One Welsh Section C mare has taken the showing world by storm this summer.

Glynwyn Annie Power WM 177876 – named after the famous Irish National hunt racing mare, swept almost all before her at the recent Royal Welsh show. She won her section championship under judge Cheryl Frith (Ristol), was reserve for the coveted Tom and Sprightly Trophy for the best overall of the Welsh sections under Ceri Fell (Brynseion) and then the Price Family In hand qualifier for the Horse of the Year Show under Jerome Harforth of the world-renowned Stanley Grange stud. She then went on to take the Supreme in hand of the show title and stand festooned with ribbons and sashes in the late afternoon sun at Llanelwedd.

This makes her the third Welsh breed animal to qualify this year, and the first Section C. Bred by Yorkshire breeders Kellie Gibbons and husband Scott, Annie Power won Lampeter Stallion show as a 2yr old and was Supreme Youngstock Champion at Cheshire County as a 2 and 3 yr old, and last year she was 1st and Reserve C Champion at the Royal Welsh Autumn equine event.

Glynwyn bred animals are no strangers to the hallowed turf at Builth Wells. Glynwyn Diamante taking the section C Championship back in 1991 for Kellie’s parents Stephen and Gwen Heppenstall and Glynwyn Gideon in 2012. It is a wonderful achievement for the second generation of breeders from the same family to reach these heights.

Annie Power is regally bred full of Synod and Persie bloodlines, having four individual crosses of Synod William and four from the stud’s foundation mare Paddock Dawn who was herself Royal Welsh Female Champion in 1980. She also traces back to the family’s Persie Ramrod himself a winner of the ridden Championship at Olympia years ago. She is by WS51370 Glynwyn Gideon out of  WM 155907 Glynwyn Vespa a daughter of Donys Llawen.

The Yorkshire connection is further strengthened as Kellie’s parents purchased Paddock Dawn from her breeders Maureen and the late Bernard Butterworth, before they moved to breed such iconic Welsh section B’s. The breed is indebted to the vision and skills of such breeders with vision and a good eye for a quality pony

Kellie recalled her Royal Welsh experience.

‘It was a day we could only dream of  – all our plans had to change at the last minute due to the extreme heat so we set off from Yorkshire at 1 am on Wednesday morning and travelled through the cool of the night, but it was well worth it! To get C Champion was beyond our wildest dreams but to then qualify for HOYS and then Supreme of the show was the icing on a very large cake. Scott was over the moon with how she went right through the day but was glad for our son Kyle and his young legs for the laps of honour!”

Since then, Glynwyn Annie Power made another foray south to take the Section C WPCS silver medal at the National Welsh Championship show last Sunday under Andrew Thomas (Caederwen). This brought her tally of WPCS medals to a ‘Triple Crown’ of Society medals winning bronze, silver and gold in one season – a feat only accomplished by very few animals.

To top off her trip, later that day she was crowned Welsh Section C National in-hand Champion by judge Dafydd Morris of the Neuaddparc Stud. A fruitful fortnight for the young mare.

The Society would like to congratulate the Heppenstall and Gibbons families and wish Annie Power the very best of luck at HOYS in October as she fly’s the flag for the Section C’s.

Photo credit Equinepix