Welsh Mountain Pony Breed

From: Horse Breeds

Welsh Mountain Pony
This is a beautiful looking pony, full of character and lively flowing paces. There are four distinct types of Welsh mountain and they fall into categories according to their height, starting with the smallest you have section A,B,C and section D being the largest and often referred to as the Welsh Cob.

Welsh Mountain ponies are known for their toughness and surefootedness as well as their kind nature and have been used to improve many other breeds over the years such as the New Forest Pony. Overall they make excellent riding and driving ponies suitable for children and small adults alike.

Originates
The breed originates from the Welsh Mountains, Wales, England.

Height

Welsh Section A is under 12 HH
Welsh section B is under 13.2 HH
Welsh section C cob type, is under 13.2 HH
Welsh section D is over 13.2 HH and above.

Colour
Welsh Mountain ponies can be grey, bay, chestnut and palomino.

Conformation

The head is small and often has a slightly dished profile. It has wide nostrils, small alert ears and a kind generous eye.
The neck is long with a high head carriage.
The shoulders are sloping and muscular.
The back is short and strong.
The hindquarters are reasonably rounded and powerful.
The limbs are strong and the forearm is long with a generous sized knees.
The girth is deep.
The tail is fairly low set.
Both the mane and tail are thick.

Uses
Welsh Mountain ponies are a great all round riding and driving pony suitable for children and adults, often capable of competing in many sports such as dressage, jumping and driving.

History
The Welsh pony has had influences from breeds such as the Arab, Thoroughbred and Barb, giving it its active paces and retaining the breeds wonderful temperament. The Welsh mountain pony was used for shepherding, hunting , as a pack pony and for driving wagons.

Its excellent nature has made it a popular choice for children, where it is often used for many different sports including dressage and jumping. The Welsh Mountain pony has been used to improve many other breeds over the years such as the New Forest and Dales.

The Welsh section C and D are more cob like in appearance and heavier than section A and B, the section C being smaller than the section D in that it does not exceed 13.2 whereas the section D has no upper height limit.

The Welsh section D is also called the Welsh Cob and is larger than the Welsh mountain pony due to the addition of Yorkshire Coach horse, Norfolk Roadster and Arab giving the Welsh cob a larger frame with the same free moving active paces, pony characteristics and wonderful temperament of the Welsh Mountain.

Welsh Pony And Cob Society
The Welsh Stud Book was established in 1901 to monitor, protect and preserve this beautiful breed of horse.