Although never owned by us, he, along with our foundation mare, Wells Vision (11213), is responsible for the basis of our entire stud of standard ponies and features in at least one parent and mainly both. Owned by Messrs. McPhee (Cawdor Stud) and McArthur (St Ninian Stud) and domiciled in Cawdor (Nairn), Merrymaster of Netherley was very much admired and appreciated by us. He was Junior Champion at RHAS and Supreme at local  and North of Scotland shows.

His two filly foals, Beauty of Cawdor (bought as a foal at foot) and Beauty’s full sister Stow Victoria are both out of the same mare, Wells Vision. We bought Wells Vision, partly on the advice of the Late H.P.Sleigh, from Robbie McPhee. We really admired Wells Vanity (Wells Vision’s Grand Dam) for her great depth, sloping shoulder and the fact that she stood four square. Mr. Sleigh told us that her Grand daughter Vision had similar qualities and that as Mr. McPhee was intending retiring from farming it might be advisable for us to have a look at her and enquire. Luckily for us, Mr. McPhee agreed to part with her and to us.

This image of Merrymaster was taken showing him in his Winter coat.

39" Black. This stallion (again bought by us on the advice of Mr. H.P.Sleigh) was purchased from Mr. Ian Thomson of the Drum Stud. 
This full brother to Wells Remarkable (3211) RHAS Supreme and subsequently exported to Australia, won in the show ring but even more importantly bred very well for us, leaving Stow Vanity, an outstanding show pony exported to Norway and her full brother, the outstanding breeding stallion, Stow Review (4278S) who bred very well for Mr. A. Howie of Millhouse Stud, leaving RHAS winning Millhouse Excel among others and now breeding show winners for Mrs. Shirley Moro’s Kerloch Stud.

To date, Renown was also responsible for probably our most successful show winning pony, Stow Black Velvet (017314) only once ever beaten (and this by a pony from our own stud). She was champion at every other show she went to, including RHAS. He was also responsible for Riverston Renegade (4466S), a full brother to Stow Review, being carried by Beauty of Cawdor when we sold her and who is proving to be a very successful sire for D. and W. Anderson’s Strocherrie Stud.

39.5' Black. DoB: 10/04/94 Tweedside Spotlight was bought from his breeders D. & A. Finnie, Peebles, after having seen him standing in a field near Peebles the day after Jim having judged at the local Farmers’ Society Show. On returning home, Jim decided that having liked (very much) what he had seen and been equally impressed with his pedigree, we would endeavour to buy him should he ever be offered for sale. The Finnies had yet to decide whether he or his father would be for sale. We had bought within 12 hours of being told that his father was to be retained and that he was for sale.
Although he is not the biggest, he has a beautiful head, great conformation and loads of style all of which, when allied to his light, yet very correct movement, attracted us to him. He very quickly established himself as a successful show championship winner.

More importantly, he has bred extremely well for us, leaving the show winning Stow Violet, Stow Velveteen and Stow Vulcan, when mated to Stow Victoria. He left Stow Verity (probably the best of all) when mated to Stow Vicki and a full brother, the show winning Stow Vic. Stow Vicki then left an exceptionally good full sister Champlers Vesta  when she was sold in foal  and for Mesdames Picket & Sergeant. His offspring are very influential in our present day breeding programme.

39.5" Black. This compact black full brother to the very successful coloured (bay) championship winning stallion Brockville Venture (SO4.071)  was kindly leased to us by Mrs. Tracy Thomas. He left 2 particularly good offspring - Stow Viking (AT0879 ) ex Stow Violet (AJ0683 M.06 468). This colt was successful in the show ring as a foal and yearling and has now been sold to Dorothy and Bob Edwards of the Ladbury Stud in Wales who in turn hope to bring him out as a successful show/stallion; Stow Velda (AT0878) ex Stow Velveteen (M.06.469), a flashy filly retained and successfully shown by ourselves.

DoB: 03/05/01. This photo was taken of Vulcan as a foal.

Sold to Sara Goodswen, "Combebank Stud” 
England.

This picture was taken of Vulcan as a 3 year old colt.

39.5" Black. This stallion has developed into a magnificent full height specimen of the breed. In 30 years of breeding Shetland Ponies and having had a great deal of success in the show ring and in our breeding programmes, nothing has given us more pleasure than this pony. He has a presence about him which, along with his head carriage and silky black hair, reminds us of the imperious Wells Vijay. (It is hardly surprising that Vijay appears 3 times in the first 4 generations of his pedigree.) We refused to sell him, in spite of many generous offers and praise being heaped upon him. He is a very athletic horse, with terrific movement and ability to change from trot to spectacular extended trot. We love to look out of our sitting room window and admire his presence - there is no way he can be mistaken for a mare - he has “Stallion” written all over him and yet there is not the remotest hint of coarseness.

Our appreciation of him caused us to buy in mares for him - a policy which was/is the very antithesis of our normal practice. Generally, in the past, our line bred mares have proven to be superior in the show ring and as brood mares in particular (compared with anything bought in). Three daughters and two sons have been retained and look extremely promising.
Vulcan has already also bred well for Tracy Thomas’s Brockville Stud where he was leased for 2 years. He has left a beautiful filly foal for Alistair and Eleanor Glennie’s Newglen Stud. This foal was 1st foal and Reserve Standard Champion at the Grampian Foal Show December 2009.

Black. DoB: 08.06.86.   We had never heard of this stallion. Our attention was drawn to him only after Jim had  judged 4 shows (in North of England and South of Scotland). A few of his “young stock”  had been presented and each one had appealed to Jim and subsequently were well placed in the respective classes. Each of the ponies had similar characteristics (bold eyed, beautiful heads - fairly closely coupled, very alert in appearance and movement - despite colours and sizes varying).

Investigation of relevant pedigrees gave us all the answers we required to ensure a “follow-up” of our interest and subsequent purchase (unseen) of the old boy from a 12 year old school girl who had been riding him and had now outgrown him. Kenrick’s pedigree enables us to introduce some well known older breeding lines to our stud, a fact which particularly pleases us.

We liked him from the moment he was unloaded from the transporter - he certainly did not look anything like his age and subsequently proved his well-being by leaving every mare put to him in foal. This stallion’s offspring (including a foal for friends and neighbours, Alister and Eleanor Glennie (Newglen Stud) are all very successful in the show ring - he has stamped all of them with his particular assets.

Bob was bought as a foal from I.M.Spence’s Warrackston Stud. When I saw him in the field, I liked him immediately and despite his mother, Beauty of Cawdor (a full sister of Stow Victoria, our main female line matron), meaning that he is very closely bred to our own lines. I felt that he was the best colt foal that I had seen for a few years.  I feel vindicated now that he has developed into a very powerful and correct stallion. Bob sired foals from 4 mares in 2010. We are confident that he will follow in the prints of his 2 maternal brothers, Stow Review and Riverston Renegade (being carried by Beauty when we sold her to Ms. L. Spence.) We  retained a colt foal and a  filly foal, both sired by Bob, before selling him to the well known Eynhallow Stud owned by the Laing family.

Black colt. DoB: 15/06/08

Stow Excelsior[AU1089] pictured at 30 months old and already over 39 inches high, showing the upstanding "look at me" characteristics and athletic movement of his sire [Stow Vulcan] as well as the tremendous power, conformation and quality flat bone of his maternal grandsire [Stow Review].

Black. DoB: 02/05/09

Stow Versace at 20 months old, [over 38 inches high yet relatively closely coupled] and showing exceptional promise for the future.

He is a real “designer” job.

This is an extremely promising 3 year old stallion. He will make up to an exciting full height show stallion with outstanding head carriage and conformation—real “look at me” characteristics and a full brother to very successful show mare “Stow Lexy” and son of our favourite stallion “Stow Vulcan” out of gold award PBSA mare “Lignite Prima”.

Stow Prefect - 6 year old son of Stow Vulcan is very, very special as are his foals (see foals page).

A very well boned and powerful 3 year old stallion, should have a great future as a show pony and/or as a breeding stallion. Has all the required assets and is only being released because he is so closely related to most of our line bred and related retained mares.