SPORTS PONY STUDBOOK SOCIETY

  A DEFRA approved Passport Issuing Organisation

Studbook Office: The Last House, Keysoe Row West, Keysoe, Bedfordshire MK44 2JJ

Tel: 07703 566066    Email: 

Normal office hours - Monday to Friday 10.30 am to 4 pm

Note that the SPSS Office relocated in April 2014 and the contact details at the top of the page should now be used for all contact with the SPSS
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2017 NEWS

 

 

*  SPSS Ponies Succeed at Young Dressage Pony Champs

Additional Stallion Grading

2017 Grading Special Offer

ENTRIES OPEN - 2017 Gradings & Evaluations

*  2017 Young Dressage Pony Championships Finalists

*  RFS Socrates awarded SPSS ELITE status

*  2017 BD Young Dressage Pony Championships

*  SPSS 2017 Grading & Evaluation Tour

*  Stallion AI Services & Twemlows Stud Stallion Parade

2017 Foal Passport Offer

*  Breeding Awards for Littledale Bright Star

*  SPSS 2016 AGM Minutes and New Rule Book

*  2016 Pony Performance & Breeding Award

*  Top results for SPSS Ponies at Awards Dinner

*  2017 Stallion Guide

*  2017 British Breeders' Awards Dinner

*  2017 BBSH Stallion Event

*  Happy New Year and Thank You

*  Scottish Sport Horse Pony Passports

*  Guidance on Obtaining a Passport

 

 

To catch up with other year's news, click on the year below:

 

 

 

The SPSS will again be reporting from the Pony European Championships - which are being held from 25-30 July near Kaposvár, Hungary

Click here for event website

   

2017 BD Young Dressage Pony

4 year old Champion - SPSS graded Chartstürmer WE

 

2017 BD Young Dressage Pony

Top Scoring Pony and

5 year old Champion - SPSS graded Woodlander Sir Gorgeous

 

2017 BD Young Dressage Pony

6 year old Champion - SPSS registered George Clooney B.S.

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SPSS Ponies Succeed at Young Dressage Pony Champs

 

At the 2017 British Dressage Young Dressage Pony Championships SPSS registered/graded ponies did exceptionally well with all 3 age Champions being SPSS registered and both the stallion winners are also SPSS graded.  The Championships were for 4, 5 and 6 year old dressage ponies and took place on Sunday 9th July at the Hartpury Festival of Dressage. Ponies had to qualify by scoring 7.0 or more and placing in the top 3 at one of the qualifying competitions.

 

At the Championships, for each of the age classes, the SPSS supplied special rosettes for both the highest scoring SPSS registered (so SPSS passported or overstamped) pony and the highest scoring British-bred pony. Hence, we are delighted that the "Best SPSS" rosettes went to the 3 Champions and that 2 of them also received the "Best British-bred" rosettes, with the other going to the 2nd placed 4 year old.

 

Recipient of the first "Best SPSS" rosette on offer was the 4 year old Champion, the SPSS graded stallion, Chartstürmer WE. "Charti"  was bred in Germany and is by  Caramel WE out of SPSS Head Studbook graded Greatest Hit (FS Golden Highlight x Catherston Nightsafe).  Owned by Ann Marie Manning since he was a weanling and both ridden and produced by her sister Jennifer, Charti came to the UK as a rising 3 year old and, impressively, has so far not been beaten in competition.  In second place and receiving the SPSS sponsored rosette for Best British-bred was the British-bred (by  Mrs K L Curtis) WPCS Sec C mare Penbee Savannah (Dabernon Replica x Felinmor Ringmaster) who was ridden by her owner Abigail Edwards.  Then in 3rd place was the German bred gelding VSH Don Diego (Dimension AT x A Gorgeous) who is owned and ridden by Donna Lockhart.

 

With the highest score of all the young ponies - and the only one to score over 8 - the 5 year old Champion was the British-bred SPSS graded stallion Woodlander Sir Gorgeous and so he received both the Best SPSS and Best British-bred rosettes.  Bred by Lynne Crowden of Woodlander Stud, "Riley" is by the Warmblood horse Santana out of the SPSS graded WPCS Sec Synod Galina (Synod Rum Punch x Synod Request).  Owned by Claire Wyatt of Bromson Stud and ridden and trained by Charlotte Drakeley, Riley has also qualified for the British Dressage Regional Championships at Elementary level.  On her Facebook page, Charlotte said "Sir Gorgeous came out at Hartpury like a true professional. Through the test, Sir Gorgeous stayed wonderfully solid and focused. Our Medium trot was the best one we have achieved in competition to date, as we have been working on keeping his balance and rhythm and we achieved at 9 for both his trot and canter work. We have been training very hard with his walk at home where he can walk for an 8, but some stallion tension sometimes creeps in at competitions so I was thrilled with his walk at 7.5. Sir Gorgeous has only been back a few weeks from standing at Stud for the first time, and I could not be more proud of how this young stallion is taking everything that comes his way, so very well!".  Second placed was another British-bred and SPSS registered pony, Sheepcote PFS Gold Crest who was ridden by ex Pony European GB Team member Hariette Williams for owner Kelly Mewes.  This lovely gelding is a WPCS Part-bred by Sheepcote Suncrest out of Tynycae Goldfinch (Sarnau Valentine x Belvoir Zoroaster)

 

The six year old title went to yet another SPSS Registered and British-bred pony, the grey gelding George Clooney B.S. (Caesar 171 x Santano).  George was ridden by Sophie Taylor who was on the GB Pony Europeans Team in both 2016 and 2017 with Becky Moody's SPSS Elite graded Madam's Miss Maria.  George was bred by Julie Lockey, who also bred his full sister, SPSS Elite graded Ella, a member of the Irish Dressage Team at the 2016 Pony Europeans who is now competing internationally for GB ridden by Sophie Williams.

  

Additional Stallion Grading

 

Stallions will also now be graded on the morning of Tuesday 12th September at the central venue of Bromson Stud, Bromson Hall Farm Stables, Ashorne, Warwick CV35 9AB

 

There's more information and entry forms for the September Tour dates on this page

 

Spectators welcome at all SPSS events – Free Entry

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2017 Grading Special Offer

 

Note that there is a Special Offer for those who are SPSS Members on 1st July 2017 of £5 off each Mare/Stallion Grading Entry provided mare/stallion owner is an SPSS member on 1st July 2017 and entry (including full payment) is received by 1st August and includes the coupon in the June 2017 SPSS Newsletter.  Note that this newsletter will be sent to all those who either join as new members or renew lapsed membership by 1st July. 

 

Click here for a Membership Application Form; Click here for a Membership Renewal Form (please contact the Studbook Office if you're not sure of your membership status)

 

There's more information and entry forms for the September Tour dates on this page

 

Entries Open for 2017 SPSS Grading & Evaluations

 

Entries are now open for the 2017 SPSS Mare & Stallion Gradings and Youngstock Evaluations.  With the Tour starting on Friday 8th September and going to a range of venues in England & Wales before finishing in Scotland on the 15th September, we hope that we are within a reasonable travelling distance of most members.  If we're not, then please let us know and we'll try to get closer next year! 

 

On the map on the left, the public venues are marked with stars with a red star showing venues at which stallions can be presented for grading; we're seeing mares and youngstock at all venues.  The full venue list can be found on this page or downloaded as a PDF (click here)

 

Note that there is a Special Offer for those who are SPSS Members on 1st July 2017 of £5 off each Mare/Stallion Grading Entry provided mare/stallion owner is an SPSS member on 1st July 2017 and entry (including full payment) is received by 1st August and includes the coupon in the June 2017 SPSS Newsletter.  Note that this newsletter will be sent to all those who either join as new members or renew lapsed membership by 1st July.

 

There's more information and entry forms for the September Tour dates on this page

 

Spectators welcome at all SPSS events – Free Entry

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2017 Young Dressage Pony Championships Finalists

 

This Championships, for 4, 5 and 6 year old dressage ponies, takes place on Sunday 9th July at the Hartpury Festival of Dressage. Ponies have had to qualify by scoring 7.0 or more and placing in the top 3 at one of the 7 qualifying competitions.

 

At the Championships, for each of the age classes, the SPSS is supplying special rosettes for both the highest scoring SPSS registered (so SPSS passported or overstamped) pony and the highest scoring British-bred pony. Hence, we are delighted that, looking at on-line results and Facebook updates (where available), we believe that at least the following SPSS registered ponies have qualified for the finals:

 

4 Year Olds: Chartstürmer WE (Caramel WE x FS Golden Highlight) & Jennifer Manning (1st at Quainton); BS Mr President (FS Mr Right x Donatelli) & Bruce Harrison (2nd at Quainton)

 

5 Year Olds: Tangaluna (SPSS Elite Bernwode Brokat x Chica II) & Colina Pickles (1st at Quainton); RS Starsky (SPSS Elite RFS Socrates x Sir Donnerhall I) & Eleanor J Cooper (1st at Houghton Hall); Woodlander Sir Gorgeous (Santana x Synod Rum Punch) & Charlotte Drakeley (1st at Wellington Riding); De Votion (De Niro x Waterford) & Annie Lloyd Aylett (1st at Kingswood EC)

 

6 Year Olds: George Clooney B.S. (SPSS Elite Caesar 171 x Santano) & Sophie Taylor (1st at Manor Grange Stud)

 

Our congratulations to the breeders, owners and riders of all these ponies and we look forward to seeing them all excel at the finals.

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SPSS Registered RS Starsky

(SPSS Elite RFS Socrates x Sir Donnerhall I) & Eleanor J Cooper.

Winners of the 5 year old Young Pony Qualifier at Houghton Hall.

British bred by Jo Wright

Photo by kind permission of TLS Photography

 

 

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RFS Socrates awarded SPSS ELITE status

 

The SPSS is delighted to announce that British-bred and SPSS graded RFS Socrates has been awarded the coveted  SPSS ELITE graded status in recognition of his representing Ireland at his first international competition, CDI Sint-Truiden in April 2017. 

 

Huge congratulations to RFS Socrates' owner and breeder SPSS member Jo Wright and his rider Leah Murphy, who did a great job introducing this young pony, who was 7 on the day of the Team Test, to the excitement and pressure of the international pony competition circuit.

 

 

2017 Young Dressage Pony Championships

 

Back again in 2017 and being run by British Dressage  - check their website and rule book for latest info but as at 20/01/17 the dates are:

 

Quainton Bucks 8 Apr
Manor Grange W Yorks 21 May
Wellington Hants 8 Jun
Rockrose East Lothian 10 Jun
Kingswood Staffs 13 Jun
Sheepgate Lincs 17 Jun
Championship Hartpury Festival of Dressage 4-9 Jul

 

There are separate sections for 4, 5 and 6 year old ponies (who must not exceed 149cm). Ponies will be seen in pairs at the qualifiers and will ride a commanded test NOTE THAT, at the first qualifier, different tests were used to 2016 (despite BD informing us that these were the 2017 tests too!).  Then the top 6 ponies will return to the arena for final judging.  The top 3 ponies (provided they score 7.0 or more) will qualify for the final where they will be judged on their performance in a test (tests to be confirmed by BD).

 

At the Championships, for each of the age classes, the SPSS will present special rosettes to the highest scoring SPSS registered (so SPSS passported or overstamped) pony and to the highest scoring British passported pony.

 

Past winners of these classes have gone on to win Team Silver & Individual Bronze medals at the Pony European Championships (Der Kleine Lord ridden by Alexandra Hellings) and be 2015 BD National Medium Restricted Champions (Cruz ridden by Jayne Turney).  Cruz and many of the other past finalists have gone on to compete internationally - including LE Chiffre who was part of the 2016 GB team at the Pony Euros. 

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2016 BD Young Dressage Pony Champion - 4 year old SPSS graded De Votion

 

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SPSS 2017 Grading & Evaluation Tour

 

In 2016 we conducted another hugely successful Mare Grading & Youngstock Evaluation Tour and we are delighted to announce that we will be doing another tour this year.

The 2017 Tour venues are being planned at the moment, so if you want us to come to your area, please email entries@sportpony.org.uk with information about the number of mares and youngstock you expect to have as well as venue suggestions - we will do private stud visits (for sufficient numbers) if we are in the area. There will also be a central Stallion Grading in September - and we may do another in Scotland if there is sufficient support.

 

Spectators welcome at all SPSS events – Free Entry

 

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Stallion AI Services & Twemlows Stud Stallion Parade

 

The SPSS will be attending the Stallion AI Services & Twemlows Stud Open Day and Stallion Parade on 22nd April at Twemlows Hall Stud Farm AI & ET Centre and we're really looking forward to seeing the SPSS graded stallions who are attending.

 

Please come along to our stand for more info on our 2017 SPECIAL OFFER on foal registrations and our 2017 events. 

 

2017 Foal Passport Offer

 

We are delighted to be supporting British sports pony breeders in their breeding operations by offering a £25 discount from the passport application fee for all 2017 foal passports applied for by 1st November 2017.

 

So if you're breeding sports ponies, plan ahead to take advantage of our offer and passport with the only UK society whose primary focus is the breeding, production, evaluation & licensing of competition ponies for FEI disciplines.

 

British passports for British ponies!

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Photos by kind permission of Kevin Sparrow

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Breeding Awards for Littledale Bright Star

 

SPSS Elite graded stallion Littledale Bright Star was awarded the Competition Stallions Award for the Top British-based Pony Sire of Sports Ponies in the 2016 Futurity at the British Sports Horse Stallion Event on the 7th January.

 

At the same event, SPSS Studbook Manager, Lucy Sheldrake, took the opportunity to also present Littledale Bright Star with the 2016 SPSS Dancer Medal.  The Dancer Medal is given annually by the SPSS to a worthy pony and for 2016 it went to Littledale Bright Star in in recognition of his being the first SPSS passported stallion to sire a pony or horse competing in FEI international competitions.

 

Littledale Bright Star was also being presented with a sash and rosette to mark his elevation to SPSS ELITE Stallion status. This highly coveted status is only awarded to SPSS graded stallions and mares who either compete internationally themselves or sire an international competitor. In Littledale Bright Star’s case, he is the sire of SPSS passported Catherston Bit of Gold who was clear in the 1.25m class at the 2015 Keysoe 2* International Showjumping (CSI) competition and of Prairie Star who completed the 2*International 3 Day Event at Hartpury in 2012.

A review of all of the pony stallions at the BBSH can be read on the Breeding British website (here)

 

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2016 SPSS AGM Minutes and New Rule Book

 

The 2016 SPSS AGM was held on Friday 6th January 2017 at De Vere Horwood Estate in Buckinghamshire. All resolutions were passed, including revisions to the Rule Book and the Memorandum & Articles of Association.

 

The 2016 AGM Minutes (including associated documents) may be viewed/download here and the new 2017 SPSS Rule Book can be downloaded from here or can be sent by email or post (contact the Studbook Office to request).

 

 

2016 Pony Performance & Breeding Award

 

At the 2017 Breeders Dinner & Awards Ceremony (organised by the British Horse Foundation), the SPSS sponsored Pony Performance & Breeding Award was presented to SPSS passported and Elite Graded LE Chiffre (Caesar 171 x Donnerwetter).  The award was presented to LE Chiffre's breeder, Bev Brown, by SPSS Director, Lucy Sheldrake.

 

LE Chiffre was selected for this award by the SPSS in recognition of his being the first SPSS passported pony to compete at the Pony European Championships (ridden by Lara Kuropatwa) and the only British dressage team pony to score over 70% in all the tests

 

2016 Pony European Championships

Team Test - 10th with 70.744%

Individual Test - 11th with 70.268%

Freestyle Test - 8th with 71.200%

 

Read more about LE Chiffre and past recipients here

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Photo by kind permission of Craig Payne

 

 

Catherston Bobby Bright

(Littledale Bright Star x Number One Guy)

Photo by kind permission of Craig Payne

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Top results for SPSS Breeders at Awards Dinner

 

At the 2017 British Breeders Awards Dinner SPSS members achieved a “clean sweep” of Sports Pony BEF Certificates of Merit and all of these top youngstock were by SPSS graded stallions with Penny Walster’s Bathleyhills Monet siring both the Yearling and 2 Year Old winners.  

 

Impressive certificates and rosettes went to (SPSS graded Sires/Dams are shown in bold):  

  • Lynne Crowden's Woodlander West Virginia (s: Woodlander Wales; d: Mademoiselle), the top scoring Sports Pony Foal

  • Vicky Leggett's Tamasha Golden Ghost (s: Bathleyhills Monet; d: Strictly Dun Dancing), the top scoring Sports Pony Yearling

  • Penny Walster's Bathleyhills Mystery Machine (s: Bathleyhills Monet d: Bathleyhills First Mystery) the top scoring Sports Pony 2 year old.

  • Jennie Loriston-Clarke's Catherston Bobby Bright (s: Littledale Bright Star; d: Catherston Georgia)

Our congratulations to all our breeder members, not just those listed above as successful in the futurity series, but also those whose progeny gained SPSS Premiums in our own evaluations.

 

 

2017 SPSS Stallion Guide

 

The 2017 SPSS Stallion Guide has been published and posted to members.  A copy is also mailed to anyone joining the SPSS during the year; click here to find out about Membership.  Non members can to get a copy by sending a stamped and addressed envelope (£1.22 postage) to:

 

SPSS Studbook Office, The Last House, Keysoe Row West, Keysoe,

Bedfordshire MK44 2JJ

 

Copies will also be available at the 2017 Futurity Evaluations, all SPSS Events and selected other events this summer. 

 

The full colour booklet includes SPSS Notices and highlights from 2016 as well as featuring 40 of the SPSS stallions in the Stallion Guide section PLUS detials of the offer of £25 off the standard cost of a SPSS passport for 2017 foal passports when passport application and payment are received by 1st November 2017 . 

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2017 British Breeders' Awards Dinner

 

The 2017 British Breeders Awards Dinner takes place on Saturday 14th January from 6.15 pm at the Grange City Hotel in London (near the Tower).  At this "black tie" dinner the annual SPSS special award is presented, as well as there being Certificates of Merit to the top scoring Pony Futurity entrants in 2016. There's more information about the event here including a link to buy tickets

 

2017 BBSH Stallion Event

 

The SPSS will be at the British Bred Sport Horse (BBSH) Stallion Event at Bury Farm Equestrian Village again, on Saturday 7th January from 11am to 8.30pm.  As in previous years, there'll be a trade stand area, top class stallions, international riders and an evening spectacular. 

 

Tickets are £10 and include the latest edition of the British Breeder Magazine, which also forms the parade catalogue as well as having all the latest news.  The SPSS display boards will be set up in the trade stand area so do come and see us. 

 

More information including how to get tickets  is available here.

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Happy New Year and Thank you

 

Just to wish all our members and supporters a very happy and successful 2017 and thank you for continuing to support the SPSS. 2016 was another fantastic year for the Studbook with once again significant increases in the number of passports issued as well as the number of registrations (ie overstamping of other societies’ passports). This means that since the current Studbook Manager took over in April 2014 and re-invigorated the Studbook, the previous trend of decreasing numbers has been reversed and the Studbook is once again building on the effort put in by those who started it and consolidating it’s position as the only UK studbook specialising in the identification, grading and registration of ponies with sporting potential.

 

In 2016 we conducted another hugely successful Mare Grading & Youngstock Evaluation Tour and we are delighted to announce that we will be doing another tour this year. The 2017 Tour venues are being planned at the moment, so if you want us to come to your area, please email or   with information about the number of mares and youngstock you expect to have as well as venue suggestions - we will do private stud visits (for sufficient numbers) if we are in the area. There will also be a central Stallion Grading in September - and we may do another in Scotland if there is sufficient support.

 

You can read more about the SPSS’s 2016 activities in the January 2017 British Breeder magazine and in our 2017 Stallion Guide - these are mailed to all current members - if you want to join or renew your membership then the relevant form can be found on our Membership page

 

 

Scottish Sport Horse Pony Passports

 

Following the closure of the Scottish Sport Horse (SSH) Studbook, the SPSS is very pleased to announce that, in collaboration with Sport Horse Breeding of Great Britain (SHB(GB)), we are able to assist with any queries relating to ponies passported, graded or registered by SSH, as ponies do not fall under the remit of Sport Horse Breeding (GB) who have taken over the business of SSH.

 

As such we will happily accept SSH graded ponies into the relevant section of our studbook and can deal with ownership / detail changes for any SSH passported ponies.

 

We are also very happy to issue passports for foals by SSH graded pony stallions or out of SSH graded pony mares.

 

Please contact our Studbook Office via  or 07703 566066 if you have SSH ponies or wish to discuss this situation further.

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Guidance on Obtaining a Passport

 

The Information/FAQ and Passports pages contain guidance about how to get a passport for your foal - PLEASE READ before submitting a passport application as it will help the SPSS Studbook Office process your passport quickly and mean that you won't have to get your vet out again to complete missing paperwork/DNA/ID chip.

 

Note that, with effect from 1st March 2016, DNA parentage verification will be required before an SPSS passport can be issued for ALL LATE APPLICATIONS and/or where the vet completing the Identification Form section (pages 4 & 5) of the Passport Application Form is not able to carry out foal ID whilst on its genetic dam eg foal has already been weaned or is an ET foal seen with the recipient mare.

 

The cost of a passport with the pedigree verified by DNA parentage testing is a minimum of £40 more than the standard fee. The total cost depends on if DNA profiles exist and can be accessed by the SPSS for both sire and dam. If not, then it will be a further £55 for each parent that has to have a DNA profile done (and a DNA hair sample will be required for this unless one is already held by the SPSS). Please contact the Studbook Secretary on 0703 566066 or by email to establish the cost for each application.

 

SPSS passports issued from 1st January 2016 are fully compliant with the latest EU Equine Identification law and DEFRA Minimum Standards.  The SPSS operates the Studbook to the same standards as expected of a World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses (WPFSH) member - but cannot become a member as our focus is on the breeding of Sports Ponies not horses!

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The Sports Pony Studbook Society

Studbook Office:   The Last House, Keysoe Row West, Keysoe, Bedfordshire MK44 2JJ

Tel: 07703 566066    Email: 

A Private Limited Company - Companies House (Cardiff) Registration No. 4106148

Registered Office: The Stables, Higher Farm, Limington, Yeovil, Somerset BA22 8EG