Royal Riders Pony Club Royal Riders News Volume 1, Issue 11 August 2009 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Pony Club Camp 2009! Upcoming Events 2 Me and My Pony 2 Pony Club Camp 3 Breed of the Month 4-5 Patch Program Pix 6 RRPC at OC Fair 7 Happy Birthday! 8 Learn all about: Wonderful Welsh Ponies (above picture from left to right) Ally riding Cookie, Rachel riding Liam, and Sarah riding Apollo. More on pg. 3 Pg. 4 Pics of the Month The Royal Riders Volunteered at OC Fair! Pg. 7 Me and My Pony: Rider and Pony Profile on Katie Page 2 A cool new way to greet a pony! What horses will do for treats… and dogs too. Upcoming Events August: Sept. 26th—Dressage Rally—Bear November: Lessons every Monday and Friday Valley Lessons every Monday and Friday at 4:30 p.m. October: at 4:30 p.m. Horsemasters lessons every Mon- Lessons every Monday and Friday at Horsemasters lessons every Mon- day at 10:00am & Tuesday at 6:30 4:30 p.m. day at 10:00am & Tuesday at 6:30 Aug. 1st—Vet Clinic—11:00am- Horsemasters lessons every Mon- Nov. 14th—unmounted meeting 1:00pm—Paxton EQ Center day at 10:00am & Tuesday at 6:30 No lessons on Thanksgiving week Aug. 2nd—Dressage Show Oct. 4th—Annual Parent meeting December: Aug. 16th—McCoy Show Oct. 11th—McCoy Show Lessons every Monday and Friday Aug. 30th—Patch Program at the Oct. 17th, 9am-3pm—Pumpkin at 4:30 p.m. Gross’s Patch Fundraiser Horsemasters lessons every Mon- September: Oct. 18th—Dressage Show day at 10:00am & Tuesday at 6:30 Lessons every Monday and Friday Oct. 24th—Show Jumping Rally— No lessons during Christmas at 4:30 p.m. Ventura break—2 weeks Dec. 12th—Christmas Party Me and My Pony: Rider and Pony Profile Name: Katie What color are your ponies? Starlight is Chestnut, Sophie is Bay, and Patches is Fleabitten Gray. How old are you? 9 (10 on August 7th) How tall is your pony? Starlight is 14.2hh, Sophie is What’s your favorite color? Lime Green 12.2hh, and Patches is10.1hh. What’s your favorite breed of horse or pony? Belgian What is your favorite thing to do with your ponies? Do you own or lease a pony? I own three ponies. With Starlight I like to barrel race and Sophie I like to What’s are your pony’s names? Starlight, Patches, and jump and do shows. But with Patches I like to do Sophie (shown) around the world and lay around and be silly. How old are your ponies? Starlight is 17, Patches is What are your ponies like? Starlight is very easy going probably 4 or 5, and Sophie is 19. and fast, Sophie is sophisticated, and Patches is just What breeds are your ponies? Starlight is a Quarter cute and silly. Horse, Sophie is a Welsh Pony and Patches is a What would your dream horse or pony be and what Welsh Mountain Pony. would you do with it? A big black appaloosa Belgian and we would canter around a big meadow and go swimming in a lake. It would be a lot of fun! Happy 10th birthday Katie! Page 2 VOLUME 1, ISSUE 11 Page 3 Pony Club Camp Pony club camp was a blast! You could do things like ride, crafts, swimming, and horse man- agement (talking about horse related things). Some people may think it would be scary for your horse in a different area but my horse and mostly all of the other horses got used to it. When you ride you can do things like cross country, show jumping, and dressage. When you ride you’re put into separate groups by your number based on your skill level. So if your not the best rider you would be put in a higher number group (the lower the num- ber the better you are). When you do cross country, you do jumps or poles and go on a trail ride (maybe not though it depends). When doing show jumping it’s basically just going over regular jumps or poles. Also in dressage you do trot work, possibly canter work and quad drill teams. So it’s a whole week of fun in the sun. And if you would like to stay with an adult he/she may chaperone the people from the club if they’re at camp. I hope you decide to go next year. -Rachel E. Breed of the Month: The Welsh Pony The Welsh Pony designates a group of four related types of pony and horse native to Wales: the Welsh mountain pony (Section A), the Welsh pony (Section B), the Welsh pony of cob type (Section C), and the Welsh Cob (Section D). Welsh ponies and cobs are suitable mounts for both children and adults. The modern Welsh Pony is known as a riding and driving pony. It is shown both in hand and under saddle, including hunter/jumper and dressage competition, and is a popular chil- dren's pony. They have a reputaton for intelligence, friendly personalities and even temperaments, allowing them to be easily trained. The breed is used for many forms of equestrianism, including pleasure riding, as well as horse show competition. The Welsh also crosses well with many other breeds and has influenced the Pony of the Americas and the British Riding Pony. Many are also crossbred with Thoroughbreds, and other horse breeds. The Welara, a cross between the Welsh pony and the Arabian horse, has its own registry. The original Welsh Mountain Pony is thought to have evolved from the prehis- toric Celtic pony. Welsh ponies were primarily developed in Wales and existed in the British Isles prior to the arrival of the Roman Empire. They were adapted to the difficult climate of severe winters and sparse vegetation. Shelter most often was an isolated valley or a clump of bare trees. Bands of ponies roamed in a semi-feral state climbing mountains, leaping ravines, running over rough moorland terrain. Therefore the Welsh pony developed intelligence, speed and soundness, and is known for "heart" and endurance. They are tough and thrifty, with a steady, tractable, and calm nature. When the Romans occupied Ancient Britain, they brought horses of their own, which bred with the native ponies, produc- ing hardy offspring with substance and attractive appearance. It is believed that Julius Caesar founded a stud for the ponies on the shores of Lake Bala. The characteristics of the breed as it is known today are thought to have been established by the late 15th century, after the Crusaders returned to England with Arabian stallions obtained from the Middle East. In the 1500s, King Henry VIII, thinking to improve the breeds of horses, particularly war horses, ordered the destruction of all stallions under 15 hands and all mares under 13 hands. Fortunately the ponies in the wild, remote, and inaccessible moun- tains of Wales escaped this order. On the upland farms of Wales, Welsh ponies and cobs would often have to do everything from ploughing a field to carrying a farmer to market or driving a family to services on Sunday. When coal mining became important to the economy of England, many Welsh ponies were harnessed for use in mines, above and below ground. In the 18th century and 19th century, more Arabian blood was added by stallions who were turned out in the Welsh hills. Other breeds have also been added, including the Hackney, Thoroughbred, Norfolk Roadster, and the Yorkshire Coach Horse. In 1901, the Welsh Pony and Cob Society was formed in the United Kingdom, with the first Stud Book published the follow- ing year. In 1949, the sections of the Stud Book (A, B, C, and D) were introduced. The United States registry, also named the Welsh Pony and Cob Society, was incorporated in 1906. One important stallion in the Welsh breed since the 1900s was Dyoll Starlight, credited with being the foundation sire of the modern breed, and who was a combination of Welsh and Arab breeding. From his line came an influential stallion of the Section B type: Tan-y-Bwlch Berwyn. This stallion was sired by a Barb and out of a mare from the Dyoll Starlight line. A life-sized statue of a Welsh cob stallion was erected in the town of Aberaeron in 2005 donated to the town by the Aber- aeron Festival of Welsh Ponies and Cobs to denote the area as Welsh Cob country. It was created by sculptor David Mayer. A small feral population of about 180 animals roams the Carneddau mountains in Snowdonia. All sections of Welsh ponies and Welsh cobs are sure-footed with sound feet, dense bone, and are very hardy. The ponies should have a well-laid back shoulder, deep chest, short back, well-sprung rib cage and strong hindquarters. Their legs should be clean" with good bone, short cannons and correct hocks. They exhibit the substance, stamina and soundness of their ancestral bloodstock. Welsh ponies may be any coat color except the spotted patterns such as pinto or Appaloosa. (Continued on next page.) Page 4 ROYAL RIDERS NEWS VOLUME 1, ISSUE 11 Page 5 The Welsh Mountain Pony (Section A) may not exceed 12.2 hands (127 cm or 50 inches). The Section A Welsh Pony is also known as the Welsh Mountain pony. Both the Section A and Section B ponies are more refined than those in Section C and D. They are characterized from the cob types by a large eye, small head (often with a dished face from the Arabian influence), high set on tail, and refined leg conformation, but retaining good bone and correctness.