Tributes to pony that’s a breed apart

MINISTER of State Noel Treacy yesterday paid tribute to the organisers of the Connemara Pony Society and its dedicated breeders.

As crowds flocked to Clifden in Co Galway yesterday to celebrate the Connemara Pony, a distinct breed going back 2,500 years to the days of the Celtic warriors, Mr Treacy said the society was crucial to its survival.

The work of the society is helped by financial incentives for breed improvement, under the National Development Plan through the Department of Agriculture’s Improvement in Equine Measure.