Flirt's granddaughter
Caer Wydr Sable
(bay roan, 13.2)
Sable's
paternal granddam, Homestead
Flirt, was my first Welsh
pony, at least in the sense of ownership, just as her son Xanadu was
the first Welsh I bred. Although Caer Wydr Bonnie was the first to
carry my prefix, she was actually bred by Reggie Cocke and the last
Avalon pony.
When I bought Flirt as
a weanling - on a hunch (+ pictures & pedigree), following an
impulse at the Shreveport 1974 WPSA annual meeting, I had
already been working with the Avalon herd for 4 years. My days
started & ended with ponies. Flirt's breeding as a 2 yo to
*Marsh Silver Cities, a
pony stealth
op, was a year earlier
than planned, at least by me. Tunc et nuncquam. Marsh died the next spring
shortly before Xan was foaled.
Flirt's pedigree
reads like a "who's who" of domestic B breeding. Double Farnley
Lustre, Lithgow Wisnik, *Cusop Sherif, Plum Creek's Minx (full sister
to the then well known Plum Creeks' Midnight). Already immersed in the
reading of Welsh pedigrees, I was especially impressed by how much
Section A she had in her pedigree and no "bottom line." Here was a mare
whose lines could weave many directions. Interestingly, her pedigree is
relatively light on GLyndwr. She also has much less Berwyn/Victor than
one might expect in a 13.2hh pony bred in that period - and that
entirely through granddam Wishnik. For the most part, she is from Bs
"bred up from As. For those who think the only font of Bs lies
the Atlantic, I recommend a closer look at Flirt's extended pedigree.
Little did I know
at the time just how influential this impulse purchase would come to be
in US section B
breeding. My role here
is small, but I like to think,
pivotal. I take pride in
Flirt's accomplishments but cannot take credit for much beyond
introducing her to the region. Whatever her influence, she remains
special to me for being
my first pony and for providing us with Xanadu. This part of her story
begins with Cliff Merchant, who was to use her as a larger
mount for 4-H. Cliff's father, MIke, was keen to promote Welsh in
Louisiana 4-H. Also, Cliff was going to need his own larger pony to
replace
Manchac
T-boy for Welsh shows before Cliff's feet started dragging the ground.
Big B prices being what they were, and with large, quality Bs much
scarcer then, raising his own was the
only way for Cliff to afford the quality pony he deserved. The fabulous
Lulu is
truly a backyard
pony, born, raised, and trained in the Merchant's Baton Rouge back
yard. As co-owner & co-breeder, I had approval of the stallion but
already knew Mike's direction. He was keen to breed to *Brockwell
Spider, the then new herdsire at Gayfields. Cliff worked off the stud
fee starting ponies under saddle for Gafields. In exchange for Flirt
(none of this being
a money arrangement), the Merchants would show Flirt in-hand at Welsh
shows
where Cliff was showing T-Boy. Flirt went WPSA National High
Score Section B mare - with only limited showing - but, not to put
too fine a point on it, turned out a somewhat less than satisfactory
riding pony. Fortunately (and then some), she more than made up
by producing Louisiana Lagniappe. In Louisiana French, "lagniappe"
means "something extra."
The rest, as they
say, is history. Cliff & Lulu made a great team,
winning Championships, WPSA Year end awards, and HOTYs. A number
of years later, Cliff no longer a junior rider and off to college, Gail
(then Morris) leased Lulu and acquired Lulu's filly by *Pendock
Masterpiece. Rather than re-invent the wheel, I'll send you the
reader to Gayfield's comprehensive page
on Lulu & her family.
After Flirt
returned home, I used her some in lessons as she was fine with loose
rein walk trot work in a small ring, and Pilar rode her. I
had high hopes for what she and Grenadier would produce. Caradoc was
indeed all I had hoped for but died less than a week after foaling.
When I lost my pasture
lease at the worst time possible (as is usually the case), herd
reduction became pressing (as it will). Since Flirt was the
most sellable pony in my band, I reluctantly came to the conclusion
that I had no choice but to part with her and offered her to Barbara
Gillett - yet another case of "the rest is history."
I have to admit that I don't know as much about what Flirt has done as
RosMel's (although more than when I started this project). What I do
have is listed below. RosMel has retained at
least four Flirt
daughters, each retained by a
different
stallion.
If there is a moral (or more) to this long-winded tale, they might be
these: never think that you can't make a contribution to the breed just
because you do not have a large herd or a lot of resources; hunches can
pay off; no can truly predict outcomes; chaos theory applies to pony
breeding; small
breeders can breed ponies that influence the breed. Lou Franks did. So
did Cliff and I.
If I think of more, I will add
them. In the meantime, take another look
at Flirt's legacy.
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