Waulkmill redstart's sad passing

​It was with tremendous sadness that we learnt of the untimely passing of Waulkmill Redstart at Christmas. We featured Red and Dakota Keysrecently as record setting double category winners of the HOYS LeMieux La Liga consistency awards and 3rd place winners at HOYS.
We send our heartfelt love to owner Alison Bromwich, Dakota, Julie Barton who produced Red, Anna Chaplin, breeder Rowena Provan and all those who have known and loved Red throughout his amazingly life and career.
With Alison's kind permission......

"OK - its taken me a few days to get this far - and to be honest I’m still not sure I’m ready - but on Friday the 21st of December we lost our very precious Waulkmill Redstart along with Anna Chaplin and Ross Key’s Star in a very tragic accident.
Bought from a photo on Gerry Hart’s shetland-pony.com website at 3 weeks old from Roweena Provan (Earnbrig Reynard x Waulkmill Swallow), he arrived with us at 4am on a very foggy morning at 6 months old and turned our lives upside down........

​Never easy - but always a superstar - he won so much in-hand as a youngster showing - despite my numerous trips to St. Johns for finger strapping, ice packs etc and constant lunging as an attempt to get into the ring uneaten!
Julie Barton was brave enough to take him on to produce, and even Rebecca Penny thought him special enough to bring out under saddle.
He could be a total evil pig as a stallion, and bless Beckie she qualified him for Olympia - but after his exploits at NPS Summer Championships in the main ring - they had to come off!
As a ridden gelding he went from strength to strength, (see - there do have to be good geldings!),
I really can’t list all of his winnings, but a few highlights are:
The Brineton Champion
The P(UK) Patrons Cup National Champion of Champions (that was a really big one over all those plaiteds, hunters etc under Jenny Pitman)
BSPS Heritage Mini Supreme Champion
The Vivienne Pratt Supreme M&M Champion
The Stevenson’s Rocking Horse WHP Champion
Champion ridden at the Breed Show, including the HOYs, the Juniors and the Open Workers
1 x trip to Olympia
4 x to RI Open and FR
5 x to HOYS, one year doing Open with Hannah Eaton and FR with Ellie Eaton
2 x La Liga section wins in 2018 - a first ever for any equine
- - - and there was never a Section D that had “out trotted” the “Red Man” in an evening performance!
The people involved in this pony’s life read like a section from the “who’s who” of the equine world - John Parker and Julie Wedgebury who tried to persuade him that he should try driving (sorry guys!). His amazing riders; Linzi Cave, Rebecca Penny, (don’t deny it Katie Bacon your pic is following!) Kimberley Bates, Hannah and Ellie Eaton, Jordan Tipping, Sofia Vaughan, Georgia Darlington, Abbie Hamper, Amelia Newby, Sam Roberts, Sam Wild, and of course - Dakota Keys. I am so sorry if I have missed anyone - I am still not functioning.
This pony did everything - besides his showing and WHP, he did dressage, arena eventing, cross country and even babysitting me with a young Suffolk Punch on an endurance ride. As Jenny Pitman said “you could scale this pony up to do whatever job you like”.
Some of the greatest pleasure though that Alan and I have had, is seeing the growth of his relationship with Dakota - his first own girl - they were stunning together and my heart is breaking for her.
I can’t thank Ross, Anna and Dakota enough for the love that you have given him - but most of all to Julie Barton - who was with him at the end - you have been there for us from the first to the last and we will never forget that.
He was absolutely our pony of a lifetime - that horn is for you my boy - gallop as hard as you can!