares Amber Lit (*Bask x Bint Ambara (Comet), *Bangla (*Ego x *Banda (Pietuszok) and *Delta (Negatiw x Doliwa (Comet). As an added bonus, we also came home with a couple of llamas for good measure! In addition, we purchased Lite My Fire (*Bask x Dargantka (*Cytrys)) and Cryztalight (*Bask x Cryztal (Czester)) at one of the glamorous Lasma auctions in 1979, when wearing your mink coat and diamonds was par for the course. Several additions made through the years of such graceful and splendid mares like *Ekspresja (*Bandos x *Elegia (Comet) and Daciaa (*Druch x *Dagmara (Negatiw)) have only further contributed to our goal of creating a beautiful, versatile and athletic horse. A horse that is a kind and willing companion, able to wow them in the show ring and then just as easily, be toting a youngster around, trustworthy and reliable.

While Oakwerth's aim is to focus on breeding our mares to outside stallions, we have been fortunate to have a few fantastic stallions along the way. Our first great gentleman was Stargard (*Cytrys x Silver Song (*Bask)). He was a joy to have in the barn, and he lived out his years with us, keeping an eye on his mares until the ripe age of 30. In 2000, Oakwerth was blessed with the exquisite stallion, *Europejczyk (*El Paso x Europa (*Bandos), Polish National Champion Stallion and Racehorse of the Year. We experimented with breeding Anglo-Arabians, a venture that has proved very successful. These horses have size, sensibility and a great presence both on and off the job. We could not have been more pleased with the contributions that *Europejczyk has made for both the Purebreds and the Anglos. They seem to have acquired the wonderful temperament and kind eye of their sire. The unexpected loss of *Europejczyk in Nov. 2005 was one felt both at our barn, and all around the Polish Arabian community. Thankfully, we have a promising young replacement, OKW TouchÈ, out of OKW DÈj‡ Vu (VF Premonition). We anticipate great things from him. Currently, our stallions at stud are OKW Entrigue (Allience x *Ekspresja (*Bandos), a champion dressage stallion winning titles all over the place, and OKW Zhivago (*El Paso x Zapraszka (Negatraz), a beautiful stallion with wins in the reining arena and the kindest personality of any stallion we've seen.

So while occasionally exploring other avenues, such as outcrossing to other bloodlines and breeds, we always come back to the pure Polish Arabian, the one that started it all for us, and the one that possesses that rare quality that translates across the board. We take pride in breeding the best that we can, and creating wonderful horses that can do the shows, do the trails, and most importantly, become a part of someone's family. Mary Jo and Steve's three children all grew up with a deep love of horses, and with the passing of Steve in 1982, MJ and the kids have continued on with the horses. Christine, the oldest, is a regular at the shows, riding her own horses as well as Oakwerths. The bug has already bitten her two children, Alexander and Josephine, showing in lead line and loving every minute.

We'd like to thank everyone who has offered us guidance, friendship and respect over the years, and we look forward to many more years of breeding wonderful pure Polish Arabians. Enjoy!

The Wertheimer Family

Mary Jo, Chris, Kari & Scott