Connemara Pony History

Is minic a rinne bromach gioblach ~ cumasach. “Many a ragged colt made a noble horse.” -Irish saying

The only indigenous breed in Ireland, the Connemara is famous for being hardy and sure-footed, and no surprise the breed evolved on the rocky coast of western Ireland, where it had to develop an ability to move quickly across rough terrain. The sometimes harsh Irish weather and unforgiving landscape helped develop a breed that is resilient and adaptable, and today’s Connemara is valued for all of these qualities. Connemaras can do it all!

Like much of Irish beauty, the challenging weather and rough terrain helped evolve the Connemara pony into a tough, resilient breed. Connemaras can vary greatly in appearance, but in general: The Connemara should have a kind eye and a medium “pony” head, with pony ears and well-defined cheekbones. The shoulders should be well sloped and the back should be muscular. The hindquarters should be rounded and deep. Connemaras should have good length in the forearm, short cannons and well defined knees. Generally shorter than similar breeds, the Connemara pony stands around 13 to 15 hands high. The Connemara pony comes in a variety of colors; gray, black, bay, brown, dun, roan, chestnut, and palomino (this can vary from cream, yellow or gold), and cremello, a beautiful blue-eyed cream, are all possible colors for this breed.

The temperament of the Connemara pony is what it makes it so popular with riders of all ages. They are very gentle yet intelligent, making them easy to handle and train. Their willingness to learn and trusting nature often gives the Connemara pony a significant advantage in jumping and dressage. The breed is great to help young children build confidence in the saddle and learn about pony management and welfare. Their short body and kind nature make them easy to mount and ride, making them one of the safest ponies for little equine enthusiasts. However, the cool, calm character of Connemara ponies give them fantastic personalities making them increasingly popular with adult amature riders. Connemara Ponies are arguably the best performance pony in the world. They are elegant, hardy, intelligent, and possess tremendous agility and jumping prowess and many of them have been very successful with Professional riders as well.

The Connemara region in County Galway in western Ireland, where the breed first became recognised as a distinct type, is a very harsh landscape, thus giving rise to a pony breed of hardy, strong individuals. Some believe that the Connemara developed from Scandinavian ponies that the Vikings first brought to Ireland. Another source was likely the Irish Hobby, a now-extinct breed established prior to the 13th century. Legend, however, says that galleons from the Spanish Armada ran aground in 1588, and the Andalusians on board were set loose. The Spanish horses bred with the native stock, refining the local ponies.

Early Irish farmers often had large families to feed and could afford only one good pony, which often came from a wild herd and had to be caught and gentled. Most families owned a mare so they could sell her offspring for much-needed income, and even while pregnant she would be required to pull a plow or a cart filled with rock, turf, or people. Any animal that couldn’t perform these tasks on a daily basis was replaced. This difficult lifestyle helped the Connemara develop its trademark stamina and adaptability.

For additional strength and stamina, Arabian blood was added in the 18th century. They were also crossed with Hackneys and Thoroughbreds. Too much crossbreeding began to dilute the pony bloodlines, so the Connemara Pony Breeders' Society, worked to preserve the breed type. The stud book was established in 1926. Today, Connemaras are bred worldwide in Ireland and Britain, as well as on the European continent, North America, Australasia, and South Africa.

The Connemara Pony Breeders Society, Ireland, was established in 1923 and set out to ensure the "preservation and improvement of the Connemara Pony" as the native breed of Ireland. The society runs the famous Annual Pony Show at Clifton and has been doing so since its founding. The annual show allows the assembly of the largest collection of Connemara Ponies worldwide and is used to buy and sell ponies from Ireland and abroad.

Elhanan Connemaras is a member of The American Connemara Pony Society and we seek to fulfill the original 1923 purpose of the Irish Connemara Pony Breeders Society to ensure the preservation and improvement of only purebred Connemara Ponies in North America and to establish the Connemara Pony as the premier pony for sport and recreation. At this time, we do not breed half-bred Connemara nor Connemara sport horses.