The entrance to Brusally Ranch
Foundations: The Legacy of
lives on at Coronado Ranch
Our breeding program involves producing half-Arabian sport horses by crossing Polish Arabian bloodlines, primarily those of the Brusally Ranch imports, with top warmblood stallions. Following is a short history of Brusally Arabians.
In 1950, Ed and Ruth Tweed, of Lake Forest, Illinois, bought 160 acres in Scottsdale, Arizona. Their farm in Illinois was called "Brusally" (after their children Bruce and Sally), and when they relocated to Scottsdale, they brought the name with them. Ed, a bank architect, built a Spanish-style home and barn in this small western town, whose population at the time was about 200.
The barn at Brusally Ranch
The Tweeds' first Arabians were of predominantly Crabbet and Egyptian bloodlines and included multi-champion Skorage (Gaysar x Rageyma), bred by Dan Gainey. In 1954, Ed was approached by Earl Hurlbutt, president of the International Arabian Horse Association, about starting a local club. Thus began the Arabian Horse Association of Arizona, which counted among its founding members Fowler and Anne McCormick and Philip and Helen Wrigley. Ed was elected the club's first president. In 1955, the club held the first Scottsdale All-Arabian Horse Show.
Ed Tweed with Skorage
Skorage was not only a successful show horse; he also turned out to be an excellent sire, counting among his get the National winners Pulque, Skorata, Skor-Enne, Brusally Skorage, and Skordonas. In 1963, seeking an outcross for his Skorage daughters, Ed was quite taken with the Polish import *Muzulmanin (Doktryner x Mufta) and bred some mares to him. This was the time of the Arabian "Polish Invasion," when legends like *Naborr and *Bask were imported. Realizing that the taller, more athletic Polish Arabians were the way of the future for Brusally, Ed sent his trainer, Steve Spalding, to Poland in search of more horses like *Muzulmanin.
Brusally Gwiazdor and Shelley featured on a Farnam Horse Library cover
Fourteen Polish Arabian horses were selected for the 1963 Brusally Ranch importation. Of these, two were stallions: *Czester (Comet x Cerekiew) and *Gwiazdor (*Naborr x *Gwadiana). The twelve imported Arabian mares were *Abhazja (Omar II x Arfa), *Algorina (Ali Said x Alga), *Almeriaa (Faher x *Ambara), *Basta (Comet x Bajdara), *Chlosta (Faher x Carissima), *Daszenka (Trypolis x Dazma), *Genua (Grand x Gwara), *Gontyna (Doktryner x Gazella), *Miroluba (Faher x Mira), *Nawojka (Wielki Szlem x Najada), *Rifata (Faher x Rasima), and *Warna (*Naborr x Wielka Zorza). The stallion *Faraon (*Naborr x Forta) was bought from Sir William Farm in the same year. Three foals imported in utero arrived in 1964.
Ed was correct that the Polish Arabian mares were a great outcross for Skorage, but, as his granddaughter Shelley Groom Trevor remarked, "it was soon apparent that the marketplace wanted pure Polish horses, and so Skorage wasn't used as much on them as originally planned."
Brusally Arabian foals sired by *Zbrucz
In 1967, eleven more Arabian horses were imported from Poland for Brusally Ranch. Two were the stallions *Orzel (*Pietuszok x Ofirka) and *Zbrucz (Comet x Znachorka). The remainder were mares: *Bulawa (Laur x Bulgotka), *Cerera (Ferrum x Cerekiew), *Laura (Ariel x *Lawenda), *Lawenda (Doktryner x Laguna), *Manna (*Naborr x Manilla), *Paleta (Comet x Planeta), *Prowizja (*Ego x Prowarda), *Salinaa (Comet x Salwa), and *Wislica (Branibor x Wataha). Three foals imported in utero arrived in 1968. Also in 1967, Ed held the first Arabian horse auction in Scottsdale, paving the way for the legendary Lasma and Tom Chauncey sales of the 1970s and 1980s.
Brusally Orzelyna, two-time Top Ten Western Pleasure winner
The Tweeds' Polish Arabians, as well as their offspring, made quite an impression in the show ring and on the racetrack. *Gwiazdor, a Canadian Top Ten stallion, died young, but his sons Brusally Gwiazdor and Brusally Gwiaztyn went on to take National titles and become successful sires. *Czester was named U.S. and Canadian Top Ten Stallion, and *Faraon was a Canadian National Top Ten Stallion. *Zbrucz was 1970 U.S. Reserve National Champion Park Horse, and sired National winners, including Brusally Zbruina, a U.S. Top Ten Mare. Zbrucz became an acclaimed progenitor of racing Arabians, predominantly through his son Brusally Zbruenu. And *Orzel was the biggest winner of all of the Tweeds' imported stallions, being named U.S. National Champion Racehorse, U.S. National Champion Sidesaddle, U.S. and Canadian Top Ten Stallion, and U.S. Top Ten English Pleasure. *Orzel is known today primarily as a sire of racehorses (including five stakes winners), but his National-winning offspring include Brusally Orzetyn, U.S. National Champion Third Level Dressage; Brusally Orzelta, U.S. National Champion Stock Horse; Brusally Orzelyna, twice U.S. Top Ten Western Pleasure; and U.S. and Canadian Top Ten Hunter Brusally Orin.
Brusally Zbruenu, Arabian racing sire and a foundation stallion for Casa Cassel Arabians
In 1972, Joe and Martha Cassel, of Lindale, Texas, bought the first of a string of Brusally horses—including Brusally Zbruenu—that would make up the core of their famed Casa Cassel breeding program.
Four years later, Ed suffered a paralyzing stroke, and he died in 1983, outliving wife Ruth by 12 years. In 1985, the ranch property, aside from the Spanish-style house, was bought by land developers and now is part of the Scottsdale Country Club. The house was donated by the Tweeds' daughter, Sally Tweed Groom, to the Mayo Clinic, and it is now known as the Arizona Transplant House.
Awards displayed in Brusally Ranch tack room bear witness to a winning breeding program.
From 1951 to 1985, the Tweeds bred nearly 375 Arabians. Today, Brusally Polish Arabians are synonymous with performance, especially racing. A short list of contemporary stallions whose pedigrees feature Brusally breeding includes Magus, Amazing Son, Et Tu Wiking, KA Czubuthan, Brufire, SS Hypnotic, Brusally Naborros, Zachzell, Fallkon, Cardsharp, Brusally Ofir, Armanni, and TC Mr. Lucky.
