VISIT TO FAYRE OAKS SALE, BUILT WELLS 

&

VISIT TO DIFFERENT STUDS

 

If you click on this Photo you will get the Catalogue of the High Flyer Sale

 

When you click on this photo you will get the prices paid at the Fayre Oaks Sale

 

We left with four men (Dick and Herman Valk, Jan Weijers and myself) at Thursday 25th of September with the Ferry from Calais to Dover. The passing took about 90 minutes. The goal of our journey was visiting some famous Welsh Studs and the Fayre Oaks Sale in Built Wells.

this sale is held every year (this was the 55th Sale)

at The Royal Welsh Showground.

 

Before we went to the Fayre Oaks we went to the Millcroft Stud in Dawlish Devon, about 450 km. from Dover. This Stud is owned by John and Maggie Carter. We were invited in their lovely dinner room where we had a very nice tea with cake and other delights.

 

 

If you click on this photo, you will visit The Millcroft Stud Website

 

If you enter this room your eye will catch the beautiful collage of pictures and the fine collection of trophies and colourful ribbons.

 

Millcroft Dhalia

 

After this very appreciated hospitality we went to the Stables, where the Royal Welsh Champion Millcroft Dhalia stood. Afterwards we went to the hillside where the other Welsh Pony’s and their foals were pasturing.

There quality is very high indeed. We said our goodbyes and went on for a well deserved night’s rest.

 

Our appointment for the following day was with Mr. Edwin Prosser from The  Mintfield Stud in Port Talbot, West Glam, Wales.

 

 

Mares at the meadow, Mintfield Stud

If you click on this photo you will enter The Mintfield Stud WebPages

 

Edwin Prosser was already waiting and led us to his Stud. Again the hospitality we gained was really outstanding. After a nice tea, we drove to the Stables where he showed us some beautiful recently weaned foals. They are all in separate stables. He finds its better for the foals to be weaned this way. Short pain and luckily only once.

 

Recently weaned foal at The Mintfield Stud

 

After that we walked to the fields where we saw the famous Royal Welsh Winner Mintfield Songtrush. At the higher placed fields stood some very appealing young stock and the beautiful Cottrell Royal Consort!

 

After this visit we continued our journey to Built Wells we went alongside the really magnificent National Park, Brecon Beans. We past a Hill with a very nice pair of Welsh Mountain Pony’s  from the famous Maesgwyn Stud. You can see for yourself how beautiful the landscape and these pony’s are on the pictures we took.

 

      

Welsh Pony's from the Maesgwyn Stud in the beautiful landscape of Brecon Beans 

If you click on the first picture you will enter the website from the Maesgwyn Stud

 

At the 27th of September it was finally time. The first day of the Fayre Oaks Sale on the areas of the Royal Welsh Showground.

All the pony’s stood in boxes en could be showed outside.

 

   

Friars Golden Mark showed outside his box         -      The ring in which the pony’s are sold            

 

De catalogue named almost 800 entries.

If you want to know more about the prices you can CLICK here!

 

For the High-Flyer Evening Sale there were 28 pony’s selected. There were also some statues of Coed Coch Madog and Gredington Simwnt auctioned Those have a limited impression. The cheapest went for £ 180 and the most expensive went for £ 580.

 

Examples of the prices paid are: Friars Golden Mark, a 8-year old Welsh Mountain Stallion went for £ 5200. A 3-year old Welsh Pony Stallion Melau Morocco went for £ 5500.

 

The ultimate sale of the evening was a 9-year old Welsh Mountain gelding Rosmarche Huckleberry. You need to know he was selected for the

Horse of the Year Show. 

 

(Famous the world over, HOYS is widely regarded as the pinnacle of achievement in the equestrian world and an event to which all owners and riders aspire. Tens of thousands of competitors set out each year to become one of the coveted finalists at HOYS through qualifying classes held all over the country between March and September. Therefore, visitors to HOYS can be assured that they are truly watching some of the most talented Showing and Show Jumping horses and riders in the UK.)

 

 

It really has to be a good pony to be invited for that show. Good riding pony’s are very popular and scares so the bidding went really fast and high! In no time at all, the auctioneer went so fast I thought he was joking, but a grandmother wanted this pony for her granddaughter so Huckleberry went for no less than £ 11.000. Every girl should have such granny’s.

 

After two days of enjoying the atmosphere of the auction and the picturesque Built Wells, where we stayed at the “The Lion” we went to visit the renounced Paddock Stud from the family Butterworth, Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire (above Manchester).

 

The fields at the Paddock Stud

when you click on this Picture you will enter the site of the Paddock Stud

 

We received a sincerest reception at the Paddock Stud. The family Butterworth also has a beautiful collage from all the Champions at their wall. The Paddock Stud is a well known Stud with Welsh Pony’s who have won more than once at the Royal Welsh.

 

Paddock Peionie chestnut roan mare

 

In the fields well known pony’s like Paddock Peionie and Paddock Alesha, in the stable a very nice yearling filly Paddock Priscilla.

We also saw the colt foal that was purchased at the Fayre Oaks Sale.

 

Paddock mares in a very beautiful surrounding

 

After a nice cup of coffee we left in the direction of Dover and sadly our visit to Wales was past. Wales was so much more than I expected. The People are hospitable and very friendly. All I can say is you really should visit this beautiful country! 

Nico Werkhoven (report and pictures)

 

 

(This trip was made by Dick and Herman Valk (www.wildzang.com),

Jan Weijers (Stal Clayland) and

Nico Werkhoven (www.vliedbergstud.com)