In April 2020 we reached out to David Kelly of Turra Lodge Farm to find out a little more about the Magical Tiny Horses horses that the Stud Breeds. These beautiful creatures look like they are right out of a Fairy Tale. The following is the Interview and what David had to say about the family’s fabulous Stud.
Have you always been involved with horses and when did you first become interested in Miniature Horses?
The first miniature horse arrived at Turra Lodge Farm in 2005 when our parents purchased a 6 month old filly as a Christmas gift for their five children. The following year we attended shows, visited farms and continued to buy more horses. Eventually our riding ponies were sold to solely concentrate on minis.
What type of miniature horses do you concentrate on?
We breed American Miniature Horses. All of our miniatures are DNA tested and registered with the American Miniature Horse Association (AMHA), some also hold papers with the American Miniature Horse Registry (AMHR), the British Miniature Horse Society (BMHS) or the American Shetland Pony Club (ASPC).
Back in 2005 most of the minis in Ireland were of Irish or British descent, and finding ponies that resembled horses was challenging. When AMHA and part bred American miniatures started to arrive in the country the popular type took a more horse-like appearance. In 2010 we dispersed our original herd of minis in favour of the AMHA horse. We chose the American miniature for their size and stature. They can be incredibly refined and beautiful. They are intelligent, restless and crave attention from humans. Mandatory DNA testing is also an important factor for us. The AMHA requires every horse be DNA tested before they contribute to the gene pool. Owners can be assured that the parentage of their horse is proven. The AMHA also gives owners the opportunity to compete against some of the best horses in the world in a professional environment. AMHA sanctioned shows have over 100 classes, 2-3 carded judges are flown in from the USA and owners from several European countries will travel to compete against one another.
When was Turra Lodge Farm founded?
Turra Lodge Farm (TLF) was founded in the early 2000s when our family moved to the countryside and started to breed Pygmy Goats. It was actually from a fellow goat breeder that we purchased our first miniature horse. TLF is now home to thirteen American miniature horses, pygmy goats, donkeys, pigs and sheep.
Do you breed to produce, show and sell your horses, or do you also stand stallions at stud?
The farm’s main activity is showing. We compete at AMHA/AMHR and ASPC sanctioned shows across Europe. We love to show horses we have bred so each year we will breed a few foals. Our hope is that these individuals will become successful halter horses before contributing to our breeding program. When we sell a horse it is usually out of necessity. Unfortunately we cannot keep them all and occasionally a broodmare, stallion or young colt/gelding will come up for sale. If we can’t offer a horse to a prospective buyer we will always direct them to another breeder. We don’t actually stand our stallions at stud mainly due to logistics. However we consider any opportunity to create a potentially incredible foal with mare owners.
Tell us what success your stock has had to date?
We are very fortunate to be able to compete at international shows each summer. One of our proudest accomplishments has been our young mare TLF War Paint (Penny). Penny is a second generation TLF bred filly born in 2017. She attended her first show as a yearling in 2018 travelling to the Netherlands to compete at the AMHA European Championship. That weekend she competed in three classes winning each unanimously. Then, in the grand champion classes she was unanimous Grand Champion Heritage horse in the Amateur and Open division. In 2019 Penny returned to the European Championship to be awarded unanimous champion in her three classes for the second time. Our hope is that she will finish out her show career as a senior mare in 2020 with the same consistency.
What foals are you expecting for the 2020 season?
We expected two foals in 2020. TLF Painted Affair and her full sister TLF Afire Affair were bred to Exquisite Dazzles Batshuayi. This is a stallion that we leased and showed in 2019 from Exquisite Miniatures in Belgium. He won international grand champion stallion titles throughout Europe finishing the season winning AMHA European Reserve Grand Champion Senior Stallion. Our two foals were born on the 5th and 7th of March. A tiny bay pinto filly we’ve named TLF Bellatrix and a remarkable colt named TLF Bokeh.
What is your plan for your Stud into the future?
In 2020 we will be breeding five mares to Black Mountain Majestic Midnight, a beautiful black stallion we purchased in December 2019 who was bred in California.
We have waited for a homebred colt to retain as a future breeding stallion. TLF Bokeh is one of the most impressive foals to be born on our farm. He is bred from an outcross sire bringing a unique gene pool to our herd.
We are excited to introduce two triple registered American Shetland ponies to Ireland. These are miniatures registered with the AMHA, AMHR and ASPC. They are technically American Shetland ponies (no relation or resemblance to the traditional Shetland pony) whose parents have matured under 34 inches. In recent years triple registered horses have been used in AMHA breeding programs to introduce some of the most extreme refinement and movement of their hackney ancestors. American Shetlands are a new breed of horse to Europe and triple registered Shetlands are quite rare.
If someone wants to get involved in showing/breeding miniature horses what advice would you offer them?
Attend shows and visit farms. Starting out in the miniature world can quickly become overwhelming. It is important to remember miniature horses are a height breed meaning any horse or pony measuring under 34 inches can be considered miniature. The plethora of registries is probably the most confusing to new enthusiasts. There is American miniature horses (AMHA/AMHR), British miniature horses (BMHS), Falabellas and any permutation of crosses in between. Additionally, because the rate of change is so rapid, the deviation of type within any one group can be vast. An AMHA horse from 15 years ago may bear little resemblance to those winning today. By going to shows you can witness first hand the state of the industry in any country. You can see what the desired type and trend is. Also talk to owners and breeders to learn where their preferred breed is going. For those looking to learn about American miniature horses amha.org and icamh.nl are tremendous resources of information.
Many thanks David, from all the team here at Irish Sport Horse Magazine, we would like to take this opportunity to wish you all the best for the 2020 breeding season and we look forward to hearing from you again in the future.
This Interview was originally published in the April 2020 Issue of Irish Sport Horse Magazine – All Pictures were provided Courtesy of Turra Lodge Farm. If you would like to find out more you can contact the Stud through the website www.turralodgefarm.com.