D.P.U.K. is Lancashire based  husband and wife team- Myself, Gill and my husband David who is a produce merchant but who has worked 24/7 to  built up our facilities tirelessly over the last ten years. Along with our 4 children and a superb, dedicated, extended family of talented trainers,  riders, staff and friends who have helped us from advising on bloodlines,  designing our website to taking fantastic creative photos- we are constantly developing and seeking to improve [especially my cooking.

Our website dressageponiesuk.com is popular and we receive  enquiries and feedback from all over the world through that- we rarely advertise apart from the website, our ponies go to their new homes largely by  word of mouth recommendations.. My background in horses goes right back to my roots in Portmarnock, County Dublin which was where my love of breeding horses stems- We had glorious stud farms on all sides and  from a tender age I helped at several of them including  Pat Monaghan's family's yard - producers of showjumpers, eventers and hunters. Here I learned the fundamental importance of steady fittening work for young horses , horses were long reined for weeks  along  roads and tracks then trotted and cantered over fields, ditches walls and gates to and from  the beautiful Portmarnock beach to build muscles and stamina-  lameness was rare and horses were bombproofed from an early age , being exposed to a wide variety of situations and surroundings which they were quickly learned to accept and trust. This approach has stayed with me and I am determined that every animal we breed and train will be trustworthy, safe and confident when exposed to unfamiliar situations. I feel very strongly about this as I see so many children and adults who struggle with horses with hang ups and quirks, many of which could have been avoided by correct handling,training,and  management in the early years.

As we are producing ponies and as a parent, I feel responsible for the pony's long term well being and its future owner and seek to minimise future problems through lack of time spent on basic training.  My own first pony, bought fom me at the age of 8- largely because my mum quickly became bored watching me careeing around at the local riding school in Malahide, thought a pony would be a good idea" to keep the grass down, [we had a 2 acre garden] and to give her a permanent supply of manure for her roses. a 13.2hh , 5 year old connemara mare ensued who  jumped 5ft with ease and believed she could keep up with the racehorses from the Wheatfield stud whom she led into the sea to cool off after their gallop.She used to get down and roll with me still on board regularly on the sand dunes  when she thought she had done enough galloping and then shoot off home with me in hot persuit- all elbows, huffing and puffing.  She had an aversion to the nuns from the local convent who liked to have a pony ride in exchange fo a bar of chocolate! It was the billowing habit as they mounted that worried her.! I once got her stuck in my friends kitchen and had to take her into their living room to turn her around to get her out!!

In 1974 my parents bought a dairy farm in rural Lancashire, based there I ran a small riding school and amongst other young horses bred the  eventer Keyspools Spectrum, I took my BHS exams,became interested in dressage, as a result of a Sandra Pearson- Adams clinic,and then went to work as a groom in the Loire Valley  close to Saumur. and trained with a former Ecuyer of the Cadre Noir, Le Commandant De Padirac and his wife  at their  Riding Academy near Saumur. Total immersion in pure classical dressage ensued and a  humility and realisation of how little I understood and a desire , which has stayed with me, to train horses quietly , firmly, patiently and in a way that enhances their natural beauty. Whilst at university studying Modern Languages  I returned to Saumur two years later to study further the teachings and methods of the Cadre Noir  and was so privileged to be welcomed by such masters as the Ecuyer en Chef Durand,  le Capitaine Franqueville and L'Adjudant Chef Donard who was resposible for the training of the "Sauteurs", the horses who perform the spectacular classical airs above the ground. I spent countless hours observing and talking to the ecuyers about their training methhods and philosophy.I was lucky to have friends working at the French National Stud  who showed me the very progressive French breeding programme set up in the 80s to improve and develop the Sel Francais- now a highly respected and sought after animal in the show jumping and eventing world. I was impressed by their highly selective , calculated approach . At the time the Cadre Noir were about to move just up the road to Terrefort to the National Equestrian Centre where they remain. If readers are in the Loire it is well worth visiting Saumur- for the Chateau which houses a museum of the horse, and wander around the former town centre grounds of the Cadre Noir-  evocative of a bygone classical era, where horses were trained in a systematic academic way according to methods laid down centuries ago My study of the writings of la Gueriniere,Baucher and the modern Portuguese master , Nuno Oliveira fed my thirst for a deeper understanding of the art.

Now 25 years on, in an equestrian  world very different from that of the Manege des Ecuyers in Saumur, I embrace the challenge of training  horses more than ever.I love working with ponies- their brightness and enthusiasm to please  makes them a pleasure to handle and train. I admire the methodical way in which the Germans breed, grade and train horses but  find  it ironic that the Germans dominate the international dressage circuit with fundamentally British ponies. I studied the bloodlines at great length, made many stud and performance sale visits  and got busy!!! The Germans still have the edge because  they train horses using a system that works and with such rigour , we are endeavoring to   address this  at D.P.U.K where the emphasis is very much on getting the basics firmly established.

Fortunately for my family I am not competitive so I can enjoy the time consuming training side and leave my daughter, 12 year old Ellie who lives and breathes dressage to represent us out there in the competitive world that is modern dressage.She is a keen member of B.Y.R.D.S , North West  which has given her amazing opportunities , training and support as well as being loads of fun.  she abso;utely loves  and Her determination and total love of the horse is awesome and it is a delight to ever have to push her at all. She is competitive for herself- not to beat others. She is just like my brother, the Olympic yachtsman David Wilkins, who was World Champion by the age of 14 and went on to represent Ireland in four olympic Games, winning a silver medal in Moscow and Fifth in Munich- I think I had better keep a foal for her out of our fabulous sport horse mare Mama Mia, who is in foal to  a De Niro x Hohenstein stallion.   She rides three times per day most days and loves helping with the young ponies She is very fortunate to have four fantastic dressage ponies- Helmeast,  who aged 22 will be representing England this year as they did very successfully last year, winning at Necarne, Keysoe and the Home International,  homebred 4 year old MIniman, and two stallions -the German bred Domingo x Going East and  Copybush Charlie Whiskers , All four ponies  epitomise our philosophy. Our daughter Charlotte is  a whizz with young ponies as being a laid back, easy going person she hacks them out on the buckle end and makes them completely relaxed and confident on the road and cross country. Together with our son Jacob and our eldest daughter Rebecka, Charlotte is in charge of keeping everything ticking over smoothly whilst we are away at competitions. We are really fortunate to have miles of quiet lanes, tracks and gallops on our doorstep.

So where does our breeding programme and ponies fit into my ethos and to answer your big question WHY!! and  WHAT MAKES US UNiQUE? We are prepared to spend a huge amount of time and effort  to produce able, sound big moving athletic ponies that are also sane and a pleasure to be around.Seeing our ponies and horses that we have bred happily looking after their owner is hugely rewarding for us and we keep in close contact with all our " old boys and girls" I am not one to blow my own trumpet at all but just this once I will. Everyone who visits our stud, comments on our ponies trusting calm temperament and on how easy and well handled they are.  I know that this is not something that has a high monetary value   We are breeding ponies that are able to and want to perform- quite simply.Temperament is our number one priority. Every pony has all the movement , frame , soundness and trainability of a miniature dressage horse that is designed to last all the way to Grand Prix, should the owner so wish. Quality is paramount.The 5 foundation mares are from the very best  British riding pony and Welsh B,C, and D bloodlines  Downland, Valentino, Bylch Hill Wind,  Rotherwood, Sydenham Dragon to name but a few,giving them the soundness, strength, forwardness, movement and beauty so vital for high level dressage. I know realistically only a few will make it to the top just like every talented young tennis player does not make it to the Wimbledon final but that does not mean they shouldnt enjoy tennis. If I could have one wish granted it would be for parents to buy their children a pony that is well within their riding capability rather than one to "grow into". So many children give up because they are over horsed.   Our  mares themselves have had successful careers, not just in dressage but jumping and showing as well.Our Connemara mare,"Dunnit Again.is by the superb stallion Arrow Javelin.We have  Arab and Thoroughbred bloodlines in our  mares too. We have introduced continental blood for enhanced movement, trainability and aptitude, favouring German ponies such as Deinhard B by  Dornik B and Conrad Schumacher's  former pony stallion Top Yellow, Wurlitzer[ Weltmeyer x Lucky Boy ] is a superb stallion and one of our best youngsters,  the 14.2 Wurlwind, is by him, out of our Section C Tynycae Osprey,mare who was featured in the April 2009 edition of the British dressage magazine- British through and through.

This year we have purchased a young stallion by the outstanding German dressage pony Domingo [sire of Dressman] and out our daughter's former ride T.S. Sunrise- a Going East mare  Look at the pedigree and you soon see that we are quickly back to are back to the best British pony bloodlines- Bwlch Valentino, Catherston Red Gold, Downland Chevalier He has all the graceful elegance and powerful movement you would expect from such a parentage as well as a tremendous willingness to please.  We have several B.E.F. winners- fillies and colts  by the K.W.P.N.Grand Prix stallion Mooiman , who has injected an even more trainable temperament and given huge shoulder movement and superb fronts to our youngsters. Last year's BEF champion dressage pony  colt , Duvalier has inhereted the most fantastic frame and movement from his parents[ again Tynycae Osprey] and the Reserve champion Da Vinci has inhereted lovely looks and graceful elegance and effortless movement from his Downland dam and his sire  the Oldenburg Sandro hit x Rohdiamant stallion Santana. We are lookig forward to using these two colts in the future.

Our choice of  stallions and mares has produced several outstanding youngsters. Now into our 6th year of breeding ponies, our first crop, now 4 year olds, are out there competing -notably Amadeus,  the first of 4 foals out of  Bowland Forest Ivy, already hugely successful in the show ring. Miniman a 4 year old 14hh pony scored 65% in his first affiliated competition and enjoyed every minute without even one spook. Typically our ponies go to educated, knowledgeable parents who seek a talented, confident, happy  athelete who is  safe and well trained   for their children or  the smaller adult who seeks a miniature horse to be their  long term dancing partner.

Why buy from us?

So why buy your future dressage pony from D.P.U.K?

We have, in our native Welsh and Connemara ponies the BEST pony bloodlines in the world. With a proven performance history, movement and conformation these ponies have stood the test of time for generations. Years ago the Germans recognised this and astutely used such ponies to form the basis of the German dressage pony type we know today. They then sold them back to the British with a German label on.

Here at D.P.U.K we are flying the British and Irish flag, using the best ponies crossed with what we consider the top dressage stallions to inject more trainability and movement.

You can see where your pony has been born and trained, meet the sire and dam as well as his trainer. We breed our ponies for children and adults to enjoy and compete in dressage with success and ease.

Our seemingly straightforward formula - BRAINS, BRAWN AND BEAUTY really works.

Going to Germany to search for your dream pony may give you the kudos you desire,

A visit to D.P.U.K gives you the pony you require.

Ellie working ponies at home....