_{since 1992}                

_{since 1969}

Denise Loeffel 973-875-7677

Judging

I have great plans for a Judging and Judges page here. I have never been to a WPCSA sanctioned show or any show where evaluation sheets for the Judge(s) and their judging competence have been offered to the exhibitors. Nor have I seen anywhere the resuls posted for Show Management to refer to when looking for a Judge for a future show. That leaves Show Management dependent on verbal suggestions of acquaintances in choosing a Judge, the singularly most important decision Show Management has to make affecting every exhibitor (and pony) attending the show.

The above considerations will be the basis of this page.

Those who defined the BREED STANDARD were the caretakers of the day who saw a need to have a general registry for the breeding records, getting them out of each farmer's dining room, and recording them in a central location, for all to see and have access to. They were only the breeders of the DAY. The Welsh breed was centuries old, and much commented about in old Celtic writings, and already established when Julius Caesar invaded Brittany in 55 a.d.

No the Welsh ponies did not look as they do today, but more like the Celtic root stock, which is where they came from. Most of those native ponies looked more or less alike; however the deep valleys and high mountains, and harsh terrain did separate the regions, and 'subspecies', if you will, developed and in time became different breeds off the main stem.

I think we strive to defend the traditional standard because that is how Welsh were defined over a century ago, by the stewards who not only had ponies, but were livestockmen of the highest order. And, in the case of Criban, had been breeding Welsh for over 400 years on their Brecon Beacons. They owned all in the area, including that mountain range and more, until unfortunately a dam flooded much of the valley land and their old home place.

Those original ponies, before outside blood (Arab, Thoroughbred, etc.), were small, mostly dark primitive colors, straight headed, but still possessed the pluck and hardness they were noted for down through the centuries.

The Welsh Pony has had a close relationship with man over the centuries, serving him in many capacities. He has doubtlessly gone through many changes down through the years, all certainly not for the good. NONE of our ponies are of 'original' type, but some are of more original type than most, and are possessors of those wonderful qualities and conformation of a century ago.

Trying to protect and perpetuate any breed against 'change' is a daunting task, certainly not an easy one, when the winds of change blow hard, and it is human nature to 'better' everything on earth.

We all have known TRUE WELSH and that is the core of why we will do our thing, run against the tide, and try so hard to keep some of them for generations in the future.

Cherry Wilson

Mrs. Jane Fischer deThouars
  22917 Via Santana, Box #14
Nuevo, CA 92567
Home Phone:  (951) 928-4562
(as of July 17, 2004, the area code changed to (951)
Phone work: (562) 920-0472
Cell phone:  (562) 964-1921

Did you know....

Influential Section B sire Tan-y-Bwlch Berwyn's sire was an African Barb pony. In 1565, noted writer of British horses, Thomas Blunderville, stated that horses commonly called “… Barbarians do come out of the King of Tunis land, out of Massilie Numidia. They were small, but very swift and durable … which is the cause why we (Britain’s) esteem them so much.”
Many people and historians assume Barb horses are Arabian horses. This confusion and misinformation stemmed from the fact that both breeds eventually shared the Arabic culture. Also, their respective names were bluntly misused in literature. In 1875, in his British book “The Book of the Horse”, S. Sidney comments: Every oriental horse, Turk, Barb or Egyptianbred, is called an Arab in this country.” An excerpt from a 1916 Department of Agriculture “Breeders of Livestock Handbook” confirms: “Recent investigations indicate the Barb to have been the real source of oriental blood. A common error results in the use of the term ‘Arabian’ in sense synonymous with ‘oriental’.”
The Berbers from North Africa formed a substantial part of the Muslim armies that invaded Spain in the 8th century, and it seems clear that their Barb horses played a major part in the development of the Spanish Horse, Including the modern version of which is the Andalucian .
The Barb was also influential in the evolution of the Thoroughbred. Horses from North Africa, variously termed Berber, Barb, or Barbary, were imported to the Royal Studs of England from before the time of the Plantagenets. Roan Barbary, the favorite horse of Richard II (1377-99), was one of many horses of the same origin at the king's studs. Barb blood, together with that of the Spanish Jennet, itself at least a first cousin to the Barb, was certainly a predominant element in the Royal "running horses", which formed the base stock for the early Thoroughbred.

Welsh Section B Criban Victor, Champion at Ponies of Britain Show in 1959, 1962, 1965, and 1966 and the NPS Shows in 1956, 1959, and 1960; made a glorious retirement from the show ring in 1969, aged 25, when he won the Section B Championship and was Reserve Supreme Champion of the whole show at Caern. In 1978, his image was included in a series of stamps depicting horses, produced by the Royal Mail. Following his death at the age of 29, his breeder had his head stuffed; and it has since been donated to the WPCS. CRIBAN VICTOR (foaled 1944) was sired by CRIBAN WINSTON and gained his height from his dam CRIBAN WHALEBONE, of Cob parentage. CRIBAN VICTOR spent most of his active life at the Gredington Stud and left a great mark on Section B ponies throughout the Stud Book

In volume 1 of the Welsh Stud Book the Welsh Mountain Ponies were allowed to be up to 12 hands 2 inches and every entry had to be inspected and passed, both by an Inspector of the Society and (for stallions only) by a Veterinary Surgeon. Entries amounted to 9 stallions and 273 mare; of the stallions one was grey, the others were dark coloured, mainly bays and browns, of the mares 66% were bay/brown/black, 14% chestnuts, 8% roan, 4% creams/duns and others of unrecorded colour (only two mares).

The Decline of the Section B Welsh Pony Standard

With the increased popularity of riding by children since 1930 a finer, lighter type of pony has been developed with strong emphasis being laid on striving to keep the true ‘Welsh’ characteristics. The typical Welsh Section B pony shown at present is the current Working Hunter Pony, much like the British Riding Pony in both looks and pedigrees.

To bring this about a few stallions of slighter type containing at least 50% of Welsh blood were admitted to the Stud Book, the two most influential being CRAVEN CYRUS and TANYBWLCH BERWYN. The infusion of this outside blood began an expansion of Section B in 1958/1959 when progeny of FS2 mares, born of this blood, led to four sires who between them laid a very firm foundation for the change in the Section B: SOLWAY MASTER BRONZE (foaled in 1959), BROCHWELL COBWELL (foaled in 1959), DOWNLAND DAUPHIN (foaled in 1959), CHIRK CARADOG (foaled in 1958) and his full brother CHIRK CROGAN (foaled in 1959).

Mountain and Moorland Ponies

The white issue NEVER was, and IS NOT, whether a pony or cob is a purebred or not.
The issue IS whether an animal meets the requirements for registration.  Excessively white Welsh ponies meeting pinto standards do not meet WPCSA registration requirements. The registration rule states NO PIEBALDS OR SKEWBALDS. Piebalds and Skewbalds ARE pintos.