PrintA lifelong love of ponies brought this dressage rider into a winning partnership with Richard Taylor.
You would think that the highlight of Thora Pollak’s day at the Devon Horse Show (Pa.) would have been when her ponies earned the best young pony and reserve best young pony titles.
But, no, the moment she remembered most fondly from that day in May is when her 4-year-old granddaughter, Nina, toured the Dixon Oval in the leadline class. “I think that was the best part of the whole day,” Pollak said. “That’s what the ponies are for—the children.”
In the past five years or so, Pollak has become a force to be reckoned with in the pony hunter breeding ring. This year’s Devon best young pony, Falling Moon Cabaret (Telynau Royal Anthem—Claire) is a full brother to her Devon best young pony of 2007, Falling Moon Celebration.
Both ponies were purchased, but Royalty (Land’s End Poseidon—Chelsea’s Renaissance), this year’s reserve best young pony at Devon, is a product of the breeding program Pollak has developed with Richard Taylor. Royalty’s dam, Chelsea’s Renaissance, is by the same sire and out of the same mare line as the famous four-star event pony, Theodore O’Connor.
“That was a big thrill when we found that out, because I was a big fan of Theodore O’Connor,” Pollak said.
With the recent acquisition of the pony stallion Falling Moon Merlin (Telynau Royal Anthem—Telynau Fiesta), Pollak and Taylor are expanding their breeding venture.
Together, Pollak and Taylor have built a mighty string of winners. Breeding and owning beautiful show ponies might be what brings in the ribbons and accolades, but that’s not Pollak’s ultimate goal.
“Giving children the chance to have quality, well-bred ponies is very important to me,” said Pollak.
“She has very strong opinions about what she likes and doesn’t like about her ponies,” Taylor said of Pollak. “She wants them, first and foremost, to be children’s ponies. That’s the purpose of her program, that they’re ponies children ride.”
The One That Started It All
Pollak’s love of ponies—and her relationship with Taylor—extends back to her childhood.
“I’ve ridden all of my life, and I grew up with Richard Taylor; we were friends as kids. I stabled with his aunt, Marguerite Taylor. So, I had an introduction to wonderful ponies at a very young age,” Pollak said.
“I’ve always loved the ponies. I started off with a little mutt of a pony, whose name was Wonder, and I used to show against fancy show ponies. I finally won a third place once, and I was so excited to have my name in the Chronicle!”
After her teenage years, Pollak outgrew her ponies and lost touch with Taylor. She got married to her husband, Steve, and started competing actively in dressage. In 2001, she began Beall Spring Farm in Beallsville, Md., as a Swedish Warmblood breeding facility.
But a year later, Pollak was visiting a neighbor, Lisa Gordon. “I saw her turning out all these ponies. I could recognize that they were wonderful ponies. So, I picked one out,” Pollak said.
That pony was Royal Blue, who was by Blue Rain. “He was the one that started it all,” she said.
Now, Pollak had a pony, but she needed someone to show it. She picked up the phone and called her childhood friend, Taylor. They hadn’t spoken in decades, but after Taylor saw Royal Blue, he agreed to take the reins. It was the start of a fruitful partnership.
