Colour by numbers

Angrove Ricco (left) runs out with a mare

Why do so many people fall under the spell of coloured horses and ponies? Horse Deals asks some leading breeders

Skewbalds and piebalds come in such a wide range of types that whatever you’re looking for — a sport horse, smart cob or even a show pony — you can find one to make your mark. But if it wasn’t for the devotion of those who've spent years breeding and finding them, coloured horses and ponies would still be looked on as second class.

Heather Kitching and her husband, Alistair, are sending their home-bred colt Angrove Rum BaBa into training this year and say this will make him the first coloured colt to run on the flat in the UK. For Heather, it’s the culmination of more than 20 years striving to raise the profile of coloured horses.

One of the first judges on the Coloured Horse and Pony Society panel and the founder of the Bassano Stud and then Angrove Stud in North Yorkshire, she stands two stallions. Angrove Ricco is a 16.2hh piebald three-quarter bred and his seven-eighths bred son, Angrove Spotted Dick, is the only grandson of Sarah’s Pride, a show jumper who won the puissance at the 2003 HOYS before being sold to the USA.

Equally important, Heather has a band of Thoroughbred broodmares from top bloodlines. Angrove Rum BaBa’s dam, Bond Angel Eyes, is by Dr Fong out of a Danehill mare. She came to Angrove straight off the track as a winning two-year-old.

“Rummy” will go to neighbouring trainer Philip Kirby.

“Philip’s seen him grow up and right at the start, he said ‘That’s a real one, that’s got class,’” says Heather.

The colt is registered in Weatherby’s Non-Thoroughbred Register and will eventually stand at stud. It takes eight generations of breeding to gain acceptance into the General Stud Book, but Heather hopes that one day, an Angrove horse will be there.

“My aim is to see a horse we’ve bred winning against plain coloured horses,” she says. “I want people to be able to go to the races and enjoy coloured racehorses — and I really do think it will happen.”

The sire of Pferde Stud's stallion Allbany was bought with a batch of youngsters from Poland

Sally Lyndsell is also passionate about quality and colour, but her priority is riding ponies. At Hopgarden Stud, Kent, Sally has some of the oldest and most distinguished bloodlines, including Holly’s Blue Mink, out of the legendary four times Pony of the Year Holly of Spring.

Other famous names recur throughout her mares’ pedigrees — Blwch Valentino, Blwch Zephyr, Gems Signet, Bubbles, Rosslyn Sandalwood and many more.

“I search and search for certain bloodlines,” she explains. “I aim to produce the true riding pony with beauty and quality but also substance. When you look at the pictures of the ponies of years ago, that’s what they should be.

“I’m a single parent and I work really hard to have my ponies. If I find a pony with bloodlines I want, there’s nothing legal I won’t do to pay for it!

“I won’t breed from something just because it’s homozygous. Everything is in the NPS studbook and if it’s chestnut it will still have a job. But if I see a bit of white on those legs when a foal’s coming out I’m so excited.”

Sally’s stallions, the 128cm Hopgarden Hanky Panky and 138cm Hopgarden Renaissance, pass on those precious bloodlines. The former is by Hopgarden Hidalgo, now owned by Reylem Stud, out of Oakley Spring Amazing Grace. Renaissance is by Harroway Mr Harlequin and his bloodlines include the Crabbet Arabian Blue Domino.

Like Heather, Sally says the colour barrier will one day be lowered.

“Coloured show ponies have still to break through, but it will happen,” she predicts. “It’s already has with hunter ponies.”

Sally too has a long-term ambition.

“I’d like to get a pony in the HOYS line-up in an open class,” she says. “I’ve got a two-year-old colt who’s good enough.”

Coloured show ponies have still to break through, but it will happen – Sally Lyndsell

Hopgarden Hanky Panky, by Hopgarden Hidalgo out of the Oakley Bubbling Fun mare Oakley Spring Amazing Grace

Over the past few years, the coloured sport horse has not only become accepted, but also sought after. For Darren Blanchard and Karen Smyth at Pferde Stud, Bucks, the magic mix is warmblood, Irish Draught and Thoroughbred.

“You need warmblood for movement, but you’ll never get the conformation for showing without something else because their croups tend to be square and a bit high,” believes Darren. “But if you introduce the Irish Draught/Thoroughbred mix you get the perfect type.”

The couple’s passion for coloured horses started by accident. About 15 years ago Darren, who then produced show jumpers, went to Poland and came back with a bunch of youngsters that included a coloured colt called Almanach.

Almanach turned out to be homozygous and his predominantly Trakehner bloodlines fused perfectly with those of Easter Parade, a mare by the Irish Draught stallion Snowford Bellman out of a Thoroughbred mare. The result was Allbany, who has sired show, dressage, eventing and show jumping winners. The latest star is Pferde Stud Matisse, winner of last year’s CHAPS futurity foal title.

While other influences are vital for the competition world, don’t underestimate the power — and the selling power — of the coldblood coloured. Demand is now so high that top-class horses and ponies from traditional travellers’ stock fetch high prices here and in the USA.

“They can add temperament and toughness,” believes Lynda Lodge, chairman of the British Skewbald and Piebald Association.

Darren Blanchard has special affection for Peter Breckon’s homozygous cob Thomas of Givendale, who stands at Pferde Stud and has stock worldwide.

“A correct horse of this type — and it’s got to be correct — can produce everything from a show cob to a middleweight riding horse,” he says.

The racehorse Angrove Rum BaBa is about to go into training on the flat

First loves

So why do so many riders and breeders love coloured horses? Often, it’s the influence of a first pony or a particularly special horse.

“Back in 1982, I had a buckskin and white horse called Henry on loan from a friend,” says Heather Kitching. “He gave me back my nerve. I had him for three years and though he could be stubborn, I fell in love with him.”

Sally Lyndsell’s inspiration came in 1998 with a coloured mare called Go With the Flo.

“I went to see a dressage horse I was having broken in and saw this pony looking over a stable door,” she recalls. “I thought she was ugly because she had blue eyes. But when they brought her out, she moved so well I changed my mind.

I’ve had a wonderful time with her, including taking part in the All the Queen’s Horses jubilee celebrations at Windsor.”

Darren Blanchard’s first pony was a coloured part-Shetland called Robin.

“He was brilliant, but all I had to do was give his mane a tug and he’d buck me off,” he remembers. “I’d never put colour before other attributes, but if you get a correct coloured horse that’s well marked and well prepared, it looks absolutely stunning.”

International show jumping star John Whitaker, a self confessed fan of coloured horses, puts his enthusiasm down to a pony.

“I had the ride on a 14.2hh called Crazy Horse,” he says. “He wasn’t crazy, but he was a bit hot. He got me to the final of the junior Foxhunter, which in those days was at Hickstead. It was the biggest course I’d ever jumped.”

Karen Raine, owner of Country Farm Stud, Lancs, stands a range of stallions. She fell in love with coloured horses through her first pony, a 12.2hh called Sabre.

“He was palomino and white and I started jumping because of him. We got marked down in every showing class because of his colour,” she says. “But he taught dozens of kids to ride and lived until he was 33.”

And to prove how times have changed, Karen now has the 14hh skewbald PBA sports pony stallion Spotswood Jafeica and this season has introduced his son, the 13hh homozygous Country Colour Spot.