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Throughout
the world the Welton prefix is associated with world-class
eventers having produced in excess of twenty Four Star event
horses since the studs beginnings in 1961. These horses
include Welton Houdini the winner of Badminton in 1993 (Ginny
Elliot), the 1995 European Champion Welton Romance (Lucy
Thompson), Welton Greylag (by Welton Crackerjack and ridden
by Mark Todd) the winner of Burghley in 1991, and more recently
Welton Envoy (Blyth Tait) winner of the Rolex- Kentucky
Three Day Event in 2000. Sam Barr has devoted more than forty years of this life to breeding the Welton event horses. The stud’s original aim was to produce top class hunters. In the 1960s Sam had the vision to breed from proven eventing stallions whose performance and temperament was well tested in competition.
“By breeding from generations of performance you enormously enhance your chances of breeding a ‘star’. This has been proved over many years in the racehorse breeding industry. So when you are assessing the available stallions, check their performance, and grandsires performance and most importantly the performance of the progeny…” (Sam Barr) Competing stallions
to prove their worth was considered foolhardy at the time,
however today stallions are regularly competed in all equestrian
disciplines.
Sam first bought Welton Gameful in 1961 bringing him home to Limbury Farm in Gloucestershire as a weanling. Gameful was from the line Prince’s Game which Sam had long admired. In fact the prefix Welton was the name of Gameful’s dam and has been used as the studs prefix ever since. Sam’s daughter Dawn, rode Gameful at the local Pony Club where he was renown for his exceptional temperament. Welton Gameful went on to become an Advanced Event horse. Welton Louis, Welton Crackerjack and Welton Apollo all were sired by Welton Gameful.
STUD PHILOSOPHY Sam and his wife Linda are the first to admit that getting the “mix” right is always difficult but firmly believe that the “ideal” event horse must have excellent conformation in combination with true courage, willingness, trainability and an easy temperament. In reality very few horses have all these attributes, however many a world-class horse has overcome the odds with great courage and trainability. As a breeder Sam always aimed to breed a horse which he considered had the carefulness of an A-grade Showjumper (not wanting to touch the fences) combined with the boldness and courage to jump any fence. With changes to the event competition however being bold over the crosscountry was no longer enough, requiring horses to be accurate and careful in the showjumping arena and to perform well on the flat. Horses that started life as a genuinely poor mover were difficult to improve even with dedicated training.
Sam and Linda have strict guidelines on the stallions that are retained for breeding. Young horses are trained and expected to gain at least Advanced or preferably Four-star levels of competition. They also have the expectation that the progeny must also compete at advanced levels. As a result of “putting the best to the best to get the best” Sam and Linda have produced four generations, not only of advanced horses but also of advanced stallions. A record unequalled in the world. WELTON STALLIONS Welton
Apollo was a highly successful stallion being the first
British Stallion to complete Badminton in three successive
years (1988 to 1990) and was highly ranked in the Horse
Trial Database by his own winnings. Apollo was retired to
stud at the age of 16. His progeny have competed at Olympic,
World and European Championships. Sadly Apollo was put down
on his home farm at Limbury when he was 25 years old.
Welton Ambassador is a 16.3hh Advanced eventer by Welton Louis who has been retired to stud and is currently standing at Hartpury College in Gloucestershire. In 1997 Ambassador was the top graded British Sporthorse and Champion Young Sire of Event Horses. In 2001 he was ranked the Highest Rising Stallion in the dressage rankings (by Supporters of British Breeding). Ambassador has wonderful movement, a bold jump and temperament, which he consistently passes on to his progeny. Ambassador has produced many advanced horses, his most famous being Cornish Envoy who has competed at Bramham, Badminton, Burghley (6th) and was in the European Squad at Luhmuhlen in 1999. Currently
two young stallions are standing Home Farm at Hartpury College.
Welton Adonis is by Welton Apollo out of Baby Welton (by Welton
Crackerjack) and Welton Double Cracker by Double Trigger also
out of Baby Welton. WELTON CRACKERJACK Welton Crackerjack was born in 1974 by Welton Gameful (TB) out of an Irish Draught TB X mare. Crackerjack's dam showed her tenacity when at 19 she followed the Ledbury hounds whenever they were hunting locally, jumping everything the field jumped and then finding her own way back at the end of the day!
Crackerjack
went on to compete himself at advanced level, finishing 13th at
Burghley and 2nd at Bramham both with a double clear. Crackerjack
was renown for his boldness and extravagance across country however
he was also a very careful showjumper. His outstanding quality
that all remember him by was his exceptional temperament and ‘tremendous
willingness to please.’ Crackerjack achieved a huge success as a successful sire over a wide variety of mares. Wherever he went he was the universal favourite for his exceptional character, which he passed on to his progeny along with his athleticism and jumping ability. “Temperament is an inherited trait, and it continues to be the defining features of all our stallions, even after three generations. It is the major quality contributing to the fact that the Welton horses can be ridden successfully by such a wide variety of riders.” (Sam Barr)
Since the creation of the British Horse Database, Crackerjack has always been the “Leading Sire of Event Horses” even when in the last few years when the awards have been based on progeny winnings. His stock amassed over 6,000 points and he was the sire of the winners of six International Three-day Events including Badminton (Welton Houdini), Burghley (Welton Greylag) and the Rolex-Kentucky Three-day Event (Welton Envoy). In his lifetime he was the leading sire for his progeny’s winnings with 2000 more than any other stallion.
Sadly Welton Crackerjack was put down at the age of 28 on the 28 May 2002 as a result of a stifle injury at the end of 2001 from which he never fully covered. He will be remembered for his superb temperament and the legacy he left behind…
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