42
January 2024 | SIDELINESMAGAZINE
FARNLEY
FARM
PONIES OF THE
SHENANDOAH VALLEY
Story and portraits by Jennifer DeMaro
he first of Farnley Farm’s Welsh and
Dartmoor pony breeding stock crossed
the seas from England to the United
States in 1936. Situated in the picturesque lower
Shenandoah Valley in White Post, Virginia,
Farnley Farm has a longstanding tradition of
breeding exceptional ponies including Welsh
Section A and B, Dartmoors and Crossbreds.
Farnley Farm is a testament to vision and
dedication in the world of pony breeding.
Joan H. Dunning’s decision, with her husband
Alexander Mackay-Smith, to start the farm laid
the foundation for what has become a legacy in
pony breeding. As the farm evolved, the next
generation, represented by their daughters,
Hetty Abeles and Amanda Mackay-Smith, and
daughter-in-law Meridith Mackay-Smith, started
programs of their own. Amanda bred under the
prefix Dolrhedyn and provided the foundation
Farnley Farm’s commitment to
breeding includes, from left to right,
Hershell Shull, Karen Shull, Hetty
Abeles and Damaris Abeles.
BREEDING & STALLION