Meet our horses and ponies

Hollingside Black Jack (Magic):  Section A Dales gelding

An absolute poppet who has taught lots of people to ride.   Magic likes to be around people and thinks he should be sat on the sofa in front of the TV, not left outside with only animals to talk to.

Maidendale Grenadier:  part-bred Dales gelding Now owned by the Unicorn Centre, Grenadier took our younger son from ponies to success in dressage, show jumping, hunter trials and one day events.   He is by a Dales x Clydesdale stallion out of a Dales x TB mare and combines substance, regular paces and a friendly temperament with agility and a bold, scopey jump.

Maidendale Dragoon:  Part-bred Dales gelding Dragoon is April's son, born in 2002.   When our boys were younger, they did not always want to ride Dales ponies and we always had difficulty finding a 14.2hh which combined the calmness of temperament which we wanted, the ability and speed they were looking for and the quality to catch a (non-mountain and moorland) judge's eye.   We hope that Dragoon has these attributes and will make a good working hunter pony.   He will start his initial training over winter2004/05 and his people-centred personality should make this an enjoyable experience for him and us.

Milady (Milly):  Shetland mare looking like a mini-Dales, Milly came to us at Christmas 2002 as a present for niece Niamh, then almost 5.   Since then she has caused us more trouble than all of the rest of the herd put together, with her enormous sense of mischief and a personality the size of a Shire horse.   In her defence, she is rock-solid under saddle, even with Niamh singing 'action songs'  as she rides along -- complete with all the actions!

Jason:  part-bred Arab Jason belongs to friends of ours, but has lodged with us for over 17 years.   He will be 37 years old in the spring of 2005 and, apart from stiffness in his arthritic joints, enjoys remarkably good health.

and this is the stallion who was with us in 2004:   Colliery Commando (Duke):  Dales stallion by kind permission of the Colliery Stud, Duke has been with us for his second season.   He is a lovely sort with a correct conformation and a wonderful temperament.

About the Dales Pony

The Dales Pony is one of the native pony breeds of the British Isles, is indigenous to our area and is recognised as a rare breed.   It is a sturdy animal with 8” to 9” of bone and is predominantly black with brown, bay, grey and occasionally, roan ponies seen.    The preferred height of the Dales is between 14 - 14.2hh, although many good ponies are outside these heights.

One of the early jobs for the Dales Pony was carrying lead from the mines at the heads of the dales to coastal ports.   Each pony carried 2 pigs, or 120 pounds, of lead and would cover up to 200 miles in a week, travelling loose-headed - not led or fastened together - across the beautiful but wild and rugged countryside of the northern Pennines to ports such as Newcastle.   This led to the development of ponies who were calm, self-reliant, strong, sure-footed and thrifty.   The Dales Pony’s versatility also made it ideal for providing the power for dales farms where they were used for all farm work, including ploughing, shepherding and carting;  taking produce to market and enjoying an occasional days hunting.

Today’s Dales Pony has the temperament and substance to carry any member of the family and will perform whatever task is set.   They are superb driving ponies, have regular, active paces for dressage and the power and scope to enjoy jumping;  they are truly the great all-rounder.

If you would like to know more about the Dales Pony, the President of the Dales Pony Society, Mrs Iona Fitzgerald, has written a wonderful book (Dales Ponies, Whittet Books, ISBN 1 873580 49 5) available with lots of other goods and information about the breed from the Dales Pony Society.   Have a look at their website at www.dalespony.org.  

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