Welsh Sec Ds

[Loulou23]

http://www.biddesdenstud.co.uk/stock/bisque/

Not sure what % Crabbet he is, but Biddesden breed lovely horses and I know they have crabbet lines in their arabs.

Ooh ooh ooh I want bisque ?

 

[Caol Ila]

Ugh, sounds like with current Covid travel restrictions, viewing horses is not considered essential. But you could buy one unseen. If Gypsum were to drop dead or become totally unridable tomorrow, I'd do what I gotta do, but right now it's not urgent. I would rather view them myself. Last time I bought a 3-year old, I knew he was the right horse because of the vibe he gave in person. I never would have known that looking at videos.

Cumbria is only a couple hours away, so once we're allowed to go there, I wouldn't object to viewing horses down that way at all.

 

[EventingMum]

TBH I think you are looking at wildly different types here. Whitefield Stud had some lovely Highlands last time I looked, some heavier traditional types and some more modern sporty types, all youngsters, they are not far from Perth.

 

[shortstuff99]

This stud is in Scotland.....
https://www.broomfieldspanishstud.co.uk

 

[Caol Ila]

All 2020 youngstock seem to be sold. Says they have some 2021 foals on the way. But the eye candy......!

The riding school at my livery yard has a Highland with an amazing, uphill balanced canter and a passable trot. With riding school kids on him who are just learning basics, so not putting the horse together or anything remotely like that. A horse like that with a dressage rider would not be a bad thing.

 

[ApolloStorm]

I have a welsh D he’s Llanarth, and pushing 16hh and bum high at 6yo (Eek).
I have never owned a horse that made me laugh so much, and yet made me feel so safe! He will walk along past the trainline and not blink, have wagons whizz past his face at 50mph. But a horse eating white line on the road? Absolutely not! He is very forward, honest and off the leg, jumps like a stag, and paces to die for. He 100% saves my skin on a regular basis when I get a duff stride. In no way nasty!
But then my friend also owns a welsh D, and I swear it has an anxiety disorder. He constantly has a look of fear, will overreact first then think later. She can’t ride him out alone, though I think this also is partly his upbringing.
I think it does depend on the lines, and the individual. Get a good one and you’ll never regret it!

 

[Cloball]

Some of those Arabs in the above links are very pretty. Pretty is important too.

England seems to be hoaching with studs. So few in Scotland!

There are a couple of Welsh studs in Dumfries. Bowman's and Maxwelltown I think. I have seen the Bowman stallion in the flesh and he is stunning.

A lot of the Welsh youngsters don't reach the open market as they traditionally go straight to sales.

We have several Welsh pony sales local to me. I like the peruse the catalogues and sales reports they usually make between 600 and 1.2k. The super nice ones do make a lot more but that's not usual.

 

[shortstuff99]

All 2020 youngstock seem to be sold. Says they have some 2021 foals on the way. But the eye candy......!

The riding school at my livery yard has a Highland with an amazing, uphill balanced canter and a passable trot. With riding school kids on him who are just learning basics, so not putting the horse together or anything remotely like that. A horse like that with a dressage rider would not be a bad thing.

They do have lovely stallions, with some beautiful breeding!

I do think highlands are cute too though ?

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

I am only adverse to Highlands because I like to stand out in the show ring (grey shetland who could seriously gallop, skewbald shetland stallion, fell pont when there were none up here, proper big darty, 17hh stupidly stunning tb etc) and Highlands dominate the classes up here so you would blend in.

Never met a bad one though.

 

[Caol Ila]

That's the least of my worries, Elf. LOL. God knows if I will get into the show ring. I have PTSD from dressage shows, although I will suck it up and go to some things, because I think being ridden at different venues and coping with show atmospheres are experiences a young horse needs to have. Even if it's just me being terrible at unaffiliated dressage. Horse won't know the difference between the WEG and some podunk unaff dressage show at West Kype.

 

[McFluff]

In the days when you were allowed to, I used to go and ride the highlands at balmoral. They were seriously awesome on the terrain, and could go for hours.
I also knew a lovely (over-height) highland who could do RDA and BE 100 and win medium dressage tests. He had been owned since a foal and was beautifully trained. Forward, off the leg and athletic.
As you are looking a something 3-4 yo, then you would be able to train it well from day1.
I discounted highlands in my search, as I wanted something that was ready to go out and about, and finding one that was nicely trained and not overweight was impossible. The people that have them, keep them (rightly!).
You could be very happy with a nicely bred youngster that you can put your stamp on.

 

[Caol Ila]

One of the studs near Kingussie has lots of photos and videos of their horses being ridden in Glen Feshie, all the way through to Braemar, and also wandering around Whitebridge and Rothiemurchus. I fell in love. I have a problem.

I like starting horses (although I haven't done it in a while) and could do with the mental space of playing with a baby. Just showing it exercise balls and taking it on walks and then feeling like f8cking Alec Ramsey the day you are ready to get on board, while your mate leads you slowly and quietly around the arena.

I also think I will be very sad, but there's something about fluffy Highlands that makes me less sad.

 

[JoannaC]

Yes, I know Crabbets are good. Where do you find them?

I wouldn't say it is just Crabbet that are more sane and sensible, more any that are of an old fashioned stamp. My pure crabbet mare is actually the least sensible I have had but the others have all been mainly Crabbet with a splash of Polish but all are the chunky old fashioned type. My current ridden mare is very straight forward (apart from a puddle phobia) and she is Romac bred. They tend to have lovely temperaments from Romac but mainly are sold as foals so might not be the age group you are after. She has lost some weight since this, they had just gone on the Winter grazing so she is particularly chunky but gives you an idea.

 

[lilly1]

I used to work at a Welsh stud and my own horse is part bred. Intelligent, sensitive and big personalities. They have huge hearts and seemingly endless energy. They don't cope well with a heavy handed approach and need assertive yet sensitive handling to thrive.

 

[Tihamandturkey]

Welsh Ds have such a fab feel when they are engaged with you - makes all the drama 100% worth it ?

Best ridden showing experience though was with a Sec C stallion - a real chancer but once he'd tested you out he was a ?

 

[Caol Ila]

My mare doesn't like heavy handed handling, either. The only people who she ever tried to buck off were dressage riders (one of whom was my trainer at the time...oops) who thought they were the next Edward Gal and wanted to wrestle her into collection the moment they got into the saddle. She was unimpressed.

I can do patient and sensitive, but not taking sh1t. It's all I got.

 

[SpotsandBays]

Mine is a D X thoroughbred. He can be a real t*t sometimes, if he gets a bee in his bonnet then it can be really difficult to get his brain back where you need it to be. Is he a character? Yes. Is he sassy? Yes. BUT, he’s loving, he’s talented (I’m not so much ?), and I wouldn’t have him any other way. He’s also hardy as hell, doesn’t need rugs often or a lot of feed at all.

 

[scats]

My friend has had 3 Maesmynach youngsters. She sadly lost one to leukaemia but she was so impressed with him and his attitude that she went and got 2 more. She thinks really highly of them. If I was looking for a D, I’d definitely give them a call.

I’ve had two part breds- a welsh X TB who I loved the bones of but never really got anywhere with as he did his collateral ligament in age 6 and never came fully right. He was a cuddly, loving chap though.
Millie is a welsh x ISH. Nebo Magic lines on her dams side. She’s definitely got the welsh brain, super spooky and reactive, very clever and quick to learn, but the idiot gene does occasionally take over and it’s very hard to get her back in the rational way of thinking.

 

[palo1]

When the time comes that I have room, time and energy for another horse I will also return for another Maesmynach youngster! My little mare is the top side of 15.3 now and while there is plenty of work to be done and an as yet unknown set of adventures to be had with her, I believe that this stamp of horse is just about perfect for me Super cheap to keep too...

 

[SEL]

I'm a fan - in fact I thought when I went back into horse ownership it would be a welshie. Didn't work out like that, but next time I'm in the market I'll be looking at them.

I rode my friend's Sec C for years and he was as sane as a welshie gets. Her D on the other hand was stunningly beautiful and completely neurotic.