Connemara ponies mate with Celtic cousins!

A mating of ponies from the hills of Connemara and their counterparts from the mountains and valleys of Wales – that may be the recipe for top class eventing animals.

And a group of breeding experts from Normandy in north western France are intent on putting the theory into practice and they are on the hunt for foals and mares in Connemara.  Five have already been purchased and transported to their new home; more are being sought.

The Connemara pony has long been acknowledged for its temperament and its hardiness; it was steeled over the centuries in the rough terrain west of the Corrib. 

The 90th anniversary of the founding of the Connemara Pony Breeders Society occured just before the Christmas and the breed is now firmly established within bloodlines and scientific parameters.  It is widely believed that the ‘Connemara’ is Ireland’s only native breed of pony.

What can be gained from the cross-breeding of the Connemara pony with its Welsh counterpart is not clear. The Welsh pony, according to knowledgeable dequine experts, is less placid than the Connemara pony; whether or not that might give them an extra bite in competition is in the realms of theory.

The Welsh ponies are divided into four sections in their Society which was founded in 1901.  Most of these are on the smaller side of the Connemara pony which is traditionally put at just over 14 hands. 

According to experts the Connemara pony has stronger legs and more dense bones than the Welsh pony; this makes it a hardier animal.  However, the Welsh breed has done well in some sections of pony eventing but it is not a top class jumper.   

For more on this story, see the current edition of the Connacht Tribune