Welsh Section C

What is a Welsh Section C?

The Welsh Pony of Cob Type: the third section of the Welsh stud book, not exceeding 13.2 hands, with the substance and bone of a Welsh Cob on a pony frame. Stronger and heavier than a Section B, with feather on the legs and a thicker mane and tail.

They occupy a genuinely useful space - a pony a child can ride and an adult can also ride, drive or hunt.

History and origins

Produced by putting Welsh Cob (Section D) stallions to Section A and B mares, keeping the cob's substance and action at pony height. They were the Welsh hill farmer's general-purpose animal: shepherding, carting, and getting the family to market.

Formalised as a separate section in the stud book in the 20th century.

Appearance and size

122-137cm, 300-400kg. Deep through the girth, strong-limbed, with silky feather at the heel and a generous mane and tail. A pony head with a bold eye and a powerful, high-stepping trot.

Any solid colour; never piebald or skewbald.

Temperament and personality

Kind, bold and sensible. Section Cs are known for being honest and willing - they hunt, they drive, they take a child round a pony club course and they take an adult out hacking, often in the same week.

They have presence and know it, and a Section C in full trot is a genuinely showy animal.

Intelligence and trainability

Clever and quick to learn, with the Welsh willingness to find a way round a rule they disagree with. Consistency works; repetition and insistence do not.

They drive exceptionally well, which is worth knowing for a family that outgrows riding one.

Children and other pets

A good family pony, with the usual caution about matching education to rider. They are strong, and a Section C that has learned to pull is a lot of pony for a child.

Live out happily in company and are generally sensible about dogs and farm traffic.

Health problems

Laminitis. Section Cs are very good doers and UK pasture is too rich for them. Restricted grazing, a track system or a muzzle for most, plus real attention to weight.

Equine Metabolic Syndrome and PPID, common in natives, both blood-testable.

Mud fever and feather mites. The feather traps wet and mud all winter and hosts Chorioptes mites. This is a seasonal job every year, not a one-off.

Sweet itch. Dental problems in old age.

Daily care routine

Daily checks, feet picked out, and through winter a hands-on check of every heel and pastern under the feather. Farrier every six to eight weeks, teeth annually, vaccinations annually, worm counts through the year.

Condition-scored every fortnight - by eye you will not see a Section C getting fat until it is.

Grooming and coat care

Thick winter coat and substantial feather. Kept long, the feather needs drying and checking constantly through a wet winter. Mane and tail left long and unpulled for showing.

Clipping the feather off solves the mud fever and costs the look, which is an owner's choice.

Exercise needs

Moderate to high, and important for weight as much as for the pony's mind. Ridden work three to five times a week, or driving, which keeps them in work into old age.

Feeding and diet

Very little hard feed. Soaked hay in winter, a vitamin and mineral balancer, and a realistic look at the grazing. This is a breed that is regularly killed with kindness.

Price

£2,500-£7,000 for a sound, well-schooled pony, and £8,000-£20,000 for a proven show or driving animal. Unbroken youngstock from £1,200.

Keeping one costs £2,500-£6,000 a year at DIY livery.

Buying advice

Passport and microchip at the first viewing.

Ride it, and have whoever will actually ride it ride it too. See it caught, shod and loaded if you can.

Get a five-stage vetting and ask directly about laminitis. Ask the vet to look under the feather for mud fever scarring, which tells you how the previous owner managed the winter.