It's hard to explain how to get a good breeding program off the ground. To understand it fully, you have to look at the history and evolution of the ponies that you are using, and somewhere along the line you have to compare these ponies to other ponies who they are competing against in the show ring. So, I'd like to give a brief history of the ponies that we have bred, and the results we got from showing them.

   We started raising ponies in 1945, buying our first ponies from a horse jockey who said that if we didn't buy them, they would be sold to a mining company to work underground in a coal mine. They were just grade ponies ( unregistered, kind of like "mutt" dogs ) and we showed them throughout the County Fair circuit in Michigan. In 1951 we bought a couple of registered Shetlands, two grand-daughters of King Larigo from Fred Walgamuth, along with a gray and white spotted grand-daughter of the Greyhound. We bred these mares to a son of King Larigo owned by a neighbor, Durwood Ruoff, for a few years. In 1953 we bought Silver Manes Phillopean Cody, a Colonel Cody son out of a Larigo bred mare. Dr. S.F. Taylor always enjoyed driving teams, and he chose to buy Phillopean Cody because he would team well with a grade mare that we had at the time. Dad drove teams for the next 37 years, some good, some bad, but only one year did he ever realize his dream of driving a great team which was  in 1987, when he teamed and successfully exhibited Michigan's Mark of Excellence and Pony Vista's King Supreme, possibly the best show team ever.

   In 1953, Mary Taylor, my mother, decided that we should add a prefix to our ponies' names, something that would distinguish a pony that was bred by our farm. Dad was a dentist, he went to school at the University of Michigan ('31), and he thought that "Wolverine's" was a good prefix. Actually, Wolverine's Bobby Socks was the first pony we ever registered, but my mother, a Michigan State graduate, didn't think that Wolverine's was appropriate, "besides," she said, "it sounds funny." Mom thought that "Michigan's" would be a better prefix, and would incorporate the state as well as BOTH schools. From that date on, all ponies bred at Taylor Pony Farm, have carried that prefix, even though the farm is now located in Ohio, and I went to Veterinary School at Michigan State, that tradition carries on even today.

   In 1955 Michigan's Midget Mike was born........

   He was out of the grand-daughter of the Greyhound and by Silver Mane's Phillopean Cody. After a couple of years of showing at the Class A type Shetland shows with only moderate success, we now had a pony that could compete. In 1961 Mike was Grand Champion Under Stallion at the Kane County (IL) Fair. For the next three years, Mike dominated the Under Shetland division in Harness as well as Halter. In those years he defeated every  under pony that.was shown. In 1963 he finished the year as the National All-Star Model Stallion, All-Star Grand Champion Under Stallion, and Combination All-Star Under Pony. Mike was a gray pony that measured about 40" bare-footed at the withers and 38" at the last hair on his mane. Our AMHR horses are all descendants of Mike. Mike's sons and daughters did very well on the show circuit in the '60's, with the likes of National All-Stars, Michigan's Taylor Maid, Michigan's Mademoiselle, Michigan's Queen Bee, Michigan's Taylor, and Michigan's Trade Mark.

   In 1958, we bought Silver Mane's Comet Cody and a full brother to Silver Mane's Mercury (and Meteor) Cody. From 1960-1970, we showed many sons and daughters of Comet, with tremendous success. Michigan's Serenade won many championships, as did fellow All-Stars, Michigan's First Lady, Michigan's Checkmate, and Michigan's Wee Willy. In fact, we won enough All-Star points to win the Silver Brush award for trainers. Back then, the professionals and amateurs competed against each other, there was no split award as there is today.

   In the 1970's, Mike's last moderns came along. Michigan's Money Maker was Reserve Champion at the Congress for a few years, before being gelded, and finished his career as a Kids Harness and Roadster pony. Michigan's Maria was a Bay Under mare that did very well for us, she was our FIRST Congress Champion in 1972, and then she repeated the feat in 1975. In 1974, Michigan's King of the Taylors garnered our second Congress Championship, this win,too, may have been a repeat if  a mix-up in the entries hadn't disqualified him from even showing in the open class in 1973, he had to settle for Champion Model Stallion that year. In 1972, the big three all made it into the Hall of Fame. 1972 also was the year that I reached the top in the Gold Brush points. This was still when the award was combined, amateurs and professionals.

   In 1974 the Taylor Pony Farm made the ultimate show/travel odyssey, as we went with 8 ponies and three children (under the age of ten) to the West Coast to show in areas that we had never even visited. We traveled with the Houston family of Richmond, Michigan, Ray and Marlene, and their sons Vern (and his wife Lynn), and Randy.  We started in Des Moines, Iowa, and continued on to Portland, Oregon, for the Alpenrose Showdeo. We stayed in Portland for a week, and then continued on to Salem, Washington, and finally to the Montana State Fair. 

   In 1977, Kilbro's Willie Doo won his first of 6 Congress Championships in the Under Stallion division. This division has been dominated by the Taylor Pony Farm ever since. Taylor ponies have won Grand Champion Under Stallion in 15 of the last 25 years. In 1982, we were able to break a long time dominance of bay colored ponies occupying the winner's circle. Shetland ponies come in all colors, bay, black, spotted, and gray, but a gray pony had  never won the Congress Championship until Michigan's Action Jackson. AJ won the Grand Champion Over Stallion title for three consecutive years (1982-83-84). This started a Taylor dominance in the Over Stallion division, Taylor ponies won the next 9 consecutive years. Michigan's Mark of Excellence won in 1985-86-87, then along came current herd sire, Michigan's King Pin, who won in 1988-89-90. He also won the Under Grand Championship as a yearling in 1987. We used all of these stallions in our breeding program at one time or another, as they say, "success breeds success."

   At the 1983 Congress, Taylor ponies won 3 Grand Championships, a feat that had never been done before. It has still not been been broken, but it was repeated, by Taylor Pony Farm, again in 1985,87,88,and 1989.  In 1995, the Taylor Pony Farm did the impossible, we bred and raised all  4 Congress Champions. Two were ours, and two were shown by others, Jim Lyme owned and showed Michigan's Golden Jubilee and Neoma Buehrer owned and showed Michigan's Hearts of Fire. Michigan's Lady Di won 3 consecutive Over Mare World Championships in 1987-88-89, and in 1989, our other current breeding stallion started his winning streak. Michigan's Heart Breaker, son of 2 time World Champion Michigan's Heart Throb, was the World Champion Under Stallion from 1989 until 1996, a SEVEN year run,  and the 1997 Champion? His son, Michigan's Zoro. The other 1997 World Champion Stallion, in the Over division, was none other than Michigan's Rambo, whose sire is our other herd sire, Michigan's King Pin. Michigan's Zoro repeated as Champion in 1998 and 1999, and a new generation of Taylor Pony Farm Champions started as Michigan's Winning Style took the World Champion Under Mare division in 1998 and 1999.

   Over the years, our list of World Champions and Hall of Fame ponies has grown, if you wish to see any of these, please click on the Hall of Fame or World Champions icons above. Our list of National Pony of the Year winners has also grown.to include Michigan's Mark of Excellence, Michigan's Next Generation, Michigan's King Pin, and Michigan's Heart Breaker have all won in the Modern division, and Michigan's AC/DC, Michigan's Silver Dollar, Michigan's Heinz 57, and Michigan's Mr. Liberty have all taken the honor in the Classic division. Michigan's Next Generation was another gray World Champion for us in 1985-86, she was probably the prettiest conformation mare that we have had, and she would still be a great broodmare, but she died a few years after she retired from the show ring.

   When the Classic Shetland division was started, the intent was to duplicate the Shetland pony of the early 60's.. Michigan's Midget Mike was still alive at that time, and since he dominated the show ring in the 60's, he was a natural as our Classic herd sire. His offspring did extremely well, with sons Michigan's Mr. Liberty (World Champion 1990) and Michigan's Silver Dollar (World Champion 1992) - both garnering Pony of the Year honors the same year. Michigan's High Five (89), Michigan's Pee Jay (91), and Michigan's Heinz 57 (93) were also World Champions in the Stallion division. In the Classic Gelding division, Michigan's Reverse Image was World Champion in 1995-96, and Michigan's AC/DC won in 1994. In the Mare division, Michigan's Silver Penny was the 1996 World Champion Classic Mare, and that was after garnering the 1993 AMHR Miniature B National Championship. The only pony EVER to have won both the ASPC and AMHR National titles. In 1997, a filly foal out of Michigan's Mighty Mom won the AMHR National Championship. The 1998 AMHR National Champion was a Michigan pony, as were ALL 4 AMHR Over mares that competed in the Grand Champion class.