MOST little girls asked for a pony, but I’m pretty sure I’m in the minority, when one arrived the very next day. Perhaps my father, Jarlath Grogan, saw his opportunity to be a John Wayne-type cowboy, riding out to round up the cows for milking. Breeding and showing Connemaras was fortunately how it played out!

Ponies first arrived on our family farm in Bekan in 1993. In 2007, my father and I registered the Hillside prefix. Ponies became our shared passion and took us on adventures to shows, sales and stallion parades across the country.

On his passing three years ago, my father entrusted his beautiful ponies to myself and my husband, Gerry. I’m under no illusions about very big shoes to fill and often question what he’d think of some of the decisions I make, but we endeavour to breed ponies that he’d be proud of.

We’re keeping the farm going, currently farming calf-to-beef and with the new addition of pedigree Speckle Park cattle. We have eight Connemaras, three Welsh ponies and awaiting the arrival of three foals. One foal has already made a surprise arrival three weeks early.

1. Proudest moment as a breeder?

We’ve been fortunate to have bred three stallions and showring success. It’s hard to pick just one, but I think the day Mountain Cascade was classified as a Class 1 stallion will always stand out in my memory.

As a child, I was badly kicked at the ringside. I adored ponies and reading about different pedigrees, but ended up afraid of ponies if they were too close.

When I was 16, we ended up with two mares in a class at Castlerea. There was no one around to ask for a hand and my father begged me to show one mare. After negotiating, the deal was I could have any prize money she won and the foal she was carrying. He laughed when I told him it’d be a stallion called Mountain Cascade and he’d win Clifden but I wasn’t wrong. We’d never intended to have a stallion, but Luke Morley in Knock kindly helped us. You start to question yourself as to whether you see something in a pony that others don’t, but I won’t ever forget that moment of collecting his results envelope and slowly opening it up to see Class 1. It was like finding a golden ticket.

2. Your mentor?

Well, it kind of goes without saying that Jarlath was my main mentor, he had a great eye and way with ponies. Over the years, you collect a wealth of knowledge from so many, but the late Paddy Carr had a profound influence on me that he probably never realised.

I was incredibly shy and one day he said to me, ‘What do you think of that pony?’ As a teenager, you never forget when someone treats you like a grown-up. I gave my opinion, he complimented my observations and corrected or pointed out what I’d missed. It became a weekly activity that taught me a lot.

Helping Hand: The late Jarlath Grogan and granddaughter Darcy with Hillside Rose at Athenry Show in 2016 \ Susan Finnerty

3. Favourite broodmare?

Past has to be Mountain Lady. A diamond of a mare, just over 14 hands of presence and character. My father bought her as a foal in 1994 and we joked she was his fourth daughter.

She was everything you’d want in a broodmare: fantastic bloodlines, great temperament, prolific showring champion and consistently went in-foal with one cover on the ninth day after foaling.

A premium mare, she was a two-time winner of the Clifden progeny class. Her progeny have excelled in-hand and performance-wise in Ireland and Europe. She passed away in September 2020 with her head resting in my lap and all you could do was thank her for the wonderful life she gave us. A once-in-a-lifetime pony and we were privileged to have her.

Her daughter, Mountain Heather, gave us some amazing days out in the ring and I think another - Hillside Holly - is where the future of Hillside ponies lies. She has the potential to do her mother’s legacy proud.

4. Your Connemara pony template?

Personally, I like compact, well-balanced ponies with deep bodies, strong limbs, short cannons, good bone and to be on the smaller side of 14.2. A good Connemara is a good one, regardless of colour.

To me, they should have a rounded chest and hindquarter. I like to see straight, free movement and don’t like to see too much knee action. The head should be attractive with a big, kind eye. They’re an incredibly intelligent breed and I’d expect them to have a good nature.

5. A low-maintenance breed?

One of the most attractive aspects of Connemaras for me has to be how easy they are to keep. Thankfully, it’s a rarity that we’ve ever had to call the vet.

Meal is only really for foals, mares coming close to foaling and a few weeks after. Other than that, it’s good old grass. We would feed haylage coming to the end of winter.

For foals, we focus on proteins, oils and minerals and for mares, oat mixes for foaling and milk. Everything winters out, except foals. Our stallion Mountain Cascade normally comes in when it gets colder.

All the current Connemaras are home-bred, going back to Mountain Lady. Like her, just looking at grass puts condition on them, so it’s more about keeping that condition off than trying to get it on. I don’t like to see youngstock overdone, their limbs have a lot of developing to do and are needed for a pony’s lifetime.

Master farrier Bryan O’Halloran takes care of their hooves and he’d be hard replaced.

An essential part is getting handling done early, there’s no education to beat a well-handled foal.

6. If you could have bred any Connemara?

I’d probably have to choose Village Boy. Although he was only around for a brief time, he left an incredible legacy. He was all pony, with an array of quality sires and dams in his back breeding and passed on so much of himself. Nearly a quarter of a century after he passed, he’s still such a desirable mention in a pedigree.

7. Greatest challenges facing Connemara breeders?

There’s undoubtedly a large market now for the over-height Connemara, but they’re pretty much a Connemara horse. I’d fear that we will lose a lot if people breed purely for height, a certain colour or just choosing a stallion for his sales prices.

If we stray too far from Connemara characteristics, we could get to a point where they’re too diluted to truly get back. A stallion can’t carry all the weight on his back when it comes to breeding, the mare has a big part to play. I think it needs to be balanced by identifying your mare’s strengths and weakness and choosing a stallion to complement her.

Another big challenge for Connemara breeders was undoubtedly passport delays, but there appears to be great developments on eradicating this issue.

8. It takes a team - who’s on yours?

It sure does. Without a shadow of a doubt, having ponies would be impossible without Gerry. He’s the biggest supporter of my aspirations for Hillside Ponies and keeps everything ticking over. Darcy (9), Donnacha (6), Ellen (4) love helping out and our newest recruit, Réaltín, is only six months old.

My mother Margaret has great patience and lets her home be invaded by the four when we’re busy, that’s greatly appreciated.

9. Breeding Connemara ponies, would you do it all over again?

Although one child dreams of a herd of hairy cobs and another thinks we will somehow find a Suffolk Punch, I think it’s hard to beat a Connemara. They’re therapy, sitting with ponies grazing around you is the closest thing to having a Pause button on life.

10. Will Hillside ponies return to the showring?

Definitely! I adore showing. If my children have an interest, I want them to experience the buzz and best of show days.

To prepare a pony, and keep four children safely entertained at the same time, doesn’t make for a fun day just now.

The focus now is breeding for the future when Hillside Ponies return to the ring.