Overview

The autobiography of one of the World's leading Welsh Cob Breeders. A fascinating insight into the life of Ifor Lloyd. Welsh cobs are world famous. Ifor details some of his dealings; showing and exporting animals to far flung lands and the challenges of making a living as a breeder. -- Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru

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9781785622359

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The names of Ifor Lloyd and Derwen Stud will be familiar to lovers of Welsh Cobs, not only in Wales but around the world. So Derwen: My World and the Welsh Cob, which is a blend of personal memoir and the history of the stud, will appeal to horse lovers everywhere. It is a compact book, full of information, brimming with anecdotes, and illustrated with dozens of photos, both black-and-white and colour, many of which have not been published before. In his introduction, Richard Miller describes Lloyd as the man who has owned and bred some of the finest, influential and successful Welsh Cobs in the stud book. It has been a labour of love that has brought Lloyd immense pleasure and has also brought him into contact with all sorts of people. There are plenty of stories about meetings with the rich and famous, in which Lloyd clearly takes delight, but he also remembers and mentions with similar joy and respect a whole host of people who have played a role in his life: school friends and teachers, other breeders, buyers and dealers, vets, farriers and show announcers. And a special place always is kept for his wife Myfanwy, their son Dyfed, and his parents Roscoe and Elin. As a family, they have clearly been hoarders and collectors, so Lloyd has a wealth of memorabilia, and documents covering every sale and purchase from the very beginnings of the stud. He also has his mothers diaries, and includes here a fascinating excerpt from 1947, that very harsh winter when, she writes, Sheep and ponies on the mountains are freezing to death by the hundreds. She also records show successes, the making of trifles and sponges, and everything bought and sold, from tractors to bedroom suites, and of course ponies all complete with prices. Its a wonderful little document in its own right. Although many people will know of Lloyd through his position in the world of Welsh Cobs and Mountain Ponies, they are possibly less aware of his other passions: the singing concerts, the cars and the cobs represented three different aspects of my life. He owned several garages in Ceredigion, beginning with the Volvo dealership in Aberaeron, which he gave up to devote himself to the stud. But singing remains a great love, and he talks about following the eisteddfod circuit, touring with a choir in North America, singing at the Albert Hall, and recording an album that reached number 7 in the bestsellers chart in Y Cymro. He also remembers being the second-fastest sprinter in Llandeilo School. Lloyd comes across as a man of vitality and enthusiasm who puts his heart into anything he does. The details of breeding and dealing that will delight aficionados might seem a little dry for some readers, but its always worth waiting for the next funny anecdote. I think my favourite is when a stranger asks his uncle if she can borrow a horse to ride in the Talsarn Races. She sounded Irish and was tall and shapely and seemed rather wild. She borrowed the horse and won her race. It was Caitlin, Dylan Thomass wife. Suzy Ceulan Hughes It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgment should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council. Gellir defnyddio'r adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatd Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru. -- Welsh Books Council

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Cafodd Ifor Lloyd ei eni i deulu a oedd eisoes yn bobl cobiau Cymreig. Roedd ei dad-cu a'i hen ewythr ymhlith sefydlwyr Cymdeithas y Merlod a'r Cobiau Cymreig. Ym 1974 cymerodd Ifor a'i wraig Myfanwy at yr awenau, ac ers hynny mae Bridfa Derwen wedi mynd o nerth i nerth, gan fridio cobiau y mae bridwyr ceffylau dros y byd yn eu hedmygu. Dros y can mlynedd diwethaf, gwerthwyd cobiau Derwen i ddeunaw o wledydd, gan gynnwys Pakistan a Canada. Daeth llwyddiant rheolaidd mewn sioeau nodedig, Sioe Frenhinol Cymru yn arbennig, ac yn ystod y blynyddoedd diweddar bu Ifor yn feirniad mewn digwyddiadau rhyngwladol o fri. Mae Ifor, Myfanwy a Dyfed yn hynod falch o gyfraniad Bridfa Derwen i fyd y cobiau Cymreig.

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