Happy New Year

Goodbye 2021, you certainly have been challenging with lots of unknowns for everyone.

As I sit here and reflect on our year, I cannot help but think of those whose year has not been so kind. It makes me feel extremely fortunate to have never caught covid, along with those closest to me.

The year wasn’t without its moments though. For us on the stud, 2021’s foaling season sadly started with with Snelsmore Jacqueline aborting her foal. Breeding can be so heart breaking sometimes. Fortunately, Jacqueline came out of the experience unharmed, and it wasn’t long before she and Merrylees Nuggett were reunited. Let’s hope for a better outcome for all three of them in 2022. After a rocky start, we welcomed sixteen healthy foals to Snelsmore over the next few months. While we said goodbye to Jacqueline’s unborn foal, her son, Snelsmore Sebastian, did her proud becoming the sire of many lovely foals himself. He also received the honour of Reserve Champion at Royal Windsor.

Snelsmore Sundance had an amazing year as well. Not only did we get to meet his first foal, Snelsmore Yarrow, but he also passed his voluntary vetting and achieved some fantastic show results, including the society breed show.

To work alongside our homebred stallions, we welcomed a new stallion to the team. Many thanks to Dawn and John for allowing us to have Romany Beau. We’re so excited to see what the girls have produced this year off the back of this pairing.

Covid meant a slow and cautious return to the show ring, but little did we know it would turn out to be a great season for us and our ponies. We showed over twenty different ponies, all in ribbons, traveling up and down the country together doing what we love. It was amazing to get back out and see our friends after being locked down for what seemed like ages.

Covid did teach us a few things. Despite lockdowns and fear, we must dwell on the positives in life. This comes in appreciating our wonderful ponies, taking each day as it comes, and most of all, focusing on our family. Those things keep us all going, even when life is at its hardest.

Happy new year to our friends, family, and those in our wonderful Shetland community. In 2022, we have some more exciting pairings which we hope will deliver beautiful foals. We’re also working on a new website in the background, which will launch at some point in the year. No rest for the wicked as they say. May we continue to learn and hope that this new year brings prosperity, good health, and lots of happiness.

Best wishes from us all at Snelsmore