Olive Branch pony farm a ‘family thing’

3 sisters share duties at Rollingwoods Farm

Sally Ross Davis, Joanna Wilburn and Dr. Ruth Wilburn can tell you as much about every Welsh pony they have ever owned or bred as they can any member of their family.

The three sisters are the proud owners of Rollingwoods Farm in Olive Branch.

“The ponies are like our children,” Ruth said. “Most of them were born here, and you’d know everything about your children — their lineage, their personalities and what they are capable of.”

The sisters, three of the four daughters of Joann and Billy Wilburn of Yazoo City, Miss., can remember breaking horses for their dad, who liked to ride hunters. Hunters, or hunting class horses and ponies, compete in arenas and are judged primarily on temperament, movement and ways of jumping fences.

The Rollingwoods ponies are divided into two classes: hunters and carriage driving horses depending on their size, temperament and abilities.

Currently, there are about 40 ponies at the farm but many others raised there have been sold or are on lease to other farms.

Ruth, a veterinarian and owner of Olive Branch Animal Clinic, started breeding ponies about 30 years ago. Her 30-acre property at 10368 Goodman Road includes the clinic, a house, pasture land, stable and a large indoor training facility.

“People gave me ponies that were crippled or old because they couldn’t take care of them and I could, being a vet. So I got a brood mare and started to breed them. To be registered as Welsh ponies, the offspring only have to have one Welsh pony parent,” she said.

Soon, Ruth was known around the area not just for her veterinary skills, but for her Welsh ponies. Working full-time at the clinic and managing the breeding, she soon needed more help with the ponies and courted younger sister, Sally, to join her.

Sally is now in charge of buying, selling and leasing the ponies. Middle sister Joanna came on board later after a divorce left her looking for a new place to live. She now lives in the house on the property and is in charge of hunter and carriage training.

“I like to say that Ruth dragged Joanna and I into the business kicking and screaming. But actually, that’s not true; it’s just what I like to say. Really, we are very close and we work well together because we each have a part of the business we are responsible for,” Davis said.

In addition to their Rollingwoods duties, Davis and Joanna also have full-time jobs. Davis is a tax auditor for the state of Mississippi and Joanna is a freight facilitator.

The fourth Wilburn sister, Stacy West, doesn’t ride. But her teen daughter, Kelli West, has taken quite an interest.

For the entire family, the farm is more about their affection for each other and the ponies than a money-making enterprise.

“It’s a family thing,” Davis said.