Herd 14 Ponies

It is impossible to mention all the ponies bred by my parents because we would have up to 14 foals a year and I was not always at home and so did not know some of them so well.  I think worth a mention are the following

Agrippa 14/35 b. 1967 by Hawkridge Man out of Lassie 12/40.  He not only spent many years (1969 – 1977) as the Herd 14 stallion but also spent time with 12 Herd and others so he appears on many pedigrees. He produced 74 progeny the last 2 were registered to the Anchor Herd in 1985/6.  I would say, he and his son Octavius 14/57 have had a significant impact on the Exmoor Pony.

Octavius 14/57, b. 1971 by Agrippa 14/35 out of Sighty 1/74 produced Dundraw 14/73 went to Herd 21 and was mother to Beinn Ghobach 21/48 and Ancus 14/8B,  Aglionby 24/9 and Cumcrook 14/82 for Herd 14 then going down to Exmoor to run with the Anchor Herd in the early 1980s before travelling to the far northwest of Scotland to Herd 21. In total he had 92 registered offspring between 1975 and 1998.

The driving team in the photo competing at Lowther Driving Trials are Sceughmire (Sam) 14/29; Baggarah 14/54; Cat Loudy ii 14/39; Dunwallought 14/38.  The pair being driven at Cirencester are Cat Loudy ii and Sceughmire.

When I was a child the family seemed to spend most of the Summers travelling around the shows from the Royal Highland and Ponies of Britain Kelso in the North to Ponies of Britain Peterborough, The Bath and West, Devon County, NPS Malvern (and where ever else it was held) and, of course the most important of all, Exford Show in the South West.  From Cumbria it was a long way to many of these shows, I remember it took about 10 hours (before the M6 came north!) to take 4 or 5 children, 2 dogs, between 7 and 9 ponies including youngsters 1 car and I wagon with an old army marquee for both humans/dogs and ponies to stay in.

The first photo is the Young Handlers class at Exford with me pulling up my jodhpurs leading Sighty 1/74, my brother Edward is scowling leading Woodlark 1/57 and my sister is with Burn Divot 14/7

The next one is all the family some years later at Exford after a very long day being told to present ourselves for a family photo for the press.  It was a successful day we are all clutching various trophies. L to R Tertullus 14/12 ridden by my sister Rosalind, Sceughmire 14/29 held by my Mother Susan, Topenhow 14/21 ridden by me (she was small, I am not that tall!), Dunwallought 14/38 held by my brother Edward and Sighty 1/74 with foal held by Peter, my Father.

Over the decades the mares have remained fairly constant and the main stallion of the day has had the bulk of the mares but there always there have been young colts such as Tarquin, Domitian, Tertullus, (before they move on) and visiting stallions  - Hoodie Crow 2/72, Lanner Hawk 2/76, Heathpool Vladimir 93/37, Coedywern Zulu 49/53, Anchor Amoretti A/379, Anchor Lime Juice A/168