Welsh Pony and Cob Society Performance Awards

The performance awards are run every year by the WPCS to promote the versatility of the Welsh Breeds. They include sections for A, B, C, D, small part-breds and large part-breds. Every competing cob receives a performance card for which it can claim 3 classes at 20 show between March and October of the current year.

There are a great many championship classes which can be contested:
Showing Lead Rein 1st Ridden
Show Hunter Show Pony Pony Club Mounted Games
LD Riding One Day Event Hunter Trials
Le Trec Tretathlon Show Jumping Junior &Senior
Handy Pony Combined Training Side Saddle
Working Hunter MM Working Hunter Dressage Junior & Senior
Private Driving Driving Trials Pairs & Tandem
Ride & Drive Overall Driving MM Championship
Owner/Rider Owner/Breeder Welsh Champion
Scottish Champion Breeders Section Veteran
Versatility Res Sup Champion Supreme Champion

Photo courtesy of M R Heath

All these classes are hotly contested and there are no sections without competitors. Some of the entries are cobs which compete not just against other welsh cobs but against a variety of other horses and winning against a variety of different horses. Which just shows how much a Welsh Cob can really Perform.

One cob from our area competed in the Section D Championship this year. (2002)

Raclog Mia Jess - Welsh Section D Mare
Sire: Thorneyside The Boss
Dam: Nantbryn Seren
Breeder: Mr R Hirst
Owner/Rider: Miss Tracey Robshaw
Trainer: Mrs Sue Chadwick - Eventer

This cob was bought from the breeder as a yearling by Tracey's friend, a retired blacksmith, Mr J Wheelwright. He nurtured this mare until it was 3 years old, then Tracey and her friend Sue Riley broke it to ride, rode her for 6 months. She was then broken in to drive by Jimmy and Sue and shown for the next 2 years driven. After that Jess was loaned to relative of Jimmy's, who did very little with her apart from feed her until she nearly popped! That was until September 2001 when Tracey was persuaded to purchase Jess and she was so glad she did.

The first thing was to reduce the mare's weight, if she was to perform she had to lose at least elephant and a half. Then fitness and training had to follow. By the end of November Jess had been taught to jump and to do some basic dressage.

photo courtesy of the Talk of the North

Tracey:
We began to do working hunter shows at the beginning of 2002 and luckily Jess absolutey loved it. We started off just being able to get round, but with no style.
By the time of the BSPS Championship on April Jess was starting to show what she was made of. Every show we contested we were never out of the ribbons - mostly at the top of the line. What a wonderful mare, everything you ask her to do she is so willing and gives you all she has got. There are not many animals which would just keep on having a go at different disciplines and enjoying every minute of it.

Jess has done Show Jumping, X Country, Dressage, Hunter Trials, Working Hunter, Equitation, Ridden and no doubt we will be having a go at other things next year as well.

She collected points from her show in 2002 and gained 8050 points. This meant that she actually won:

The Section D Championship (the 2nd place collecting 4750 points)
The Owner/ Rider Championship
The Breeder Championship - This was collected on behalf of Mr R Hirst
And The Reserve Supreme Championship.

This was not bad going seeing as Jess did not compete in any open classes and the pony that won the Supreme Championship qualified for HOY and Olympia which gains 800 points for this alone.

Safe to say that if you want buy a horse as an allrounder, don't bother which your run of the mill thoroughbreds, stick to your hairies.

ALSO

The previous year that this was run, 2000, (2001 was FMD) the Section D Championship was also won by Tracey Robshaw this time with Penycrug Rhodri Section D Gelding owned by Mrs Bev Froggett.

Now in 2003 Jess & Tracey have won the Section D Performance Points again and gained the Supreme Championship, which is the overall for all the sections and all the disaplines. What a wonderful partnership they have formed and Tracey is so lucky to have found the cob that she always wanted.

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