Hold onto your butts, I'm going to try to figure out bloodlines. Apologies for my lack of proper conventions when discussing bloodlines, it's a learning curve.
Marqui had a great inspection and all kudos go to the breeder that made the match. I still feel weird that the ribbon goes to me when, frankly, the award should go to the person that created the pony in question! But she insists and I'll happily hang up my first red and white ribbon. I do feel like I should be a better advocate for my filly and get to know the bloodlines that created her. So here we go, dam side first since I've met her and like her quite a bit. You get to bond with a pony while cutting out very secure yarn braids after an inspection.
This is Stonecroft Gold Medallion, aka Bonnie. She's an 18 year old broodmare that just got added to the Westfalen Mare Book I. Didn't get a movement score due to the flooding and her complete refusal to participate in this nonsense when it's storming out but still got a 7 as she's that darn pretty. When the ponies aren't listening, Bonnie is generally considered the nicest mover of the broodmare band. Her personality is more stand offish than the other mares but she will do anything for a peppermint.
She's had several foals for this breeder so Marqui has several half sibs. 2017 was the bay colt Quillane Rhaego who is off doing the hunters. 2019 she had Quillane Accolade who is in a dressage performance home. He was just approved as a stallion for Westfalen. 2020 was a buckskin colt named Quillane Rubik.
Quillane Accolade (Gallod Auryn x Stonecroft Gold Medallion), photo from Wolf Run Farm
Bonnie's sire is Stonecroft Bold as Brass (aka Freddie), known as a driving cob that competed in combined events with his owner at the Novice level. His breeder and owner is Marsha Himler and he was foaled in 1997. Marsha Himler was on the board of directors for the Welsh Pony and Cob Society as well as a performance judge. I found this picture of him and, well, it's kind of funny. A little well placed censoring. But he's got a big trot that his daughter definitely inherited. Little bit of family resemblance as you go through the generations.
Poor Kiki trying to show her movement in a flash flood
Freddie's sire was Parc Dilwyn, an international champion from Parc Welsh Stud in Wales. I've seen a lot of Parc horses in performance cob pedigrees and Freddie is mostly Parc lines. No luck in finding a picture of Dilwyn. I'll keep hunting but there are a lot of Parc stallions out there and it's hard to find pictures from forty years ago. Per a video I found, the stud was still operating and competing in hand and under saddle in 2012. When I look through lists of great cobs, I find examples like Parc Lady and Parc Rachel that are lovely, substantial mares with solid top lines. There is a tendency to be butt high as is the fashion in the cob world but nothing extreme. Parc horses do show under saddle and in harness as well as in hand.
Freddie's dam was Gweneth Pres Y Penrhyn, a chestnut with a wide blaze called Pres, that was foaled in 1976. So yes, we're already looking at horses born before I was born. Penrhyn Stud was based in Buzzard's Bay, MA and played an important part in the introduction of Welsh Cobs to the US. Penrhyn was focused on creating solid, well rounded horses that could try lots of different disciplines while keeping the type and character of the Welsh Cob.
Photo from Welsh Review
On the bottom of the pedigree, Bonnie's dam was Thornbeck Golden Deilen, another cob owned by Marsha Hilmer. Everyone that knew Deilen comments on how her daughter is basically her twin. I'm going to keep hunting for a picture of her since so many people remember her but she appears to have dodged cameras since the internet became a thing.
Deilen's dam was an import which adds a level of complexity to my research. The ones living in the USA are easier since the cob world is small and you hear about the ponies' personalities and barn names along with their performance record. The names are also much easier for me to pronounce. Cen-Y-Cerrig Y Penrhyn was from the UK and registered in Canada. Deilen's sire was Cwmfelen Golden Eclipse and was also Canadian. He was a palomino that was mostly used to produce crossbred ponies.
I noted Dafydd Y Brenin Cymraeg both top and bottom of the pedigree. He was certainly a handsome fella, look at all that bling. I can see that movement in Bonnie.
Photo from Rimondo.com
So Bonnie is performance bred with driving in mind. She never pulled a cart and instead got some points in western pleasure with a young rider before becoming a broodmare. Marqui certainly carries that big trot forward for another generation.
Next time, Taraco Mourinho!
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