Welsh Part-Bred Register
THE WELSH PART-BRED
No minimum or maximum height limit.
The Welsh Part-Bred does not have a specific breed description, other than to be eligible for registration the horse/pony should not have less than 12.5% of registered Welsh blood.
Arguably, all Welsh Part-Breds inherit the characteristics of their Welsh ancestors, the best inheriting the strong constitution, good bone, courage, free movement, activity and placid temperament. The Welsh Part-Bred has proved itself to be suitable for any discipline, given the wide and varied type within the breed that is introduced by crossing any four of the Welsh Sections with a myriad of other World Breeds.
When looking at a Welsh Part-Bred you should be mindful of it’s Welsh Pony and Cob ancestry and therefore it must retain pony character contained in the other four Welsh sections, whilst also being able to fulfil a wide range of tasks. Conformation should remain an important focus as the animal will not be able to perform at its best with poor conformational features.
History
1951 saw the first opening for Welsh Part-Bred animals to be recognised in the Welsh Stud Book. The Welsh Part-Bred section initially only accepted animals with 50% Welsh blood and up to a maximum height of 13.2hh. Following two crosses on the top line (P>P1>P2) the resultant foal, similar to the Foundation Stock register, allowed the offspring after this generation to be registered into the stud book full registration. At the same time, a Welsh Riding Pony Stud Book was also established, although this closed shortly after due to insufficient uptake and few registrations. By 1960, the minimum Welsh percentage had been reduced to 25% and the upper height limit removed for the Welsh Part-Bred, and by 1997, the current rules that we see today came in – where eligible animals must have a minimum of 12.5% Welsh blood.
Riding Ponies, Thoroughbreds, Arabians, Warmbloods, other Native U.K. breeds and many more have all be crossed with Welsh Ponies and Cobs to create suitable and diverse animals for activities such as harness driving, eventing, show jumping, cross country, hunting, showing, mounted games, all the way up to National and International Level and the small Part-Breds have shown their worth time and time again as being dependable mounts for some of the smallest and youngest jockeys starting out on the Lead Rein and progressing on to First Ridden.
Uses
Welsh Part-Bred’s come in all shapes and sizes, from small Welsh Part-Bred ponies to large Welsh Part-Bred horses at 16.2hh and more. Today, there is unlikely to be any discipline in which you would not find a Welsh Part-Bred animal competing in – from pony racing to FEI competition, and Pony Club activities to trotting down the centre line at the ‘World’s Most Famous Horse Show,’ the beauty of the Welsh Part-Bred is that there is a type that is suitable for anything.