The Scoop with Ashley Porter

This article is from the February 2020 Horse Deals magazine.

Age: 35

Lives: Avoca, Victoria

Occupation: Broodmare Manager with Three Bridges Thoroughbreds

How would you describe yourself? Passionate and dedicated to breeding and showing Welsh Ponies.

What is your family history with horses? My family have been sheep, cattle and crop farmers for generations, so coincidently like most farmers, they don’t like horses at all!

What age did you start riding? I started riding when I was seven and had occasional riding lessons, but have never competitively ridden. Thankfully, my wife Scarlett does all of the breaking and riding of our ponies.

Tell us about your first pony. She was a Shetland called Bambi who I got for Easter and had for about 15 years. My brothers and I used to drive her up the street for ice cream.

Where did you find your passion for Welsh Ponies? My passion for Welsh Ponies was truly fired up on my first trip to Wales and the Royal Welsh Show in 2008. There is no other show like it on earth. For the next four years, I split the year between Oz and overseas, showing at some of the biggest shows in the UK. This is also when I purchased our imported B stallion as a foal, Heniarth Whistle Down the Wind.

How did Vanoca Park Welsh Ponies begin? Originally, I started by breeding pintos and in 2002 I purchased a Welsh Mountain Pony mare to breed to my pinto stallion and then it just snowballed. After my first Victorian All Welsh in 2004, I started researching Welsh pedigrees and I began to breed solely Section A’s and a few years later Section B’s. We now breed A’s, B’s, C’s and the occasional part bred.

How many ponies do you currently have and how many are in show work? Too many! They are spread between a few of the farms, so harder to do a headcount if anyone asks… We have 11 in the show team at the moment including four riddens.

What do you enjoy most about showing? Seeing what was just a potential breeding cross on paper come to fruition from foal to show animal, and showcasing our ponies to other Welsh enthusiasts. Winning is just a bonus and recognition of our breeding program.

Congratulations on a hugely successful time at the International Welsh Show. What were the highlights? Thank you, there were quite a few, but the absolute highlight was our homebred Vanoca Park Lady-Smith taking out the Supreme of Show title. Then to have not just one but three of our ponies vying for Supreme was amazing. This was the first time the show has been held outside of Europe and it was so enthusiastically backed by the Welsh community with the best of ponies forward, it made for a spectacular once in a lifetime event.

What did it mean to you to gain the same success under different judges at the Victorian All Welsh a week later? I think everyone thought after such big wins the week before we may have left some of the big winners at home, but we knew they had travelled well, were fit and still looked great. It always means so much to us when we have successes at Vic, as it is the biggest Welsh show held every year. Taking out Supreme A and C among other Championships, and then to go Supreme and Runner-Up Supreme of show is something we may never achieve again (but will certainly try!).

What qualities do you look for in a pony? They must be balanced, have correct conformation (no matter what the breed), cover the ground, and be able to perform a job; whether it be kids pony to dressage and beyond, a pony needs a purpose. Not just a pretty face or colour!

What is the first thing you have to pack to take away to a show? Honestly, I don’t pack, Scarlett does it all!

Who has been the biggest influence in your equestrian career? That would have to be Gary Le Brocq of Torlyn Stud. He has always encouraged me with my breeding vision and assisted me in obtaining some of the early foundation mares for the stud. And to this day continues to be a mentor, friend and ‘Papa Gary’ to our daughter Penelope.

When did you decide to get involved with judging and why? I started with junior judging competitions, winning both National events in Australia and the UK. I was approached to sit the judging panel exams for both countries, gaining acceptance and have since judged all over Australia, New Zealand and Europe.

What does your role as Broodmare Manager involve? I manage about 70 Thoroughbred mares, from pre-cover all the way to foaling, weaning and yearling sales preparation. Super long days, a lot of stress and pressure, but it’s all worth it when a healthy foal is born.

Was it always your plan to work in the equine industry? No, I used to be a Wool Classer by trade and still have a passion for the wool industry.

What is the best part of a career with horses? Every day is different.

Share a typical day in your life. 5am start and 11pm finish if we are lucky! Both Scarlett and I work full time so we juggle our horses before and after work, then squeeze as much Penelope time as possible.

What is the story of you and Scarlett? We met at the Vic All Welsh in 2011 after my mare won Supreme of Show (I think that helped!). It was a bit of a setup unknown to us at the time. Scarlett was a ‘hacky’ before I converted her to the dark side of Welsh. We got engaged in Wales 2013 and married spring of 2014. We are so lucky to share the same passion of horses, although at times it can be a blessing and a curse.

And your daughter Penelope, is she involved with the ponies? Completely, she is with us all the time, insisting on helping with all pony-related duties. She loves going to shows and started her lead rein career this season with a win at Vic All Welsh on a third-generation Vanoca Park pony.

What do you like to do outside of horses? Working on the farm and our family sheep stud, spending any free time with family and friends.

What are your long term goals? To continue to improve on our foundation, keeping to the breed standard and not be swayed by market trends.

3 things we don’t know about Ashley Porter...
1. I have a Bachelor degree in Agricultural Science
2. I was Young Farmer of the Year 2014
3. I must have a coffee before bed

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