2005 Foals
Garrighyll Duchess (registration pending)
Hardendale Henry x Ralfland DaintyDuchess is our first bay filly and Dainty's first foal. She is definitely a bay and has no white markings. At the moment, she is exceptionally bright in color. However, foal colors can be deceptive and we will probably not be able to determine her adult color for another year or so.
Duchess' paternal grandmother, Moorhouse Rosie is a dappled bay -a n unusual, attractive shaded variant only obvious in the summer coat which looks like beaten copper or bronze. Dappled bay or brown is a variant traditionally found in both Fell and Dales ponies and was sometimes called “heckberry ” or “he berry ” in the North of England. Dappling generally becomes more obvious with increasing age. It is still too early to say if Henry has inherited this trait or not.
Duchess (at 1 day, 4 weeks and 7 weeks)
Garrighyll Hermes (registration pending)
Hardendale Henry x Drybarrows Hazel IIOur latest colt foal was born on June 17th. He is Hazel's first foal. He was born a year and a day after his dam was last bred – at a time when I was starting to wonder if his dam really was in foal! Gestation periods for Fell ponies do seem to be longer than average (possibly an adaptation to the harsh environment in the Cumbrian hills) and 12 months is not very unusual, especially for a first foal.
His mother and father are both brown/bay but both are sired by black stallions, so statistically this colt has a 3:4 chance of being brown/bay and 1:4 chance of being black. My first impression at birth was that he was black but his muzzle appears to be getting paler and he may be a dark brown – historically a very traditional Fell pony color. His dam, Hazel is my smallest Fell pony mare and he will probably remain well within the height limit of 14 hands. He has no white markings.
2 weeks old < 1 day old
