IDYLLIC STUD

The Welsh connection began when Taliaris Granite was purchased by Jenny Kilbey from a sale in Norfolk in the late seventies and was successfully shown as a youngster and stallion. The foundation mares Knodishall Pandora, Foxhunter Swci and Coed Coch Nodedig were bought and they began breeding following the old Coed Coch blood lines.

The Idyllic Stud was founded in 1981 on the outskirts of Newmarket and was named after Idyllic Glen a racehorse belonging to Norman Birkenhead.

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The real turning point came in 1984 with a visit to the Pendock Stud to look for a colt to show and then sell on. Pendock Legend was never large in stature and had been overlooked by a few people, however something about him caught the eye of Jenny and Norman and after a very reasonable price was agreed he returned to the stud for his originally short planned stay!!

Legend’s showing career began well with a few wins as yearling and by the time he was two years old it was becoming obvious that there was something a little special about him. By July 1986 he was on his way to the Royal Welsh and after winning the two year old colt class and being reserve male and reserve Youngstock champion the original plan to sell him on were soon forgotten.

Legend at the Royal welsh 1986 

 Legend had already began his covering duties with a couple of mares as a two year old and the following year Knodishall Pandora gave the stud a filly foal called Idyllic Pavlova who went on to be Female Champion and Reserve Section A Champion at the 1990 Royal Welsh- not a bad start for his first crop of foals!

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 Royal welsh 1990 

The combination between Legend and Pandora continued, Markova was born 1988, Giselle 1989, Pirouette 1990, Prima Donna 1991, Nijinsky 1993, Privalova 1994, Fonteyn 1995 Nureyev 1996.As the stud was also a business unfortunately all were sold at some point however in the last few years Privalova, Fonteyn and Prima Donna have all returned.

The stud owes all its success to Legend because he continuously produced some of the country's top Welsh Mountain pony stock in-hand, ridden and driven, being the sire, grandsire and great grandsire to many of Idyllic stud's countless champions.

Legend won the WPCS sire ratings in 1997, 2003 and jointly with Blackhill Picalo in 2004 and has rarely been out of the top three in the last twelve years and by 2005 he had been top sire for Eastern Welsh for a record tenth time apart from when he was second to his stable mate Taliaris Granite. He was also Progeny Champion at the Royal Welsh in 2000 and 2002 and then Champion sire at the 2003 and 2005 Royal Welsh by gaining the most points throughout the show from his stock.

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Legends winning progeny group at the Royal Welsh 2002

He was only lightly shown throughout his life but still with much success, including Reserve Section A Champion at the Welsh International Show in 1992 and in addition many Supreme titles.

Sadly Legend passed away in 2004 and will be missed forever but his name and blood will always be the backbone for the stud and he will surely go down in history as one of the greatest section A stallions of all time.

Legend at the Welsh International 1992

Returning to the Pandora line, Nureyev was sold in 1996 as a foal and was purchased by the Ireland family; he then stayed at Idyllic to be produced with much success being unbeaten as a foal and yearling. Nureyev was the pony that brought Mark and Liz together, and while Jenny and Norman were producing many ponies at the highest level, Mark and Liz were slowly starting to build a second part to the stud in Essex at Peter and Lesley’s, Liz’s parents, and with their help they continued to breed and show the homebred ponies.

 Nureyev as a Yearling

Mark and Liz married in 2002 and Idyllic Entrepreneur was given by Jenny and Norman as a present. At the time Legend was still covering mares and a replacement had still yet to come. Fortunately Entrepreneur seemed to be the one and in 2003 he travelled home from the Royal Welsh after winning the three year old Colt class, Youngstock Championship and Reserve Male Championship.

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Entrepreneur at the Royal Welsh 2003

In 2005 Mark and Liz took Fonteyn to the Royal Welsh and Jenny and Norman finally achieved their dream of breeding the Royal Welsh section A Champion. Fonteyn won a strong senior Broodmare class and judge Wyn Jones then awarded her the Female Championship and Overall section Champion out of over 700 entries, still the highest number of ponies ever entered in one section at the show.

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Fonteyn at the Royal Welsh 2005

2007 brought the long awaited Cuddy qualification, as the stud had been reserve in qualifiers many times both with clients and the studs’ own ponies. Fonteyn finally got her ticket to HOYS at Bath and West after going one better than in 2006 when she was Reserve Supreme, and just five weeks later Entrepreneur also qualified at the Royal Show. Both had won Cuddy qualifiers with over twenty horses and ponies of the highest standard, this is believed to be the first time a Welsh stud has qualified two homebred ponies for the HOYS in hand final in the same year. Thirteen came forward for the pony section with Fonteyn third and Entrepreneur fifth.

At the 2007 Royal Welsh Entrepreneur also won the Junior stallion class and went on to be Reserve Male Champion for the second time

 Cuddy Qualifier at Royal Bath & West 2007

The most important thing at Idyllic is, and will always be action and we take great pride in the way our ponies look and perform in the ring. With the stud approaching its thirtieth year and now having over twenty mares & fillies and ten colts the future will hopefully continue to be successful in both breeding and showing this wonderful Legend line of Welsh mountain ponies….

HOMEBRED ROYAL WELSH SUCCESS

1989:- Pavlova 3^rd  2 yr old Fillies.

1990:- Pavlova 1^st  3 yr old Fillies, Youngstock Champion, Female champion, Reserve Section A.

1996:- Craklin Rose  2^nd  2 yr old Fillies.

1999:- Etiquette   1^st Yearling Fillies.

1999:- Chanel   1^st   Junior Broodmares .

2000:- Tosca   2^nd   Barren mares.

2002:- Fonteyn  3^rd  Barren mares.

2002:- Lady in Red  3^rd  3 yr old  Fillies.

2003:- Entrepreneur 1^st  3 yr old Colts, Youngstock Champion, Reserve Male Champion.

2003:- Tosca  1^st  Senior Broodmares, Reserve Female Champion.

2003:- Privalova   2^nd  Barren mares.

2004:- Fonteyn  3rd   Senior Broodmares.

2005:- Fonteyn  1^st Senior Broodmares, Female Champion, Section A Champion.

2008 :- Fonteyn 1st Senior Broodmares, Female Champion, Reserve Section A Champion.

2008 :- Angel of Music 2nd 2 yr old Fillies.

2008 :- Vanquish 2nd 2 yr old Colts.

2009 :- Angel of Music 3rd 3 yr old Fillies.

2011 :- Vienna 1st Yearling Fillies, Reserve Champion. (Winter Fair)