‘What a legacy’: great fun and a huge contribution as major stud to close after 30 years

Tributes have poured in for the contribution West Kington Stud has made to the equestrian world, as its director and co-founder Jane Holderness-Roddam has announced she is to step down.

The stud will close at the end of this year, after 30 years of work that has had immeasurable benefits in Britain and across the world, for rare and native breeds, riding poniess, Arabs and sport horses – and those who own and enjoy them.

“It’s been great fun,” Jane told H&H. “It was a hard decision to make but it is the right time.”

West Kington was set up in the mid-1990s by Jane and her late husband Tim Holderness-Roddam, with the late Martin Boyle of Stallion Reproduction Services, a global expert in freezing stallion semen, and Tessa Clarke as stud manager.

“I originally was thinking more of thoroughbreds and ponies, but it evolved into being a bit of everything,” Jane said. “We did quite a lot for rare breeds, we had some lovely thoroughbred stallions, particularly Meadowbrook, then gradually more ponies, gypsy cobs and sport horses – Cevin Z was probably our most successful one in latter years.

“We’ve had some lovely horses – Party Trick, Chilli Morning; a lot of good ones, as well as a lot of rare breeds, which was great fun. We’ve diversified into all sorts of things over the years.”

Advances in AI

Jane said the stud’s contribution is greatly owing to the influence of advances in artificial insemination (AI).

“That revolutionised breeding really. You can send sperm all over the world now and it’s great fun when you hear there’s a foal by such-and-such born in Kenya or New Zealand,” she said. “Being able to help and advise people all over the world, how to do it and bring on the youngstock – it’s all been great fun.

“We like to think we’ve contributed quite a lot, with expertise and knowledge and helping in every way we possibly could.”

Tessa, who stayed at West Kington for 25 years, told H&H she had worked with Jane’s sister, Jennie Loriston-Clarke, at Catherston Stud for 11 years, where the use of AI in equine breeding started in this country.

“Jane phoned me up one day and said, ‘Have a think, but I really want to develop a breeding business or a stud at Church Farm,” Tessa said. “And her lovely words were, ‘And I want to be better than my sister!’

“We started with a couple of New Forest then we had a Shire, an Exmoor and then stallions like Jumbo, Catherston Dazzler, Kilvington Scoundrel. We had the most fantastic yard and it all carried on from there. It ran like magic.”

Tessa said the rare and native breed work gave more people access to these horses and ponies, and helped keep gene pools diverse. The Rare Breeds Survival Trust became involved and the team would travel the country assessing stallions to ensure those with the right semen and bloodlines arrived.

“The concept was the best of British breeding, but it was quality control and quality management,” Tessa said. “The attention to detail was second to none and we never took a shortcut.”

Happy stallions

Tessa said keeping stallions happy was also key, with turnout and varied work, but also that making frozen semen an option made more stallions available.

She paid tribute to the generations of friends made through the stud, and to Jane.

“She was always there as the ambassador,” she said. “She was absolutely fantastic, very committed, especially to the foaling side. That’s the magic and that’s what I really miss from the stud; you never tire of that.”

“It’s a very passionate thing,” she added. “I’m very blessed to have a relationship with Jane. I think she’s enjoyed the stud, and she’s the perfect balance of knowledge dealing with people; she’s a great ambassador and utterly charming.”

Tullis Matson of Stallion AI Services told H&H that what West Kington achieved was “quite incredible”.

“What an amazing lady,” he said. “We started about the same time and always said that as a competitor, they were one of the best to work alongside. They’re always so professional and what they’ve done for the sport horse industry – using new techniques, bringing it all to the forefront – has been incredible. I understand her decision – but what a legacy.”

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