Hillside Cobs’ recent sale of breeding mares and youngstock garnered great interest, with Hillside Silver Princess, a 14hh two-year-old silver dapple filly sired by Hermits Silver Fortune, proving to be the star of the sale.
79 horses were up for auction, due to breeders Neil and Clare Bland’s loss of grazing land. The Blands have been breeding traditional cobs for 14 years and the sale represented the majority of their herd.
The sale at Skipton Auction Mart on Saturday (29 July) saw the sale ring packed with prospective purchasers. There were 46 buyers from England, Scotland and Wales and Ireland, and the vast majority of equines successfully found new homes.
Credit: Moule Media, Skipton
Hillside Silver Princess (pictured above and top) starred in the ring as expected when knocked down for top call of 6,800gns (£7,140). Described as “a special girl with the calmest temperament,” Silver Princess has been successfully shown and qualified for the Traditional Gypsy Cob Association’s (TOYS) National Breed Youngstock Championship Show, where she is expected to appear in the hands of new Wharfedale owner, JC Bellerby, of Weeton, Otley.
Immediately following her into the sale ring was Silver Princess’s own dam, Hillside Truly Scrumptious, with her Hillside Golden Storm-sired cremello filly foal at foot (pictured below). The 14hh silver buckskin mare went on to sell for second top price of 4,800gns to a Welsh buyer, AL Davies, of Betws-y-coed in the Conwy valley.
In addition, a silver dapple yearling Truly Scrumptious colt, Hillside Silver Charm, also by Silver Fortune, out of a black mare to be retained in the herd, sold at 1,900gns to K Arden, of Whitchurch in Shropshire.
Credit: Moule Media, Skipton
Each of the mare and foals achieved four-figure sales, among them another at 3,100gns, Hillside Baby Blue, a four-year-old chestnut mare with silver dapple filly foal, going to Co. Durham with L Tindale, of Sherburn.
Of the backed or ready to back entries, catching the eye at 3,600gns was a three-year-old grey gelding going to Ruth Gough in Chipping, Preston, while mares without foals topped at 2,200gns twice for Hermits Ivory Rose, an eight-year-old silver blagdon mare and granddaughter of Silver Fortune, and Hillside Silver Bells, a four-year-old silver bay.
Youngstock at two-years-old also proved popular, with colts selling to 2,500gns for the Snowman son, Hillside Bruce Almighty, closely followed at 2,400gns by Hillside Golden Dream, a two-year-old palamino and Golden Storm son, while fillies sold to 2,000gns for Hillside Dream Spirit, a buckskin again by Golden Storm.
Eleven Shetland pony lots also went under the hammer, peaking at 1,100gns for one named Iona, a four-year-old miniature appaloosa mare with spotted colt foal at foot.
“We were really happy with how the sale went and were overwhelmed with the turnout and support,” said Clare. “Skipton Auction Mart did a fantastic job for us and we would also like to thank everyone for supporting the sale and wish them all the best with their purchases.”
Lead image of Hillside Silver Princess, a two-year-old silver dapple filly that topped the Hillside Cobs reduction sale. Credit: Moule Media, Skipton
