West Kington Stud

Our aim is to breed top competition horses, particularly eventers, with good temperament, soundness and athletic ability. The Stud, which is run by Tessa Clarke, is standing their home-bred resident stallion, Windsor Heights in 2011 and is now producing 2* and 3* horses.

From time to time, sport horse stallions stand at the Stud by special arrangement and, this year, we are very pleased that the Advanced event stallion Up With The Lark will be returning to us once again. Our latest addition to the line-up is William Funnell's show jumping stallion Cevin Z, sire of top show jumpers and eventers.

Stud Cards and full details available on-line by clicking on the "West Kington Stud" menu button.

Home-bred youngsters by a variety of stallions are often available for sale, broken and unbroken, and can be seen by appointment. A current list is available under "Horses For Sale".

West Kington Stud Stallion Centre

WKSSC is run in conjunction with Martin Boyle MRCVS of Stallion Reproduction Services who is one of the world’s leading experts in freezing stallion semen, joined in 2005 by Chris Shepherd from Willesley Equine Clinic. The Centre is producing frozen semen from the “Best of British” stallions for national and international use. Currently available is frozen semen from over 450 stallions from a variety of different breeds and types, including many rare breeds.

Competition Yard

Horses and riders compete from the Stud under the guidance of Jane Holderness-Roddam (Olympic Gold Medallist and winner of Badminton and Burghley), participating in Novice to Advanced horse trials, including the top three-day events. The Stud has excellent facilities, including horse-walker, outdoor arena, cross-country fences, show jumps and good hacking which is close to several outside schooling facilities and gallops. The aim is to give horses and riders the confidence to achieve their goals.

Jane supervises the schooling and fitness training of the horses who are, this year, competing mainly from Pre-Novice to 4* level, including Tiger's Eye II, who completed at Badminton and Burghley last year with Alex Peternell and this spring has been ridden by Simone Vitullo as a schoolmaster at 2* level. Our home-bred Cuillan Hills, by Windsor Heights, is aiming for a 3* this autumn. Many are home-bred and the philosophy is to work thoroughly on the basics to ensure they have a good start to their careers without pressure.

Several riders from both the UK and abroad come for training, with or without their horses, on short or longer term courses. Students are also taken for NVQ training in conjunction with Haddon Business Centre.

West Kington Farms

West Kington Farms (WKF) is an arable business growing mainly quality crops for the human food industry. Typically, our grain goes for milling, brewing and breakfast cereals. The Farm also grows rape, peas and beans for specialist markets, and our herd of pedigree Welsh Blacks continues to grow.

The farming business also has share farming arrangements with other owners and farms in total 2,500 acres, of which some 1,750 acres are down to arable crops. The strategy is to develop and grow this side of the business. WKF remains interested to take on additional land, either on a share farming or FBT basis.

WKF is equipped with up-to-date arable machinery and has a modern drying, cleaning and dressing plant with 3,000 tonnes of ACCS accredited storage.



THE TEAM

Tim Holderness-Roddam

Tim’s experience in agriculture has been complementary to Jane’s equestrian activities and has led to the development of West Kington Farms. This has expanded into a major agricultural enterprise with four farms totaling some 2,000 acres. Tim is currently a Director of Countrywide Farmers, Consultant to Bristol Port and a Director of the Abercrombie & Kent Group of Companies and has just retired from over 20 years as Chairman of the Horse Trials Support Group.

Jane Holderness-Roddam

Jane was the first British woman to compete in the Olympic Three-Day Event, winning a Team Gold in Mexico 1968. Jane has ridden, judged, instructed and competed in many countries around the world in a variety of equestrian disciplines, from showing to eventing.

She is currently Council Chairman of the BEF, and President of The Fortune Centre of Riding Therapy, BETA (British Equestrian Trade Association) and British Eventing. Jane is a BE Steward and Accredited Trainer, FEI Technical Delegate and Judge, and author of over 20 equestrian books.

Tessa Clarke – Stud Manager

Tessa started her career as an eventing student at Wylye and then went to Catherston Stud in 1980, where she helped pioneer AI in the UK with Jennie Loriston Clarke and gained her NPS Diploma. She obtained an MBA in General Business Management before joining West Kington Stud which she built up into what it is today. Tessa is currently on the BEF Breeding Strategy Working Party and has been instrumental in building up the Stud and Stallion Centre over the last 15 years.

Martin Boyle

Martin was senior vet at the TBA Equine Fertility Unit specialising in stallion reproduction work at Newmarket until 1990. In 1992, he set up his own company, Stallion Reproduction Services, specialising in collecting and freezing equine semen. Since 1996, he has supervised the West Kington Stud Stallion Centre and has collected frozen semen from over 750 stallions, both nationally and abroad.

Darren Luton – Farm Manager

Darren joined the team as Farm Manager in May 2001 and has played a key role in the expansion of the farming enterprise. His wide experience of arable cropping has been a key element in the success of this side of the enterprise.