BANKSWOOD MORNING STAR

	Reg Sect 1 Gelding S: Wattle Ridge Sun King D: Wattle Ridge Dawning D.O,B.1998 Height: 13.1 1/2hh Owned and Ridden by Ally Barry

Better known as Tadpole, or Taddy, BMS is a 13.2hh (almost!) 7 year old Section 1 New Forest Pony. He was purchased as a rising 4yo for my complete beginner daughter, Ally, at age 10, and has turned out to be an amazing little performance pony. We certainly credit Taddy for giving my daughter the love she has for eventing and show jumping.

After the inevitable rocky start from the pairing of a green pony with a green rider, particularly a very cheeky little pony, this combination have moved on to achieve quite amazing results in eventing. After only one grade 5 eventing start, they moved quickly up to Grade 4, and then into Grade 3 less than 12 months later. Even then, their first Grade 3 start achieved 4th place on the challenging Candlebark course.

Tadpole is pure performance – a wonderful jump technique, combined with a willingness to do what his rider asks and a very brave heart has given him the ability to achieve more than most ponies his height could dream of. He regularly jumps up to 120cm courses at home, and has competed at maximum C grade height of 108cm (90cm spreads) without dropping a rail on numerous occasions. One on occasion he jumped 140cm when he decided to jump the day yard fence with Ally when they were trotting up to put him away. He has never had a SJ or cross country refusal, and seems almost disappointed when he comes to the end of a XC course. I can quite honestly say that he has more jumping talent than either of Ally’s 16hh thoroughbreds – and considering one is a specialist show jumper, and the other a Grade 1 eventer, that is quite a statement. He is also a magnificent games pony, and it was with great regret that he was pulled out of our Pony Club team prior to State in order to compete elsewhere. I am not sure that our Pony Club has forgiven us yet, as he was sorely missed at the state competition.

It was a devastating realization when we finally accepted that Ally had grown out of Tadpole – after blindly ignoring the obvious for over six months, and we have loaned him on to a 10yo boy who is now training on him with the National Mounted Games squads after being spotted “whipping butt” in games at a local competition. Jake’s first SJ competition with Tadpole bought him home the first of what will surely be many blue sashes, and hopefully they will hit the Pony Club eventing circuit together soon.