Arabian eloquence and Welsh sturdiness are apparent in this Welara. Daniel Johnson
American Welara Pony Registry
P.O. Box 3309
Landers, California 92285
www.welararegistry.com
The Welara is recognized as one of the most beautiful pony breeds in the world. Its home-land is England, but the breed additionally brings in the hardy Celtic ancestry of the Welsh Pony from the mountains of Wales. Additionally, the Arabian horse contributes its own shrouded mystique from the desert land of Bedouins and nomadic herdsmen.
The Welara utilizes the best of both breeds, which have been intentionally crossed for nearly a century. It possesses the dry, cut-sculptured beauty found in the Arabian, and the hardiness and versatility of the Welsh Pony. The pony has an arched neck, dished face, and small muzzle, along with a short back similar to the old-world Arabian and natural high tail carriage. Its gait is slightly animated without the use of training aids. The pony’s greatest qualities are its beauty, refinement, hardiness, longevity, and an unusual bonding with humans.
The Welara has a distinct personality that exhibits more charisma than most other equine breeds, making it more enjoyable to work with in all disciplines. Its intelligence and playfulness make it stand out from other breeds.
Many breeders are so impressed with the Welara that they permanently included breeding it in their original Arabian or Welsh program. It is well known that as far back as the early part of the twentieth century, Lady Wentworth bred fine Welsh Ponies at her famed stud, Crabbet Park, to her foremost Arabian stallion and was interested in producing, what she termed, “the most beautiful pony on the face of the earth.”
Welaras in England
In 1873, Wilfrid Scawen Blunt and his wife, Lady Anne, of the Crabbet Stud in England, began to acquire Arabians. Wilfrid became convinced that to infuse the blood of the Arabian into the native English racehorses was to revolutionize the world of racing, but Thoroughbred owners did not accept his beliefs.
In 1875, Wilfrid and Lady Anne traveled from Egypt to Damascus via Palestine, where they became well known among the tribes of those lands for their consuming interest in their horses. Bedouin tastes in horses with classic heads and shorter backs pleased the Blunts more than the long backs of English horses. Bedouin tribes brought horses for them to inspect and buy, and they conceived the idea of bringing some of the finest Arabians they could acquire to Crabbet for breeding.
Wilfrid bought and imported a horse by the name of Kars and several mares. In his promotion of the Arabian, Wilfrid entered Kars in a two-mile race in England. While the stallion did not win it, he gave such a good showing of himself that it must have come as a great shock to the English, who believed only a Thoroughbred could run. Some years later in 1882, Blunt entered a stallion by the name of Pharaoh in a match race and he won impressively, but Blunt never was able to alter the thinking of the racing community during his lifetime.
He and Lady Anne continued to purchase notable Arabians directly from their native lands. In 1878, the Blunts made the acquaintance of Ali Pasha Sherif and his Abbas Pasha Stud, which contained the finest Arabians. Years later when Ali Pasha Sherif was forced to sell his horses, the Blunts were able to have their pick. This greatly built up the quality of Crabbet horses.
The Blunts held promotional horse sales at Crabbet, but due to the English attitude toward the Arabian, most of the horses were sold to other countries. Some went to the United States, some to Australia, and a few went to Spain.
Wilfrid suffered through tuberculosis and subsequent moods of depression, probably due to morphine as a painkiller. In 1904, convinced he had not long to live, he turned Crabbet over to his daughter, Judith, who was known as Lady Wentworth and was married with children at the time. By 1906, Crabbet was divided by agreement and Wilfrid and Lady Anne lived apart. Lady Anne lived on their stud farm in Egypt, and when she died, she left her horses and her part of Crabbet to her granddaughters, under the control of Lady Wentworth.
Wilfrid sold some of his finest mares and stallions to interested parties in the United States, a tragic loss for England but a treasure for America. Also, the American cereal king, W. K. Kellogg, purchased some of Judith’s finest horses, adding further quality to horses in the States.
Lady Wentworth was astute and capable of handling Crabbet, and in April of 1920, she purchased one of the most important Arabian stallions of all time. Bred at the Antoniny Stud in Poland and foaled in 1908, he was the beautiful gray named Skowronek, and he became a famous Arabian stallion at Crabbet. From the early 1920s, Lady Wentworth had also imported a number of Welsh Ponies. She had an interest in creating particularly refined ponies and bred a number of her Welsh Ponies to Skowronek.
Apparently she was pleased with the results. This is when she stated: “Welsh–Arabian as a cross produced the most beautiful pony on the face of the earth!” At the time of her death, she was crossing many Arabians with Welsh Ponies. Skowronek was one of the original studs used to create the Welara breed as it is known today. Another famous foundation stud was the Welsh stallion Dyoll Starlight, foaled in 1894 at Glanrannell Park Stud in Carmarthenshire, Wales. The importance of these two stallions cannot be overestimated, for they changed the equine world forever, establishing a legacy in the Welara.
It did not take many years for breeders to recognize the tremendous potential this breed possessed, especially in the show ring. Unfortunately, for many years the Welara was at a severe disadvantage due to the fact that there was no breed registry to promote or encourage the breeding and improvement of it.
U.S. Registry
In 1979 an American horse breeder named John Collins purchased an unusually beautiful thirteen-month-old Half Arabian, half Welsh colt. It excelled in horse show competitions, attracted admiration wherever it went, and started considerable controversy concerning the lack of an official breed registry or breed name for the Welsh–Arabian.
In 1980, Collins and a group of horse people joined together to form a breed registry and start a studbook. Most in the group were well-established West Coast Arabian and Welsh breeders and firm admirers of the Welara. They saw the breed as a living work of art and worth perpetuating.
The American Welara Pony Registry (AWPR) was founded on January 15, 1981. Collins named his beautiful colt Desert Shadow, and he became the first registered Welara stallion in the registry. In the summer of 1981, he won his first championship against twenty-three finalists. Since then, he has won countless shows and produced blue-ribbon-winning offspring throughout the West Coast.
The AWPR became the official international registry for the Welsh–Arabian (Welara) breed. The word “American” in the name only designated the registry’s location, as the registry did not place any limit or restrictions to registering animals in other counties. In fact, the AWPR today registers both Welara and foundation stock globally and has many international members, breeders, and stock.
The popularity of the Welara breed has grown phenomenally over the past two decades. Annual registrations have more than doubled in the last few years, and sale values have soared. Stallion fees have now reached competitive prices with the Arabian industry and have well surpassed most pony breeds. In 2003 alone, eighteen new Welara breeding farms were recorded in the United States.
The Welara has become a highly valued equine breed worldwide. Since the registry began, there have been Welara sale value increases of more than 500 percent, and in 2003, sale values surpassed the $23,000 mark. To date, the highest verified sale price of a registered Welara was $40,000, with the average sale value of a registered Welara being from $5,000 to $10,000.
There are Welara breeders throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom, though some foreign countries refer to the Welara breed as either a Sport Pony or a Riding Pony. The European names usually refer to the Welara as the Welsh–Arabian, but in some cases the name can also represent additional combinations of breeds, including the Thoroughbred, which is not acceptable for registration with the AWPR.
The registry only accepts pure Welsh–Arabian breeding and prefers that the sire and dam of a Welara are registered with their respective breeds’ registry. This is to verify breed purity in an ongoing effort to maintain quality.
Registering the Pure Welara
The benefits of registering a Welara with the AWPR when the animal has already been previously registered with an Arabian registry as a Half Arabian or with a Welsh registry as a half Welsh, are many, as the following examples show:
1. Very few breeders are looking for, or are particularly interested in, prospective herd stallions or broodmares that are part-breds, since there is limited market demand and value for such offspring. Many breeders have reported that the registered Welara is much easier to market.
2. The registered Welara is considered, in an ever-widening geographical area including the United States and many foreign countries, as a purebred equine breed unto itself. As with nearly every horse and pony breed, the Welara was originally a cross of two or more different breeds and was considered by most to be a part-bred in its early formative years. With the passing of time, however, along with the enthusiasm of breeders increasing production of such “new breeds,” the general populace and knowledgeable horse people alike gradually accepted the Welara as a breed in itself, in other words, a purebred. This process of acceptance happened a long time ago with such breeds as the Welsh, Appaloosa, Morgan, Thoroughbred, and countless others, and is certainly happening now with the Welara.
3. Many owners and breeders have indicated they are not satisfied with the usual indifference of registries for their registration certificates, stud-books, and pedigree databases involving the other “outside breed” that is not directly related to the breed that particular registry represents. This can clearly be seen on registration certificates for those that are half Welsh or Half Arabian. The information included for the “outside breed” is frequently as cryptic as stating only “grade Welsh,” or a similar referral. Not only is this disappointing and frustrating to the owner, but it also neglects one of the primary purposes of livestock registration: to permanently preserve the history, ancestry, and all known information for each and every animal registered. The AWPR, however, includes and preserves all information and the known pedigree of both breeds involved, the Arabian and the Welsh, as well as treating them as equally important and without discrimination.
4. Registered Welaras also have the additional benefit of being eligible for Year-End High Point awards, with purses available through the AWPR. All registered Welara and Foundation Stock, both domestic and international, can take advantage of this program.
The Welara has a clean-cut head with gentle eyes and a refined muzzle. Daniel Johnson
Registry Requirements
The Welara is a cross between the Welsh Pony or Cob and the Arabian, with no other breeds or bloodlines involved. It can range in size from 46 inches (11.2 hands) to 60 inches (15 hands) at the withers. On rare occasions, a Welara at maturity may not meet size requirements of 46 to 60 inches, but this does not affect its eligibility for regular registration as a Welara, or its usefulness as a sire or dam to propagate the Welara breed. It could, however, affect its success in the show ring, since size requirements are accounted for at approved shows and events. On occasion, a particular show or event may offer special classes or activities where such individuals can still compete or perform.
Any color is eligible for registration, excluding Appaloosa characteristics. The cross must be part Arabian and part Welsh, and neither part may be less than one-eighth or more than seven-eighths.
On the Welsh side, Sections A, B, C, and D of the registry are accepted, but Sections B, C, and D usually are preferred due to size only (these are the larger sizes). Welara stallions at maturity should measure between 14 and 15 hands. A mature Welara mare should measure between 13.1 and 14.3 hands at the withers.
Breeding for a Welara is accomplished by crossing either an Arabian stallion with a Welsh mare or a Welsh stallion to an Arabian mare; the resulting offspring will be equally refined either way. Additionally, a cross of a Welara stallion to a Welara mare can produce beautifully refined animals of great potential. Each of these animals brings its particular qualities to create a uniquely intelligent and versatile pony of extreme beauty.
Welara Foundation Stock
The AWPR also maintains the Welara Foundation Stock, a registry of the Arabian and Welsh animals used to produce Welaras. This registry records an important part of the heritage of the Welara breed.
It is for Arabians or Welsh Ponies or Cobs from Section A, B, C, or D that produced Welaras. Welara Ponies that are too small (below 46 inches) to meet standard size requirements for regular registration are also recorded. Welara foundation animals are eligible to compete in AWPR sponsored or sanctioned shows and events. Both Welara and Foundation Stock also frequently compete in open shows, all-breed shows, shows that offer half Welsh or Half Arabian classes, and events sponsored or sanctioned by the Arabian Horse Association or the Welsh Pony and Cob Society of America.
Foundation animals must be pure Arabian, pure Welsh, or Welara Ponies that are too small (under 11.2 hands) to meet size requirements (which is rare). It is not mandatory for foundation animals to be registered with their respective breed registry, but it is preferred.
Foundation animals may be of any age or color, excluding appaloosa characteristics, to be eligible for registration. Only stallions and mares are eligible, as geldings and spayed mares may not be registered in this section.
Sport Pony
The Welara Sport Pony is part Welara and part of an outside breed. There are no restrictions as to which breed may be crossed with the Welara to produce a Sport Pony. The Thoroughbred combination is popular with hunter and jumper enthusiasts, but there are a multitude of possible combinations to fulfill the needs of many equine disciplines.
For eligibility as a Sport Pony, the animal must have 50 percent or more Welara breeding and the other 50 percent or less can be from an outside breed. The Welara (Welsh–Arabian) breeding must be verifiable by registration numbers or certificates that were issued from recognized registry sources for the Welara side, such as the AWPR, Arabian Horse Association, Canadian Arabian Horse Registry, Welsh Pony and Cob Society of America, Welsh Pony and Cob Society (United Kingdom), and other similar official registries. The Welara breeding may come solely from the sire or the dam. Any combination is permitted, as long as it can be verified and is 50 percent or greater Welara breeding.
Since the purebred Welara can have different percentages of Welsh and Arabian bloodlines—not necessarily 50/50—and neither part is less than one-eighth or more than seven-eighths, the 50 percent or more Welara bloodline required for the Sport Pony may also differ in the percentage of Welsh and Arabian blood and does not need to be equal for registration eligibility.
Because the Welara Sport Pony is partly an outside breed, there are no size or color restrictions. Stallions, mares, and geldings are eligible.
The arched neck and elevated tail are features of the Welara. Daniel Johnson
Standards
The Welara Pony should resemble a miniature coach horse, except more refined with a high tail carriage, slightly animated gait, and naturally arched neck.
There are several breed variations available to suit various needs and tastes. These variations include:
• Crossing an Arabian horse with a standard Section A Welsh Mountain Pony, which will produce a refined, smaller (under 13 hands) Welara suitable for younger children and light driving purposes
• Crossing an Arabian horse with a standard Section B Welsh Pony, which will produce a slightly larger (13 to 13.2 hand), refined Welara suitable for older children, light adults, and driving
• Crossing an Arabian horse with a Section C Welsh Pony of Cob Type, which will produce a larger (13.2 to 14.2 hand), heavier boned, yet refined Welara, frequently exhibiting feathered feet and excellent for average-sized adults, driving, showing, trail riding, and most other equine-related activities
• Crossing an Arabian horse with a Section D Welsh Cob, which will produce a large (13.3 to 15 hand), refined Welara suitable for average to slightly heavier adults for any type of driving, trail riding, showing, and most other equine-related activities
Characteristics
• General character: hardy, spirited, versatile, refined, and larger than most pony breeds, with a maximum height of 60 inches (15 hands), and a minimum size requirement of 46 inches (11.2 hands)
• Color: any color, excluding appaloosa characteristics
• Head: small, clean cut, well set on, and tapering to the muzzle, with the profile slightly concave below the eyes
• Eyes: bold and intelligent, but gentle
• Ears: well, placed, small, and pointed
• Nostrils: large and open
• Jaws and throat: clean and finely cut
• Neck: lengthy, arched, set on high, and running well back into the withers; fully matured stallions inclined to have a mild crest
• Shoulders: long and well laid back
• Forelegs: set square and true, with large flat knees
• Pasterns: moderately long and well sloped
• Hooves: round and heels open
• Back: short and muscular
• Croup: long and comparatively horizontal
• Tail: naturally high carriage
• Flanks: deep and muscular
• Hocks: large, strong and clean, with points prominent, to turn neither inward nor outward
Credit: American Welara Pony Registry and Heidi Tschida, Ponies Galore! Welsh Ponies