The matriarch: Vosco's Justi-Ann

In the new relay column ‘The Pedigree Mother,’ we ask a Welsh breeder five questions about the pedigree mother. In the first installment, Melissa Mol of Vosco Stables kicks off the column with the 20-year-old Welsh B mare Vosco's Justi-Ann, whom she inherited, along with the stable name Vosco, from breeder Jan Vos. “She has a place in my heart that cannot be described with words,” Melissa said.

CV

Five questions about Vosco's Justi-Ann

1 What are her main achievements?

• 17-07-2004 Stadskanaal, Reserve Champion
• 16-07-2005 Annen, Reserve Champion
• 25-06-2011 Tolbert, Vosco's Mimble Foal Champion

2 How many generations have you already bred from her?

Melissa: “We are now at four generations.”

3 How and when did she come to you?

Melissa: “I walked with the breeder Jan Vos as a little girl and always helped him with the ponies. Justi was born at about 7 in the morning. After the phone call, I cycled very fast to Jan. So I have known her for almost 20 years. Unfortunately, Jan passed away in 2008. He gave me Justi then plus the stable name Vosco. He was Vos and my father and I were then Co. That's also how he came up with the stable name.’

4 Which stallions does she combine well with? And why?

Melissa: “Justi can have many different stallions, but not too big because she is already big herself. She passes on her breed characteristics well. We do look for stallions with movement, because we think that could be a little stronger with her.”

5 What makes Vosco's Justi-Ann so special?

Melissa: “Especially because I have known her since birth and I inherited her from Jan. I rode her myself as a girl and so did my sister. She is very sweet but also very stubborn. At the moment she has a foster foal and for the first time she is not at home and that is really crazy. I give her all the luck and luckily she is not far away. So I look for her regularly, but the loss is there. She has a place in my heart that cannot be described with words.”

Name: Melissa Mol
Stable name: Vosco Stable
Number of years breeding Welsh ponies: Melissa: “From 2009, so 11 years already.”
Do you do the breeding under this stable name together? With whom?: Melissa “I certainly can't do this alone. In the beginning I did this mainly together with my father Arend Mol but in the meantime my sister Rosalinde Mol and my husband Gerben van der Weide are also fully into it. My mother Liesbeth Mol is very afraid of ponies but always provides bright white clothes and a cooler for the inspections and shows! She also regularly comes to be the supporter. It has now become a family breeding farm.”

Relay

Now which breeder do you like to give the word about his Welsh progenitor?

Melissa Mol: “I would like to pass the baton to Alfred Askes of the Wheemhoeve stable in Zweeloo. I am very curious to hear his story.”