About Us
West Kington Stud
West Kington Stud offers a complete breeding service for Mare and Stallion owners. Mares are taken for foaling, insemination and embryo transfer. Our DEFRA approved Stallion Centre freezes, stores and distributes semen for Worldwide export, alongside offering a wide range of training, collection and analysis services. Please see Mare Services and Stallion Services for more information.
A variety of stallions are resident to provide Fresh and Chilled semen throughout the breeding season, alongside several hundred more available from our frozen semen stores.
Our aim is to breed top competition horses with good temperaments, soundness and ability. We feel it is very important to give all youngsters a good basic training in general handling, loading, leading, etc, from an early age. Homebred youngsters and others by a variety of stallions are often available for sale and can be seen by appointment. See "Horses for Sale".
The Stud, run by Stud Manager, Harry Thirlby has a diverse range of stallions standing in 2022, please see our Stallions at Stud page for more information.
West Kington Stud Stallion Centre (WKSSC)
WKSSC is run in conjunction with Martin Boyle MRCVS of Stallion Reproduction Services who is one of the world’s leading experts in freezing stallion semen and works closely with Chris Shepherd, Kelly Harrison-Tait and Anna Mitchell from B&W Equine Vets. The Centre is producing frozen semen from the best of British stallions for national and international use. Frozen semen is currently available from around 800 stallions from a variety of different breeds and types, including many rare breeds.
Competition Yard
Horses and riders compete from the Stud under the guidance of Jane Holderness-Roddam (Olympic Gold Medallist and winner of Badminton and Burghley). The Stud has excellent facilities, including horse-walker, outdoor arena, cross-country fences, show jumps and good hacking, and is close to several outside schooling facilities and gallops. The aim is to give horses and riders the confidence to achieve their goals.
Jane supervises the schooling and fitness training of the horses who are competing mainly from BE80 to 3* level.
The competition yard also aims to take several riders from the UK and abroad for training, with or without their own horses, on short or longer term courses. Students are also taken for NVQ training in conjunction with Haddon Training.
West Kington Farms (WKF)
West Kington Farms (WKF) is an arable business growing mainly quality crops for the human food industry - typically, our grain goes for milling, brewing and breakfast cereals. The Farm also grows rape, peas and beans for specialist markets.
WKF is equipped with up-to-date arable machinery and has a modern drying, cleaning and dressing plant with 4,500 tonnes of ACCS accredited storage.
THE TEAM
Jane Holderness-Roddam
Jane was the first British woman to compete in the Olympic Three-Day Event, winning a Team Gold in Mexico 1968. Jane has ridden, completed, judged, instructed and officiated in many countries around the world, in a variety of equestrian disciplines, from showing to eventing.
Jane is President of British Eventing; the Fortune Centre of Riding Therapy; British Equestrian Trade Association (BETA); and the Caspian Horse Society. She is also Patron of the Side Saddle Association. Jane is a British Eventing Steward and Accredited Trainer; FEI Judge and Steward; and the author of over 20 equestrian books. She was formerly National Chairman of Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA), a position held for nine years, and is former Council Chairman of the British Equestrian Federation.
Harry Thirlby – Stud Manager
Harry originally joined WKS as a groom and Stallion Handler in 2010, before later taking on the role of Assistant Manager. Following the recent retirement of Tessa Clarke, he has now been promoted to Stud Manager. Harry has spent several seasons working in leading Sports Horse and Thoroughbred Studs and has a keen interest in breeding and bloodlines around the world. He is experienced in all aspects of foaling, stallion and mare management and is a DEFRA Certified AI Technician. Harry also keeps a small breeding herd of rare Caspian Horses.
Martin Boyle - Consultant
Martin was senior vet at the TBA Equine Fertility Unit in Newmarket, specialising in stallion reproduction work at Newmarket, until 1990. In 1992, he established Stallion Reproduction Services, specialising in collecting and freezing equine semen. Since 1996, he has supervised the West Kington Stud Stallion Centre and has collected frozen semen from over 750 stallions both nationally and internationally. Martin's unique knowledge is revered throughout the industry.