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."

From 1994-2001, we 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. A yearling palomino Section A colt was purchased from Ceulan Stud in 2011 and is scheduled to arrive in November. 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.

We produced our first home-bred Section C in 2008. Gaslight Amber had an extremely successful show season as a weanling, earned Grand and Reserve Grand Champion Section C/D titles against exceptional competition. Amber was awarded the National Hi Point Championship for Section C Fillies in 2008 and Reserve Champion in 2009 and 2010. She is currently in training with Dr. Carrie MacWhorter, showing English, Western and Trail, with numerous Division championships already in her first year green. It is likely that she will complete her Individual LOM by the end of the 2011 show season.l

After twenty-five years in Southern California, Gaslight Farm relocated to Roseburg, Oregon. Our ponies moved to our new farm in January 2009. Moving from a 2 acre suburban location, leaving the intense zoning restrictions behind, to a 38+ acre farm has finally given us the ability to advance our breeding program without having to make painful choices on retaining an older, non-productive "retiree" or a young, "rising star." After all that our older ponies have done for us, we believe they deserve a safe home for life. We are thrilled that we will be able to guarantee that for them on our new farm without compromising our ability to advance or program.

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 LOM/AOE 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 LOM/AOE/OD, her oldest daughter by *Ceulan Lwcus LOM/AOE, completed her Individual LOM and AOE in the 2006 show season, and in 2008, became the first pony or cob to complete the requirements for an Individual Order of the Dragon. At age 23, Crystal continued to show intermittently under saddle and over fences with a junior rider. Retired now from the show ring, she enjoys her rural home and still gives the occasional ride to our novice grandchildren.

Gaslight Siwgr Baby LOM 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 Pleasure Driving 12.2/Under division. She found a new purpose in 2008, teaching children to drive, ending that year as the National Hi Point Junior Driver Champion, and with a new driver the following year, was the Reserve Champion in 2009. The 2011 show season has been reserved for our daughter-in-law, who was new to equines when she moved up with Ben and the children, but couldn't resist the "call of the Welsh!"

*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 earned 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. Her performance career was ended abruptly by acute laminitis, but she produced 3 more foals for us before she was laid to rest in our Oregon pasture in October 2010. She is possible that she will be awarded a Dam LOM at the end of the show season in 2011, or 2012 for certain.

*Synod Aurora is our foundation Section C mare, purchased as a weanling and imported to the USA as a yearling, after a successful halter career in the UK. She was selected with performance as her primary purpose, for which she has met our expectations. In addition to multiple performance division championships, in 2007, she earned the title of Year End Hi Point Champion in Section C/D Western Pleasure. Her first foal proved that she could also produce the halter champions. This filly was retained and is currently in training under saddle. At the end of her first year green, Amber will have earned enough points to qualify her for an Individual LOM.


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

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