HORSE AND PONY BREEDS

8. THE CONNEMARA PONY

Text | Christie Wolhuter

Our tour of the native breeds takes us to the popular Connemara Pony of Ireland. The Connemara Pony is Ireland’s only native breed, and it is, in fact, supposed that the breed did not originate in Ireland after all.

History

The lands of Connemara, West Ireland, are mountainous, harsh and desolate and this tough terrain forced the native Connemara pony to adapt to survive. It is thought that Celtic warriors brought their native dun ponies, likely of Asian descent, over to Ireland around 2 500 years ago. Other theories point to the ancestors of the modernday Connemara being brought over by Viking invaders. Legend also has it that when the Spanish Armada sank off the Galway coast in the 16th Century, the horses swam to shore and bred with the native ponies running wild in the mountains, further adding to the gene pool.

Life on the moors was tough for the local people who had to live off the land. Due to the fact that most families could only afford one pony that they often caught and tamed off the mountains, only the best mares were kept in a household. The foals that they had every year were sold off to help pay the bills. This ensured that the breed remained high quality as, out of necessity, only the top stock were kept.

A family’s mare had a tough job. She would pull a plough, a cart and work all day under extremely harsh conditions. Fitted with baskets called creels, she carried incredibly heavy loads moving tonnes of rocks to clear the land. She carried seaweed from the shore, which was used to fertilize the barren fields. Sunday was not a day of rest for her as she also had to cart the family to Mass.

Sport

The Connemara Pony is a remarkable showjumper, with many ponies being recorded to jump over 7.2 foot (2.19 m) in puissance competitions.

As you can perhaps imagine with this talent, there is an incredibly long list of famous Connemara’s, with arguably the most famous pony in the world being the 14.2 hand part-bred Connemara, Stroller. Stroller started out his world-famous journey by winning the 1967 Hickstead Derby with his 20-year-old rider Marion Coakes. Theirs was the only clear of the day, with 44 horses entered. This Connemara pony bought to be her junior horse took Marion to international stardom. Stroller and Marion did not stop there. The following year they won Individual Silver in the Olympic Games in Mexico. Stroller is the only pony to have competed in the Olympics and also the only pony to have won the Hickstead Derby. This iconic pony lived until he was 36 years old.

Today

The modern-day Connemara stands between 13 and 15 hands high. The breed is so popular it has been established in over 17 countries, including South Africa. The largest display of the finest Connemara Ponies in the world takes place in Clifden, Connemara, in August of every year. Guests from all over the world attend this show and can delight in the Connemara performing in over 20 classes. This intelligent, well-tempered, and multi-talented pony most certainly deserves his popularity!