My name is Tracey McConnell and I have been around horses since the age of 3 years old and soon became a keen member of the local show circuit. From the age of 12 I have been starting ponies from scratch and showing them in both ridden classes and in hand, with very good results. My best horse so far is my beautiful purebred Arab gelding Khaliph (Souter House White Echo). He was purchased as a crazy 3 year old who had a dislike to been ridden, and has gone on to be an amazing horse who is consistently placed under saddle and always highly commended on his level of schooling. All done by myself through hours of hard work and schooling.
After leaving school at 16 I went on to do an equine course for the next 3 years. Whilst there I gained an amazing amount of knowledge and experience with many different types of horses. A lot of the training involved horse psychology and physiology too, which gave me a greater understanding of the horse and its needs. I worked on a number of yards in this time and decided this was the life for me! I gained a number of qualifications also through college including my BHS stages 1 & 2, riding & road safety examination and also NVQ Horse care levels 1 & 2. I also did a great deal of training towards the stage 3 exams too.
Pictured above and below is me with my beloved Souter House White Echo
It has been a life long passion of mine to produce ponies from scratch to a level where they can go on to compete in most disciplines successfully. I only have a small selection of ponies at one time ranging from 12hh to 15hh, and each is worked daily and doing varied work from schooling, lunging, walking out in traffic and fun hacks, and more recently some desensitizing sessions. I find this keeps them fresh and their work interesting, making them happy ponies to be around. I carefully select my ponies and the majority are Welsh cobs & show ponies. I find natives have great characters and are ideal for both adults and children for any discipline. The show ponies are so elegant and beautiful to watch, my favourite has to be a plaited coloured show pony.
Pictured below is my Welsh D Harvey who is now pony eventing
I do not class myself as a dealer, I am a producer and am 100% honest with every horse or pony I sell. I try and find out as much history as I can on my horses and ponies, and if there has been a problem I will let people know. Also any lumps or bumps will be pointed out. Most of my ponies are 5 stage vetted before going to their new homes, so I try as much as possible to find horses that are clean limbed, vice free, and they all come to me up to weight and looking healthy. Thin horses can have hidden problems, and most of my projects have an 8 – 12 week turnover, which would be impossible for a horse in poor condition. We also have a strict worming programme on the yard.
The mare below is in fantastic condition, and only a 3 yrs old!
Each horse receives daily attention, grooming and exercise and is loved as much as my own horse whilst in my care. I try to match people with horses and if I do not think a horse is experienced enough or equally the rider experienced enough for the horse, I will not sell it, simply because I do not want a bad reputation of any sort. I prefer horses and ponies to be 5 stage vetted prior to sale, so both new owners and myself know the animal is leaving me with no known problems. I welcome second and even third visits from customers and am more than happy for trainers, instructors and vets to visit too. I do not give refunds, and therefore like potential buyers to come and try my horses/ponies as many times as they wish in different situations prior to purchase. This also makes a nice transition for the animal as they get to know their new owner before leaving my yard.
The ponies I have sold have so far, have gone on to become very sucessful with their new owners, both competing locally and also more advanced. We have kept in touch and updated on their progress, which I love. It gives me a real buzz to hear how the youngsters are turning out and which disciplines they excel in.
Below is a mare I was very fond of indeed and has now gone to a 5* showing home
Feel free to get in touch with your requirements, new ponies are arriving monthly and will be posted on the training page until they are ready for sale.
