Could anyone recomend any Dales breeders?

[zoe123]

I am not looking for a pony yet but may be in a few years time and am interested in speaking to breeders to get there opinions and what they would look for in a good pony.

Who would you go to other than the secretary ?

[zeldalithgow]

Jo Ashby is prob the best bet for putting you in touch with breeders, also a trip to the breed shows first Sat in May and first in August is a good idea you get to see lots of different Dales, it might help you decide on a particular line

[zoe123]

Thanks.

Are there any breeders on this forum?

[blackjack]

Speak to Delia Weedon, she breeds the Akehurst ponies and I think you will find her telephone number on the sales list if you look on the Dales Pony society website. I can vouch personally for her ponies as we have got one of her babies and he is gorgeous. She is a very knowledgeable lady who is always happy to promote the breed and I am sure would be willing to help you. She is at Bexhill near the south coast so I do not know how far that is from you but we travelled from Kent to Yorkshire to get our other Dales and it was well worth it. You have to accept that you might end up travelling quite a long way but it is worth it to find the right pony for you

Good luck in your search.

[zoe123]

Thanks.
I am near birmingham at the moment but am hoping to be moving within the next year or so (hence getting as much info as I can now, I like to know what I am looking for and what is a good pony and what prices they are going for, I don't want to pay over the odds because I don't know enough. )

[greydales]

The Spring show at Barnard Castle is an excellent show to see the ponies as it has classes for stallions, youngstock, mares/geldings and also ridden classes. There are often many breeders at the show.

[zoe123]

Thanks, looks like I will be taking a trip to a show then

Does anyone have any links that would be useful? I have already seen the Dales Pony Society one.

What do you look for when you are looking into buying a dales, a particular line/prefix?

[Debbie]

Zoe the best thing that I did was to go round and visit with as many breeders as possible and ask them what they're looking for in the breed. I don't think that it has to do with one particular line or another. You'll find certain family traits that run in lines, and some of their temperments may appeal moreso than others.

Also keep in mind what you're wanting to do with the pony. The breeders themselves will be able to give you pointers on which of their ponies are more suited for driving, or being kept busy while others might be more laid back, and happy with hacks instead of competitive dressage, say.

I also found going to the Spring breed show to be very helpful. There were so many dales ponies altogether, so it was easy to see their action, and compare their conformation. Above all, ask and keep asking questions. Never feel any question is too silly.

[jacquidales]

I think if you have the breed standard to hand then going to the Spring Show is always worthwhile as you can see the different characteristics of each breeding line. It's always helpful to have in mind what discipline you want to do eventually as I've found some lines are confirmationally/sizewise better for dressage and others for showing etc.

Jo Ashby is very helpful.

[dalesponyrider]

Do get in touch with Jo Ashby. She is great for advice. Also, make sure you get to the Breed Shows. You will have lots of breeders and knowledgable people all in one place to talk to. I have always found the Dales Pony people a really helpful and encouraging bunch of guys. None of them have ever made me feel stupid and many have gone out to their way to give me help. I was a complete numpty when I first enquired about Dales!

[greydales]

It also depends on what you want to do with the pony - if you are keen on showing, then ideally you will want a Section A as near to the breed standard as you can get, but if you want to only do ridden shows then it wouldn't matter so much if you have a Sec B as often there are very good specimens (frequently better than some sec As) the only difference being colour.

You will find at the shows that there may be a particular type of pony that catches your eye, ask the owner what breeding the pony is so you can look up others of that line.

zoe123 said:

Thanks, looks like I will be taking a trip to a show then

Does anyone have any links that would be useful? I have already seen the Dales Pony Society one.

What do you look for when you are looking into buying a dales, a particular line/prefix?

[taffydales]

I would speek to Jo, she is such a friendly and helpful lady I,m sure she will point you in the right direction.

[jec248]

What is the difference between a sec A and a sec B dales pony.? Is it their hieght?

[zoe123]

Thanks everyone,

jec248, from what I understand (and someone will know better than me because I am still only finding out myself) height has nothing to do with it, it used to but not anymore, it is the extra white. (can't remember where I read that though so could be totally wrong! i think it was off the Dales pony Society website)

[Deleted]

Section B ponies have more white than allowed. That is either too high on the back legs, any on the front legs, or too much on the face.