Witez II, purportedly the most magnificent Arabian horse ever, was born in Poland in 1938 and survived the Nazi, Russian and American invasions. This is his story--a gallant one--told with irrepressible sentiment.
If you can find this book it's well worth the read. One hot, humid, summer day, while waiting on the ferry for Cumberland Island, I stepped into a flea market. The air condition was a great relief. I spent the next thirty minutes looking through one man's junk, another man's treasure. Well, it was actually a woman's treasure. I gave the lady $3.00 for "And Miles To Go". Linell Smith packs much information into 230 pages. Poland before WWII was known for it's Arabian horses. Witez II was a decendant of champion Arabians. She traces the history of the horse from 1939 through 1965. "Witez II was foaled under the banner of Poland, reached maturity under the Swastika of Nazi Germany, and achieved his greatest fame in America. His story includes the Poles who reared him, the Germans who cared for him, and the Americans who were lucky enough to secure him at an Army auction in the U.S".
Witez (pronounced VEE tez) was one of the most influential Arabian sires in North America. He was foaled in Poland and somehow survived World War II as prisoner of the Nazis. This is a fictional version of Witez' life before he was captured by the Nazis. The rest of his life is given in a short epilogue. He is still fondly remembered in Poland, as immortalized in a stamp.
Now, let me point out two things:
1) World War II 2) Poland
Right away you should know that this ain't gonna have a Disney ending. If you can get beyond that, then this is a good read.
When I first read this I wondered why Linell Nash Smith (daughter of Odgen Nash) stopped the story when she did. Then I read The Perfect Horse: The Daring U. S. Mission to Rescue the Priceless Stallions which basically is the factual biography of Witez II. Not much happened beyond Witez standing around looking pretty while people argued over him. No wonder the rest of his life was gone into so quickly. It made Witez' life more interesting than it was.
And an uneventful life made for a happy life for ol' Witez II.
This was a book read in my youth , my first introduction to the Arabian breed.The story of witez 2 who made the journey from poland as the russians invaded to General Pattons troops to the U.S. Here he resided til his death in 1965 and was a major influence on the breed.This is a wonderful story on many levels and if you enjoy horse stories or the odd historical event that few know then by all means add this to your list.
I read this as a child and about five years ago I suddenly remembered it and was possessed by the desire to read it again... but I couldn't remember what it was called or even that it was a book about a real horse... all I remembered was Nazis and Poland and a girl freezing to death while trying to save a horse... I posted this much on a book finding board on ABEBOOKS and eventually someone mentioned this one and I knew right away this was it. I am putting it here in my Read books so I won't forget it again!
I loved this book. I received it many years ago when I was only in first grade. I was 'horse crazy' and read it as best I could, pouring over every picture. I read it many times as I grew older and eventually lost the book. A great look into a particular piece history, made even better if you love horses.
Enjoyable story, written in the 1960s about a horse that had a remarkable life. The saddest part was he almost was sold in a dispersal sale at the Kellogg ranch where many of the Arabs were sent to slaughter-including the one Valentino rode in "The Sheik". He didn't have the effect of the breed that the author thinks that he would but he was the grandsire of some impressive performance horses.