Carol, David and Darci Maurer
4065 Pepper Avenue :: Yorba Linda, CA 92886
(714) 777-1784 :: gaslightfarm@roadrunner.com

Established in 1983, we have been breeding and showing Section A Welsh Mountain Ponies since 1985, concentrating from the very beginning on the performance arena. Although our ponies are very competitive in halter classes, we do not feel that it is enough just to breed a pretty pony. It needs to be trainable, to do a job under saddle or in cart, and do it well.

In 1993, we made our first trip to the UK. We were impressed by the difference in Substance and Type of their native Welsh Mountain Ponies from many of the American domestics. The tight gene pool available to American breeders and the mixture of Section A and B blood which was permissible in the USA at that time had allowed many of the domestic Section A ponies to evolve to a different appearance than those in their native Wales.

After visiting several studs in England and Wales, we decided that the Ceulan ponies of Dr. Wynne Davies had the look and temperament we wanted for our breeding program. We purchased foals from all three stallions the first years, but upon with the death of Twyford Sprig in 1994, we decided to purchase two more fillies from his last foal crop. According to Dr. Davies, we have the “largest individual collection of Sprig get in the world, outside of Ceulan.”

Since then, we have imported seven Section A fillies and one colt. In 2001, we added Section C to our program, with the purchase of a weanling filly from Synod Stud in Wales. We plan to import more ponies from other Studs in the UK, Canada, or around the world, which have demonstrated a commitment to the conformation and disposition that produces superior performance ponies. We will import frozen semen from top stallions as it becomes available.

Our philosophy at Gaslight Farm is that all breeding stock should be able to “prove” themselves in more than just the halter arena, to demonstrate a temperament desirable for producing offspring suitable for performance. We suspect that many mares—in every breed—are put into service for breeding simply because there was nothing else that could be done with them. For this reason, we train all our mares to ride and/or drive and show them in performance as much as our schedules and available shows will permit.

Many of our mares have experience in multiple performance disciplines and most have been champions in both halter and performance. A few examples:

Chaparral’s Crystal has shown successfully in driving, as well as Hunt Seat, Saddle Seat, Western, Trail and Over Fences. In 1998, she came out of retirement to compete as a Quarter Pony, earning a trophy Western saddle and several silver buckles as Champion in individual classes. She has many performance Championships in Welsh competition to her credit. Her get have done well in ridden and driven competition, as well as halter. Gaslight Chwyrlwynt, her oldest daughter by *Ceulan Lwcus, completed her Individual LOM and AOE in the 2006 show season. At age 23 in 2006, Crystal continues to show intermittantly under saddle and over fences with a junior rider when she does not have a foal at side.

Gaslight Siwgr Baby has won multiple Championships and Reserves in Carriage and Pleasure Driving, Western, Saddle Seat English Pleasure and Halter, including Reserve Supreme in 1998. She competes in ADA Carriage shows, usually in the top three, against Fresians and Hackneys. After a seven year retirement as a broodmare, without having been hitched a single time until the evening before the class, she made her return debut in Pleasure Driving in August 2006, winning the Stakes class and earning the Pleasure Driving A/B Division Reserve Championship. She has once again resumed her performance show career,ending her first year out of retirement by achieving 10th Nationally for the WPCSA Year End Hi Point Pleaure Driving 12.2/Under division.

*Ceulan Lorelei has been a consistent halter and performance winner in English and Western. Also registered as a Quarter Pony (breeding stock), Lorelei’s versatility was recognized in 1997 when she was named Hi Point Champion, earning a Western saddle and several silver buckles in Hunter Hack, English, Western, Western Riding, and Reining. In 1998, six days before foaling, she earned the title of WPCSA A/B Western Pleasure ATR Champion at the American Nationals, then completed the year as Res. Ch. Novice Amateur Quarter Pony, with her foal at ringside. In 2000, with her second foal at side, she was again the WPCSA Am. Nat’l Division Champion in A/B Western ATR, and earmed our daughter, Darci, the National High Point Championship in Adult Stock Seat Equitation that year. At the 2001 Am. Nat’ls, she earned her 3rd Am. Nat’l A/B Western Pleasure ATR Championship in 4 years and was Reserve Grand Champion Sec. A. She has Supreme and Res. Supreme titles to her credit.

We are an “urban” farm. Due to the extreme limitations imposed on us by city zoning ordinances and our commitment to importation, we occasionally will offer one of our trained brood mares for sale.

We invite you now to learn more about the ponies of Gaslight Farm.

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