Back in 1969, Algy and Mary Lou Badger purchased the Welsh Mountain Pony mare Monarch's Just So for their daughter Susan. Not long after, they purchased another Welsh Mountain Pony, Western Glow, for their youngest daughter Margaret on her ninth birthday. Little did they know that Tylwyth Pony Farm had been established! Margaret's junior career included six AHSA Horse of the Year Championships - four with Western Glow and two with the Section B mare Timbercreek Morning Mist. We now live on a 125-acre farm in East Bernard, Texas (50 miles west of our former home in Houston). In 1984 Margaret earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Animal (Equine) Science and is married to Jim Blackert, DVM. Their daughters Katharine, Victoria, and Elizabeth all learned to ride on Western Glow's sister, Tylwyth Forest Song.
Besides offering a summer camp, teaching lessons, training ponies and showing, we at Tylwyth Pony Farm were very busy with our breeding program. Our first stallions were Pickwick Star (*Coed Coch Sandde X *Shan Cwilt), Peppermint's Beau Jangles, (*Coed Coch Prydydd X Honor Pennant) and Tylwyth Midnight Sun (HollyRun Sunray X Rene' Serenade). In 1978 we were most fortunate to acquire the 26 year old imported stallion *Clan Glomadh (*Criban Pledge X Wentworth Glynda) who had sired Western Glow 14 years earlier. He sired many lovely foals for us until his death in 1983. We retained ten daughters to serve as broodmares and camp ponies.
We crossed the Glomadh daughters with national Supreme Champion Stallion Liseter Peter Pan II. We have been very pleased with these foals, many of them grandchildren of Star, Sunny, Jangles and Just So. In 1988 we were able to lease Western Pride, a son of our Western Glow and out of *Revel Mayflower. His conformation, presence, disposition, and beauty would improve any herd, and we are very happy to have his sons and daughters to breed to.
In 2005, Sabra Schiller was kind enough to allow us to lease Dragoncroft Welshman (Meadowlawn Squire x Penrhyn Southern Belle) a great grandson of *Clan Glomadh, to cross back on our mares. We are very excited to see these great movers begin their careers.
It has been said that better ponies make better children. We believe that growing up with a tractable, companionable pony helps children learn responsibility. The difficulties they overcome as they learn new skills and master the old together build character. Adults can enjoy the same benefits of exercise and camaraderie with the Welsh. At Tylwyth Pony Farm, our goal is to produce ponies for other families to enjoy whether at home or at competitions.
Tylwyth means "family" in Welsh. The Welsh have meant much to our family, as we work together for our triumphs. We wish every family could share the benefits of owning quality ponies. At one point, we had close to seventy head with ponies in all stages of training. Truly, this is something we would have never believed possible when we first started out so many years ago with the first two ponies!
Flower Power
Tylwyth Enchantress and Vickie Blackert represent the 60's era in the East Bernard Christmas Parade with a theme of Christmas through the ages.
