South Western Association of the WPCS

South West Assn welsh pony and Cob Society is looking for interesting stories, news, pictures (own copyright ) etc for there winter newsletter. Will members wishing to contribute please send items of interest to janhardy.briarth@btinternet.com or karenofpolmesk@btconnect.com by end November.

Tall Trees arena here in Cornwall, hosted a busy event at the end of October ;it turned out to be a triple whammy! Welsh and Part Bred Foals then the Veterans who were here after the September Veteran Show was rescheduled; finally followed by Dressage!

Pics below only ones currently available. If anyone has any others will they please send them via email to karenofpolmesk@btconnect.com

A fantastic day had by all – Lovely Competitors – Lots of Spectators and an abundance of overworked helpers !!!!! Expectations were closely guarded as we had the extra pressure of Hartpury College hosting the NPS 2 day Judges Assessment and also Blaenavon’s change of show date for their medal show on the same day. Worry we needed not !!! A splendid turnout of lovely produced welsh youngstock and adults to keep Judge Jonathan Batt from the Abergavenny Stud busy . The same went for the non welsh ring which had lovely ponies forward and again made good spectating and judging for Robert Pink and Debbie Miller. Ridden numbers were down on last year but the ponies forward were of definite quality and Mark Northam had his work cut out in the Championship. The Society would like to thank all the judges for giving their time and also to the Stewards who all did a grand job. The pony that went through the card from beginning to finish was the upstanding Section D Colt Foal PENNAL MAIL MODEL, by Pennal Brynmor out of Pennal New Model and was the unanimous decision of all judges to take the Supreme In Hand of Show, having already won the Section D Championship, Best Pure Bred Welsh Foal Championship, Best Overall Foal Championship and then ultimately the Supreme In Hand. The owner Janet Woodbury had only purchased this foal off the hills a few weeks prior to the show ! The Ridden Champion was a beautiful example of a Welsh Section C – Thistledown Sabrina was the choice of Mark Northam with another lovely Welsh C in Reserve D’abernon Omen – both owned by Frank Johnson. Secretary J.P.

A successful and business like AGM was concluded at Gypsy Hill Hotel on Saturday 12th Nov with Alan Lyons Show manager from the Royal Bath and West Show giving us all a humorous and very informative talk on the B and W, its history and aspirations for the future. Alan is certainly in touch with the grass roots of the showing world and even "risked all" at his recent managers meeting by REDUCING the in hand natives entry fee to £25 from £30 for future shows!

Items touched on at our meeting included an urgent need to strengthen funds after a difficult year in 2010/11. Sponsors are needed for all our eight shows!! Donations to help your association survive this economic downturn are urgently needed. Please contact Janet Hardy

Our chairman Anne Brown has now stood down ; Rob Curtis is now chair with Roberta Jones taking over as vice chair. On behalf of the committee Anne we would like to thank you for all the stalwart efforts you have put in over your years as chair. Retiring committee members Kathryn Lutey from Cornwall and Vicky Stevens from Somerset ; again thank you both for all your hard work over the years. We welcome aboard several new committee members including Jenna Chamberlain from Cornwall a recent member of our young judges team. Also Mrs Jo Rodd for Dorset and Mrs Judy
Pring for Somerset. Full updated names and addresses and contact numbers to follow.

We publicly thanked Edwina Turner, from Piran Stud, for her most generous donation of the new wire free PA system which was on view for all to see.

The stud competition awards were presented by Evadne Cosgrove from Levant stud in Cornwall.

Finally a life membership was unanimously given to Sue and Janet Hardy for their incredible 35 years of service to the South West Association. The chair noted that without their voluntary support we would have a real struggle to keep up with all our shows , finance and accounts, paperwork, newsletters and major organisation and coordination that the two sisters have so selflessly put in over the years. Thank you so much Sue and Janet.

Thank you everyone for supporting the Assn in 2011 and we look forward to an enthusiastic and positive new year. RC

Above Evadne Cosgrove on right presenting her Stud Competition rosettes to Vicky Stevens

The popular South West Christmas Equine Fair, now in its sixteenth year will once again take place at Westpoint in Exeter with one of the many features being a breed society area. As before this will be located outside and the SWA have applied for a stable and stand space. Please do support this Fair which is ideally timed to catch the Christmas present market and give you all sorts of gift ideas from the variety of stands present.

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DVD's OF SWAWPCS SHOWS

Available from Digital Video-Ex Productions. Those of you who attended the Early Summer Show at Crealy on the 8 May would have noticed a couple videoing the Show. They are Alan & Denise Tibbitts of DVX Productions. They can supply edited footage of the Early Summer Show and the Annual Medal Show on the 19th June. Please see their web site located at: www.dvxproductions.co.uk ~ DVD's can be purchased at a cost of £15.00 each plus £1.50 p&p by contacting them on: 01392 832200 or emailing them at: info@dvxproductions.co.uk

If you have a good winning pony picture from any of our shows please send them to me to put on the website

SHOW CUPS AND TROPHIES

This is an appeal for anyone who has ever won a SWA cup or trophy to look and see if they have still got it, we are missing a few cups and in spite of the signed receipts accepting full responsibility whilst in their care, people deny still having them. Before going to the expense of replacing these missing cups, we would ask everyone to check extra carefully. If you find you do have one of the SWA’s cups please return it to a committee member or the relevant show secretary. We intend to start a list of people who have not returned cups and they will not be allowed to take any in the future and we may publish in the Spring Newsletter a list of those cups for which we have receipts but which the people who signed for them deny having.

PLEASE CONTACT Hon. Secretary Sue Hardy Tel: 01935 872069

Briar Thicket, Ryme Road ,Yetminster, SherborneDorset DT9 6JY

Email suehardy.briarth@btinternet.com

PHOTOGRAPHS FOR WEBSITE

Please keep sending in photographs of ponies and cobs which have either done well and are owned by a member or ones that have been bred in the area. They must be good clear photographs of the ANIMAL. Also any interesting stories about ponies or cobs which would not necessarily do well in the show ring but do so much in advertising the attributes of the Welsh – the show ring is not the be all and end all of everything!! Rob’s e-mail address is karenofpolmesk@btconnect.com.

Young Adult Handler 2011.

!!Are you or will you be between the ages of 16 and 25, ie will you be 16 and over and under 25 during the year end Oct 2010 until end Oct 2011?

!!Are you showing Welsh ponies, cobs or part-breds, either your own or for other people?

Why not get a card and start collecting your points, for the young Handler of the year competition there are rosettes for everyone and a trophy to keep for the winner. Please e-mail for more details.

Roberta

sales@timberframeswestuk.co.uk

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