Willowcroft has seen another great year of success both in the show ring and for the Stud.  We are breeding ponies, galloways and hacks that give us a great deal of pleasure and are achieving rewarding results across Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. We believe in breeding the very best we can, but ultimately the success of our stock should be attributed to the dedicated owners and riders who work so hard to ensure their animals reach their full potential. I wish to thank all those who have made that happen for  Willowcroft in the last few years.

Congratulations must go to the Widdowson Family and Adam Oliver for the brilliant job they have done with five year old W Regal Winter. He won the Novice and Open classes at Sydney Royal last year, but this stunning little horse has developed beautifully over the last twelve months to win the Lightweight at Brisbane, Res. Champ Galloway at Toowoomba and Champion Galloway at Canberra, Sydney & Brisbane Royals. Regal Winter is out of W. Wizard's full sister Willowcroft Winter (W. Vagabond /W Raffles Thb.). W. Wizard is the sire of W. Saphire – dam of Emblem and Bronze etc. This years Sydney Crane Trophy winner Imogene Ball's W. Regal Wish is also out of old Raffles by Urubula Regal Wish. This is the second year in a row that the prestigious Crane Trophy at Sydney Royal has been won by a Willowcroft. Last year Pam Mc Beath's W. Regal Design was awarded the superb Trophy and garland. W. Winter is also the dam of Merivale Park Town Fair (by Myscal Encore) Supreme Riding Pony Exhibit at the 2005 and 2006 Melbourne Summer Royal

Other Willowcroft's to win prestigious events include Bree Petree's exceptionally presented W. Chance Encounter (VASA & Show Horse Council Big Galloways of the Year) and Nici Jamieson's W. Regal Decree (Qld. Newcomer of the Year). Decree is actually a full brother to Regal Design. Another full-sister W Regal Dynasty owned and ridden by Helen Grantham did extremely well at Canberra Royal as well as Runner-Up Ridden Show Pony of the Year and Champion Ridden Show Pony at the SA Pageant in the Park.

In the Hack ring, W. Prescott's awards include a very credible second in his Open at Melbourne Royal and Shelly Penny's W Tosca was top ten at Barastoc. Shelly's new Galloway W. Capri will come out this year.

One of the top ponies in New Zealand is Amberleigh Stud's W. Spring Song. This heavenly bay mare has won the NZ Grand National title three times and Supreme Saddle Pony plus Champion Dry Mare at the Canterbury A & P Show for the second year in succession. Amberleigh Stud is owned by the Bailey family who is also tremendously successful with their Amberleigh stock, some sired by Regal Promise and Emblem using artificial insemination.

Some of the most exciting news for the stud for 2006 is the fabulous feedback we have had from overseas. Rennells Regal Romance by Willowcroft Regal Emblem out of a Romany Lore mare, the 2005 Supreme of Supremes at the British National Foal of the Year, is now winning as a yearling including Champion at the Royal Cornwall and Three Counties. Also I had another call from Jerome Harforth of Stanley Grange Stud in England to tell me again how pleased he is with Willowcroft Regal Bronze. “Skippy” is a full brother to W. Regal Emblem and his performances in the English show ring have been sensational, having been awarded Supreme Champion at his last few outings (including the South of England). For me as a breeder, the most exciting news is that Regal Bronze has a “brilliant crop” of foals on the ground that Jerome describes as “exceptional”. He was ecstatic when he told me that they were all “so friendly, very fine with dinky little heads and all were brilliant movers”.  Mrs Elizabeth Mansfield, one of England's (and Australia's) most influential breeders from the famous Rotherwood Stud, is apparently thrilled with her foal by Regal Bronze and her mare has been covered by him again. Breeding can be a fascinating game if you have a few years to spare! Regal Bronze's sire is by Rotherwood Footlight (by Twylands Troubadour by Solway North Wind) and his dam, Willowcroft Saphire, is out of a mare by Rotherwood Acrobat (by Solway North Wind by Bwlch Zephyr). Both Footlight and Acrobat were imported to Australia along with Acrobat's full-brother Rotherwood Windswept in the eighties. They go back to the progenitor of the English Riding Pony Bwlch Valentino out of Welsh Riding Pony mare called Rotherwood Peep Show. It must give Mrs Mansfield a great deal of pleasure to know how favourably her bloodlines have influenced pony breeding in Australia. David and I visited this beautiful Stud in 2004 and although it is smaller in size now it is still prominent in the UK. Rotherwood Take a Peep, from that same fabulous family line,  won the Wembley Ridden Pony of the Year in 2004.

In Australia, Emblem and Bronze's brother W. Garland has been highly successful with Lucy Forrest. After winning SA Champion of Champions Big Galloway of the Year, W. Garland took all before him at Perth Royal. He was apparently the most successful exhibit winning a Special Award. He is now in a great new home in Victoria continuing his success with a younger rider, including top ten at Barastoc. The only sister we have sold, W. Regal Saphire, owned by the Fraser family, recently won the Queensland Rising Star of the Year and the EFA Amateur Owner Rider. W Regal Diamond one of Emblem's full-sister's retained by the Stud has had two exquisite fillies by Oakvale Serenade. The first, Diamond Symphony, was purchased earlier in the year by the Douglas' family in Queensland. I hear from Rachael and Paul Austin that they are just thrilled with her and can't believe how exceptionally quiet she is. I think she will be shown at the Qld Riding Pony show in spring. I have two other full-sisters due to foal this year to Serenade this year. It has been a fabulous cross,  so we can't wait to see what these girls can produce to this beautiful stallion.

It has been such a privilege to be able to use Mavis Dilly's Serenade for the last three seasons. He is proving to be a fabulous “stock getter” who has set a standard in Australia that I am sure all breeders aspire to .He is perhaps best known as the sire of the exquisite Royalwood Merry Music, who has won numerous major titles throughout Australia. Oakvale Serenade, bred by Anne Dawn, is by the highly successful Syon Royal Portrait (imp) out of Chippenham Pop Music. Pop Music, bred by the Redpath Family of Chippenham Stud in Victoria, is from the union of two of the first imports to Australia - Boy Soprano and Walnut Princess.  The Stud's first Serenade foal to be shown, W. Pretty Woman, has endeared herself to everyone who sees her. She won Res. Champion at Adelaide Royal and Yearling of the Year at the SA Riding Pony of the Year Show with Kelly White. Her third outing was Sydney Royal Show where she was awarded Supreme Led Riding Pony Exhibit. She was prepared and shown superbly by Anthony Mountney of Kembla Grange.

Willowcroft Regal Emblem had an unreal show season in 2005 with Anthony Mountney. He won National Ridden Stallion and Runner-Up Led Show Pony of the Year and Supreme Riding Pony Exhibit at Adelaide Royal. At the SA Riding Pony of the Year Show he won the Rosedale Riding Ponies Led Show Pony of the Year, Led SA Bred and Champion Ridden Senior Pony with the very accomplished Kelly White on board. Kelly had ridden him after his class at Adelaide Royal ten weeks before, so we were particularly thrilled with him going so well after two busy months of Stud duties and no ridden work.

It is wonderful to see Emblem's youngsters coming out and competing successfully. Supreme Champion Overall Led Youngstock of the Year in SA was Kelly Mule's two year old Emblem colt Ke-anbree De Ja Vous out of Carrington Magic Moment by Willowcroft Wizard. Wynara Stud's Emblem filly, Wynara Regal Kiss, was Supreme Riding Pony Exhibit at the Riding Pony Youngstock Show. (She is out of Fairlight Acres Quail and is a sister to the well performed stallion Wynara Valentino). At the SA Foal Show Champion Filly was Helen Grantham's Willowcroft Regal Diva out of Tilly Park Destiny (dam of the 2005 Crane Trophy winner etc.) and Emblem won the Progeny Group.

In Victoria I hear that Ms Jodie Allen's beautiful Diamond Diva (Emblem/Creswell Diamond Fantasy) won the Supreme Youngstock and the Grand Champion in Hand at the 2006 Riding Pony Classic and Mrs Dianne Dolton's stunning colt out of the Thb mare Gramma Blue was second in his class at the Melbourne Summer Royal and has since been sold.