Ponies sired by our stallions have also enjoyed a lot of success in 2019.
Brock Bronwen won championships both in hand and ridden, including winning the Picton novice ridden final (a class also won by her father in 2012) at the NPS Summer championships. The first cross Trenley Tomorrow (seen here doing some loose jumping) also won championships in his first season under saddle. Brock Braithwaite, a novice pony also in his first season is loving his jumping and was placed in his first Royal International qualifier. The yearling Woodsheal Miss K was victorious in her first season showing, her wins included at the New Forest Show and reserve champion at Kent County. All these ponies are sired by Hollybrooke Tinker.
Brock Bezique by Burley Branston has had a hugely successful season both in in hand and in novice ridden classes.
We bred three foals in 2019 all of whom have been retained. Two colts one by Hollybrooke Tinker (a full brother to Hollybrooke Duke) and one by Wayland Cranberry (a half brother to Hollybrooke Jubilee) and a filly by Fijal Jupiter. We have three mares in foal for next year two in foal to Hollybrooke Tinker and one to our new stallion Skywalker (pictured left) who joined us this spring as an out cross for our mares sired by Burley Branston and Burley Traveller. Very sadly our foundation mare Coffee Crunch was also in foal to Skywalker but she had conceived twins and despite our vets best efforts neither of them survived.
We did less showing than in other years but had a lots of success. We decided not to take Hollybrooke Melitta back to shows where she was Supreme champion last year. We had planned to take her to Windsor but she foaled later than expected so we decided not to go. A puncture on the way to Bath and West resulted in her missing that class too. She went to just three shows and was champion or reserve at all three culminating in winning the New Forest championship at the NPS Summer Championship Show. Another fantastic success was seventeen year old Hollybrooke Debbie at her first ever show, winning the veteran mare class at the Breed Show beating the hugely successful Mallardswood Goddess. The picture is of our two year filly Hollybrooke Treasure who had a couple of successful outings early in the year for experience. She still had a lot of maturing to do so we decided to turn her away until next year.
Without a doubt the greatest pleasure that our ponies give us is the fun they are giving to our grandchildren.
The first photo below shows our our twenty two year old mare Coffee Crunch returning to the show ring after a sixteen year absence to give our eight year old grandson his first experience of showing. The second photo is of Coffee Crunch's six year old daughter Hollybrooke Fudge (sired by Hollybrooke Rambler) and our ten year old granddaughter jumping for fun at home in France.