News

The Royal Welsh Show
25 Jul 2013

Once in a lifetime Royal Welsh!

The Story

Synod Lady Lillian did not make her reserve at 2010 Welsh Cob sales to our amazement. Dad thought it was the best section C he had ever seen and a true representative of the breed. She is the image of her incredibly succesful sire Synod Reagan.
After mulling it over for months he rang Mr Cerdin Jones, arranged to see her, and ended up buying her privately.
We initially had some bad luck in the breeding paddocks but she eventually gave birth to a filly foal by the very succesful under saddle sire Wyken Rob Roy. At first we thought she would be called Ringside Lady Lilly, but since Royal welsh maybe a title that reflects the amazing triumph.
Dad always wanted to show with one of the girl's at the Royal Welsh and when Lillian foaled she looked amazing so we knew this was the year and time was ticking! Lillian's last appearance in the showring was as a yearling, she had only been shown three times before. Her first appearance was as a foal where she won the Welsh National Foal show, then onto Royal Welsh as a yearling where she was 1st and Reserve Youngstock Champion, finally another win at the Nps Champs. Lillian is unbeaten! Now we were returning after a fourteen year break!!!
Lillian was brought down to the nearest field and her preparation for Royal Welsh began. Having been a field mare for fourteen years Kate and Dad had a hard task of re-educating Lilly, teaching her to lead again, that a rug was not going to kill her and even that hard food was not poisonous!
Doubts began to set in, then a week before the Royal Welsh everything clicked and she knew what she had to do and something big was around the corner. The mare seemed to be peaking just at the right time. Little Lilly was small having been born in June but growing fast. There was no doubt she would last the pace. Little did we know it was going to be such a long day ........
1st Senior Brood Mare
Champion Brood Mare,
Overall Female Champion,
Overall Champion Section C, Chetwynd Cup Winner and Gold Medal Winner,
Tom and Sprightly Supreme (Welsh Breeds supreme)
Cuddy Supreme and Hoys qualifier
Supreme In-hand
Then Overall Supreme of Royal Welsh show 2013 (Dilyn Thomas)
Since the show we have been informed that there was 3300 horses and Synod Lady Lillian is the first Welsh breed ever to go completely through the cards taking every Championship and Supreme and on the 50th Anniversary!

In our wildest dream's we didn't think we would achieve anything like this and we are still pinching ourselves. The mare was a superstar pleasing the crowd with her never ending enthusiasm,movement and presence. To think our small family produced stud has just took the supreme is out of this world. A DAY WE WILL NEVER FORGET!

Thankyou to everyone who supported us, those who cheered her on and the well wishers, it has really put the icing on the cake!
And of course to Lillian, a living legend!!!!!
If Little Lilly achieves half of what her mother has done it will be an amazing success.
   
Lillian's Sire Synod Reagan Not the best Pic, Lillian winning the Royal Welsh as a yearling.