Have you ever heard of the Welara Pony? I learned about this breed when my husband and I recently purchased one for our daughters. It sort of fell into our lap one day. We were visiting with my in-laws two days before Christmas and they disclosed to us that a close friend of theirs had passed and he had an “arab pony cross” that needed a new and loving home. He used her frequently for endurance and trail riding and was a “bomb-proof little pony”. I immediately agreed, but I still didn’t know exactly what breed she was.
To be completely honest, I’ve never been a huge fan of either Arabians or ponies. I’ve grown up in the Western Riding world and neither of those breeds you see very often. Arabs are known to be a bit high-strung and well-versed in the endurance and English scene and ponies have a general consensus of being terribly unlikeable and even aggressive (making them less than desirable for children which they are often used for).
Anyways, a few days later when she was brought home my in-laws said she was a Welsh Arab cross. After that, I began my online search to learn more about her. I wanted to know everything; breed, characteristics, temperament, genetics, colors, etc. This led me to the Welsh pony Arab cross known today as the Welara.
If you’re anything like me and you’re unsure as to what this breed is let me tell you a few things I’ve learned and my experience with her so far.
- Welara’s stand between 11 and 15 hands tall. Since there are different Welsh ponies (A, B, C, and D) depending on which the pony is bred will decide the overall height of the pony. For example, A Welsh pony crosses tend to be the smallest standing at barely 13 hands max, therefor if an Arabian is bred to her, the pony will be smaller than B Welsh, C Welsh, and D Welsh ponies. Slightly confusing, right?!
- An Appolossa color is the only color that is not eligible for registration in the Welara world. This means that all other colors and sizes are open to the breed.
- The mix of Welsh and Arabian blood gives these ponies sturdiness, good spirits (this one feels subjective lol), and decent movement. They are most often used in hunter classes but this hasn’t stopped me from getting her under my kids’ western saddle.
Our Welara arrived with the name of Whiskey but is often just referred to as Pony because she’s the only pony we have! She is phenomenal with our daughters ages 13, 4, and 2 and our younger girls get to saddle her and ride her around and our oldest gets to jump on her bareback for warm-ups and cool-downs for her sisters. She is incredibly well-mannered when it comes to dealing with us humans. However, I have two other mares and she was quick to move her way to the top of the pecking order which I wasn’t too fond of. That must be the pony in her! Small but quick to show dominance. Regardless, she is well-loved, well-mannered, and eats separately to ensure my other mares are meeting their nutritional needs.
If you have ever owned a Welara what was your experience like and how did you learn about them? I’d love to know! Feel free to reach out to me on my personal Instagram @unbridledmama.
