In 1948 Mrs. Rosalie Lasbrey, on an extended visit to U.K. took the opportunity to look at different breeds of Mountain & Moorland Ponies with the idea of starting a small stud for breeding children's ponies in South Africa. She was very impressed by Tan-y-Bwylch Berwyn at the Horse of the Year Show and set out to buy some in-foal Sec. A mares and a stallion. She eventually bought five mares, Criban Dun Bee, Revel Black Style, Revel Silver Spray, Coed Coch Perten, and the mare she considered her best foundation mare, Criban Sara. She also managed to buy the stallion Coed Coch Seryddwr, a son of Coed Coch Glyndwr, and father of the famous Coed Coch Madog.

1956 saw another vital import to South Africa when Ida Illingworth, also with the idea of improving children's ponies in this country went in search of a stallion, not necessarily Welsh. She was fortunate that Mrs. Griffiths was looking for a home for Valiant, where he would be used to his full potential. Valiant had won the Sec. B stallion class at Royal Welsh in 1955, being one of few ponies ever to beat his famous sire Criban Victor.

South Africa started its Welsh Pony breeding with the best possible Sec. A & B bloodlines. Subsequent influential imports have included Mr. Streicher's Sec. A Coed Coch Nerog and the Sec. B stallion Bannut Larkspur imported by Mrs. Vale & Miss Illingworth.

Among the first Cobs to be imported were Mrs. Kinnersley-Browne's Sinton Gilbert, and Mrs. Moore's Sec. C Filkins Kernel. Since then Mr. Streicher has imported several Sec. D stallions and mares including Persie Nimrod and Parc Crusader.

The South African Society was formed at a meeting held in Middelburg, Cape on 4th March 1957. The first elected chairman was Mr. J.B. Grobbelaar and the first secretary was Mrs. C.C. Grobbelaar. Miss Ida Illingworth was proposed and accepted as the first member of the Society, which was called the Welsh Pony Society of South Africa.

The Society held its first AGM on 5th Sept. 1957 with 11 registered members. By 1958 50 Purebreds had been registered and 11 Partbreds recorded with the Society. At the AGM of 7th March 1960 Mr. Grobbelaar was able to report that the Society had been affiliated to S.A. Studbook Association and its Constitution accepted. By the tenth anniversary in 1967 there were 55 members with 192 Purebred and 214 Partbred ponies.

The 21st AGM on 3rd April 1978 saw some major changes. The classification of the Sections was brought into line with the U.K. Society and Sec. D Cobs were accepted. The name of the Society was changed to the Welsh Pony and Cob Society of South Africa.

In 1982 the first volume of the Stud Book was published to co-incide with the 25th anniversary of the South African Society. On 12th September 1987 the new constitution was passed at a special meeting in Bloemfontein. It came into effect on 1st January 1988, at the same time as the first published edition of the Show Rules.