The Rossmill Exmoor stud is based high in the West Yorkshire Pennines. Broodmares and youngstock spend most of their time on 50 acres of rough upland grazing as we only actually own 1 acre of land, although we are fortunate to have use of 5 acres adjoining.

Exmoor Pony Brood Mares
There are currently three brood mares in residence, Haddon Iris, Cholderton Candytuft and Knightoncombe Willow Beauty, our foundation mare. Sadly we lost Knightoncombe Juniper Pug, who, despite her prefix, was 100% herd 23 breeding, last year at the age of twenty five without ever managing to get a live foal from her.

Exmoor Pony Stallions
We do not, presently, keep a permanent stallion, preferring to use those which are not siring many foals, often because the owners are not able to take visiting mares. Stallions usually visit us and we will very occasionally take visiting mares with the stallion owner’s consent.

2006’s stallion is Kylestrome. He follows Dunkery Petrel, Kebroyd MacDuff and Alder. Iris and Candytuft have both produced colt foals in 2006 to Dunkery Petrel.

Unfortunately stallions cannot run out on the hill as it is bisected by the Pennine Bridleway, a national long distance trail which is quite well used in summer. Visiting riders on their thoroughbred crosses would probably not appreciate the attentions of a small brown stallion!

Exmoor Pony Foals
Foals are rarely sold at weaning and will usually spend most of their first winter on the hill. I like them to do this as it gives them a chance to learn independence in a familiar environment before having to face the wider world. They also develop all the Exmoor hardiness characteristics fully as South Pennine winters can be very testing. During this time they usually make occasional short journeys in the trailer with their dams so that they learn to accept travelling as a normal part of life.

At weaning they come home to live with Kebroyd Coritani, my ridden pony, formerly a stallion, now gelded, who makes an excellent “nanny”. They are always handled, tied up and taught their manners so that they have the best chance of finding good homes. They are usually lightly shown if still with us as yearlings as this broadens their experience and is fun!



Left: Rossmill Santana (Dunkery Petrel out of Haddon Iris) Right: Kebroyd Coritani under saddle

Great news! - Haddon Iris has produced a beautiful daughter, Rossmill North Wind!
After a wait of fifteen years and a run of twelve colts, we have finally bred a filly. Cholderton Candytuft had delivered yet another colt on May 15th. I thought “Oh, here we go again, more colts” Her son, Rossmill Hurricane, is a splendid little chap but a he is a colt.

On the morning of May 29th, I went to check the mares on the hill and saw Haddon Iris with a foal. I thought she wasn’t due until mid June so it was a bit of a surprise. My first thought was that as this was foal number 13, it was bound to be a colt. Unusually, Iris was being very protective. She is normally quite happy for us to handle her foals from birth but on this occasion it was quite a job trying to get near enough to diagnose gender. Neither my husband, Tony, or I dared to say to each other what we thought we could see under her tail as we followed her round trying to find out which she was. Nearly every spring we have held our breath with anticipation only to be disappointed yet again. We have three brood mares and have used five different stallions but we always get colts. We did eventually get close enough and then, just to confirm what we had seen, she wee’d!! Seeing a pony pass water has never given me such a thrill. She was named on the spot, Rossmill North Wind. Our theme is wind names and the north wind had been blowing for two days before she was born. Her name could be shortened to Norah, after Tony’s mother who had died, aged 95, two weeks earlier.

Never has a foal been so photographed. I am probably suffering from serious barn blindness, but I think she is absolutely gorgeous. She will no doubt grow up to be a spoilt brat who can do no wrong. She is already proving to be a little madam, kicking her mum and squealing at her brother.
The sire of both foals is Kylestrome, a young stallion bred by Debbie Davy in Scotland. This year sees his second crop of foals and he is certainly stamping them and putting lovely pony heads on to his offspring. I would be the first to say that her head is not Iris’s strongest point but her daughter is a great improvement. We are not breeding in 2008 as we have a yearling and two year old as well as the foals and they all need a bit of time spending with them. Our senior mare, my first exmoor pony, Knightoncombe Willow Beauty has retired from breeding having sadly lost her foal this year. I am hoping her last foal, the colt Rossmill Boreas, might provide me with a granddaughter in a couple of years time.

Sue Burger 01422 845497
sue@burgershouse.fsnet.co.uk

For more information:

See the Exmoor pony film 'Discovering Exmoor Ponies'. Click here for details.
www.exmoorponysociety.org.uk

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This Exmoor pony section is edited by Dawn Williams.