THE “best three-day sale ever” at the Connemara Pony Sales in Clifden last weekend was bolstered by a whooping top price of €14,000 for a three-year-old part-bred gelding, while eight more ponies sold for a five-figure sum.
The demand for Connemara ponies was clear to see at the Clifden mart over the three-day sale, with visitors and online buyers prepared to part with large sums of money to secure what they wanted on the day which resulted in a 70% clearance rate.
The sale-topper at €14,000 came in as Lot 402 Saturday’s session, the 148cm three-year-old gelding Old Meadow Izer Og. By the Connemara Pony stallion Loughmor Macdara Og, his dam, Oldmeadow Grace, is by the sport horse show jumping stallion Womanizer, while the sire of her dam is the Irish Draught The King of Hearts.
Bred by Peter Brendan Mannion in Co Galway and registered in the Irish Sport Pony studbook, Old Meadow Izer Og was consigned to the sale by Seamus Biesty and eventually knocked down to Ciaran O’Neill.
Speaking to The Irish Field after the purchase, O’Neill, who is based in Kent in England, and also has a yard in Roscommon, said: “The pony has everything. He moves, he floats and his breeding is something you don’t comes across very often. He jumps phenomenal, and the fact that he is measuring in at 148cm, for someone who wants to go and win, you won’t get many like him.
“I have had a lot of phone calls since we bought him. He was transported out of Clifden by EquiTrans to England. He will get a full set of X-rays on Monday, then he will be lightly backed and will be available for sale at any stage of his education. If we do keep him, he will be kept for juniors in the next few years.”
O’Neill, who runs HSW Equine, said the demand for Connemaras is “unbelievable” at the moment. “It is massive, we can’t keep them in front of people. We like to sell really nice quality and have a mixture of everything, but mainly sell Connemaras and Irish Sport Horses”
Talent
Proving that visitors to Clifden hung around until the end, the second best priced lot came in Sunday’s afternoon session when Lot 616, the nine-year-old Class 1 stallion Mayain Castle (by Tempo Active Atlas) was sold to first time UK visitor Helen Radford for €13,400.
The grey was jumped under Showjumping Ireland rules for Gerry McHale by Adam Corcoran from 2016 to 2018, earning a total of 51 SJI points. Described as a pony with a temperament which is “second to none”, he will now be campaigned in the UK.
Lot 616, Class 1 Stallion, Mayain Castle was sold for €13,400 \ Rynes Walker
Also making his way to the UK is Lot 114, Active Prince, who was purchased by Patrick O’Gorman for €13,000. The three-year-old 158cm gelding by Robe Earl was sold broken and riding by Liam Qualter. O’Gorman, who works alongside regular Clifden visitor Hannah Taylor, signed for a total of 28 ponies over the three days.
Another familiar face in Clifden as both a vendor and purchaser, PJ Watson bought Lot 134, Bohola Silver Bullet, at €11,500. By Grade A show jumping Silver Shadow and well-related on the dam side, he is bred to perform and, already standing at 15.3hh is said to be still growing. He was sold by Fiona Farrell.
Another pony to break the €11,000 mark was the Tim Collins-consigned Kinamara Dun Boy (Lot 169), a four-year-old gelding by Fear Beag Bui who was knocked down to Niall Daly for €11,400.
The top priced mare of the sale was Lot 47, Kiltulla Shadown, a three-year-old by Silver Shadow. John Glynn signed for her at €10,400 from Mary Conroy. The other lots to break the €10,000 barrier were Lot 70 (Hazy Mark) sold to UK buyer Linda Lind for €10,600; Lot 366 (Fort Ruane Rockglen Master) purchased by Ballinasloe’s Kieran Egan for €10,200, and Lot 425, the part-bred Houndswood Eclipse.
The four-year-old gelding is by the sport horse Chillout, out of the Connemara Pony mare Ballynulty Lady (by Maam Hill). He was sold by Cathal Harte for €10,000 to Frenchman Arno Bernolin, who purchased nine ponies in total.
Regular midlands buyer Gerty Tynan signed for 21 ponies, the highest priced of those Lot 257, Beechmount Bruno (Dooneen Supermatch), for €8,800, and she paid €8,400 for Lot 92, Dunloughan Jack (Ben Ban Cracker Jack) from local Clifden producer Emer McNamara.
John Sweeney of Connemara Pony Sales said: “In more than 30 years in operating Connemara Pony Sales, this three-day sale was the most buoyant of all. The August sale is traditionally a two-day sale but as a result of the big increase in entries, we extended it to a three-day. Such was the interest in the August sale we are now holding a one-day sale in September to cater for the increase in entries.
“We are very pleased with the number and the quality of ponies on offer and with the prices achieved and the level of international interest. We expect that the trade for foals in October will be very strong.”
There was a new vetting service available last weekend. Western Veterinary were on site to provide vetting for any vendor or purchaser which was widely used.