Riding Ponies

Riding Ponies

The British Riding Pony

The British Riding Pony is made up by crossing the Thoroughbred with Arab and a native breed. You will find that every RP has a prominent amount of Thoroughbred in its pedigree. The main native breeds that are found are Welsh Section A and Welsh Section B ponies. Arab also features but not as much.

There are various Showing classes for Riding Ponies, both Ridden and Inhand.

In Hand Showing

In hand showing is the shop window for future stars. There are a variety of inhand classes mainly youngstock, broodmare and some stallion classes. All ponies should be clean, trimmed (see NPS for breed standards regarding M&Ms). Their mane should be plaited and the tail pulled.

Youngstock classes
All ponies should be clean, trimmed (see NPS for breed standards regarding M&Ms). Their mane should be plaited and the tail pulled. A suitable bridle either an inhand or simple snaffle with leather leadrein is used. If used, the coupling must be leather. In riding pony classes a coloured browband should be used. Colts can be shown in a brass decorated browband. Yearling fillies may be shown in a filly slip ie no bit.

2 year old riding pony

Broodmare Classes
Broodmares are usually shown in a pelham or double but a snaffle is exceptable. Foals are shown in a filly slip and they can be plaited or left natural although plaiting is preferred. A point to note is that riding pony broodmares must be shown with foal at foot or a certificate proving that she has had a foal that year and it is prevented from being shown through illness or death.

Stallion Classes
Stallions and colts must be shown in a suitable inhand bridle ie with a bit.

Ridden Showing

Ridden Show Pony Classes are divided into six height sections:

Lead Rein not to exceed 122cm - rider not to have attained their 7th birthday before 1st January in the current year (rule currently under revision 2008)
First Ridden not to exceed 122cm - rider not to have attained their 10th birthday before 1st January in the current year
Ridden Show Pony not exceeding 128cms - rider not to have attained their 13th birthday before 1st January in the current year
Ridden Show Pony exceeding 128cms but not exceeding 138cms - rider not to have attained their 15th birthday before 1st January in the current year
Ridden Show Pony exceeding 138cms but not exceeding 148cms - rider not to have attained their 17th birthday before 1st January in the current year
Small Intermediate Show Riding Type exceeding 146cm but not exceeding 153cms - rider not to have attained their 25th birthday before 1st January in the current year
Large Intermediate Show Riding Type exceeding 153cm but not exceeding 158cms - rider not to have attained their 25th birthday before 1st January in the current year

The walk is the first thing the judge sees - it must be forward going with a long elegant stride. The trot should be free moving and easy on the eye. Many people make the mistake of trying to influence the action with to much use of the bit. This in turn can lead to a number of problems; the major one being the pony becomes reluctant to go forward into his bridle and his action gets stilted, he starts to go up and down, hollowing his back and losing the beautiful elegant rounded shape.

Breeding

The most influential stallion must surely be Bwlch Valentino, the grey 14.1 son of Valentine born in 1950. No one could of imangined that this stallion would have had such an impact on the RP.

Some of his progeny that went on to stand at stud were:
Cusop Dignity.
Bwlch Zip
Oakley Bubbling Spring
Cusop Footprint
Bwlch Zingaree
Cusop Vagabond
Bwlch Zephyr
Wingrove Minkino
Cusop Flamingo

Who in turn sired amongst others:
Lennel Strolling Minstrel
Gaulden Gamecock
Oakley Bubbling Up
Bwlch Hill Wind
Solway North Wind
Cusop Disciplin

The most noted stallion perhaps of our time is Sandbourne Royal Ensign who at the grand age of 27 now stands at stud in Austrilia.

The Welsh pony also plays a big part in the breed, some of the ponies that have played an important part are:
Solaway Master Bronze.
Twyford Grenadier.
Downland Chevalier
Downland Imp.
Downland Monhawk.
Orielton Aristocrat
Rotherwood Statesman

Our riding pony in one of the most beautiful creatures in the world and we must strive to continue the tradition by careful breeding, producing and care. If you are considering breeding, look carefully into the bloodlines and at your ponies good and bad points, being careful to select the stallion most suited to complement your pony and correct her bad points. Breeding may seem like fun BUT luck does not play more than a tiny part in the process.

Conformation
· Nice clean feet free of cracks
· Flat bone
· Short pasterns and cannon bones
· A deep forearm
· Nice length of rein
· Well set tail, nice rounded quarters
· Hocks nicely set apart
· Deep girth

Faults
· Hocks too big, cow hocked or placed too far apart
· Curbs false or not
· Spavins
· Thoroughpins
· Swollen tendons
· Splints
· Capped hocks
· Side bone
· Ringbone
· Windgalls
· Dipped back
· Low set tail
· Twisted feet
· Back at the knee
· Over at the knee