Our webpage is quite simple now and haven't had time to translate all pages to English so thought I write presentations of our ponies here in the blog to link then to the webpage. So let see: now we have three mares Swinghill's Paulette, who is also driven/ridden and two other mares Skattens Sissy and Jenniefer which I have bought as broodmares and what is what they have been doing also before they came to us. Beside the foals of these three mares we have two geldings and one colt not related to them and the stallion Verano of course. I'll start today by presenting Swinghill's Paulette and her offspring.
Paulette is kind of a Cinderella-story. My friend Päivi called that there had been some issues at a breeder and the vetenerian had ordered all the ponies to be sold by auction on Monday (to make a long story short). At that time we only had our first Shetland pony Okana and Päivi guessed right that I might be interested to buy another mare to keep company to Okana who was too tuff for a small one to be kept with my standardbred trotters and she was feeling a bit lonely. So, the owner had permission to sell the ponies even before the actual auction and so Päivi drove to the stables at Saturday to take a look. Then she called me and told about Paulette and her dam Dalia and asked which one I would like and I answered that she can choose as she is there and sees the ponies and I take what is left. She chose Dalia amongst some other ponies and so Paulette came to us. She was not in as bad shape as some other ponies but still needed some caretaking and half a year later she had severe colic because of sand in the stomach, she had of course been eating what ever could be found and so also sand had gathered in her stomach. After we got rid of the sand she really started to change and became the most lovely working pony.
Paulette and her best friend Okana, our first Shetland, who made this all start and who sadly passed away in foaling
Paulette has a top pedigree with the Swedish Elite stallion Plutus v. Dorpzicht as dad and as told, Dalia, as mom. Grand sire is Elit Wessel v.d. Amstelhof and her 2nd, 3rd and 4th mom's are all Elit - no pressures Paulette! From this maternal line comes stallions like Dior and Diezel in Sweden.
So she showed quite soon to be a quality mare and shortly one can summon her Breed Show results as several Golds, Classwinner and Champion titels and three times she has been Best In Show III! At the official breeding evaluation she also got the best award in Finland, I (Gold). A list of show results and pedigree can be found at the Sukuposti database (where you by the way find thousands of Shetland ponies, too with photos)
Swinghill's Paulette in Sukuposti
A judge said once that Paulette is exactly what a Shetland pony should be like: robust, even a bit old fashioned compared what is expected today, and in the show ring she as judge saw all the time that Paulette was doing exactly what I asked for. That's Paulette for sure!
As that wouldn't be enough for a rescue pony she is also one of the ponies we have used in our pony clubs as riding and driving pony, in pony agility and horse assisted activities for children with disabilities. I have driven her in Performance classes both long reins and in pair and she has been Performance Champion also! Last winter we trained hard with Ivanhoe av Friheten and so in April we drove 500 km to Ypäjä Equine College to compete in easy level regional combine driving class. In dressage we placed second and also totally second and that was one of the highlights of my Shetland pony career :D
"Lettu" as we call her at combine driving training winter 2015
At combine driving competition in Ypäjä, dressage 68%,
Ivanhoe av Friheten on right from the whip, Paulette on left
Then to her foals which she as two of... In 2011 I bought a stallion, Verano Lee v.d. Zandkamp from Denmark. So Paulette got her first foal and our first Shetland offspring ever 17.5.2012. It was a black colt and got the name Thorin Ax. Before foaling I was very stressed and sad because we had dramatically lost Okana in foaling just a month earlier and I was very afraid of loosing Paulette too. How ever the foaling went fast probably much due to Thorin who was a small rat! I remember thinking I have never seen such a weakling foal! Though he was a tiny one he developed very well and got I (gold) at the official foal evaluation as yearling and also the best points any yearling Shetland colt got in Finland that year, though only II (silver) at Breed Shows. As 2 yrs old he got officially again I and was, again, best in Finland of two year old colts and then he got also splendid results at Breed Show, Gold, Classwinner, Best Colt winning over the amazing Usvaniityn Jesse who won everything else in 2014 and went on to be Reserve Champion titel - by a UK judge! In 2015 we showed him again at Breed Show in February and again he got all the titels up to Best In Show II! As you see in the photo, mom Swinghill's Paulette was Best In Show III. One of the top momenst at Breed Shows for us. Thorin is now driven a few times with gig and will soon start light work in order to be an add to our driving ponies. He is a very friendly pony who rely on you totally.
Paulette and Thorin, mother and son Best In Show III & II
Thorin Ax as 2 yrs old
Paulette's second foal is Eowyn Ax is a dream come true filly born 23.5.2013, she got her dad Verano's dun color and a star and was named after the Rohan princess Eowyn in Tolkien's stories. If possible, she was even smaller when born than Thorin! Still now apprx. 101-102 cm. She has got Gold and Classwinner titel at Breed Shows and as a yearling I (gold) at official foal evaluation with 9 points of trot which is very very rare! She is such a beautiful filly of TNT and love her to bits, can imagine that Paulette has been just like her when she was filly. Emma is driven long reins a few times and will in time also be broken to drive.
Eowyn Ax as 2 yr old
So that was our Paulette and her two foals so far. Now she is again covered and has not shown heat yet so fingers crossed we have a new beautiful addition on the way to this family :)
Next I'll write about Jenniefer and her offspring!
