FOR those who dedicate their life to the art of breeding the perfect animal, there are few achievements more coveted than winning a golden ticket to the supreme in-hand final at the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS), with a home-bred, home produced pony. A place in the championship can cement a stud’s name, providing a breeder with a solid reputation and a healthy, buoyant market for animals donning their prefix.
In 2010, Welsh section B and Connemara specialist Kerry Wainwright’s Skellorn Stud landed their first qualification to the supreme in-hand final – then known as the Cuddy and now supported by The Price Family – with stallion Skellorn Harrison (Harry) handled by Kerry’s good friend Stuart (Stu) Mason.
The stunning Connemara, now 20 and still residing with Kerry at her home in Cheshire, attended HOYS three more times during his in-hand career and also contested the open Connemara of the Year final under saddle. For Kerry’s modest breeding operation, this first qualification at Derbyshire Festival was the result of years of commitment to developing her stud and her eye for a champion.
“We wouldn’t have stayed for the supreme if we hadn’t been so local to the showground,” reflects Kerry. “As a breeder, it’s something you never think will happen, but that moment the judge pulled Harry and Stu forward was something else.”
More than a decade later, in June 2021, Derbyshire Festival played host to another historic moment for Kerry and her team, when 14-year-old Welsh section B stallion Skellorn Bronze Soldier and Stu captured the same supreme in-hand championship and a HOYS ticket, while Connemara stallion Skellorn DeJa Vu (Dan) took reserve with Kerry’s ridden producer Harrison Taylor at his bridle.
This story is from the September 16, 2021 edition of Horse & Hound.
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This story is from the September 16, 2021 edition of Horse & Hound.
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