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Colonel Cody ASPC# 21418 Black Stallion Foaled May 11, 1931 Breeder: D.G. Welty |
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The foundation of the Cody line starts with this beautiful black stallion who was foaled in 1931. In 1949 Colonel Cody was purchased by Harry Kilkelly of the Silver Mane Pony Farm in Wisconsin. Breeding accomplishments
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The
following article was taken from the book "Our Shetland Heritage, The History of the
Original American Shetland Pony", by Scott Uzzel.
"The legends and lore of the horse show world are never ending, but when they are measured for total greatness, one of the top half-dozen in The Shetland Segment has to be The Saga of Silver Mane."
So penned Jim Roberts in The Foreword of The Silver Mane Pony Farm Dispersal catalog in 1967. And how true it was. The story of Harry Kilkelly, the effervescent mayor of Cuba City Wisconsin, who served as president of The American Shetland Pony Club from 1960-1965, and Colonel Cody, is certainly one of the highlights of the breed's history.
"The Kilkelly ponies...trace to Harry's childhood, when as a ten-year-old,
his wish for a pony was granted by his parents. ...
"Starting a family of his own, Kilkelly decided horses were an essential
part of growing up. Therefore, when Jane and John were a few years
old, he bought some grade Shetland ponies. Always with one eye toward the
future and the other toward a bargain, Kilkelly picked up three ponies.
They increased, along with the Kilkelly clan. However, before the family
reached its peak, some of the original Shetland offspring were ready to be
sold. ...
"When they sold a spotted filly, their first sale, for $250, an idea was
born in his Irish head. If grade ponies were that high, he reasoned, then
registered ponies would be even more valuable. Thus in 1943, he made
the acquaintance of the late Dr. Waune A. Munn, who at the time was recently
elected president of The American Shetland Pony Club, and was starting his
campaign to renovate the organization which had been dormant for twenty or
more years. Kilkelly bought nine registered mares from 'Doc' as a
starter, along with a stallion, Magic B., an Orloff-bred pony with a silver
white mane and tail. And he of course furnished the idea
for the name, Silver Mane Pony Farm. ...
"In 1949, Harry bought an eighteen-year-old black stallion from C.B. Owen of Wayzata, Minnesota, and that was probably one of the most profound moves he ever made. For the stallion was Colonel Cody." 1
Colonel Cody 21418, a beautiful black stallion, by Silver Crescent 18892 and out of Silver Irene 19833, both of whose stories were chronicled in previous chapters, was foaled May 11, 1931. "He was bred by D.G. Welty of Salem, Oregon, and sold to M.W. Hartmann, Hutchinson, Kansas. Dr. Gregory of St. Louis purchased the pony, then sold him to C.B. Owen of Wayzata, Minnesota." 2
The Colonel was a refined individual, who could hold his own in any company. Around 1938, "Colonel Cody, when shown with his son, Cody's Lightfoot, was a handy winner in Harness Show pony classes in Illinois, defeating many good cross-breds, and he was also champion at Springfield in hand." 3
At the 1949 National Shetland Congress, Colonel Cody won The Open Single Harness Championship, in competition with Hackney horses, ponies and Harness Show ponies. He also captured The Children's Driving Class.
"At twenty, Colonel Cody was the national champion in hand and harness, winning both divisions at The National Stallion Show in Waterloo (lowa) for Kilkelly," 4
One of the most colorful anecdotes in the Colonel's long and distinguished career came at that same show in 1951, as the following excerpt penned by William A. Simpson illustrates:
"At the Stallion Show in Waterloo... Harry Kilkelly and Wayne Kirk had a peculiar 'wager.' Wayne was a very nervous sort of fellow when he was an exhibitor, with a burning, burning desire to get that blue! Intensely so! He had Sunlight Larigo and a mate in harness. ... There were four pairs in the class and Wayne was still walking and going on to each and every other exhibitor in the vein of: 'Well boys, we are good friends and all that, but when we go through that gate, friendship ceases-I hate to see you mad, but that's the way the cookie crumbles.' He really thought this, I guess. Anyway, he was fourth-and came back most dejected. Well, Kilkelly had Colonel Cody there. The 'Colonel' was a very deceiving pony-barefoot he was actually about forty-two inches-and I remember that when he was shown in his younger days at Springfield, Illinois, by Eglehoff Pony Farm, he was shown in what they then had as harness pony classes 44" and Under-so with the longest foot he ever had he never went over forty-four inches. Kirk kept looking at him and grumbling and telling Kilkelly he ought to be measured (over forty-six inches). Harry finally got provoked and told him off and Kirk said he'd eat Kilkelly's hat if he didn't measure over. Well after the class, Harry got a measuring stick, brought out the pony and gave the stick to Wayne, and said, 'Measure him, yourself!' Wayne measured and measured, but couldn't get him over forty-four inches-Harry handed him his hat, a felt one, and said, 'Eat it, you $#@%**!' I think Wayne did try to take a bite out of it." 5
Simpson went on to say that "the Colonel was a most proponent stallion-proponent in transmitting not only his action, but his refinement." 6
The old axiom, "Behind every good man there's a woman," can well be adjusted to read, "Behind every good stallion there's a mare," or in the Colonel's case, two in particular: Helen C. and Bonnie C.2. The following excerpt chronicles how Silver Mane acquired its two foundation mares in 1948."
"Harry Kilkelly had purchased at The National Sale (which was held in Zanesville, Ohio-with the entire breeding and show operation of Hugh White consigned):' the grey mare, Helen C. She had been purchased for son, John, with the idea in mind of making a saddle pony, for Silver Mane, made up mostly of dapples standing forty inches or less and none over forty-two inches. Helen C. was a young mare and heavy in foal to Silver White (the result Silver Zephyr) and she actually changed the entire breeding program of Silver Mane, along with Colonel Cody, of course. ...
"At the Zanesville, Ohio sale, Doc Munn could not rest until he had purchased Helen C.'s dam, Bonnie C.2., a very refined black mare with a lot of action! She was worth her weight in gold, almost. But-Doc's beautiful brood mare band was nearly all black and of a size and every time he looked out the window or inspected the herd and they'd come running up, Bonnie C.2. would stand out-for she had a whale of a lot of personality and was high-headed, although really not too much larger than Doc's mares. Well, Doc wanted a black mare he had bred that Kilkelly had, so nothing would do but they 'trade' with the understanding, of course, that Doc could keep Bonnie C.2.'s foal (by Sun light Larigo) that she was carrying and Harry would get The Magic B. foal in, I believe it was, Shoreacre's Betsy, by Larigo's Nite Life. After the foal came he didn't like it-it was too 'in the future' and this was Silver Mane's Sun light. ... Anyway, having Helen C., Silver Zephyr and Bonnie C.2., along with Colonel Cody, the Silver Mane group took on a new aura." 7
To say that Colonel Cody "nicked" with these mares would be an understatement, for it was primarily their off spring that resulted in Colonel Cody holding the lofty position of the number one sire in the Registry of Merit from 1953-1961. During this span he was also the number one sire of harness ponies for 1956-1960, and the number one halter sire in 1956, making him number one in the combined harness/ halter division of the sire ratings for 1956.
The following is a year-by-year analysis of the impact the Colonel's get made in the show ring during the 1950's:
1950 saw a black and white daughter, Heatherstone Summer Glory 27205, bred by William A. Simpson, Cuba City, Wisconsin, win The Mare and Foal class at the Congress with her dam, Philopean Larigo's Phyllis.
Summer Glory came back in '51 to be named Ch. Yearling Mare at the Congress, and a grey son, Silver Mane's Mercury Cody 29107, made his first appearance at the Congress, winning Ch. Stallion Foal and The Mare and Foal Class with his dam, Helen C.
Cody ponies dominated the 1952 Congress, with Heather-stone Summer Glory taking Ch. Two Year Old Mare; Mercury Cody, Ch. Yearling Stallion; Silver Mane's Princess Cody 30339, a black out of Bonnie C.2., Ch. Filly Foal; and Silver Mane's Comet Cody 30338, a black, Ch. Stallion Foal, as well as Ch. Mare and Foal, with his darn, Helen C.
Cody ponies were well represented in the first National Shetland All-Star Ratings in 1953, with Comet Cody as Ch. Yearling Stallion, and the black, Silver Mane's Starlight Cody 27487, Ch. Three Year Old Stallion and Gr. Ch. Stallion.
It was more of the same in '54, with Comet Cody, Ch. Two Year Old Stallion;
Starlight Cody, Ch. Aged Stallion, 42" and Under; and Mercury Cody, Ch.
Three Year Old Stallion and Gr. Ch. Stallion. The black, Silver Mane's Merry
Cody 29111, was Ch. Three Year Old Mare.
The grey, Silver Mane's Meteor Cody 36397, another product of Helen C., made
his first appearance in the 1955 All-Stars, taking Ch. Yearling Stallion
honors, while his full brother, Mercury, was Ch. Aged Stallion, Over
42"-46", and Gr. Ch. in the over division. Merry Cody was Ch. Aged
Yeld Mare, Over 42"-46".
In 1956, Silver Mane's Pierre Cody 34140, a black out of Bonnie C.2., was
Ch. Three Year Old Stallion, while Meteor was named Ch. Two Year Old
Stallion, and Mercury swept to victories in The Aged Stallion, Over 42"-46",
and Single Fine Harness, Over 42"-46", divisions, to be named Ch.
Combination Pony.
Cody ponies returned to the Congress in 1957, where Meteor was Ch. Jr.
Shetland in Harness, while Silver Mane's Noble Cody 45521, a black, was Ch.
Yearling Stallion. In the All-Stars, Meteor was champion in the Over 42"-46"
Single Fine Harness division, and the black, Cody's Collette 49691, was Ch.
Yearling Mare.
1958 was a banner year for Meteor and Mercury, as Meteor was Ch. Over 42"-46" Single Fine Harness Shetland in the All-Star's and at the Congress, where he also won the Over 42"-46" Fine Harness Stake. Coupled with Mercury, they garnered championships in the Over 42"-46" Pair and 46" and Under Tandem in the All-Stars and at the Congress, where they also combined to win the Produce of Dam class for their mother, Helen C.. Cody's Coquette 51621, a black, was All-Star Ch. Yearling Mare.
In 1959, Meteor Cody was sold at private treaty to A.C. Beuhler of Fernwood Farms, Barrington, Illinois. Beuhler reportedly bought Meteor to prevent him from defeating the Fernwood star, Curtiss-Frisco Pete, as Meteor was Pete's toughest competition in the Over 42"-46" Harness division. Meteor was once described as follows:
"One of the aristocrats of the breed, this spectacular Shetland has a brilliant, airy way of going, and displays a world of animation in his collected, fine harness trot. Meteor Cody's sparkling personality and performances have won him admirers where-ever he has appeared." 8
Meteor continued his winning ways for Fernwood, as he annexed his second and third victories in the Congress Over 42'-46' Fine Harness Stake in 1959 and '60, as well as the All-Star and Congress championship in the Single Fine Harness, Over 42"-46", division in I960.
Meteor was not the only Cody star on the horizon in 1959. Silver Mane's High-Lite Cody 58103, a flashy black with four white stockings, white spots and a white tail, was Ch. Yearling Stallion, 42" and Under, in the All-Stars and at the Congress, where he was also Jr. Ch. Stallion.
Also at the Congress, Cody's Coquette was Ch. Two Year Old Mare, 42"-44", and Ch. Over 42" Pair went to the black stallions, Silver Mane's Regent Cody 36842, and Charlie Cody 31943, the latter originally named Phyllis' Cody, was bred by Thomas Lovell, Hazel Green, Wisconsin.
Sadly enough, Colonel Cody did not live to see it all. The venerable stallion died in 1958 and the following is an excerpt from his obituary in the AMERICAN SHETLAND PONY JOURNAL:
"Colonel Cody 21418 is dead. The famous twenty-seven-year-old son of Silver Crescent died on June 27 of a heart attack at the Silver Mane Pony Farm of H.P. Kilkelly and Sons, Cuba City, Wisconsin, ending an illustrious career in the Shetland world.
"Colonel Cody was buried in his stall, embedded in concrete. A memorial plaque will be placed on the stall. Periodically during the past three years the noble black Shetland stallion has suffered heart attacks, the last of which proved fatal." 9
The Colonel was gone, but his legacy lived on at Silver Mane through his sons, Mercury and Pierre, whose get were featured in the First Silver Mane Production Sale, held on the farm, July 22, 1961.
Harry Kilkelly paid tribute to these two sons of the Colonel in the sale catalog, calling the results of Mercury's service in the Silver Mane Stud, "truly rewarding to those who thrill to the sign of a poppin' good foal!"; and calling Pierre "one of the most attractive stallions of the breed," He further stated that "many breeders have expressed their opinion that Mercury and Pierre's offspring are better in quality and performance than the progeny of their sire." A high compliment indeed!
The sale, which included twelve direct daughters and five sons of the Colonel, was described as follows:
"An overflow crowd of more than 1,300 persons from thirty states jammed the rolling green acres of Silver Mane Pony Farm, Inc., at Cuba City, Wisconsin, on Saturday, July 22, for their first annual Production Sale, which goes into the record books as one of the bright chapters of breed history. In a setting which at times more resembled a garden party than the usual dust and confusion of an auction, H.P. Kilkelly and Sons, sold fifty-two head, mostly tracing to the late, famed Colonel Cody, for $55,185, or an average of $1,061.25. Buyers represented nine states.
"Since there were no extreme tops paid-Fernwood Farm took the high individual at $3,400-observers were impressed by the uniformity of the bidding-the next to last pony in the sale brought $1,000." 10
Top stallion of the sale was Silver Mane's Chief Cody 58147, a grey son of the Colonel, at $3,400; top mare- was Silver Mare's Opal Cody 58133, a black daughter of Colonel Cody, substituting for an ill mare, at $2,600.
Even though the Colonel was gone, his get continued to make his presence felt in the show ring. Cody's Copy 55160, who was, indeed, a black copy of his sire, proved to be a most versatile stallion, winning All-Star championships in Amateur Fine Harness, 46" and Under, in 1963 and '64; Ladies' Fine Harness, 46" and Under, in '63; Child's Fine Harness, 46" and Under, in "64; and was Ch. Combination Pony, Over 43"-46", in '64.
Another son, Silver Mane's King Cody 58101, a grey, when coupled with a grey grandson of the Colonel, Silver Mane's Prophet Cody 58142 (by Meteor), took the All-Star 46" and Under Pair championship in 1964 and '65.
Mention should also be made of another son, Silver Mane's Philopean Cody 28095, a black, for siring the little grey campaigner, Michigan's Midget Mike 42331, bred by Dr. Sam Taylor, Hudson, Michigan. Midget Mike dominated the 42" and Under division of the All-Stars in 1963 and '64, being named Ch. Aged Stallion and Gr. Ch. Stallion both years, as well as Ch. Combination Pony in '64.
A sad day in Shetland history came on June 17, 1967, when Silver Mane Pony Farm bowed out of the pony business. The following is an excerpt from the foreword of the Silver Mane Dispersal catalog, penned by Jim Roberts:
"Sorrowfully we write this preface to the Silver Mane Dispersal Sale Catalog. But one must respect the decision, dictated by the passage of time and the graduation of children into other walks of life. And while Harry can't sell his wit...or his dedication, he does offer a legacy...one of those rare chances for other breeders and owners to acquire some of the best bred individuals in the nation, bar none."
Although the pony market was very depressed in 1967, the fifty-three lots grossed $18,650, for an average of $352, the best of any auction that season. The twelve direct daughters of Colonel Cody, aged eight to fourteen years, that were offered averaged $420. Topping the sale was Silver Mane's Frisco Cody, by Curtiss-Frisco Pete and out of Silver Mane's Unique Cody 34141, a black Colonel Cody daughter, at $3,650; Mercury Cody, at sixteen years of age, was second top at $1,000. Top mare was Silver Mane's Meteora Cody 42423, a grey by Colonel Cody and out of Helen C., she brought $700 with a colt by Mercury at her side. The top ten head averaged $907 and the top twenty, $639. respectively.
"Col. Bill Porter, Monmouth, Illinois, needed only three hours to sell the entire offering. The bidding was active as buyers from ten states paid tribute to Silver Mane Pony Farm and H.P. Kilkelly and Sons, by showing their obvious desire to own one or more ponies from the home of Colonel Cody. Sadly it was the final chapter in the Silver Mane story...but a good one!" 11
Footnotes
1-Saga of Silver Mane, ASPJ, July 196l, pp. 56-57.
2-Colonel Cody Dead at 27 Years, ASPJ, August 1958, p.
3-Cover Pony, ASPJ, September 1950, p.6.
4-Saga of Silver Mane, ASPJ, June 1958, p. 48.
5-My Life With The Shetland Pony, William A. Simpson THE INTERNATIONAL RIDER
AND DRIVER, June 19?2, p. 42,
6-My Life With The Shetland Pony. William A. Simpson THE INTERNATIONAL RIDER
AND DRIVER, June 1972, p. 50,
7-My Life With The Shetland Pony. William A. Simpson THE INTERNATIONAL RIDER
AND DRIVER, May 1972, p. 59-
8-ASPJ, December 1959, p. 71.
9-Col. Cody Dead at 27 Years, ASPJ, August 1958, p. 39.
10-Cody Carnival. ASPJ, August 1961, p. 12.
11-Frisco Cody Tops Silver Mane Sale at $3,650, ASPJ, July 1967, p. 27.