2012 Autumn - The Fell Pony Society

90th Anniversary Year – the FPS being formed in October 1922. Mrs Walker would
have lots to say presently about our plans for the Anniversary Convention.
The Society proposed to hold the Autumn General Meeting at Tebay Social Club,
as Orton Market Hall was not available on Sundays. It would be a very short formal
meeting, followed by lunch and a speaker. Another change this year was that
the Society’s Annual Sale of Fell ponies would be held at the new Auction Mart
being built near Kendal, just off Junction 36 of the M6, so excellent access. This
would be a new start and a splendid chance to upgrade our Sale: she hoped that
vendors would try to ensure that their ponies were well-handled and wellpresented
in the hope that this might help to improve prices. It was also an opportunity
to hold our Sale on a Saturday, which had not been possible at Penrith,
Miss Longsdon then thanked Mrs Millard for another excellent magazine and for
looking after our website, and also thanked Barbara Dunne, who was not present,
for co-ordinating the production of the 2013 calendar, which was now available
for purchase and looked very good. Miss Longsdon thanked Claire Simpson for
doing such a good job on our publicity, keeping our Facebook page up-to-date,
and submitting articles and photographs to magazines. Claire appealed to members
for more information to include in articles, especially anything showcasing
the versatility of the breed.
Miss Longsdon told members that the Dressage Championships at Addington in
April included three Fell pony teams, and that Anastasia Meadows and her Fell
pony, Aylestone The Merrie Monk, had been selected for the England Pony Club
Games Team – a splendid achievement.
Miss Longsdon had forgotten to bring her sponsor board for the Southern Show,
so would members please see her after the meeting if they would like to sponsor
a class. Mrs Morton enquired whether the Southern Show was a Breed Show and
were the ponies measured. Miss Longsdon said that it was a Breed Show but that
the ponies had not been measured in previous years. Mrs Morton thought that as
the Olympia qualifier was being held there, the ponies for that class at least,
should be measured. Miss Longsdon agreed to look into it.
Miss Longsdon then spoke to members about the tremendous amount Mrs Ailie
Newall had done for the Society over the years. She had been a very competent
judge, had bred ponies which had travelled all over the country being a huge advertisement
for the breed, had run the Judges Committee, been on Council for
many years and served a term as our President. Consequently she asked Mr Charlton
to present Mrs Newall with the Society’s Queen Elizabeth trophy in recognition
of this. Mr Charlton reminded members that Mrs Newall was the same age as
HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and she was a great family friend of the Charltons.
She and her late husband had done more for the Society than anyone living; the
Society was very grateful for all she had done, she was a very wise person, and it
was entirely suitable that her name should join those eminent names already on
the trophy. Miss Longsdon told members that Council had thought it would be
appropriate to make Mrs Newall an Honorary member. This needed the support
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