Sport Ponies

volatis

volatis

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www.volatis.co.uk
I kow there are still not that many breeders of sport ponies out there, but can anyone tell me what the market is like for them, as foals and also once backed.
OH and I having a debate about the best route to go down for one of my smaller mares. He has spotted a very nice Westfalen dressage pony he thinks would suit her.
 
Not all pony breeders grade their stallions with the sports pony society, many have them graded with their relevant stud books. For example the New Forest ponies have their own performance & conformation gradings which are very stringent (& are recognised by the SPS).

I'd choose a stallion that you like that has the attributes you want. If it's any help breeders on the continent are seeking NF stallions as they give the performance & temperament they want.

Good luck.
 
good question... the demand for ponies is relatively low the ponies we breed are usually planned to be kept to be sold when their four / five yrs old broken and competing at affiliated level, this is the only way we really can sell them for any sort of profit,
 
I quite agree that parents don't usually want to buy foals or youngstock that will mature as ponies, instead wanting 4yo or ideally 5yo plus that are ready to undertake ridden education.

I know that's waht I'm looking for at the moment. So if anyone knows of any 14.2hh's...
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Jumping into this talk, does anyone know of any Sports Pony classes around the Anglian area (radius 100 miles). We've bred a 14.2hh Sports Pony but sadly can't find any classes. She is a 3 year old TB.
 
Ah a very interesting debate.

I know that myself and a friend looked high and low for foals likely to make smaller dressage horses, being small ladies. We really wanted animals with the movemnet that the bigger horses have.

I have ended up with a 16.2 and my firend with a 15.3.

I still would like something smaller and am now considering putting my kwpn mare to a pony stallion, as it seems the best way to get something smaller that should still be over 14.2 but have some quality for dressage.
However with the variety of the pony breeds around its difficult to find something proven that will give the temperament and movement that Im looking for.
 
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Ah a very interesting debate.

I know that myself and a friend looked high and low for foals likely to make smaller dressage horses, being small ladies. We really wanted animals with the movemnet that the bigger horses have.

I have ended up with a 16.2 and my firend with a 15.3.

I still would like something smaller and am now considering putting my kwpn mare to a pony stallion, as it seems the best way to get something smaller that should still be over 14.2 but have some quality for dressage.
However with the variety of the pony breeds around its difficult to find something proven that will give the temperament and movement that Im looking for.

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Sports Pony Studbook is a good place to start for UK based stallions SPSS Licensed stallions

Also Hilkens Black Delight ( Branduardi M - Morbidelli - Black Boy) who was 2005 Champion Weser Ems stallion, has a UK agent Hilkens Black Delight & I think they may also have semen from Casino Royale K ( FS Champion de Luxe - Top Nonstop) a Palomino who was the 2007 Weser Ems Licensing Champion too?
 
Thank you very much for the suggestions, that is very useful. I hadnt come across those two before although I have had a good look at the SPSS website.

I did post on here a while back for Sport Pony stallions and found a few possibilities.
 
mickey66, thats one of the reasons I'd prefer to breed small dressage horses from this mare rather than ponies. When I sold my 15.2hh Hanoverian who was not only a saint but a fabulous moving little horse, I could have sold him ten time sover, if I'd been able to clone him
 
I think the demand for pony foals isn't very high. Ponies need to be kid friendly, as well as competitive, and that has a lot more to do with nurture then with nature. I'd aim for smaller horses.
 
Hmmm, I think I would agree Smoochy. There is a finite number of children who have the feel to ride younger more talented ponies and thinking back to my childrens PC days, the majority of parents wanted older made ponies.

I think a stud that specialised in smaller but quality sports horses might find a nice niche market for itself. IMHO hopefully this might also dispel the myth that the smaller horses cant compete on the same level as the large, as odd horses like Headley Britannia are now proving.
 
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Also Hilkens Black Delight ( Branduardi M - Morbidelli - Black Boy) who was 2005 Champion Weser Ems stallion, has a UK agent Hilkens Black Delight & I think they may also have semen from Casino Royale K ( FS Champion de Luxe - Top Nonstop) a Palomino who was the 2007 Weser Ems Licensing Champion too?

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Blackington Stud is the website for the UK agent of Hilken's Black Delight and Casino Royale.
 
Another spss stallion doing well is kantjes unicolour, i have a mare already in foal to him, he is a palomino pony, (sired a number of duns) the most outstanding temp, done well BD in limited outings now has a new young jockey who is doing very well with him he also has an outstanding shape over a fence.
 
There are some cracking performance pony stallions out there. My mare is due very soon to Laban.

As to the market, looking around it seems best to keep and break the ponies then start their competition record if you have a tame small jockey that is competent enough before trying to sell them on. Parents generally like proven temprement and performance.

I'm intending on keeping my foal and breaking it in here before deciding on sale/loan/jockey route. I'm luckily very light myself and have brilliant facilities and the experiance and helpers to do it.
 
I know you need something already graded, volatis, so this isn't a recommendation, just a comment/thinking aloud!

Not sure which market (small horse or pony) is better, but I've been getting quite a few enquiries about my 15.2 Arab stally both from breeders wanting to breed a smaller dressage/show horse - and also from those wanting to breed an athletic allround sport pony with extra refinement/quality for the show ring.

Just recently booked a really super little Welsh pony mare to him - I believe Arab/Welsh is quite a popular cross?

Also - it's just a thought and maybe a bit left-field, but with the emerging popularity of Western riding and competitions (barrel racing, etc.), there might be an increasing demand for smaller, sure-footed, quick-thinking, agile horses? There is much more interest in smaller (15hh - 15.2) horses in America, because one needs a smaller horse for the Western disciplines....if these really catch on here, which I think seems quite likely, perhaps the market for smaller horses will improve?
 
another issue with sports ponies is that they aren't typically 'pure bred' anything so are not eligible for many county in-hand classes as youngstock (i.e. they aren't 'Welsh' or whatever). Perhaps that explains as well why htobago is getting interest in her boy from pony owners as there are a lot of part-bred arab youngstock classes to aim for.

as a poster above states - where are the youngstock classes for sports ponies - esp. as in-hand showing is a good education for a young horse before it can be ridden
 
reynold I think you are right - some breeders have mentioned the fact that there are a lot of AA/PBA youngstock classes - not just at county shows etc but also at all the AHS regional and other big Arab shows (not to mention the AHS National Championships) so they can have fun showing (and educating) their babies in hand before bringing them on for ridden work.

And then of course they can compete in AA/PBA ridden classes as well as other ridden show classes and other disciplines - and there's things like the Cherif championships to aim for, etc. A PBA pony was Supreme ridden champion at the AHS Nationals in 2006.

I think that's a very good point reynold - people want lots of options and opportunities to show/compete!
 
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mickey66, thats one of the reasons I'd prefer to breed small dressage horses from this mare rather than ponies. When I sold my 15.2hh Hanoverian who was not only a saint but a fabulous moving little horse, I could have sold him ten time sover, if I'd been able to clone him

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Why do you think this is volatis? Do you remember who the would-be buyers were - what sort of people, I mean? Were they younger people/teenagers or smaller adults or what? Just curious about this market...
 
they tended to be older ladies who didnt want to be riding some at 17hh, but still wanted a purpose bred dressage mount with the movement! My little man was by Weltmeyer and had so much talent, god I loved him.
 
Hi you guys. I'm a bit shy on the forum, so been a bit quiet! But I can't help but join in this conversation if that's OK?

I have a beautiful German stallion who's only 3 this year and not standing anywhere yet, but you may be interested to know that he's in the country and will be available at some point in the future.

He's full brother toDer Feine Lord AT and Dance Star AT by Dressman and is Premium graded in Westfalian stud book. Will be in SPSS when I pay my dues. The interesting thing about him is that he's also elligible for PBA!

I hope this doesn't seem like an advert, cos he's not available yet. I just want to show off my boy!!
 
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