Top working hunter pony Glynceirch Amlyn had been put down aged 14 after developing a suspensory injury. The Welsh section C gelding, who was by Tyreos More Fury out of Glynceirch Abigail, had a prolific career as a working hunter pony under both Jodie Haywood and Izzy Sharifi.
In 2017 he won the 133cm mountain and moorland (M&M) working hunter pony class at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) with Jodie at the helm.
“He was a huge part of my life and he put me on the showing map,” said Jodie, who owned Amlyn for eight years and rode him to second place at the Royal International Horse Show (RIHS) in 2019.
Jodie first met Amlyn when he was bought by her friends the James family, as a weanling at the Welsh Pony and Cob society sales. Jodie bought him as a two-year-old.
“I originally campaigned him as a flat pony before we discovered his talent for jumping,” said Jodie, who rode Amlyn to novice championships at the Midlands Welsh and National Welsh shows. “In 2015, we entered our first HOYS worker qualifier to ‘have a go’ and he ended up winning. He gave me my first ever HOYS ride and when he won the final in 2019 I was only riding there for the second time. We were the underdogs and it was utterly amazing. He was an incredible pony who made my dreams come true.”
The Sharifi family bought Glynceirch Amlyn from Jodie in 2019 after HOYS.
“We had the Covid year and Izzy spent the season getting to know him through hacking, cross-country and beach rides,” said Izzy’s father, Warren. “They went to HOYS and the RIHS together, too, and he really was the pony who helped get her to where she is today.
“He was a really, really lovely person. He would neigh at you every time you went near his stable. Then he’d put his head on your shoulder for a cuddle.”
Izzy added: “I absolutely adored him and I will miss him dearly.”
Amlyn joined the Spillman Penn family after HOYS in 2021.
“My daughter, Zippie, only had him a short while but he became her best friend,” said Tilly Spillman Penn. “We took him off the circuit for a while and he soon settled in and became the love of her life. He has left a huge hole in our hearts.”
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