Drybarrows Illicit

Photo credit: David Thompson

DRYBARROWS ILLICIT

2023 Grey Filly • Imported by Feathered Foothill (Cumbria, UK)

Overview

Drybarrows Illicit is a soft-eyed, correct, and classically built grey filly from the renowned Drybarrows stud in Cumbria. Gentle, thoughtful, and quietly brave, she carries traditional Fell pony type with depth, bone, and correctness. Imported by Feathered Foothill in 2024, she represents a damline known for substance, quality, and true hill-bred character.

A Remarkable Addition

Illicit joined Feathered Foothill after we were fortunate to win the bid at the North West Auctions’ Hill Bred Gems Salein 2023. She is by Bluecaps Gilbert and out of Drybarrows Azizi, combining influential bloodlines and consistent, traditional type.

Her dam, Drybarrows Azizi, is by Carrock I’m Yer Man and out of Drybarrows Swallow. During a Pony and Pints Tour with Melissa Kreuzer of DreamHayven, we visited the Bracklinn Stud in Scotland, where I’m Yer Man now resides—creating a meaningful connection to Illicit’s pedigree.

Her sire, Bluecaps Gilbert, is the only colt (as of early 2025) sired by the celebrated Wildhoeve Okidoki, a multi-champion Mountain & Moorland stallion whose achievements include:

  • NPS M&M Ridden Pony of the Year (2021)

  • Reserve M&M Champion, Royal Horse Show (2017)

  • Horse of the Year Show Champion (2024)

  • Multiple HOYS qualifications and strong placings

Gilbert stands at Drybarrows and is known for producing offspring with substance, correctness, and straight, quality movement.

On the Fell

During our 2023 visit to Drybarrows, David Thompson guided our group across the slopes above Haweswater. Among the mares and foals navigating the rugged terrain, Illicit stood out—soft, observant, and strikingly correct.

She descends from a damline long admired for beauty, presence, and type:

  • Drybarrows Azizi (dam)

  • Drybarrows Swallow (granddam)

These mares appear in some of the most recognizable Drybarrows images, including the iconic photograph of Swallow with Azizi overlooking Haweswater, captured by Katarzyna Okrzesik (c. 2015).

Illicit carries the same harmony of limb, softness of expression, and balanced proportions that define this family. Visitors consistently remark on her natural beauty and calm, thoughtful way of observing her surroundings.

Reunited in 2024

Illicit traveled to the United States in spring 2024 with Drybarrows Havana. While Havana stepped forward boldly, Illicit unfolded more gently—soft, willing, and thoughtful. Once settled, her quiet bravery and sweetness became unmistakable.

She is thriving in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, adapting beautifully to our foothills and maturing steadily in both mind and body.

Pedigree

Sire: Bluecaps Gilbert
— by Wildhoeve Okidoki (HOYS Champion 2024)
— out of Underwoods Miranda

Dam: Drybarrows Azizi
— by Carrock I’m Yer Man
— out of Drybarrows Swallow

Hill-Bred Excellence

Illicit represents a damline known for proper Fell pony type—depth, bone, a true Fell head, straight movement, and a calm, intelligent temperament. These qualities make her a promising broodmare prospect once she is fully mature.

Raised on the fell with minimal handling beyond essentials, she developed independence, resilience, and a grounded temperament—hallmarks of true hill-bred stock.

Training & Development Timeline

A concise record of Illicit’s handling, exposure, and milestones.

2024 – Arrival & Foundations

  • Imported by Feathered Foothill from Cumbria with import companion Drybarrows Havana

  • Arrived lightly handled; foundational work began at Feathered Foothill

  • Trained primarily with positive reinforcement blended with soft, low-pressure handling

  • Learned leading, yielding, tying, grooming, and whole-body handling

  • Introduced to bridge walkovers, pole work, and simple obstacles

  • Initially reserved, then blossomed into a calm, willing youngster

  • First-ever farrier handling completed quietly

2025 – First Steps Into the Public Eye

  • Continued foundational in-hand work and confidence-building

  • Demonstrated straight, correct movement consistent with her pedigree

November 2025 – First Show (Virtual)
FPSNA Virtual Show • 2-Year-Old Fillies Class – 1st Place
Reserve Champion of the Entire Fall Show (20 entries)

Judge’s Feedback:

  • “Lovely filly with very correct frame and limbs.”

  • “Nice depth, front and head.”

  • “Good length from croup to tail.”

  • “Moves straight with excellent Fell pony movement.”

November 2025: Applied for the FPSNA Performance Premium Awards (PPA)

2026 – Upcoming Development (planned)

  • Continued in-hand work focusing on softness, clarity, and responsiveness

  • Introduction to long-reining to enhance balance, steering, and understanding

  • Basic saddle introduction (no riding), focusing on relaxation and acceptance

  • Expanded obstacle experiences (bridges, backing lines, narrow paths, sensory elements)

  • Light exposure through clinics or low-key public outings

  • Refinement of walk–trot–canter transitions through in-hand and long-rein work

  • Exploration of her suitability for dressage foundations and Mountain Trail

  • Late 2026: Consideration of when she will be ready for formal schooling, depending on maturity and readiness

2027 – Broodmare Evaluation

A formal broodmare suitability assessment is planned for 2027, focusing on:

  • correctness of type

  • limb and joint structure

  • movement quality

  • temperament

  • contribution to long-term genetic diversity

Future covering will be considered only if maturity, readiness, and a quality sire match align.

Future Potential

Illicit shows promise as:

  • a safe, steady trail-capable mount once mature

  • a dressage-leaning youngster, with straight and correct movement

  • a Mountain Trail prospect, given her calm judgment and sure-footedness

  • a future broodmare, representing a historically consistent Drybarrows damline

Grey Fell Ponies

A brief note on Illicit’s rare and meaningful color.

Grey is one of the four accepted Fell pony coat colors, alongside black, bay, and brown. Grey Fell ponies are typically born dark and lighten gradually through stages—including the much-admired dapple grey phase—before becoming pale or nearly white with age.

Historically, grey horses were present throughout northern England, with some associated with Cistercian monastic herds. Research from the Fell Pony Museum suggests grey Fell ponies also existed broadly outside monastic holdings.

Today, grey is rare within the Fell pony population.
According to the Grassroots Database, in 2023 only 36 grey Fell foals were registered worldwide out of 321 total births—approximately 11% of the global foal crop.

Because grey is a dominant gene, a grey pony must have at least one grey parent, which can help identify pedigree inconsistencies in older records.

Grey Fell ponies remain a distinctive and cherished—if uncommon—part of the breed.

A detailed dog pedigree chart for a female Drybarrows Illicit, showing lineage and notable ancestors, with sections for information, pedigree, and offspring.
A Fell pony with a flowing mane standing on a grassy hillside during sunset.
Two brown Icelandic horses standing on a grassy, slightly muddy hillside during golden hour with autumn trees in the background.
Four Fell ponies grazing in a grassy, wooded field with a backdrop of trees and a blue sky.
Two Fells walking in a pasture with trees and a cloudy sky in the background. Drybarrows ponies.
A Fell filly foal standing in a lush green, fern-filled field during daytime. Cumbria. Drybarrows Illicit.
A Fell mare and her filly, Drybarrows Illicit, on a green, hilly landscape under a cloudy sky. Cumbria.
A white horse with a blonde tail standing in a lush green field with ferns, with a black horse visible in the background on overcast sky.
A Fell mare standing in a green field with her filly foal, Drybarrows Illicit, close by, and several other horses grazing in the background on a cloudy day. Cumbria.
Two Fells, one grey with a long mane and one black (to turn grey as an adult), standing on a grassy hill with a scenic countryside and cloudy sky in the background. Cumbria. Drybarrows Illicit.
Two horses, a white and a black one, standing on a grassy hill near a lake with mountains in the background under a cloudy sky.
A black foal standing close to a white adult horse, both grazing on green grass in a pasture with a fence and trees in the background.
A black and white photo of a horse running in a grassy field.
A black pony standing on green grassy land with yellow wildflowers and rocks, with part of a white horse visible on the left side.
A young black foal standing on grass with green foliage in the background.
Announcement for an online livestock auction on September 25, 2023, featuring a sale of registered failed ponies from Bracklinn, Drybarrows, and Greenholme studs, with details of top lot prices and bidders.

Visit to the Drybarrows Stud in 2023.

Featuring both Drybarrows Havana (bright bay yearling at the beginning) and Drybarrows Illicit (grey dam with faint dappling on back legs).