Connemara ponies go hi-tech as they gee up for a database

THE sun came out for the celebrated Connemara Pony Show at Clifden in Co Galway yesterday after the heavy rain of recent weeks.

But the sturdy ponies, with origins that are believed to go back 2,500 years, are well accustomed to coping with the vagaries of the weather.

The breed can go anywhere, live anywhere, does not require luxurious food, and has remarkable staying power. Many of the dry stone walls in the west were built from rocks moved by Connemara ponies fitted with creels.

But the iconic pony is now going hi-tech. For the Connemara Pony Breeders Society president, Tom MacLochlainn, explained that an extensive database of Connemara ponies is currently being compiled.

“This will mean that information on each and every Connemara pony will be logged and made accessible to owners, breeders and people interested in the breed,” he said.

Mr McLochlainn said there is a growing overseas interest in Connemara with 15 countries outside of Ireland having set up international committees to breed, promote and conserve the breed.

Canada is the latest addition to the list with the ratification of its acceptance among the recognised international committees last year.

“We are delighted to include Canada among the countries promoting and breeding the Connemara pony,” he said.

Breeders and enthusiasts from Sweden, Belgium, Germany, the US, Canada and Australia are meanwhile attending a week long programme of events organised around the show.

The conservation and breeding of the Connemara pony were explored at an international conference of delegates from around the world earlier this week.

Buyers, who kept a close eye on the record 550 entries in the 32 classes at yesterday’s show, are meanwhile prepared to pay good money for quality stock.

The market is buoyant and owners are confident of getting up to €7,000 for impressive yearling and two-year-old fillies at the annual sale which will be held in Clifden Mart today.

An estimated 7,000 people — a much higher figure than in past two years — attended yesterday’s 83rd annual show.