Ciffig Cymro Du (Horeb Euros x Trefaes Ballet Queen), pictured above, is a Section D Stallion standing at Clemlev Stud.  Born May 2000, he is in my humble opinion the most outstanding welsh cob I've seen to date.  I defy anyone to see this stunning animal in harness, and not have the hairs on the back of their neck stand up.  No exaggeration, when I saw him in action at the Royal Welsh I had an welsh cob epiphany!  Now I get really get it!  But with Blackjack, as he is called by Dave and Corrina, his owners,  thats not all....like a veritable cob version of Daley Thompson, this lad performs with a great deal of success in harness AND in hand AND under saddle as well, just look at his results from 2007:

Gold, silver & bronze performance medals 

Driving Results
BEC 1st & Welsh Driving Champion (2 years running)
BDS Area 17 1st & Supreme Driving Show Champion (2nd year running)
BDS Area Surrey 1st Open Show Wagon
EWPCA 1st & Supreme Driving Show Champion (2nd year Running)
Northleach 1st & Supreme Driving Show Champion (2nd year running)
RWAS 1st & Reserve Supreme Wels Driving Champion (won class 3rd year running)
Welsh Nationals 1st open Class & Supreme Show Driving Champion
Edenbridge 1st (second year running)
Orsett 1st (second year running)
WHHS 1st Over 13.2 Wagon Class
1st Exercise vehicle class

In Hand
SCWPCA  2nd & Reserve Champion
EWPCA 2nd
ROYAL WINDSOR 1st
SUFFOLK 1st & D Champion - Bronze Medal Winner
SofE 2nd
WELSH NATIONALS 2nd 

Ridden
LEC 1st & Supreme Champion
HCWPCA 3rd Llanarth Confined Novice
HCWPCA 1st & Champion Llanarth Open (Qualified PUK)
GREAT CHART 2nd Llanarth Confined Novice (Qualified PUK)


Gurnos Welsh Jojo, Section C Stallion (Tireve Daniel x Gurnos Welsh Panicle)  was the WPCS Peformance Competition Champion (Section C Stallion) for 2007.  Jojo is a 13.1hh homebred stallion who was born in 1997.Vicki from the Gurnos Stud says "He was broken to ride in January 2006 and then broken to harness for my wedding to Brian Kedward in June 2006. He took to it so well we decided to enter him in the Pleasure Driving class in the performance show where he had his first placing in harness, despite being novice himself and being driven by a novice groom.... 

...We did several more pleasure and ride and drive classes in 2007 and were placed in the top 3 places each time. At the end of the season we tried our hand at obstacle driving, which again he excelled at, coming 2nd in a ride and drive obstacle class.  He was also placed in the Showing, Dressage, Working Hunter and Horse Trials at the WPCS Performance Show." 

2008 will be JoJo's last season with his current owners who are hoping for another season of fun competing in harness, under saddle, showjumping, cross country and whp.  He's the perfect example of what so many of our welsh charges are capable of.  


Leyeswick the Hustler, together with Lucy Giles of the Leyeswick Stud, deserves mention for simply being such a young combination to be at the top of their game (6 and 18!)  Without a shadow of a doubt the Leyeswick Stud must be given credit for providing us with a huge injection of talent into the breeding stock of the welsh section c. I should think it would be difficult to find a driving class without at least one Leyeswick progeny in it, such is their justified reputation for producing ponies with real action.  How lucky for supporters of the welsh pony (of cob type) that Lucy has inherited her families passion and gift.

2007 Results
Basildon Equestrian Club 1st in the wagon class, Joint Champion with CDD
Northleach  2nd open Show Wagon, Reserve Champion.
Royal Welsh  1st Section C wagon class, Welsh Driving Champion & Gold medal.
Welsh Nationals 2nd Open Class & Reserve Show Driving Champion
Chertsey County Show 1st cobs in harness, Reserve Champion.


Erwfforch Dewin Direudus (Trevallion Can Comet x Gwrthafarn Bronwen) gains his place on the page for the most outstanding of achievements back in October 2007 where he was presented for SPSS Grading. He gained one of the highest marks ever (89.23%) and was awarded the coveted SPSS Sash. "Dewin" stands at the combined studs of Marchell and Pentaran Studs at  Welsh Sports Horses International.  "He is the producer of extremely talented and intelligent offspring" says Ms Roberts.  "He has introduced the qualities of height, intelligence, trainability and excellent temperament to many offspring.  He has impeccable manners and can be handled by the most novice handler." 
 

It is a lovely site to see the big in hand classes, but we shouldn't let in hand results sway our breeding decisions or in fact alter the reasons that we breed.   Far from "ruining a  good cob", as some suggest,  breaking to ride or drive is the most sensible and enriching thing we can do for our charges.  That way, whatever the future may hold for us personally, we allow our animals a greater chance of a long and happy life.  All the progeny of all the welsh sections should be able to perform in at least one additional discipline outside in hand showing.

Well this was my modest homage to the best I've seen in 2007. They might not have been worthy of a colour photo in the Journal, but to me they perfectly represent the focus and direction we should take with the Section Cs and Ds.  I would love to see the welsh driving classes take place in the proper ring at the Royal Welsh.  That horse ring is almost insulting to the effort driving class exhibitors put into their showing, and it is so darn small it is verging on dangerous.  Can't we swap the driving classes with the man, the collie and the ducks?  He would fit in the horse ring quite easily?

Do you like driving photos?  I did manage to catch 1st to 4th of the welsh classes, you can view them by clicking here.