RATHOWEN  STUD 

RIDING PONIES,  ARABIAN RIDING PONIES,  

GALLOWAYS

STALLIONS 

Rathowen Stud did not start by breeding Riding Ponies.  It started by deciding NOT to continue breeding the purebred Arabians with which it was already involved, and had several well-bred, suitable mares sitting around doing  nothing after the loss of Bannister (Bandom x Regina Cascade) from a twisted bowel.  We had kept and used his son, Bandolero, with success for a time on Arabians, but eventually gelded him when he had produced wht we were looking for.  We Chippenham Architect (Treharne Talisman {Imp} x Walnut Princess {Imp}) to breed over existing mares . As so often happens, we became more than casually involved with the breed.  

We have worked our way through quite a number of stallions – some of a temporary nature, some leaving a strong influence. 

Radway Right Royal (Imp) (Sandbourne Royal Ensign x Tarantella) and Small-Land Amarillo (Imp) (Small-Land Mascot x Aster ) were added to cross over the good-moving Architect fillies, and later we purchased from Mrs. Jenny Powell, U.K., the impressive dark mahogany bay colt, Courtland Boy Blue (Imp.)  (Whalton Touch  o’ the Blues x Oakley Gay Royal), popularly known as "Harry" .  This colt, foaled 1993, to mature at 13.2h. has proved not only a success in his own right, both in hand and under saddle, but as a sire.  He is an impeccably bred stallion, the last foal of the legendary Oakley Gay Royal, an outstanding mare who at 19 was still able to qualify for Wembley.  His sire is the famous Whalton Touch o' the Blues, himself an in-hand and ridden Champion and sire of the Wembley winners, Jackets Maydream and Jackets Maybe.

COURTLAND  BOY  BLUE  (IMP)       (photo Roger Fitzhardinge)

      ( Whaltons Touch o’ the Blues X  Oakley Gay Royal )

HARRY DEAD - 30TH August, 2008

Courtland Boy Blue was Supreme Champion Youngstock Exhibit at the N.S.W. Riding Pony Show and Champion Youngstock under Saddle as well. His progeny are following in his footsteps, with in-hand championships at Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide Royal Shows ( different ponies), Supremes at Brisbane (three times, different ponies) and Melbourne.  His stock are out now under saddle with Considerations (Pacific Coast Champion Galloway and EFA New Star Galloway of the Year), Rathowen XL adding to his In-Hand triumphs taking the Ridden Championship at 2001 National Arabian Stud Show.  Rathowen Pensive (Q) and Rathowen Electra (N.S.W.) are both out in Open company performing very well, and V.I.P. and Sentinel (N.Z.) more than holding their own in New Zealand.

Added to these first success stories are those of Rathowen Storm Warning, Rathowen Reflective, Contemplations and Confusions of Rathowen, Rathowen Mezaire, Solitude of Rathowen, Rathowen Macnamara and little Rave On Rathowen making her first appearance (2005) with great success for Debbie Taylor Thies and her tiny rider.  Success for other breeders and owners come in the guise of LJS Heavens Above National EFA Pony of the Year, and Saltram Centrefold (Grand National Pony of the Year), Rathowen Macnamara (Runner Up National Galloway of the year (twice), with the full sisters Kelly Bond's Confusions and Carlie Taunton's Contemplations taking out Runner-Up Small and Large Galloway of the Year at the 2007 Grand National, the last time this event was held because of the Equine Influenza. 

Now we have a few more "names" to add.  Rathowen Scarlett Ribbons who followed the successful Storm Warning into the George household, has become a familiar name successfully challenging the previous champion Confusions for Champion Led Riding Pony Mare for supreme at Brisbane Royal in 2007 but having to give way to her for supreme in 2008.  However Scarlett Ribbons (popularly know as Shreds) blazed away with two successive champion Pony Hacks and Queensalnd Pony of the Year in 2008, with Confusions Galloway of the Year.  A successful year in most ways, but it was the year we lost him.

Had he not always been stabled and hand fed we would never have noticed that he was unwell.  Nothing changed except his eating habit - he was always a "guts", but he started leaving bits of his feed, and kidney failure was diagnosed.  We still don't know if this was brought on by a bite from the black snake that we found in his box the day before we hospitalized him, as these things are so easily confused, but his figures said he was in bad shape.  However, he was never really "down" until the last, when convulsions took over and he was put down.  That's it in a nutshell.  There will never be another "Harry". He was a "one off". I really haven't been able to face putting this into print before now, a little over a month later.  I wish to thank the hundreds of admirers and friends who have phoned, emailed, called, written, sent cards, flowers, messages, etc. I answered what I could, but anyone I missed please take this as a personal "thank you". 

We showed Harry only as a youngster – he was twice Supreme Junior Exhibit at the N.S.W. Riding Pony State Show, and also Junior Champion under saddle.  He was also East Coast Arabian Derivative Champion, Champion at the Arabian Nationals, and Australian Champion Arabian Riding Pony. After this, stud work intervened, and we did not get time to exhibit him as we would have liked.  His first crop of foals was a pleasant indication of what was to come, and it was not long before they were beginning to leave their mark in the showring, so we were not concerned about not having sufficient time to show him himself. 

Below is Rathowen By George (Courtland Boy Blue x Rebecca of Ravenswood {Treharne Talisman (Imp.)}

George was sold as a weanling colt, and is now five years old, a proven sire and show winner, and is home again to try to fill his father's shoes (fat chance !)

In the 2004 season the well performed Rebecca of Ravenswood (Treharne Talisman {imp.} x Ravenswood Rafiqa) bred by Sally George of Queensland, produced a stunning bay colt by Harry, which was appropriately named Rathowen By George, sister to Rave On Rathowen shown so successfully by Mrs. Debbie Thies, and to Rathowen Rachael, and we have retained this colt in partnership with Julie Conti of Dreamtime Stud in Victoria.  He has had a good season with the Victorian State Title Championship to his credit as an Arabian Riding Pony, and Champion Australian Saddle Pony stallion at Melbourne Summer Royal, and Reserve champion Arabian Riding Pony Stallion also.

Langtree Fame and Fortune

We purchased Langtree Fame and Fortune (Fairley Temptation (Imp.) x Brandarra Fantasy ) as a second stallion and to cross over the Harry fillies, which worked quite well, first effort to be shown being Nina George's Rathowen Blue Moon (from Rathowen Out of the Blue) who won her first led class at Brisbane Royal, 2008.  Since then she has been exhibited under saddle, ridden both by Nina and Courtney Rabjones to what could only be classed as instant success, considering the fact that she left Rathowen unbroken and unshown as soon as the travel embargo was lifted in March this year .

Kolbeach Freedom

The delightful and classy brown colt, Kolbeach Freedom (Fairley Tempest (Imp.) x Highmead Fancy Free (Imp.)) was installed in the stud as  yearling.  He is half brother to the wonderfully successful LJS Heavens Above owned by Lisa Cleary, but where Heavens is by "Harry" himself, Freedom is by Fairley Tempest (Imp.), so we have not moved too far from our original theme, although with Freedom carrying the same bloodline as Fame, we will be putting Fame on the market.  Because of time constraints we have not shown Freedom much yet, but he was Champion Partbred Welsh at the N.S.W. All Welsh Show at his first outing, Ch. Riding Pony Stallion or Colt at Castle Hill, second at Sydney Royal 2005 in the Riding Pony but first and Champion and Supreme Partbred Welsh Exhibit a few days later. He has been nicknamed "Clancy".

Kolbeach Freedom (Fairley Tempest (Imp.) x Highmead Fancy Free (Imp.))   (photo Lorelle Mercer)

"Clancy's" first foals were born in the the 2007 season, and they are to be viewed in "Youngstock".  His first filly, Rathowen Ruby Red from the ubiquitous Rathowen Russet (Chippenham Architect x Kizmaha's Alzena) dam of Rathowen Lady in Red, Rathowen Scarlett Ribbons, Rathowen Red Ruffles, etc., was his first representative in the show ring.  At the NSW All Breeds Foal Show, biggest in Australia, she made her debut winning everything she went in - Riding Pony, Arabian Derivative, and Partbred Welsh, with Clancy's second filly , Rathowen Free Spirit (from R. Sepia Shadings and brilliantly shown by Andrew Buckley) Reserve to her in these classes, but taking the Supreme Saddle Pony foal.  Ruby was unanimously named Supreme foal of the Show, and followed up by taking Supreme Arabian Derivative Exhibit, and Champion Partbred Welsh at Castle Hill a few weeks later.  The other two Clancy fillies have not yet been shown, but both are outstanding, one being Rathowen So Free (from Radway Royal Sonnet (Imp.) and the other being Rathowen Robed in Red, from our lovely Rathowen Lady In Red. 

RETURN OF RATHOWEN RIGHT OF WAY  (Sufton Romany Lore (Imp) x Solitaire of Rathowen {Syon Royal Portrait (Imp)})

"LORENZO"

This is a lovely stallion we sold as a colt having covered a few mares before deciding that the "male" population was getting a bit overwhelming.  The foals had not yet arrived, and when they did we knew we had done the wrong thing.  The two colts (gelded) that were shown were enormously successful, R. Celebration (from Double TT Clover) winning a huge All Breeds Futurity class at Sydney Royal for Kerry Patchett and R. Beyond Blue(from R. Out of the Blue) taking Champion Partbred Welsh Gelding before being sold to Tasmania where he has continued his successes.

"Lorenzo" only became available by chance when a car accident made it necessary for his owners to scale down, and we were already negotiating this purchase when Harry struck trouble.  So poor Lorenzo has walked not only into Harry's stable which he more than filled, being a few inches taller, but will also attempt to fill those rather large but figurative shoes (that Harry never wore!). 

RATHOWEN RIGHT OF WAY - PADDOCKED WITH HIS MARES

BELOW:  Two of his Rathowen foals:

Above:  Kerry Patchett's Rathowen Celebration (Lorenzo x Double TT Clover) winning at Sydney Royal

Above and Below: Mrs. Joanne Schwarbrick's Rathowen Beyond Blue at  champion at All Welsh, and Sydney Royal.