A HISTORY OF TIREVE STUD
(Click on any of the photos for more or larger images)
T
he Everitt family’s involvement with Welsh Cobs long predates the formation of the Stud Book in 1902 although the association in the early years was as users of these versatile animals rather than as breeders.
Henry Everitt was born in the clothes manufacturing district of Mile End in London in 1875 and trained and was later employed as a skilled cutter in the corset manufacturing industry. In his early twenties, during the heyday of horse transport, he started a haulage and hire company, operating from Mews Stables in Old Ford Road, in the Bow District.
1900
he early years of the twentieth century he was employing up to 600 Welsh Cobs and Vanners on single and pair horse vans as well as hired turnouts and market stalls.
In 1906 he had a son, Harry, who as a young man assisted in the business and would tell his sons of going to the annual Barnet Horse Fair held traditionally on the 3rd, 4th & 5th of September to purchase up to a hundred four year old geldings to be taken back to Bow to break as replacements.
Up to 10,000 horses would be traded at this fair, having been gathered by drovers from all over the British Isles, of various breeds and usages, but the favoured breed for the predominantly clothing transport business was the Welsh Cob.
After initial training these cobs would work alongside a more experienced animal on pair vehicles until fully trained. Work on cobbled London streets was very hard on legs and joints and the norm was for horses to work in Bow for approximately four years before being blistered all round and then turned out for 9 months on a country farm at Epping. Following this rest they then returned to London for a further four years before being sold on for lighter duties on farms and at country houses.
Henry’s favourite sport was to drive along Mile End Road on a Sunday morning with his favourite Cob “Our Jack”, dressed in the poorest of harness and a run down gig looking for a toff to challenge to a race. The race was invariably from Mile End to the Wake Arms public house in Epping Forest, a distance of 16 miles and at the command of “Up Jack”, Jack was transformed from a run down hack to a speed machine and the beers were already on the Wake Arms bar when the toff arrived. A photograph of “Our Jack” remained in the Wake Arms until it’s conversion to a McDonalds in 2000.
FIRST WORLD WAR
During the First World War the main work of the haulage business turned to transporting cloth bandoliers made in the Mile End to Woolwich Arsenal for filling with cartridges before continuing on their journey to London Docks for transhipment to the front in France. Horses were required to work eighteen hours a day with 2 shifts of drivers. This continuous work for the war effort meant that few of these animals survived more than six months.
THE 1930s
With the advent of motorised transport, which Henry totally distrusted, together with the poor health of his daughter Florence saw the Everitt family give up the haulage business and around 1930 move to the then country district of Romford to enter the dairy and retail milk trade.
Again Welsh Cobs were the transport of choice, drawing the perfectly balanced milk floats made by the firm Day and Day. Harry’s favourite was the cob mare Renee, broken as a four year old, who worked for 21 years doing a round of 17 miles a day. She took first prize in a local show at 29 and lived to the age of 37. On completion of their delivery work, the young milkmen would often meet in the market place and race over a measured mile. Renee often used to accomplish this, after completion of a days work, within a time of 2 minutes 10 seconds.
THE 1940s
In the early forties, the family moved further into the country to Barfield Farm outside Brentwood in Essex, continuing in the milk business and farming. Henry continued to deliver milk until his 87th year with a succession of strawberry and blue roan cobs, (he swore he had never had a bad roan – which considering the number of cobs which had passed through his hands – was strong recommendation indeed.).
Harry married Gladys Brazier in 1942, Gladys being the daughter of Albert Brazier who was head horseman on the Howgego Estates and had formerly travelled both Shire and Suffolk Stallions and thus another font of horse knowledge was added to the family.
Harry and Gladys had two sons; Ivor John (known as Jack) and Steve, both with a keen interest in horses and particularly driving.
THE 1960s
In the sixties, in partnership with their father, they bred several well known cob and cob cross hackney driving horses under the Barfield prefix before settling in 1970 to breed Registered Welsh Cobs alone, under the Tireve prefix.
An early purchase was the Section D colt Sawel Ap Dorian by Llanarth Braint from a Llanarth Meteor mare. Dorian was a fantastic mover and possessor of a superb temperament – being prepared to be Steve’s fiery steed or the most gentle of first ponies when carrying a child. Further purchases included Broughton Gay Girl (later to become the first welsh cob mare to be exported to New Zealand), and Chalkhill Dragonfly, purchased as a Section C 2 year old filly at the 1972 Llanarth Sale for a price of 380 guineas.
Dragonfly was to become a successful broodmare and in 1977, overall champion Section C at the Royal Welsh Show (Synod Roger reserve). In 1978 she was champion C or D under saddle at Llanelwedd, qualifying for Olympia & finishing 3rd overall here just before Christmas and producing an excellent colt foal in early April 1979.
THE 1970s
Steve and Hazel married in 1972 and continued the partnership with Harry until his death. Jack and his wife Marion moved to Herefordshire after a family tragedy, taking Chalkhill Dragonfly and a couple of cob mares to found their Merioneth Stud.
After Harry’s passing, Steve and Hazel formulated new plans and purchased a few mares of the bloodlines they
had researched to give action, fire and substance at prices they could afford. These included Pantanamlwg Sunshine, tracing back directly to Meiarth Royal Eiddwen and Rhystyd Prince who when put to Redwood Cardi Comet produced Tireve Cardi Princess, dam of the big winners Tireve Nymph, Tireve Dinefwr Comet (pictured left), Tireve Welsh Flyer (pictured right) & Tireve Magic.
THE 1980s
1983 was a momentous year for the Tireve Stud with the arrival of Alan Batsford & Jane Speight’s 3 year old colt Nebo Prince to be broken to drive. He was immediately used to cover the driving bred mare Pitchford Gaytime, to produce the multi champion and Steve’s horse of a lifetime Tireve Tywysog Du. Prince remained in the stud for a further five years producing from the purchased Rhystyd Prince daughter Cledlyn Princess, Tireve Princess Royal and the sale topper Tireve Navestock Princess,as well as many others for local Essex breeders including Thorndon Park Pride, Thorndon Park Jet (male champion RWAS 2006), Navestock Welsh Lady.
In 1987 Steve, Hazel together with their children Danielle, JoAnn & Robert moved from Essex to Brynglas Farm at Llangadog in Carmarthenshire to continue breeding C’s and D’s and farm both sheep and suckler cows.
Sadly the by now legendary sire Nebo Prince was not allowed by his owners to go with them and even more sadly for the good of the breed, soon became infertile although the legacy of his progeny continues to triumph in the show ring and performance for several succeeding generations.
Once established in Carmarthenshire, the Everitts stood both their stallions, Rhystyd Magic (pictured 
left) & Tireve Tywysog Du (pictured right) at stud and over the years leased in such sires as Nebo Magic, Troedd-y-Mynydd Tegwen & Glanvyrwny Temptation, covering in the early 90’s up to 120 mares a season with a very high conception rate.
Rhystyd Magic Stud Stallion 1984 - 2006 & Tireve Tywysog Du Stud Stallion 1985 - 2006. Click on the images to link to a page dedicated to these two important stallions who both sadly passed away in 2006.
Other highlights have included Tireve Rosebud producing Dyrfal Red Rose, winning foal at RWAS, National Pony Show champion foal & Ceredigion foal show champion amongst many other prizes. She was consigned to the Autumn Builth sale where she realised the then World Record auction price for a Section C of any age of 4,800 guineas. (see Dyrfal page for photos of Dyrfal Red Rose)
Another high flyer at the Builth Sales was Tireve Dream Lady out of Tireve Sian, a daughter of Babylon Brenhines, purchased in 1987 from John & Christine Fox, by Rhystyd Welsh King. Dream Lady took the Ceredigion championship before selling for 3000 guineas.
THE 1990s
Dream Lady was sired by the current leading sire in Tireve, Oxspring Prince (by Llanarth Solo), a chance purchase when judging in Wetherby in 1997. Shown successfully as a yearling, he ran with mares until 2004, then over the winter was broken to ride by Danielle and became in 2005 the only Welsh Cob yet to win the overall NPS Picton Championship for the novice ridden mountain & moorland pony of the year.
Click here for more details of Oxspring Prince
