February 19, 2010

Check out the sales page....new ponies available!!

Our sales page has been updated. Please take a look at the new roster of ponies and cobs available. Lots of youngstock too that is full of potential! Pick one out...make an offer!!

October 5, 2009

US Welsh Nationals - Tulsa, Oklahoma

WOW, what a trip!!! Kira, Allie, Kathy and I headed down to Tulsa, Oklahoma, two trucks, one trailer, three ponies and four people. Three days to get down there, stopped in Montana the first night, then Colorado the second night and then Tulsa! We had three days of relaxation before the show. We were the first horse competitors to arrive so we had nice and quiet fairgrounds to explore and quiet arena's to school in. The weather was fabulous, not too hot, like it was in 2000 when we attended the Nationals and Hotspur thought we were nuts with temps in the 90's!! We had many days to aclimatize and do lots of shopping and check out the Tulsa Fair. The pig races were hilarious!! Ask Kira or Allie to tell you about them! haha. First day was halter for the two geldings, Foothill's Hercules and Foothill's Duke of Earl. The judge's were Blethyn Pugh from Wales and Brian McClelland from Alberta, Canada! People were saying...why do you need to travel 1500 miles to show under a judge who lives 50 miles from your home?? Crazy I know!! Both boys had an excellent show in halter under fabulous competition, boy the cobs are big down in the States! The next day was Rosalee's turn, she won her filly class, won the junior championship under both judges and then went on to be Reserve Grand Champion Mare under Blethyn Pugh. She had a great show and had lots of attention from other breeders. Performance was next and both Allie and Kira did exceptional jobs. Both girls were in the top two places in big classes, more than 12 riders in a class, so a great show was had. Both girls won Reserve Championships in Western and came home with nice ribbons, medals and prizes. No horse trip is complete without bringing a new horse home...Watch Me Cash In, a welsh part bred came home with us and is proving to be a valuable junior mount! We would love to show down in the States again soon! We had a great experience!!

September 14, 2009

Spruce Meadow's Master's - Team Welsh

Taking part in the Spruce Meadows Welsh Pony and Cob breed demo was an experience of a lifetime. I loved being part of something so big and so real, parking in the same parking lot as Ian Millar. It was great to be an ambassador for such a great breed. It was a great feeling after riding a good demo ride, knowing that we had helped people realize what a great breed the Welsh are. When my horse was in the booth, it felt good to see people making a fuss over her. The people and the horse both loved it. I also really enjoyed walking around with my exhibitor pass around my neck, watching show jumping and eating great food. Altogether Spruce Meadows was a great place to be. Riding in the breed demos was a blast. We had a wonderful routine, and with ten of us in the group in total, I’m sure we made a lasting impression. The first demo was quite nerve wracking. We didn’t know exactly when it was our turn to go, and the horses seemed to be picking up on our nervous energy. Would our horses act up? Would we make it there on time? Would the crowd like the routine? With the stress of it all getting to all of us, we made some last minute adjustments to our routine and headed to Meadows on the Green. After our first demo, all of the horses and riders calmed down, and got into the swing of things. The crowd ate our demo up, and we were consistently getting three to four rounds of applause per demo, coupled with a few hoots and hollers. Another element of our participation in Spruce Meadows was our Booth in the Riding Hall. We had a booth full of brochures and pictures of the Welsh ponies and cobs. Next to our booth, there was a stall. We were to put a horse in there during public hours so that people who were interested could see and interact with a real live Welshie. When it was my horse, Amy’s turn to go in the booth, I was anxious. I didn’t know how she’d react to being alone in such a busy environment. Turns out my worry was wasted. After Amy called out to her friends a few times, she began to relax. In fact, she begged the visitors for attention, sticking her head over the bars and nuzzling them. Spruce Meadows is such a picturesque place to be if you’re a horse person, but being an observer is nothing like actually taking part. It was truly and amazing place to be, and hope that I can return next year. Ashley Light

May 26, 2009

SUMMER CAMPS 2009!!

Well the countdown has started for Summer Camps!! Our first week starts on June 29th. Taylor,Christie, Kira,Claire and I along with our Teacher Assistants are looking forward to a fun packed, horsey filled summer! If you have not signed up yet, please visit the services page and see what is left in our availability and sign on up!!! We have lots planned and new foals waiting for their training days!!! See you soon!!!

May 14, 2009

2009 Foals are arriving!!!

Stonecountry Welsh has some of the most amazing Welsh Pony and Cob bloodlines in North America and the foal crop of 2009 is absolutely outstanding! Check out our mare page for announcements!!

May 10, 2009

Stonecountry Mother's Day Horse Show

What a gorgeous day we had...despite the winter like conditions the day before...and the day after!! There was a huge turnout of horses and ponies with their owners and handlers to fill our full slate of classes. Halter started off the day, then our pleasure and equitation classes...just before lunch we had our Novice classes AND our Novelty classes...where the judge had to decide which equine had the longest whiskers, which equine had the most fetlock hair and which equine looked most like its handler!! Our day was complete with the jumping classes and ended at a reasonable time of 4:30...much better than our last show that went until 7 pm!! Jackie Barton was our judge, she is from Tamrac Stables in Beaumont, Alberta. We had classes for everyone and the show went along without a hitch. All the participants had an enjoyable day with lots of prizes and ribbons too!

April 26, 2009

Mane Event 2009

What a fantastic time we had in Red Deer at the Mane Event. Stonecountry had 5 cobs and ponies down at the event doing ridden breed demo's and in-hand Meet and Greet's. The event was much bigger and even better than the previous two years we have attended. The trade show seemed to go on and on forever with millions of horsey related items to purchase or drool over. Kira, Claire, Paige, Lauren and Ally did an exemplary job of their ridden display of the animals. We had Duke, Jigg's, Rosettes, Hercules and Hotspur there to oogle the enormous crowds. A terrific job girls!! Thanks to Annie who was there as a huge helper all weekend and Ashley who joined us for Sunday. Of course the event could not have been done so effortlessly without the huge, huge support of the parents too!! Gail, Danielle, Robyn and Kathy were fantastic! Thanks to all for a job well done on showcasing our wonderful breed!

March 2, 2009

Bob Langrish WAS HERE...

for a photo shoot at Stonecountry Farm. We had some of our best strut their stuff for the camera in fresh snow, a great day! Check out our new pictures!!

January 3, 2009

Bomb Proofing Clinic

What a hit this clinic was!!! I think all participants were a little taken aback when they walked into the arena and saw "The Wall of Fear", the water obstacle, the square of pop bottles, "the forest" and many other stations that they were going to be facing with their horses! But, when the clinic started and everyone had a calm/leadership approach, everyone conquered the different tests with their animals. We had eight horses and handlers in the ring banging pop cans, walking through the wall of fear, walking through the mass of plastic bottles, walking through the water, over the bridge, over tarps, through the forest of trees and stuffed animals, dragging tobogans, throwing balls over and under their horses all while horns were blowing, music was blasting and party favours were tooted!!! We had a great day and everyone I am sure feels much more confident with their animals and feel like they had a hugely successful day full of FUN!!!

January 2, 2009

Showmanship Clinic

We had a very successful start to 2009 with 2 popular clinics!!On Friday January 2nd, we had a Showmanship Clinic in the morning. All participants learned and practiced how to present their horses, how to lead them correctly at the walk and trot and about executing proper turns. Everyone walked away with lots of information and lots to practice for the upcoming show season!

November 25, 2008

Alberta High Point Awards!!

Well the results are in for The Welsh Pony and Cob Society of Alberta's High Point Awards for 2008. Stonecountry did VERY well!! Here are the results!! Section C/D 2 & Under Fillies Champion: Stonecountry's Rosebud (owned by Stonecountry) Reserve Champion: USA Railside Rosalee (owned by Stonecountry). Section C/D Stallions Reserve Champion: *Menai Country Boy (owned by Stonecountry). Section C/D Mares Champion: USA Railside Blue Rosettes (owned by Stonecountry) Reserve Champion: *Parvadean Romance (owned by Stonecountry). Section C/D Geldings Champion: Talywern Country Image (owned by Kira Macmillan and Stonecountry) Reserve Champion: Foothill's Duke of Earl (owned by Kira Macmillan). Half Welsh 3 & Over: Champion: Stonecountry Mr. Jigg's (owned by Claire Ziff). English Pleasure Junior Champion: Kira Macmillan and Image Reserve Champion: Claire Ziff and Mr. Jigg's. Western Pleasure Junior Champion: Kira Macmillan and Image Reserve Champion: Claire Ziff and Mr. Jigg's. Hunter Under Saddle Junior Champion: Kira Macmillan and Image Reserve Champion: Claire Ziff and Mr. Jigg's. Super A/B Pony Award: Cot'n'wd Hotspur (owned by Stonecountry). Super Half Welsh Award: Stonecountry Mr. Jigg's (owned by Claire Ziff). Congratulations to everyone!!!

November 15, 2008

Sales Page!!

Check out our sales page. We have MANY new top quality kids ponies up for sale. They should not be missed if you are looking for a safe and reliable mount for your child! Take a look!

October 19, 2008

Stonecountry Scarecrow Classic

Every fall at Stonecountry Farm, children and adults wake up bright and early to attend and compete in the Annual Scarecrow Classic Show. This year’s show was well attended by many of the regular riders at the farm, including a few outside riders who wanted to come have a good time. Most competitors and grooms (dedicated parents and friends) arrived at the farm at 8:00 bundled in warm clothes, preparing for a chilly day. Once the barn was flooded with swishing tails, nervous butterflies, and a fine mist of showsheen, everyone made their way up to the freshly harrowed arena. The halter classes passed quickly, with smiling students and boarders showing off their horses, and many of the younger riders learning about proper showmanship. When the under saddle classes started up, the sun was starting to show it’s warmth, and even though there was some wind, plenty of layers were shed after a few minutes of riding. As the younger age divisions took their turns in the ring, it was amazing to watch how well put together all the combinations were, students were turned out nicely, horses were well groomed, and so many of them had made remarkable progress with their green horses. With everyone getting their time to shine in the arena, hot dogs were cooked up and served for lunch while the horses ate their own lunch in the barn. Everyone was happy to take off their helmets and exchange warm-up stories. While the lunch hour was continuing on, all the students went outside and walked out the jumping course, counting their strides and anticipating the final event. With horses and ponies tacked back up, everyone made their way to the outdoor arena for a warm up over the jumps, and then proceeded into the holding ring. Nearly all the rounds were ridden beautifully, and even those who didn’t get the red or blue ribbons laughed and smiled for pictures as they left the arena. The Scarecrow Classic is always a good way to have the year go out with a bang, giving students and riders who can’t afford to attend the bigger shows a chance to get a taste at healthy competition. All the spectators were deeply impressed by the amount of talent and potential all the riders showed, and by the amount of sportsmanship and support making it’s way through the different age divisions. From beginner riders to proven champions, this show is always a superb way to catch up on news, gain expertise, practice for the future, and all in all, have a blast. Which is what riding and being a part of Stonecountry Farm should be, a wonderful experience. Written By Claire Ziff

July 30, 2008

Summer Keeps Rollin' On!!

Well we are now into our fifth week of Summer Camp!! My how the summer flies by when you are having fun! We attended the Wild Rose Pony Show and had a great time. Gavin, Ally, Kat, Kira, Claire and Ashley did an awesome job! They showed right to the very end when it started to thunder and lightening! We have a few trailer loads ready for the Thorsby and Cochrane Pony Shows in August. We are looking forward to having next week off to re-boot and be off and running to finish off August's three weeks of camp. Have a great summer everyone!

May 11, 2008

Stonecountry's Mother's Day Horse Show

What a great day!! We had a terrific turnout of horses and riders and the sun shone all day! We had a little bit of a judge delay in the morning so Taylor Cameron jumped in and started the show off with the halter classes and did an excellent job, Jim Tattersal arrived and took over the Showmanship and Performance classes and the kids thought he was awesome! Our only "mom" that showed was Robyn Ziff and her wonder horse Foothill's Midnight Sillhouette! I know though that all the other moms were here, just catering to their kids who were apart of the show!! Kathy Gilbert was our show photographer and it was great to have the memories from our fun day. Everyone did an excellent job and we are well on our way to being ready for summer now!!!

April 29, 2008

The MANE EVENT - Red Deer, Alberta

Well we could not have hoped for better weather. The Mane Event had a record number of attendants, with over 42,000 people!!! All four sections of Welsh plus half welsh were represented. I had the wonderful Hotspur to represent the Section A's. Crignant Welsh brought the Section B's, I took Rosalee to give a proper representation of a Section C and Kira took her Duke to represent the D's and Claire took her Mr. Jigg's to represent the half welsh! Each day we had a Meet The Breeds, where we stood and talked about the Welsh Breed and answered questions from the audience. We also had one ridden demo per day where we rode to keltic music and breed description for 15 minutes. A special thanks to Robyn and Annie for coming down and assisting us on Saturday and Sunday. Thanks also to our huge cheering section of Simpson Equine students as well as a few students from Stonecountry, Paige, Robin, Kat and Stephanie!! Thanks guys!!

April 20, 2008

He has arrived!!!!

We welcome the Multi - Supreme Champion Section C Welsh Stallion, *Menai Carlo!!!

April 5, 2008

Spring Break Camp

We had a great week over Spring Break. Christal and I did a two day workshop that included Braiding, Bandgaging and Jumping. Then on Friday April 4th we had a special guest, Sherry Gresko of Leduc. She is a team member of the Appaloosa Battle of the Breeds team. She was the captain of the Team last year when they won the Battle! She came and did a western horsemanship clinic and boy did everyone learn lots!! A great time was had by all who participated.

February 1, 2008

ARENA AND BARN ARE HEATED!!

YAY!! The construction crew is gone and the heat is installed and everything is working and it is WARM!! Come on out and enjoy!!

December 18, 2007

They are here!!!!

The ponies have arrived from the U.K.!!! We welcome the Royal Welsh Winner, *Cadlanvalley Orlando! We welcome the beautiful *Geler Nina!!! We welcome the stunning *Geler Shanco!!! We welcome the amazing *Blanche Maverick!!! We welcome the pretty *Hilin Golden Necklace and we welcome the very special *Dukeshill Delfina!! Check out the new additions on our stallion and mare pages!! This is a huge step in our breeding program and we look very forward to the future of Stonecountry Welsh!!

November 29, 2007

2007 Alberta Provincial High Point Awards

The Welsh Pony and Cob Society of Alberta announced the 2007 Provincial High Point Award Winners. We had a very successful year! Section C/D 2 and Under Fillies Reserve Champion - Stonecountry Prairie Rose Section C/D Stallions Champion - *Pwllmelin Re-Spin Reserve Champion - *Menai Country Boy Section C/D Mares Champion - USA Railside Blue Rosettes Section C/D Geldings 3 and Over Champion - Foothill's Duke of Earl Reserve Champion - Wyvere Double Diamond English Pleasure Senior Reserve Champion - *Broughton Jack Daniels English Pleasure Junior Champion - Foothill's Duke of Earl Western Pleasure Junior Champion - Foothill's Duke of Earl Reserve Champion - Wyvere Double Diamond Hunter Under Saddle Junior Reserve Champion - Foothill's Duke of Earl We are very proud of all our winners and we look forward to 2008!!

November 5, 2007

The Construction Has Started!!

The insulating of the arena and barn has started!! We will soon have heat in both buildings!! Thank you to our boarders and students for being so patient with the interuptions.

October 14, 2007

Stonecountry's Scarecrow Classic

What a beautiful day to have a show!! We invited Terry Lengwenus from Red Deer to be our judge and he did a fabulous job. He made all the students feel comfortable and at ease. This schooling show served as a wind up to the season for more of the the experienced riders and served as a great introduction for the first time show entries (both rider or horse/pony). Our show had a few halter classes, a few showmanship classes, a few English and Western Pleasure and Equitation classes, some really fun novelty classes that included "pony with the biggest feet", "pony with the prettiest mane", pony that looks most like its handler" etc... And also some jumping classes. The day ended with games classes and the last class served to be one of the most entertaining...the bareback $5 bill race. It was a gruelling time but Zoe Schneck ended up taking the pot!! Great show had by all, we look forward to seeing everyone at our Spring Classic!

September 6, 2007

Spruce Meadows Masters'

Despite not being able to do a demo this year, Spruce Meadows was still a success!! The Parkland Welsh Pony and Cob Association of Alberta had a booth in Breeds For The World. Stonecountry Crew went down on Thursday evening and manned the booth on Friday and Sunday. Stonecountry Crew comprised of Nick, Claire, Robyn, Amanda, Suzy and Rob. The ponies that we took to represent the Welsh Breed were, Cot'n'wd Hotspur (of course!), Wyvere Double Diamond and USA Railside's Blue Rosettes. The booth was well decorated and always seemed to be swamped with interested pony and cob lovers old and new! Our brochures flew off the table as well as numerous questions answered as to why the Welsh Pony and Cob is the breed for all reasons. We look forward to next year when we will be able to participate in the ridden demos and meet up with new and old Welsh Pony and Cob lovers again!!

August 25, 2007

Welsh Show Association # 2 - Thorsby, Alberta

We had the largest show from Stonecountry at this show with 20 ponies!!! A few highlights were Broughton Jack Daniels was Supreme Champion Gelding under judge Pat Cochrane of Oregon and Reserve Supreme Champion Gelding under Shannon Lawlor of Alberta! Our stallion Lianna's Saqqarah was Supreme Champion under judge Shannon Lawlor!! All riders did an exceptional job and should be so proud of their accomplishments!! Foothill's Hercules - Allison Gilbert Foothill's Duke of Earl - Kira Macmillan Foothill's Friar Tuck - Megan McEwen Foothill's Lord Charles - Amanda Young Foothill's Ivor - Jordan McEwen Foothill's Distinguished Man - Ashley Light Wyvere Double Diamond - K.J. Clark Melody's Bright Note - Kat Pick Broughton Jack Daniels - Jodie Surerus Bryson's Cirque De Soleil - Jodie Surerus Bryson's Heavenly Fortune - Jodie Surerus Saddlehill's Ancerin - Jodie Surerus Stonecountry Easter Geode - Jodie Surerus Young's Distinctive Lady - Stephanie Petrone Petie - Lauren South Menai Country Boy - Stonecountry Lianna's Saqqarah - Stonecountry Pwllmelin Re-Spin - Stonecountry USA Railsides Blue Rosettes - Claire Ziff Frosty's Top Hat - Matthew Joslin We had so much fun all together at this show! A great end to a fabulous show year!!

August 11, 2007

Western Canada's All Breed Pony Show

We took seven ponies to Cochrane for the Welsh Pony and Open Pony Show. Allison Gilbert and her cob Foothill's Hercules was Supreme Champion Gelding!! Kira could not join us at the show, but her cob, Foothill's Duke of Earl joined us with Amanda Young aboard. There were the Western Equitation AND Pleasure Champions!!! As well as Resever English Pleasure Champions!! Claire Ziff had USA Railsides Blue Rosettes and they won the Green Pony Hunter Class with over 20 entries and placed in the top 5 of every other class they showed in against strong competition. Lauren South and her pony Young's Distinctive Lady had some great rounds in huge junior classes and had a great show!! Jordan McEwen had great fun with Melody's Bright Note, they were in the top five of most classes too!! Megan McEwen was there with her pony Foothill's Friar Tuck and had an excellent show with her young cob who just finished a month under saddle! K.J. brought Wyvere Double Diamond and had a terrific show winning a few of the western classes and placing in the top five for most of the english classes!! Great Show Everyone!!

July 9, 2007

Wild Rose Pony Show - Olds, Alberta

Another great show!! Our mare Railside Blue Rosettes went Supreme Champion under Bill Waldo and Reserve Supreme under Becky Israel!! Kira and her cob Foothill's Duke of Earl was Reserve Supreme Gelding and Gavin with his cob Gladestrycourt Gorsaf Feistr was Reserve Supreme as well!! Fantastic performance classes by Claire, Amanda, Kira, Gavin and Nyala. I am so proud of you all, everyone had a great show and a great time!!

June 4, 2007

Northwest Welsh Classic - Moses Lake, Washington

We had a terrific show down in Washington. Kira took her cob Duke, K.J. took the wonderful Diamond, Zoe took the sensational Maestro and we also had Prairie Rose and Rosettes down with us as well! Kira cleaned up in the English Division and was the over all Division Champion with K.J. as the Reserve. In the Western Division K.J. was the Division Champion with Kira in Reserve. Zoe had wonderful classes with Maestro and showed him well. We will definitely return next year and look forward to keeping in touch with all the new friends we made in the wonderful welsh world!!