What is it about Welshies?

[GSD Woman]

I have read in several posts here that Welshies are sharp, nappy, etc. I've ridden a few Welsh crosses over the years and I haven't experienced anything of the sort. Is it because American ponies are more laid back or that the fact of that they are crosses? I've been stalking the Welsh Ds for sale and would love if I ever have the time and money to own one. Anyway, the good, the bad and the ugly thank you.

 

[windand rain]

All the ones I have had, and it has been a lot of all sections, have been wonderful, genuine, gentle, sensitive and kind. Almost all mares but a couple of geldings and a colt. One was backed by the person I sold her to and went straight off hacking 5 minutes later on her own. They have never been nappy sharp or spooky but forward happy and full of fun. Most jumped well, and covered the ground which is why we gave up as we couldn't run fast enough to keep up when showing in hand. They are often very beautiful too although some lines can be a bit coarse

 

[conniegirl]

My current welshie is an angel. I’ve ridden quite a few.

I think they get the “sharp” reputation from people who don’t understand them. They are drama queens who like to pretend they are dragons, but generally i have found them to have hearts of gold and if you laugh at their antics they get over themselves and they were never truely spooking etc. Like my lad who will puff himself up and pretend to be a dragon at a killer leaf, laugh at him and he gets over it but he is rock steady in the heaviest traffic and even with idiots in a car deliberately trying to wind him up.

They tend to be a little buzzy and enthusiastic but I’ve never ridden a bad one.

 

[awelshandawarmblood]

I think they get the “sharp” reputation from people who don’t understand them. They are drama queens who like to pretend they are dragons, but generally i have found them to have hearts of gold and if you laugh at their antics they get over themselves and they were never truely spooking etc. Like my lad who will puff himself up and pretend to be a dragon at a killer leaf, laugh at him and he gets over it but he is rock steady in the heaviest traffic and even with idiots in a car deliberately trying to wind him up.

Exactly this! I love mine, drama & all! As long as you don't let them their bolshiness take over & can laugh at them/have a sense of humour I think you can't not love them.

 

[Sugarplum Furry]

My Welshie is a bossy opinionated madam at home and very sharp to hack out. Very forward going..and sideways going.snorty...spooky....with planting her feet and doing little half rears for good measure. I've actually never felt safer on a horse and as Conniegirl says it's best to just laugh it off.

My theory is this. Back in the mists of time Welshies were originally bred to be ridden on dragon hunts across the Welsh hills. It was a popular sport and the ponies enjoyed it as much as the hunters, days out across the hills, through valleys and thick forests, listening and watching for dragons' roar and smoky breath. As time went on the flighty dragons became wary of these galloping hordes and drew themselves away into deeper lairs and more remote mountain caves until there were hardly any to be found. The Welsh hunters gave up dragon hunting altogether, they spent their days sitting in their camps listlessly whittling wooden spoons and singing depressing songs. But the ponies, they hadn't forgotten. They missed their days of the hunt, the excitement, the thrill of the chase. They would huddle together to tell each other stories, reliving their best hunting days...'so the dragon roared like THIS, and I whirled round and we all galloped down the mountain and there was ANOTHER ONE so we had to jump sideways and my tail nearly caught fire...' The foals at the back of the huddle listened avidly, their woolly ears twitching with excitement, and so began the long, long tradition through the Wesh herds of the storytellings of the Days of the Dragons. The stories are told to every foal, and every Welshie antic is merely an acting out of the tales.

 

[Peglo]

A friend of mine got a sec D and to be honest he probably wasn’t a good fit for her at the time. Brilliant pony but she lost her confidence with him. He was sharp and clever as said above but if she got him now, he would be perfect.

when I was waiting the arrival of my new haflinger I read an old thread on haflingers and I panicked. Some of the comments about the breed was terrible and I thought ‘what have I done!!’ But what came home was a lovely happy friendly pony who is so much fun. Nearly as angelic as my old haffie. There will always be a few difficult horses in every breed and they will be the ones your more likely to hear about.

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

Love welshies, love the cheek and attitude and the versatility. Life is never boring with them. My boy is as chilled as they come but he still can have his dragon moments, they are beautiful to watch when he’s having one loose in the field or arena

 

[Cloball]

I ridden a fair few as a teenager even one that's been to HOYS and adored all of them. They have all been very 'characterful'. The only two that were difficult were utterly mismanaged by a teenage owners who only wanted to gallop about and jump. I sat on a welshie recently and stormed up in hill in a blistering welshie trot and instantly felt like a teenager again ? I'm not sure I was entirely in control but I did feel safe.

 

[Trouper]

My theory is this. Back in the mists of time Welshies were originally bred to be ridden on dragon hunts across the Welsh hills. It was a popular sport and the ponies enjoyed it as much as the hunters, days out across the hills, through valleys and thick forests, listening and watching for dragons' roar and smoky breath. As time went on the flighty dragons became wary of these galloping hordes and drew themselves away into deeper lairs and more remote mountain caves until there were hardly any to be found. The Welsh hunters gave up dragon hunting altogether, they spent their days sitting in their camps listlessly whittling wooden spoons and singing depressing songs. But the ponies, they hadn't forgotten. They missed their days of the hunt, the excitement, the thrill of the chase. They would huddle together to tell each other stories, reliving their best hunting days...'so the dragon roared like THIS, and I whirled round and we all galloped down the mountain and there was ANOTHER ONE so we had to jump sideways and my tail nearly caught fire...' The foals at the back of the huddle listened avidly, their woolly ears twitching with excitement, and so began the long, long tradition through the Wesh herds of the storytellings of the Days of the Dragons. The stories are told to every foal, and every Welshie antic is merely an acting out of the tales.

Well - now I am waiting for the book to come out .........!!

 

[BBP]

I have read in several posts here that Welshies are sharp, nappy, etc. I've ridden a few Welsh crosses over the years and I haven't experienced anything of the sort. Is it because American ponies are more laid back or that the fact of that they are crosses? I've been stalking the Welsh Ds for sale and would love if I ever have the time and money to own one. Anyway, the good, the bad and the ugly thank you.

My experience of American welshies is that they are a whole different type really, I didn’t see many classic welsh ponies or welsh cobs.

 

[milliepops]

No idea what the US version are like but of the ones bred here, i think they can go wrong easily just because they are often very quick witted and clever. Coupled with a tendency to the dramatic, this can result in nappy and difficult if they aren't given boundaries and confidence. Mine is a "gone wrong" one, she is a little neurotic and very nappy from her past experiences but she is also generous, enthusiastic, very trainable and bright, and learns new things easily and is extremely personable on the ground.

 

[Cutgrass]

My Welshie is a bossy opinionated madam at home and very sharp to hack out. Very forward going..and sideways going.snorty...spooky....with planting her feet and doing little half rears for good measure. I've actually never felt safer on a horse and as Conniegirl says it's best to just laugh it off.

My theory is this. Back in the mists of time Welshies were originally bred to be ridden on dragon hunts across the Welsh hills. It was a popular sport and the ponies enjoyed it as much as the hunters, days out across the hills, through valleys and thick forests, listening and watching for dragons' roar and smoky breath. As time went on the flighty dragons became wary of these galloping hordes and drew themselves away into deeper lairs and more remote mountain caves until there were hardly any to be found. The Welsh hunters gave up dragon hunting altogether, they spent their days sitting in their camps listlessly whittling wooden spoons and singing depressing songs. But the ponies, they hadn't forgotten. They missed their days of the hunt, the excitement, the thrill of the chase. They would huddle together to tell each other stories, reliving their best hunting days...'so the dragon roared like THIS, and I whirled round and we all galloped down the mountain and there was ANOTHER ONE so we had to jump sideways and my tail nearly caught fire...' The foals at the back of the huddle listened avidly, their woolly ears twitching with excitement, and so began the long, long tradition through the Wesh herds of the storytellings of the Days of the Dragons. The stories are told to every foal, and every Welshie antic is merely an acting out of the tales.

Please publish the full history of the dragon hunts on the forum, this summary has left me wanting more!

 

[J_sarahd]

I used to ride a welshie and he was pretty much the stereotype of welshies but when we did well, we did really well. There’s also a welshie on our yard who is the sweetest girl ever. She can be bolshy, but like others have said, once you just laugh at her/say no, she’s fine.

I’d love a welshie if I ever get another one. I think they’re an amazing breed with the power, talent and movement to do pretty much anything.

 

[Annagain]

Mine was stubborn, opinionated, arrogant, bolshy and stupidly excitable. He was also 100% bombproof, utterly dependable, and the horse of a lifetime. He was quick witted and very clever but never sharp. I knew what he was going to do 30 seconds before he did and he spooked once in our 14 years together - when a squirrel jumped out of a bush and landed on his neck so I'll forgive him that one! Even after getting hit by a van (luckily only very minor injuries) he was never bothered by traffic. I never had a normal fall off him, they were only ever freak accidents.

 

[Gallop_Away]

My Welsh D mare is the most sensible uncomplicated mare I've ever ridden. She is bombproof and tries her heart out at everything I've ever asked of her, and in my humble opinion is just drop dead gorgeous to boot!
The only part of the classic Welshie tendencies that she seems to have is her sense of humor and huge personality ?

 

[SEL]

I love the dragon hunting welshies!!

They are a great breed but many of them are not suitable for novices and they need work. A friend used to have quite a few semi-rescues in her trekking centre. They'd often come from private homes and be described as difficult, but once they were in work they understood their job, got on with it and were pretty bombproof with a variety on riders on board. I think they get bored not chasing dragons

 

[conniegirl]

They are incredibly intelligent ponies, emphasis on the pony part. Its a very different intelligence to horses i find.
If you don’t keep their mind active then they will make their own entertainment.

 

[GSD Woman]

They are incredibly intelligent ponies, emphasis on the pony part. Its a very different intelligence to horses i find.
If you don’t keep their mind active then they will make their own entertainment.

In that respect, keep their minds active, reminds me of my GSDs. Keep them thinking and busy or they find their own version of work and most likely you won't like it.

 

[J&S]

I was given Welsh ponies to ride in Wales, each one was great in his or her own way. None of them were frightened of Dragons (!) they were brave and forward looking.

 

[Crazy_cat_lady]

I've got one and wouldn't have another!

It's a good theory about dragon hunts as they probably wouldn't be phased by the dragon, it would be the random bit of different coloured grass or mud that would get them!!

Mine doesn't buck or rear fortunately but like others is too clever for his own good. Things you'd expect spooking at are generally fine, it's the random things that get you! For example I'd had a completely normal lesson on him once, no spooking, he then took it upon himself to spook at a piece of dry sand that had appeared amongst the wet! Another example- there was a Swan in the road that hissed at him. No problem! The poos the Swan had left on the way back - absolutely had to be frozen at and snorted at!



He's not allowed to be tied up on the yard as its an rs and he scares himself and breaks free. It was closed one day so I bathed him and tied him on the yard. He was stood there rocking back and snorting, a fellow livery said its like he's looking for something to be scared of! That's exactly true

We don't jump anymore as he scared me as I was never sure if he'd go, he was bad with fillers and would notice if an extra pole had been added etc. Cracking jump just whether he'd go or not was another question. Because I was nervous we caused a viscous cycle

Sometimes the idiocy can be funny, and someone said the best advice in that the more you worry the worse you'll make him, you have to take leadership.

It's also infuriating and many a time I've asked why can't you just be normal! He's very low with trust and will only let my mum, who helps me with him in the week, catch him in the field.

Echo what others have said not a nasty bone in his body, never bitten or lifted a foot to anyone

 

[katastrophykat]

I have A’s now and have had A D, and yes- in short, a drama llama that needed a ‘black and white’ handler that knew their job well, always handled away from home in a bridle just in case he bu??ered off and refused to catch, drove like a saint and rode well… until you lost your balance, then you were on the deck and he was back at the yard gate waiting to be let in!
he was beautiful, easy in many ways and not at all in others, a true Alpha male in the field with his herd, and never lifted a tooth or a foot to anyone, human or horse.
I miss him deeply, and will never ever have another D ?

the A’s are altogether easier, straightforward intelligent, child safe and full of sass.

 

[HorseyTee]

Mine is a part bred, I was pretty much a near complete novice and he was my first owned horse (had part loaned before).
I've had him 6 years now.
The start was rocky. He knew I didn't know horses so he took advantage because he could.
It was either I sell him or I sort it out, so we sorted it out. He now knows he can't be silly so he doesn't.
He can have his moments, he knows his size and strength so if he is having an off day we know all about it.
But it's never anything nasty, just silly tantrums.

He is solid ridden.
I haven't ridden him in aboit 2 years due to pregnancy and babies, but I know I could take the saddle down now, chuck it on and go off out for an hour.
He's had traffic up his ass, bibbing horns, and he just rolls his eyes.
But that tree stump....Omg terrifying and we might get killed if we walk past. But as long as I tell him to get a grip and move on, after giving him a moment to look, he will very suspiciously side step past.

He is usually always ridden on the buckle with voice commands, he can be sensitive and wouldn't tolerate being jabbed in his ribs, but I've never had to as he will do as he's asked.

 

[ester]

If you don’t keep their mind active then they will make their own entertainment.

This, if I wanted a quiet bombproof hack I took F down the A38 past the car wash etc, over the motorway, next to the fast trainline and he wouldn't deviate at all. Round the lanes he would mostly spend his time trying to find something to spook at to surprise you. Obviously after 17 years I was hard to surprise but mum found him sharp because she couldn't predict him so well (yet she found her see how fast I can run backwards, bad in traffic, spooky anglo fine )

Generally he was very sane for a welsh but would occasionally engage full welsh mode for no apparent reason. Once he spotted a muck spreader half a field away while having a lameness work up at the vets, vet asked me if he was always like that, no I said, I'd never take him anywhere if he was!

Mostly he just has a sense of humour. Total show off (so best not worry about having no energy in a warm up arena) and all round good egg who tolerated a lot of daftness from me

 

[teddypops]

My sec D mare is the loveliest pony ever. She is kind and willing and very very clever. She always tries her very best to do as she is asked and is a very good all rounder. She can be silly at times but this involves crazy eyes and a bit of a spook at nothing. She is by far the most sensible creature I have ever had!

 

[teddy_]

I honestly believe, a good Welsh cob is as dynamic as a lot of sport and blood types.

I would agree that they are generally 'bright' but, not necessarily 'sharp' and 9/10 very honest horses. After producing a quirky Trakehner, I don't throw 'sharp' around .

Anyway, my old mum has a 22 year old Welsh D mare and she is still a complete pocket rocket, even in her ripe old age. I suppose, as they are bright and intelligent, without an empathetic rider and consistency, they can become more difficult to handle and 'bolshier' than some types.

I think they are the most marvellous horses and would never hesitate to purchase .

 

[ester]

Dynamic is most definitely not a word one would describe Frank ???

 

[GSD Woman]

Thank you all for the honest feed back. In the day I dealt with enough TBs and warmbloods to know that now I don't want to own one. A friend had a lovely TB that she let me ride once and that was a mare would take home in a minute. However, my friend put a lot of training into the mare. It was a delight to ride a horse that I could use just my legs and get an immediate response. But I'll still keep jonesing for a Welsh D.

 

[Lyle]

I've got 14 here and I can say they vary from sharp, to more easy going. Some seem to have a heightened sense of 'stranger danger' which can make them seem to be very spooky and wary. I've found really good, solid handling with clear boundries really makes a difference. They tend to be wickedly smart, and are easy to train. I totally love working with them!

 

[Pinkvboots]

I really love them but I love Arab's as well and I find them as breeds quite similar, both are very intelligent can be hot and can be drama queen's I do think some people don't get on with them as they don't understand them very well, and often in the wrong hands can turn out to be a bit of a disaster

 

[HashRouge]

I've known loads, they were one of the most popular breeds on outer Manchester yards in the early 00s. Mine is lovely but a very, very odd character. He can be very hard to catch and some days I reach out to stroke his nose in the field and he acts as though I'm trying to murder him. Other days he is my best friend and absolutely all over me, nuzzling my hair and trying to lick me like a big dog. Before he retired he was always a very sensible ride though, a real steady Eddy.