By Britney Grover
Portraits by Brenda Black
Cheryl Patton grew up in the 1950s riding a neighbor’s horse bareback with a halter and lead rope. She can’t remember a time she didn’t love horses, despite not having access to riding lessons or a horse of her own. When Cheryl got married, her husband’s family owned a cattle farm and the family had several trail horses in the ’80s, but it wasn’t until Cheryl’s own daughters, Elizabeth and Ginny, started taking riding lessons and competing in local shows that Cheryl was really introduced to the equestrian world.
She and her daughters began traveling to Welsh shows around the country, and in 1989, began breeding Welsh ponies. Cheryl and her Clovermeade Ponies in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, have been recognized as the USEF Pony Hunter Breeder of the year seven times: 2008, 2015 and every year from 2019 to 2023. But to Cheryl, the recognition isn’t her greatest achievement. “For me, it’s more about what this honor represents: allowing young riders to start their equestrian career on a well-bred, athletic pony with a good temperament,” she said.
How did you get started in breeding?
My daughters took lessons at the Oak Hill School Riding program in Nashville, Tennessee. It was there that I became friends with their riding instructor, Mary Lambert. Mary and I decided to visit Gail Thomson with Gayfields Welsh Ponies to look at breeding her stallion to two of Mary’s mares. We ended up buying two yearlings, Gayfields Dylan and Gayfields Runaround Sue. It was on that trip that we decided to start breeding ponies, and that was the beginning of Clovercroft Welsh Ponies, the precursor to Clovermeade Ponies.
Soon after, we bought Madoc Mirror Image and Gayfields Redneck Chic. Gayle also let us take home Gayfields Silver Poet as a care lease for my daughters to ride for two years. He was a wonderful grey pony that loved to show.
Early on we bought several young colts hoping for a great stallion, but they were better suited as geldings. We then decided to look for a proven older stallion. Jim Cloe blessed us by selling us Cloe Olympian, our foundation sire. We had seen Olympian at the Welsh Nationals in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was beautiful, well-mannered and well-bred. He was the beginning of our long line of show ponies.
What made you focus on hunters?
When my children were young, we spent many years going to Welsh shows across the country and rode in local shows. Over time, many of our ponies were sold to families in the Northeast who were riding at a more competitive level. As our breeding business developed, our focus shifted to breeding high-quality Welsh and Welsh-cross ponies for the hunter arena.
How has your business changed over the years?
In the early 2000s, Mary and I divided the business and I started using the Clovermeade prefix. Around that time, I started breeding more ponies each year. For almost 25 years, many of my ponies have gone to Abbi Ferrigno at Rabbit Hill Farm in Newtown, Connecticut, to train and show. Abbi has helped our ponies reach their full potential in the show ring. I’m thankful to have this relationship, which has played a huge part in the success of Clovermeade Ponies.
What do you love about breeding?
I love matching each mare to the best stallion for her. Once I find a good match, I repeat that breeding over time.
It’s so easy to love the foals and their first days of life when everything is new to them. Watching them grow to become riding ponies is also very gratifying; from watching them entering the show ring and starting to compete in big competitions to taking care of beginner riders in their later years, you can appreciate how much they mean to so many kids. It means a lot to me to know that my ponies find good homes. Occasionally, I get emails from riders or their parents telling me how much they love their pony, and that brings me happiness.
What special ponies have you had?
I’ve had many special ponies, but a few have stood out that will always be remembered. My children’s first riding ponies, Gayfields Silver Poet, Gayfields Runaround Sue and Rollingwoods Rockette, will always hold a special place in my heart. Another amazing pony that we bred is Clovercroft’s Rocky Too. He’s a therapy pony for children with cancer at Angel Heart Farm. Rocky is currently 33 years old and continues to enrich the lives of children and families that are going through a difficult time.
Do you have any great stallions that have been part of your program? 
I’ve had several great stallions, starting with Cloe Olympian. Clovercroft’s Hero of the Heart, our current senior stallion, has produced some of our most successful ponies in the show ring. He was honored as the USEF Top Pony Hunter Sire for the second time this past year, and has been in the top 10 since 2015. We are standing him to outside mares this year with the advent of our artificial insemination (AI) program.
I’m also excited about our new junior stallion, Clovermeade Heart of Gold, who is the son of Clovercroft’s Hero of the Heart and Currituck Glory Be. He is a full brother to many of our most successful small ponies: Clovermeade Pop Secret, Clovermeade Heartfelt, Clovermeade Heartthrob and Clovermeade Heartbreaker. Clovermeade Heartthrob was recently Reserve Champion Small Pony Hunter at Devon, ridden and owned by Reilly Robertson and family. Heart of Gold produced his first foal this spring, Clovermeade Tupelo Honey, a beautiful palomino filly that looks just like him. I expect great things from Heart of Gold in the future.
What’s something interesting that happened because of your ponies?
We’ve met lots of wonderful people in the equestrian world and it has been an interesting journey. My husband, Allen, Mary Lambert and I did a lot of driving in the 1990s. One of our ponies became a part of a four-in-hand driving team and was invited to the Royal Windsor Horse Show in England. Mary, Allen and I decided that we would go and watch. Before the show started, we went to visit several Welsh pony breeders in England and Wales. It was like stepping back in time. We were able to visit the queen’s stables, where we saw Prince Phillip’s team in their stalls and took a picture with the queen’s horse!
On the day of the hazards course in the driving event, we positioned ourselves at a water hazard. As we stood there waiting, Queen Elizabeth drove up to
watch at that hazard too. She stepped out of the driver’s seat of her car, walked over and stood right by us. After Prince Phillip drove his team through, she left and we could breathe again. It was unforgettable!
What’s your favorite thing about what you do?
I love the relationships that I’ve formed with other breeders, trainers and families who have bought my ponies. Many of these relationships have spanned decades and have developed over the years. I look forward to seeing many of these friends every year at equestrian events, shows and Pony Finals.
What’s the secret to your success?
You can never stop learning. Over the 35 years I’ve been breeding ponies, I’ve learned a lot and it seems like there is something new every day. The field is advancing, from reproductive science to nutrition to approaches to training and beyond. Most of this helps the sport advance. But one thing that is key to my success is that no matter what I learn, I never forget that this has to be fun. We breed ponies for kids, and no matter how great of athletes they are, they should be fun to be around. People may laugh when they see us dancing in the fields with our yearlings or making funny videos about foals on social media, but all of this lends itself to developing ponies who are good with kids.
What are your goals for the future with your farm and your ponies?
My two oldest daughters, Ginny Laird and Elizabeth Ivanovich, moved back to Middle Tennessee three years ago, and are now both involved in running the farm. They’ve taken an interest in breeding and learning how the business works. They’re helping to modernize our farm, including starting an AI program and working with our wonderful farm manager, Mary Kathryn Glenn, to start some of our ponies.
My granddaughter, Sophia Laird, also has a passion for our farm and ponies and is becoming a strong rider. She currently rides two Clovermeade ponies, Clovermeade Zurich and Clovermeade Charmed, with whom she started in the Medium Green and Large divisions this year. It has been a special experience for me to see her ride and compete on ponies that I raised.
The whole family loves the farm, whether it’s hiking, trail riding, beekeeping, gardening or playing with the foals. My hopes are that they will continue to enjoy our farm as much as I have and will carry on with pony breeding in the future.
What’s the best thing about your life?
The best things about my life are my wonderful family and friends, our ponies and, most of all, my relationship with the Lord and the opportunities and people He has placed in my life. It’s a new adventure every day.
For more information, visit clovermeadeponies.com or follow @clovermeadeponies on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
