History

These images are of some of the ancestors of the current Severn ponies. These early ponies are important to Severn pedigrees. You can find individual ponies' ancestry in the interactive pedigree function of their pages. Underlined names in the following page are links to photographs and short descriptions of the ponies named.

Severn Oaks Farm was founded in 1947 by Dr. Elizabeth Iliff upon the purchase of a Section A Welsh mare, Coed Coch Ebrill. She produced a colt that year, the first Welsh pony registered with the Severn prefix, Severn Spitfire. With the information on Ebrill's papers, Dr. Iliff started writing letters to Mrs. Brodrick in Wales, breeder of Ebrill. They agreed to send 'two or three' mares overseas to Severn Oaks. This number grew quickly to nine, and the mares got to Severn Oaks in February of 1948. They were Coed Coch Pansi, Coed Coch Morfa, Coed Coch Trysor, Coed Coch Serog, Ceulan Serene, Criban Waaf, Revel Betty, Revel Coquette, and Gatesheath Moonlight. Several of the nine mares were in foal when they arrived, and six foals were born later that spring. Pansi, Morfa, Serog and Waaf, along with Ebrill became the foundation stock of Severn Oaks.

Coed Coch Ebrill

First Welsh mare at Severn Oaks

Coch Ebrill, bay roan mare, 1933-~1955, (Revolt x Coed Coch Eirlys). Her dam, Eirlys was one of Miss Brodrick's foundation mares. Ebrill's sire, Revolt was also Coed Coch Glyndwr's sire. Captain Bassett (Ebrill's importer) wrote to Ebrill's owner (he had sold her in 1943 to a Mrs. McGillicuddy) that he had seen "a two-year-old gray half-brother to (Ebrill) that (he) liked very much and prophesied some day would be a future champion. Miss Brodrick wrote she had just sold this gray stallion Glyndwr for 400 pounds, which would be about $2000 in U.S. money. She also wrote that there was quite a demand for good Welsh ponies over there because of the gasoline shortage." This was in 1944. Already 14 years old when Mrs. Iliff bought her, Ebrill was sent in 1948 to Farnley Farm to be bred to *Bowdler Brightlight who was in his late 20's at the time. Severn Storm, born in 1949, was in Brightlight's last foal crop. Storm became one of two of Mrs. Iliff's herd sires for the next 20 years. Ebrill, in the meantime, continued as a broodmare and riding pony - but only for the experienced rider. Ebrill was lots of fun but strong under saddle. She could run away with you at the trot which was her favorite gait!

Imported Mares in Wales

This photograph taken in January of 1948 shows the nine original mares at the Coed Coch Stud just before their shipment to the United States. Miss Brodrick holds the first three.

Maryland State Fair 1948

Photo taken in September 1948 shows six of the nine mares imported in February of that year, plus Coed Coch Ebrill purchased in 1947. From left to right are Coed Coch Serog, a full sister to Miss Brodrick's Siaradus, with her foal by Tan-y-Bwlch Berwyn (Severn Stella, my first Welsh riding pony); Coed Coch Ebrill, Criban Waaf with foal by Criban Priority; Coed Coch Morfa (who foaled Severn High Tide (by Coed Coch Seryddwr)) in October of that year); Coed Coch Pansi with foal Severn Stardust by Coed Coch Socyn; Gatesheath Moonlight, who died in 1950 before she had any foals; and Coed Coch Trysor with foal Severn Treasure by Coed Coch Seryddwr. My father is holding Moonlight and my brother is holding Pansi. I don't know where I was for that picture!!

Maryland State Fair 1950

The Severn Oaks Breeders Herd Class (stallion and 3 mares of one owner), comprised of (right to left) Severn Treasure, a roan colt foaled 1948 (Coed Coch Seryddwr x *Coed Coch Trysor by Tan-y-Bwlch Berwyn), *Coed Coch Serog, bay roan mare (Coed Coch Glyndwr x Coed Coch Sirius by *Bowdler Brightlight), *Criban Waaf, grey mare (Criban Grey Grit x Criban Nesta by Ness Commander ), and *Coed Coch Pansi, grey mare (Coed Coch Glyndwr x Tan-y-Bwlch Prancio by Tan-y-Bwlch Berwyn). Treasure was going to be the Severn herd sire, but was sterile. I think my mother's breeding program might have taken a slightly different turn if Treasure had in fact been used at stud. To me, he shows a little more of his Berwyn ancestry than his A ancestors.

Severn High Tide

HIGH TIDE, a bay roan foaled in 1948, was imported in utero (Coed Coch Seryddwr x *Coed Coch Morfa by Tan-y-Bwlch Berwyn) and was also shown minimally, but had a great impact on the Severn ponies as a sire. He was the grandsire of Severn West Wind. He crossed very well with Storm daughters and High Tide daughters crossed very well with Storm children. High Tide had a very quiet disposition whereas Storm sometimes showed a bit more fire. Many of our current mares have both Storm and High Tide in their pedigrees. His photo was taken about 1955 at the Maryland State Fair.

Severn Storm

STORM, a grey roan foaled 1949, (*Bowdler Brightlight x *Coed Coch Ebrill by Revolt) was the sire of Severn West Wind who took over the honors as herd sire in the 1970's. Storm was shown infrequently because it was hard to keep him in show shape as he lived out and spent most of his time having fun chasing after mares! This photo was taken in 1961 at the MD State Fair at Timonium where he was Grand Champion. At that time during the 50's and 60's, this show was one of the largest in the country although there were classes only for Section A's. One could expect to see 8-10 ponies in the stallion class.