Rare Bloodlines Revisited – ‘05/’06 Study Reconsidered
/Introduction
Globetrotter Nimrod is one of the ponies on the ‘06/’07 rare bloodlines list. Courtesy Libby Robinson
I did my first identification of rare bloodlines in Fell Ponies in 2008 based on the sires and dams of the 2006 and 2007 foal crops. At that time, there were a number of Dutch Fell Ponies for whom I had incomplete pedigrees. Thanks to detailed research done for me by Joke Postma of the Westerkwartier stud in The Netherlands, all pedigrees are now complete in my database. As a result, I have an updated list of rare bloodlines from the 2006/2007 time period. I used the same methodology as for the current timeframe analysis, as described in my previous article. To read the previous article, click here.
My key findings from my updated analysis of ‘06/’07 are:
The complete Dutch pedigrees resulted in changes to the list.
A decade on from the first analysis, it’s now possible to look at whether the bloodlines that were rare in ‘06/’07 are still in our population or if they’ve been lost.
As before, a number of ponies show up repeatedly behind the ponies on the new list, indicating that they are a source of rarity.
Changes to the List
Having complete Dutch pedigrees resulted in nine ponies previously on the list to drop off. Apparently their ancestors were also behind some of the Dutch ponies for whom I previously had incomplete pedigrees, so they were more related to the rest of the breeding population than previously indicated. Nine ponies were then added to the list. The new list is shown in Table 1.
(c) Jenifer Morrissey, 2019
Lost Bloodlines?
Fifty seven percent of the ponies representing rare bloodlines in Table 1 have no progeny in 2017 or 2018. They are indicated by a ‘no’ in the second column of Table 1 titled “in 2017-18?” These bloodlines are therefore at risk of being lost to the breed.
Sources of Rarity
Linnel Rapier II is behind a few ponies on the rare bloodlines list for ’06-’07. Rapier qualified for Olympia with Debbie Boylan in 2001 only months after having been broken in for the first time. Courtesy Fell Pony Society
As I found previously, the Dene and Greenfield studs were rare and contributed their rareness to many ponies on the list. The Gibside stud is now in the same category. Some Linnel, Sleddale, Guards, Waverhead, and Lownthwaite ponies are rare and contribute their rarity to ponies on the list. Other ponies that show up frequently behind rare ponies are Frizington Duke and Twislehope Druid and Rupert.
Two of the rare Linnel ponies are the stallions Romany Boy and Rapier II. In a 1980 Fell Pony Society newsletter, there was a story about Romany Boy. “The Ponies of Britain run a very successful stallion award scheme for the stallion whose progeny win the most at the Ponies of Britain shows held at Ascot, Kelso and Peterborough. Mr. R. B. Charlton, whose famous Linnel ponies have done so much to publicise the breed, knew nothing of the scheme until his stallion, Linnel Romany Boy, was reserve of all the native stallions in 1975 and a letter notified him of his success. Linnel Romany Boy went on to win the award outright in 1976, 1977 and 1978 - probably a record for any native breed in the country, and a great honour for the Fell breed.” (1)
Likewise, in a 2000 newsletter there was mention of Linnel Rapier II. “It was a fine, cold morning as we met at [Lownthwaite Fell Pony stud] lying under Cross Fell. Our first glimpse was of the stallion, Linnel Rapier II, in his paddock. He was a handsome animal who looked thoroughly pleased with himself and delighted to have admiring visitors to parade in front of, as only a stallion could. He exuded kindness and generosity as well as power and strength. Christine [Morton] told us he had never had his back feet picked up or his teeth rasped but the evidence seemed to be that here in his natural environment both feet and teeth were in fine fettle.” (2) The next year, Rapier II was sold on and backed and in just a few months qualified for the prestigious holiday show Olympia with Debbie Boylan. “He was just so incredibly easy according to Debbie, had the most wonderful temperament, and just loved people!” (3)
Caveat About Rare Lines
Whenever considering rare bloodlines, it is important to remember that some ponies may have become rare for a reason. They may have had some congenital defect, a temperament fault or not be true-to-type for the breed. I personally know of examples of some of these conditions in the list here. The perspective of time for this list from ‘06/’07 lets us see what breeders have decided so far. On the other hand, some of the ponies on this list, such as Globetrotter Nimrod, do not have current descendants in the breeding population, but Nimrod has a full sibling who continues to contribute to our breed’s population. So just because Nimrod is not represented now, the lines behind him are represented through his sister Polikarpov. Nimrod’s case reminds us that making judgments about rare lines requires great care.
Still to come are reflections on the divergence of North American and Dutch lines and more consideration of ponies often found behind rare lines.
“Notes from Here and There,” Fell Pony Society Newsletter, 1980, Volume 5.
“Mid-East England,” Fell Pony Society Newsletter, Autumn 2000, p. 31.
“Olympia Qualifiers,” Fell Pony Society Newsletter, Autumn 2001, p. 32-3.
