Ianto: My Gift from God

The winsome Welsh Pony and Cob! We are celebrating these ponies as our September Breed of the Month on YourDressage!

Did you know that dressage riders who choose a Welsh Pony or Cob as their dressage mount are eligible for special awards through the Adequan®/USDF All-Breeds Awards program, as the Welsh Pony & Cob Society of America, Inc. is a participating organization?

Here, an adult amateur from Region 1 shares the Welsh Cob partner who she fell in love with by accident, and who she hopes will make her shadbelly dreams come true! 

By Beth Niebling

My name is Beth Niebling, and I am the proud owner of Llawen Farm Ianto (known fondly as Ianto, Sir Sugar Booger), a 15-year-old New Jersey-bred Welsh Cob Section D gelding. Ianto came to me sort of by accident. Well, I may actually even call it fate. 

I had recently stopped riding a pony who was unable to move up the levels and found myself pony-less! A boarder in my barn offered me Ianto to take a lesson on while I hunted for my next pony partner. Truth be told, my lesson with Ianto was just after returning from a trip to look at a super nice German Riding Pony, and my trainer and I were discussing him during my lesson. But the moment I sat on Ianto, we just “clicked.” 

Looking at Ianto, you would never believe how comfortable and agile he is. My time with him began as a lease while his owner and breeder was away taking care of her family. He was her last homebred Welsh Cob, and I had repeatedly asked if she would sell him to me. I will never forget the moment I finally got the call from his owner: she asked if I would be interested if she were to sell him. Of course, it was an immediate YES… I REMEMBER CELEBRATING LIKE I HAD JUST WON THE LOTTERY! 

Unfortunately, his breeder/owner tragically passed just after she graciously offered to sell him to me. We honored her by doing his first musical freestyle, which she said she had always wanted to do. Ianto means “gift from God,” and he reminds me of that every moment I am with him. I had never considered a Welsh Cob, but again, I believe it is fate, and because of that, I have met so many wonderful owners, breeders, and pony enthusiasts along our journey.

Since being together, we have earned my USDF Bronze Medal, and we won the Third Level Adult Amateur Championship and Third Level Musical Freestyle Reserve Championship at the 2023 National Dressage Pony Cup. 

Now, our goal is to polish our exuberant flying changes. He thinks they’re really fun, and we’ve recently stepped up to Fourth Level! We look to compete at Fourth Level in the 2025 National Dressage Pony Cup held at the World Equestrian Center in Ohio. I will say, I have thoughts of trying on a shadbelly, too!

The one thing I’ve learned from Ianto is that good things come in small packages! Ianto and I have been very competitive against the traditional Warmblood-types in the dressage arena. In fact, I rarely even think about being on a non-traditional dressage mount. I would encourage those who are vertically challenged, like myself, to take a chance with a Welsh Cob as their dressage partner; I promise you won’t regret it.

Ianto has a tremendous work ethic and has given me so much confidence in and out of the show ring. He’s taught me patience and faith. He’s an athlete, a true competitor, but most of all, he’s my heart pony!