Laura and Caroline Singer's involvement with horses and ponies first started with the purchase of a part-bred Arab stallion called Ring of Gold (Sunny) back in 1982.

Laura with Caroline on Sunny (1982)

In 1982, we moved from the South of England to the Cumbrian / Northumberland border bringing Sunny with us.

In 1984, my first pony was purchased for my 6th Birthday - a wonderful Welsh A schoolmistress called Hebron Brown Bird.  She was closely followed by a Welsh B gelding from the Glanymor Stud.

Caroline on Flicka (1984)

In 1987, we moved to our present location and in 1988, started up a pony trekking centre to accommodate the local B&B's.

In the spring of 1988, a part-bred Arab foal was purchased as a birthday present for Laura from her father.  We were offered his mother at the time of the sale, so brought her home as well.  The foal was subsequently named Nicholforest Birthday Boy and his mother was St Bride's Sainfoin, a pure bred Connemara mare.

In 1990, we gave up the pony trekking and most of the horses and ponies were sold, including St Bride's Sainfoin.  A 13.2hh pony was retained and introduced me to the delights of the local Pony Club and Riding Club!

In 1991, I was ready to progress onto a 14.2hh pony for show-jumping.  Friends said they had just the pony for us, so we tried him.  He was a fantastic, bold jumper having been hunted most of his life.  So it was agreed that we would have him.  He came home in the autumn complete with a 'scrap of paper'.  This piece of paper proved to be his registration certificate - he was a pure bred Connemara called Chiltern Spindrift.

It was the purchase of Drifter that introduced us to the joy of owning a Connemara pony.

In 1992, a chance conversation with another friend, who realised what a good stud Drifter originally came from, led us to try and show him - something we hadn't done before!  This we did by starting in 15hh Open WHP classes - not for the fainthearted at 3'6" - 3'9" in height.

In the spring, a yearling Connemara filly was purchased called Martinside Witch Hazel.

She was followed in the autumn by her half-brother, a 3 year old gelding called Martinside Mountain Ash.

In 1995, a second part-bred was purchased called Standen Finola.  At 15.3hh, she was to be my 'move' onto horses.

In the summer of 2005, I answered an advert for a ridden pony. Unfortunately, the pony had been sold, but there was a 2 year old filly available if I was interested.

We went to see her and I knew as soon as I saw her that she would be coming back home with us.  A few weeks later we collected her.  Her name - Tiercel Snowdrop.

It has been her purchase that has rekindled our enthusiasm to breed Connemaras.