The Welsh Pony circa 1913
....... there were too many doors left carelessly open. The larger pony of the lower lands was becoming mixed with Cardinganshire cob; and some owners were guilty of letting half-bred Shire colts have the run of the hills. In time the only safe place for the mountain pony would have been the topmost crests, but for an event of happy effect upon his destiny. This was the organization of the Welsh- Pony- and Cob- Society in the Royal Show Yard at Cardiff. Lord Tredegar was the first president, and after him the Earl of Powys. King George became a patron, and the society aquired an impetus that proved it had not been born too soon. The formation of a Stud Book was the initial practical business of the Society, and its first volumes derive special value from the fact that Wales has always tended to the patriarchial system, and her traditions, whether of horses or families, can be relied upon. There have always been wise and prudent breeders in the land; men who could, in some degree, counteract indifference and hold to ideal aim....... Nature long ago accomplished her best for the Welsh pony, and while he was practically an isolated type it was easy to maintain her standard. But with multifarious breeds and half-breeds in proximity, the carelessness of man was beginning to undo her work, and Wales might have followed Ireland in the deterioration of her pony stock and the loss of a fixed type, if the Society had not actively intervened........ Finally, after many difficulties, unwearying effort, and a constant display of good nature, the committee secured the passage of the Act and put an end to what one of the overworked members, exasperated to humor, termed the "unlimited liability sire system."

by Olive Tilford Dargan, Printed privately for Charles A. Stone : 1913

 1973 Judging Welsh by Alison Mountain    Springbourne Stud 1978    1988 Ponies Magazine

Letter: The Future of Welsh Cobs in the USA - Welsh Roundabout 1988    Welsh Roundabout 1992 - Section B Welsh in Australia

Welsh Pony and Welsh Cob Breed Standard, Description, Show Rules for Judging

History

Two Criban Pledge (Criban Grey Grit x Criban Martha) sons have given the United States great performance ponies. Clan Marshall (out of Dinas Moonstone) was imported in 1955 by Merrie Mills Farm of Virginia. Clan Glomadh (out of Wentworth Glynda) was imported to the Texas Stud in 1955 also. Both of these ponies were out of Coed Coch Glyndwr daughters. Dinas Moonstone was one of the foundation mares of Twyford Stud. Wentworth Glynda was imported to this country as part of the initial importations of the Texas Stud. To quote WELSH PONY GAZETTE (August 1977), about Wentworth Glenda, "One of the truly influential mares in the Southwest as well as having left a legacy on the hoof in Great Britain, prior to export." Clan Glomadh produced top ponies for Texas Stud, Bristol Pony Farms and most recently Tylwyth Pony Farm and his get are spread throughout Texas and the United States. The 'Clan Glomadh Memorial Trophy' for Top Welsh Performance Pony was donated to AHSA by the Badger Family upon the recent death of Clan Glomadh at the age of 32.

Our goal is to take these bloodlines into the future
where families can enjoy it's ponies and breeders can propagate the lines.

In the period around 8000BC Britain was physically attached to both Ireland and Europe and there was free migration of animals from Asia and Africa. It is likely that the Celtic pony took this route and established itself in Wales, Ireland(Connemara) and the Hebrides (Shetland). The large Bronze Age collection of fragments of harness and small (less than 3") bits found in North Wales, indicates that ponies were being used for harness work at that time. Certainly Welsh ponies were very much in evidence in Wales during
the conquest of Julius Caesar (55-54BC) who wrote about their speed and docility as chariot horses and their activity as riding horses.

 The next mention of Welsh Ponies is in 1188A.D. when the Welsh Hills were reported to be "full of ponies". One theory is that much of the final type of the Welsh Pony and Cob was established at this stage through the influence of stallions brought back from the East by the Crusaders, but there is no firm evidence to confirm this.

Welsh Ponies returned to prominence in 1535 when Henry VIII ordered the destruction of all horses under 13hh because they were too small to carry the weight of a knight in full armour and were eating valuable grazing. Fortunately the inaccessibility of the mountainous areas of Wales prevented this death sentence from being carried out on the Welsh ponies in that area and the law was later repealed by Queen Elizabeth I.

 The harsh climate and continual persecution, not only by Henry VIII, but also by the lowland farmers who drove the Welsh ponies back into the hills whenever they went in search of better grazing, led to the development of a very hardy Welsh pony with plenty of bone, a thick mane and tail and lots of feather. The ponies were of predominantly dark colors with blacks, browns and dark duns being proven the most hardy.

Founders of the Welsh Pony and Cob Society, recognizing the need to preserve the integrity of the bloodlines of Welsh Ponies and Cobs, Registry decided to exclude those animals with excessive white markings from purebred registration. This was an educated decision to discourage the propagation of Welsh carrying piebald and skewbald coloration and various other traits foreign to original Welsh Mountain Ponies. Those officers, concerned breeders themselves, decided that preserving the original Welsh standard was the Registry's priority, and registration and show rules were adopted which would best serve the preservation of the Welsh pony and cob breed.

Welsh ponies were imported by American breeders as early as the 1889s. George E. Brown of Aurora, Illinois, appears to have been one of the first real Welsh enthusiasts, importing a large number of animals between 1884 and 1910. Principally through his efforts and those of John Alexander, The Welsh Pony & Cob (the word "Cob" was dropped in 1946) Society of America was formed and certification for the establishment of a breed registry was issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on July 30, 1907.

By 1913 a total of 574 Welsh ponies had been registered, and the owner-breeder list showed applications coming from Vermont, Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia, Texas, Oregon, Iowa, Massachusetts, New York City, and Canada. The popularity of the Welsh pony was spreading, and his great versatility was already becoming apparent, not only because he was adapting himself well to any geographical area, but because he was being put to many uses, both by children and adults.

It was the concern of early importers and breeders that a "purity of the breed" be maintained, and this subject was regularly discussed with Welsh and English breeders who had established their own registry in 1901.
Mr. Brown summarized his views in this way in a report to members of the American Society: "With a correct standard fixed and uniformly adhered to, nothing can block the advancement of Welsh ponies to front rank in their classes."

"......we shall look for the great bold eye, the tiny head, short back, strong quarters, high set of tail, fine hair, hocks that do not turn in, the laid-back shoulder, the straight foreleg, and the short, so very short, cannon bone."

One of the outstanding breeders of Welsh ponies has said: "The bigger the eye, the better; the deeper through the heart, the stronger the prouder the lift of the head, the more courageous; the swifter the action, the more fearless."

The pure Welsh pony may be any color: black, gray, bay, roan, cream, or chestnut. He can never be piebald or skewbald.