Showers Essential Guide: Show Day Checklist!

Welsh Section C, Pantydwr Ronaldo. 

Show morning is here, your horse or pony is preened to perfection and you may have just enough time to make yourself look somewhat presentable too after getting all of the dirt off your horse and onto yourself. But you don't want to be wasting time making yourself look picture-perfect if you skip on the essentials that you need for the day ahead!

Below you will find a checklist of the necessities you may need. - You can thank me later!

For your equine partner: 

• Ridden Bridle/inhand bridle or halter 
• Bit/Reins (you'd be surprised how many people polish off their bridles last minute only to find that they left the bit back home!)
• Martingale/breastplate/crouper (if needed)
• Saddle cloth if used 
• Girth
• Saddle
• Stirrup Irons and leathers
• Boots if applicable 
• Studs - if applicable
• Passport
• Papers such as Breed Registry, organisation registry, qualification and vaccination certificates 
• Grooming kit including fly spray, hoof pick, shine spray, hoof oil, baby oil, vaseline, chalk if needed, dandy brush, body brush, flick brush and mane/tail comb. 

• Plaiting bands/needle and thread
• Wicker basket if showing (to keep your grooming equipment in for the ring) 
• Wash kit - to include bucket, shampoo, sponges, water brush and sweat scraper for any last minute stain removal
•  Equine first aid kit - include things such as poultice,  hibiscrub,  bandages, vet wrap, cotton wool, sterile bowl for washing cuts off ect. 
• Rain Sheet
• Spare travel rug - just incase
• Water supply from home (for those tricky horses that refuse to drink at shows a good tip is to give them sugar beet water, this also includes inexpensive electrolytes) 
• Water Bucket
• Bag for mucking out the trailer into

For yourself:

• Show jacket and shirt
• Jodhpurs and trousers (if inhand) 
• Waterproofs
• Tie/stock/stock pin
• Gloves
• Hair net
• Scrunchie or ribbons if used
• Boots, Joddie clips or gaiters if needed
• Show cane or crop 
• Riding Hat or inhand show hat (if you wear one) 
• Numbers, parking permits ect unless you collect on the day of the show 
• Schedule
• Map and written directions
• Rider first aid kit
• Camera/Video Camera
• Mobile phone
•  Money for any entry fees/food, drinks and any bits and bobs you might pick up
• Packed Lunch and Drinks if you don't wish to fork out for food at the show



Welsh Section C - Pantydwr Ronaldo Relaxing in the field after a successful outing.




• Pony!

Above all relax  don't flap about looking for things last minute. Find everything out the night before and anything you might forget you can usually pick up at the show.

- Enjoy!  

How to tell a Dun from a Buckskin - Equine Dliute Coat Colour's Explained

Cefncerrig Alfie, three year old, buckskin welsh mountain pony (welsh section A) colt.

What is the difference between the Dun and Bucksin Coat Colours?

A few days ago I wrote my first blog post of the year, I have been slacking with post's lately due to the arrival of my now one year old daughter. The post was only a brief one due to my phone being useless and freezing after typing every letter, so I will now finish what I started that sleepless night in bed.

We recently added a new addition to my small but ever growing herd. This is the three year old welsh section A or Welsh mountain pony colt Cefncerrig Alfie. Alfie, as he is known at home, is a beautiful cream colour with black points and a black mane and tail. This colour is known as 'buckskin' but is commonly mistaken as the colour 'Dun' in the UK. The two colour's are similar to the untrained eye however they are both the result of completely different dilution genes modifying the bay gene (Agouti gene). There are a few distinguishing features to tell the two apart, but first allow me to explain the difference between the two genes. 

A buckskin pony

I won't go into all of the science and genetics behind the coat colours, I will simply convey the knowledge that I have come to learn over the years of the two genes and their effects on the bay coat colour along with hopefully teaching you how to tell the two colours apart. 

Buckskin

The term "Buckskin" refers to a horse or pony that carries one copy of the dilute cream gene which we also see in the likes of Palominos and smokey blacks. It acts on the bay coat colour and dilutes the colour to a yellowy shade. This could be described very simply as bleaching the coat.

You can only get a buckskin foal by one or two of the parents having at least one copy of the cream gene. In other words you won't get a buckskin by breeding your chestnut mare to a bay stallion!

This Welsh Section A Pony (Cefncerrig Alfie) is a buckskin in colour .
Note the pale creamy yellow colour of his body and his black mane, tail
and legs. You will also notice a lack of primitive markings such as an
eel stripe.

A Buckskin horse has the black base gene along with the Agouti (Bay) gene (The bay gene modifies the black base coat to restrict the black colouring to just the points and the mane and tail of the horse, thus we get a bay horse.) along with one copy of the dilute cream gene.

Dun

The Dun gene is also a dilution gene that can affect the appearance of  black, bay and chestnut coat colours by diluting (lightening) the base coat colour and restricting the original colour (black, bay or chestnut) to the main, tail and legs. The Dun gene is known for also leaving "primitive markings" such as eel stripes (a dark stripe running down  the full length of the spine to the tail), shoulder stripe's and horizontal leg stripes which can be described as tiger-like stripes on the back of the legs (these can be very faint and difficult to spot on some dun horses).

A classic Dun horse, please note the richness in colour along
with the dark stripes at the top of the horses fore legs (hopefully
the picture quality will allow you to see this) Image from
http://www.dungenes.org please follow the link for a much more
in depth description of the dun gene.

Other points for consideration 

• It is also possible for a horse to carry both copies of the dun dilution gene and the cream dilution gene resulting in a 'buckskin dun'.
• It is also known for buckskins to have eel stripes so this can lead to confusion. 



A Red Dun Horse, this is the result of
the Dun gene modifting
the chestnut coat colour.
Image from; http://www.dungenes.org

• The dun coat gene can act upon not only the bay base colour but also black and chestnut resulting in varying shades of dun such as 'red dun', 'Grulla' also known as a 'blue dun' and the 'classic dun'. 

A 'Grulla' or Blue Dun horse which is the result of
the dun gene acting on a black base colour.
Image extracted from; http://www.dungenes.org/grulla.htm
Please follow the link for a more in
depth description of the dun gene.

Meet Renvarg Crusader

Four Year old Welsh Section D Gelding

So i've already introduced you to one of my herdlings, now it's time for you to meet the baby of the bunch !

Pictured right is Renvarg Crusader, who is now a 4 year old. He is a Welsh Section D gelding bred by the Renvarg Stud. Crusader is yet to be broken as we felt it better to leave him to mature as he was so babyish as a 3 year old.

Breeding

Crusader's sire is the gorgeous Synod Replica owned by the Renvarg Stud and his damn is the ever beautiful Renvarg Periwinkle.
His pedigree boasts a range of well known bloodlines including Synod, Nebo, Thorneyside, Brynmor, Llanarth ect, view his full pedigree here .

Renvarg Crusader with Karina in the background 3rd June 2012

Future Plans

Renvarg Crusader as a foal

 Upon breaking Crusader this year (2012) we hope to turn him away to allow him to process it all and then bring him back into light work over the winter and progress to eventually bring him out as a novice ridden welsh D in the 2012 season.
We also hope that he will excel in other spheres as a performance cob including dressage, sj, xc, whp ect. 

- Abbie