The Sports Pony Studbook Society

Head Office, Bernwode Stud, Sock Farm, Chilthorne Domer,

Yeovil, Somerset BA22 8QZ

Tel: 01935 840029; Mobile: 07721 766210 

A Private Limited Company - Companies House (Cardiff) Registration No. 4106148

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2010 NEWS

SPSS Thermatex Pony Rugs

Click here to see and order SPSS merchandise

*  2010 Foal Reports - Pictures start to arrive!

*  Exciting News for Members!!

2010 Foal Reports - Pictures start to arrive!

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This year, the first foal report of the year has come from Gabrielle Williams who reports that a colt foal, Ice, by their stallion Arnie de Burgh was born on 24th February.  Ice is the first foal for the Anita William's TBx mare, Missed The Boat.  Gabrielle also reported that Arnie de Burgh has been busy!  He attended the inaugural Stallion Expo on the 13/14 Feb, then started his covering season and - weather permitting - is off to his first One Day Event of the season!!

If anyone else has had or is awaiting a foal by a SPSS graded stallion or out of a SPSS graded mare, then please send us a picture for the foals page - here.  There is a link on the page to email in pictures – but please note that you must have the permission from the photographer for any pictures sent for the website.  Please also include the foals name, colour, sex, parents names and date of birth :-)

Exciting News for Members!!

2010 marks the 10th anniversary of the formation of the SPSS and to celebrate this, we are producing a special anniversary Souvenir Booklet and Stallion Guide.  The booklet will be A5, full colour on quality, glossy paper and we will have 1,000 printed to distribute throughout the year at major pony events (including the BEF Futurity Evaluations, the 2010 Pony European Championships , SPSS Gradings and In-Hand Show and the Young Dressage Pony Championships).

We will also mail a copy to each paid up SPSS member as soon as they are printed (so early April if not before) so it is in time to influence stallion choices for the year!  As well as the stallion guide, the booklet will also include information about the SPSS and some interesting articles.  We are also accepting adverts from members and non-members - click here for more information and costs.

Celebrating 10 years of Success

Photos by kind permission of Fotograffs

Success for Showtime II

SPSS Head Office was delighted to recently receive an update on one of our early graded stallions, Showtime II.  He is a 147cm, black tobiano who was born in Ireland in 1998 and graded with the SPSS as a 3 year old in September 2001.  Showtime also graded with the BSPA in November 2001 and then got some good competition results in 2002/3 and successfully competed with British Eventing in 2004.  Showtime is descended from Harness Racing stock on his Sire's side while his Dam's breeding was unknown.

Showtime was unfortunately gelded at the end of 2007 and was then bought by Taggy Forester-Bennett in Jan 2008.  Since then, it is reported that he has gone from strength to strength being a true case of one pony does all!  As shown by the photos opposite, he has hunted and competed, he's been to pony club camp and he is viewed by Taggy and her family as a girl's best friend.

Taggy, who recently turned 13, and Showtime were third in the Pony Club Area Novice Eventing and won the Pony Club Area Show jumping on him in 2008 but because of family commitments did not go to the Championships that year.  In 2009 she qualified for both and went to the PC National Championships in Cheshire where she was tenth in the show jumping and third in the Eventing when they finished on their dressage score of 33.  Showtime, or Midget as he is called at home, and Taggy won every XC they entered in 2009! These were usually 2'9 to 3'3 courses and they also won the Blundells schools 1m ODE in September 09, Wellington School Show Jumping 3'3 in September 2009 and won as part of a  team for the Devon BSJA team at Polimore (Exeter Equestrian Centre last spring).

For 2010 - Taggy and Showtime have now registered with British Evening and intend to get out and achieve two clears cross country at 90cms before moving on up to BE100. Taggy's ambition is to get onto the BE team as soon as possible and this pony could do it!!  He is truly a versatile sports pony and we wish them the best of luck for 2010 and beyond.

New On-line Magazine for Breeders

Horse Breeders Magazine is an on-line magazine for professional and amateur horse and pony breeders which launched in October 2009.  The magazine is for breeders by breeders and features articles, horses and ponies for sale, stallions and studs in profile and has been reviewed by Horse and Country TV here.

The January Issue featured an exclusive interview with SPSS Studbook Manager and pony breeder Sarah Steggall of Bernwode Stud - click here to read it.  As well as talking about her stud, Sarah offers some good advice to mare owners on selecting the best stallion for their mare.  In the February issue, SPSS Breeder, Penny Walster, starts telling 'Harry's Story' by explaining how she found her SPSS Graded stallion Thistledown Copper Lustre ('Harry') and started breeding sports ponies.  In December 09, there was also an exclusive interview with SPSS Grading Judge, Lynne Crowden (here) and SPSS Chair, Celia Clarke, and the BEF's Jan Rogers talk about the BEF Futurity Evaluations (here). Horse Breeders Magazine are on the look out for contributors so have a look and contact them if you are a budding author!! 

The SPSS sponsored Award for Top Sire of Performance Ponies 2009 awarded to Ashfield MacTalla

Photo by kind permission of British Breeding and Trevor Meeks

SPSS Award for the Top Sire of Performance Ponies

At the 2010 British Breeding Dinner, SPSS Secretary Sarah Steggall presented the SPSS sponsored British Breeding Award for the Top Sire of Performance Ponies to Ashfield MacTalla, a 20 year old grey Connemara stallion sired by Ormond Oliver out of Ashfield Lor Sparrow by Carna Bobby.  Owned by Miss Sue Rowe of Trewithian Stud, Cornwall, "Mac" was bred in Ireland in 1990 the brought over to England as a yearling. 

Ashfield MacTalla has sired many pure bred Connemaras and part breds that are doing well in the show ring, eventing and show jumping.  His greatest achievement is the home bred "Trewithian Bracken" who represented Great Britain to gain the Team Silver Medal in the Junior Event Team at Moorsele 2009.  Ashfield MacTalla was graded into the SPSS Studbook in last October and, as the sire of an International event pony, he was awarded the accolade of 'Elite' to the delight of his owner.  Bracken’s full brother, Trewithian Speedwell, just broken, is shaping up to follow in his brother’s footsteps.

SPSS Graded Ponies Rewarded at British Breeding Dinner

At the British Breeding Dinner in January 2010, the Baileys Horse Feeds/BEF Futurity recognised for the first time the consistent contribution of sires and dams in each discipline over the years for which they have collected more data.  Based on combined results for 2008 and 2009, owners and/or breeders of the highest scoring horses and ponies were invited on stage to pick up a parchment scroll and rosette.  These awards, sponsored by Baileys Horse Feeds, were for horses resident in the UK only and SPSS graded ponies swept the board!!

The Futurity Certificate of Merit for Sports Pony Leading Sire was shared between Catherston Stud's Littledale Bright Star (sire Catherston Nightsafe) and Bernwode Stud's Bernwode Brokat (sire Brillant).  Both of these stallions are established SPSS graded sires who are producing quality stock each year and they each had the excellent average score from their top 3 scoring progeny of 8.84. 

Bernwode Brokat's 3 contributing scores were from: Bernwode Brikvit (out of Bernwode Dorina by Viktoria's Chirac) who achieved the Elite score of 9.0 as a 2 year old in 2009; Delaroche Breve (out of Bernwode Evelina S by Prins Alfred) who scored 8.87 as a yearling in 2008; and Bernwode Golden Delicious (out of Golden Dream by Golden Dancer) who scored 8.64 as a foal in 2009.

Littledale Bright Star's contributing scores were from: Catherston Goldberg 2009 (out of Catherston Goldberg by Catherston Gold Eagle) who achieved the Elite score of 9.36 as a foal in 2009; Trevaliant Button Moon (out of Catherston Diamante by Catherston Dazzler) who scored 8.63 as a 2 year old in 2008; and Catherston Bright Spark (out of Lilibet by Liboi) who scored 8.53 as a 2 year old in 2008.

To complete a perfect result for SPSS Ponies, Delaroche Stud's Bernwode Evelina S was awarded the Sports Pony Leading Dam Futurity Certificate of Merit based the excellent average progeny score of 8.96.  The contributors to the score were Delaroche Breve (by Bernwode Brokat) who scored 8.87 as a yearling in 2008 and Delaroche Laureve (by Lauriston)  who achieved Elite level as a yearling in 2009 with a score of 9.04.

The entries open for the 2010 Futurity Evaluations on 1st June, from a link on this part of the BEF website.  Hopefully 2010 will be another great year for SPSS ponies!!

Jane Buchan from Baileys with Sarah Steggall for Bernwode Brokat and Frances Smither for Littledale Brightstar

Jane Buchan with Lucy Sheldrake for Bernwode Evelina S

Photos by kind permission of British Breeding and Trevor Meeks 

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Provisional Dates are now available for key breeding events in 2010.  Please check with the organisers for any changes.

Performance and Sport Horse and Pony Lead Body Stallion Parade

21 March 2010 - Hartpury College - eventing and showjumping sires in the afternoon, dressage sires in the evening.  Details from Celia Clarke on 01280 812281;

Baileys Horse Feeds/BEF Futurity Young Horse Evaluations 2010.

More information on the Futurity Evaluations is available here.  Entries open 1 June 2010, from a link on this part of the BEF website

2010 Pony European Championships

These are being held at Bishop Burton College's Equine Centre in East Yorkshire from 27th July to 1st August.

15th October (evening) - SPSS AGM - Heart of England Equestrian, Staffordshire

16th & 17th October - SPSS 2010 Stallion & Mare Grading with In Hand Premium Show - Heart of England Equestrian, Staffordshire - click here for more information 

Improved Guidance on Obtaining a Passport

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The Information/FAQ and Passports pages have been updated with improved guidance about how to get a passport for your foal - PLEASE READ before submitting a passport application as it will help Head Office process your passport quickly and mean that you won't have to get your vet out again to complete missing paperwork/DNA/ID chip.

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Please note that DEFRA have mandated that additional information is included on the ID page of all passports from 1 July 09.  Hence, it is important that for all foals registered after 1 July 09, the ID section of NEW version of the Youngstock Registration Form is completed by a vet rather than the back of the covering certificate as that ID section is now out of date.  The latest version of the Youngstock Registration Form has Sep 09 in top right corner (click here to download).   Please call Head Office (contact details at top of page) if you have any queries.

So to summarise:  All foal registrations after 1st July 09 require a completed Youngstock Registration form (Sep 09 version) with the ID page completed by a Vet.