Gleneagles Shetland Pony Stud was established at the end of the last century (in 1999) when we returned to New Zealand from the United States.

Our foundation mare was Kilmarnock Klaudia, who we purchased with her daughter. The young black filly was the first Gleneagles registered pony, Gleneagles Blossom.

As there were very few Shetland ponies at all in the North Island at the time, and no stallions that I knew of, we purchased a young palomino from Margaret and Don Sutherland, Narrandera Peringo. Although only a teenager, Peringo was in his element and quickly became the little man of Gleneagles.

The next mare we purchased was Green Briars Southern Belle. These four original ponies kept the Shetland flag flying alone at a number of shows, as we desperately tried to keep the Shetland Pony classes at the few North Island shows that still offered them.

It was Margaret and Don Sutherland of Narrandera Stud who gave Gleneagles Stud its really big break in 2003 when they were offered a standard size stallion by Jo and Dave Maurice of Otway View Shetland Pony Stud of Victoria, Australia. Margaret and Don considered he was too big for their small mares and declined the stallion but passed the offer on to me. The stallion was Otway View Noah, a superb 9:2 hands high black, many times Supreme Champion, and definitely "all man". Klaudia, who never got in foal to Peringo, took one look at Noah, was swept off her hooves and was in foal to the dashing Australian within days. Gleneagles has never looked back.

We added foundation mares from Narrandera and Cotswold Studs (Christchurch) and Otway View Stud (Victoria, Australia) and now have a happy herd of predominantly standard size ponies in a variety of colours.

There were two elements in New Zealand Shetland Ponies that I wanted to improve on - size, and substance. Virtually all my mares were around 9 to 9:2 hands high. Noah threw nearly all fillies, which was wonderful. He passed on his magnificent head, conformation and character and increased size overall to 9:2. But the interest in, and market for, ponies in the North Island is for full size riding ponies and so I needed bigger progeny. Additionally, the substance in the ponies was too light - the traditional heavy boned classic English ponies were what I wanted Gleneagles to be known for.

The first two stallions had arrived "mail order", sight unseen, from Stud owners of impeccable integrity, and I was delighted with both of them. Why not try again. I telephoned Lucy Poett of the famed Harviestoun Shetland Pony Stud in Scotland and asked if she had a stallion that would do what I wanted to improve my mares. Harviestoun had tragically lost two of its senior stallions in the past year, but I was told "there could be one". I made it clear that I would import (with Dan’s chequebook) a Harviestoun stallion or nothing. Many phone calls, emails and photos later, I was told that Pharoah could go to New Zealand. It was a major deal getting him here. He’d no sooner started his three weeks in quarantine in the UK when I received a call from New Zealand Bloodstock Airfreight to say they weren’t comfortable sending him. My heart dropped through the floor as I imagined all sorts of hideous scenarios - what had happened? "Well," was the reply, "he’s booked on the same plane and in the same box as an 800 kg mare (who’s never been tethered) accompanied by her 500 kg unweaned five year old ‘foal’." Never have I been so grateful to get a phone call. Pharoah immediately came out of quarantine until he could start over and be exported on the next flight. He flew out from the UK with hundreds of millions of dollars worth of thoroughbred stallions and was in quarantine for a further two weeks in New Zealand. Then the day came to go and pick him up. He was the favourite of the quarantine staff. They had worked on him so that I could’ve taken him straight into a show ring. No photo does him justice. He is an incredible addition to Gleneagles, standing 10:1 1/8 hands high, substance and bone to die for, magnificent conformation and all this with a wonderful friendly temperament. Gleneagles now has what I consider to be (rose coloured glasses or not) an impressive line up of Shetland ponies. Peringo, Noah and Pharoah all have progeny on the ground, and Noah’s first daughter will foal to Pharoah in 2009. It’s an exciting cross that will take Gleneagles into the future.

At the end of the day though, the best thing about all of this are the friendships you make with other Shetland pony mad people and the love of the ponies themselves. Both the ponies, and their owners, are a very special breed!

Welcome to the Gleneagles Stud website.


Sue Jackson