Welsh Ponies

HSM Applauds Future Maryland Champions at the Maryland Pony Breeders 2026 Yearling Futurity

Welsh Ponies

Horse Sport Maryland was pleased to sponsor the highest scoring Maryland-bred pony at the Maryland Pony Breeders Yearling Future this past Sunday at the Harford County Equestrian Center. Maryland-bred ponies are among the most successful ponies on the Welsh circuit ever year, and they excel in the Pony Hunter divisions of USHJA sanctioned events as well. The future looks bright with the current pony foal crop. Many congratulations to the breeders of these beautiful winners — Jacqueline Morris, Severn Oaks Farm, and Loafers Lodge Welsh. All pictures by Kathryn Southard.
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Maryland Pony Breeder of the Day: Severn Oaks Farm

Welsh Ponies

We here at Horse Sport Maryland set about writing up Severn Oaks Farm as our Maryland Pony Breeder of the Day a few days ago, but then two things happened. The first thing was that yours truly sustained a mildly incapacitating back injury coming off a very non-pony-sized horse (a 17.2 hand OTTB), which knocked us off our surfboard for a time. The second thing was that we found that much our work had already been done exceptionally well by Peggy Ingles, who published an article about Severn Oaks in the January 2009 issue of The Equiery. Ingles’s article was written in memory of the foundation stallion Severn West Wind, who died in 2001, and says more than we ever could about the farm so we are re-printing a great deal of it here: A Family Commitment By Peggy Ingles Severn Oaks Farm was founded in 1947 near the Severn River, ...
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Maryland Pony Breeder of the Day: Casey Edinger and Slackwater Farm

Welsh Ponies

Casey Edinger at Slackwater Farm in Dameron, St. Mary’s County, is one of the country’s up-and-coming Welsh pony breeders. Thirteen of her Section B and Section C Welsh are registered with WPCSA, and most of those are also registered with the US Equestrian Federation. Her first registered foal was born in 2018; the most recent was born last April. She was the Champion Welsh Breeder at the 2022 Maryland Pony Breeders Yearling Futurity. Edinger uses a few bloodlines in her breeding program that are not currently seen in many of our Maryland-bred ponies. Two examples are her 2023 Welsh cross Slackwater Mischief Managed, who comes down from Kristin deLuca’s German Riding Ponies in Connecticut; and her Massachusetts-bred broodmare Ashland Ginger Rose, who brings in the Glanteifi bloodlines from Wales and the Gallod pedigrees from Canada. The WPCSA registry is filling with more Slackwater ponies every year, to such an extent ...
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Pony Futurity Breeder of the Day: Judithann Hartman and Copper Beech Farm

Welsh Ponies

Copper Beech Farm in Tracey’s Landing is among the most successful breeders of Welsh Mountain Ponies (also known as Section A ponies) in the country. It is owned and operated by JudithAnn Hartman, who is also the current President of the Maryland Pony Breeders and the organizer of the Maryland Pony Breeders Yearling Futurity. She specializes in Section A ponies bred specifically for the driving disciplines. Hartman has two Section A yearlings entered in this year’s show: Copper Beech Campion – a chestnut colt born on March 16, 2025, by Hartman’s champion stallion Copper Beech Summer Zephyr out of Hartman’s Copper Beech Marigold (Gypsy Rose’s Pride). Campion is undefeated in his 11 outings in the WPCSA Section A Colts division this year, and he was Reserve Grand Champion in two of those. As a result, he is currently in first place nationally for WPCSA Section A Colts. Copper Beech Porcelain ...
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UPCOMING EVENT: Maryland Pony Breeders Yearling Futurity

Welsh Ponies

Palomino pony being shown in hand
The Maryland Pony Breeders (MPB) are holding their annual futurity this coming weekend, Sept. 12-13, at the Harford County Equestrian Center in Bel Air. The Yearling Futurity is both a celebration and a sneak preview of the next generation of champion Maryland-bred ponies. MPB is the oldest multi-breed pony association in the United States. In the early 1950s, influential instructor and pony breeder Louise Este Hollyday (“Miss Louise”) and her business partner Pat Archer realized that unlike the Thoroughbred racing industry, which had robust organizational support, the regional pony breeders were un-organized and therefore un-seen. To rectify that, Hollyday and Archer established the MPB in June 1953 to organize and promote all pony breeds and pony disciplines. Since then, Maryland pony breeders have purpose-bred what is now the ideal American Hunter Pony. Maryland-bred ponies dominate breed shows, driving competitions, and the show ring. They are known for their tight, symmetrical ...
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