Breeding
The origins of my passion for dressage ponies — Welsh partbreds in particular — and for breeding go back to my childhood.
My mother bought me the Welsh K mare Brocoper Astarte as a riding pony, and bred two foals from her herself. The first was Summerlee, the second Carrera. Summerlee was sold and we kept Carrera as her mother’s successor. As a young girl I trained Carrera myself up to Z1 level, and I never wanted to sell her. That is why I chose to breed a foal from her every now and then.
When she no longer got in foal at the age of eighteen, I found that a real shame. I went looking for a young pony and found the then yearling Welsh NWR mare Really’s Royal Rain — Royal for short.
With Royal’s arrival, Royal Sportpony’s (RSP) was born as well.
About the breeding programme
In the years that followed, breeding captured my interest more and more, and more broodmares joined. Along the way I developed a clear vision of what the ideal children’s dressage pony should be: a healthy, uphill and strongly built pony with a typical Welsh head and plenty of presence, three above-average paces, but above all a level-headed, workable and willing pony. A pony that scores 70% in an FEI test today and happily goes for a hack tomorrow.
Of course this is an ideal picture. Very few ponies meet all of these requirements, and breeding is never made to order. Still, I always use this list as my starting point when choosing stallions and mares.
The aim is to welcome no more than four foals per crop. We invest a lot of time in the foals, because in my view their education starts in the very first days after birth. With a maximum of four foals it stays enjoyable and every foal gets enough attention. From each crop I try to keep one or two foals to raise, depending on how much room we have.
Unfortunately, breeding also means making difficult choices, so now and then young stock is for sale. When something is available, it is announced on our Instagram page: @royal_sportponys.
Curious about the foals and young ponies from our own breeding programme?