TRADE for Connemara Ponies, unbelievably, continues to get stronger as the year goes on, as evidenced at the Connemara Pony Sales’ three-day sale in Clifden last weekend.

With a remarkable entry of 634 ponies, it ended with a 64% clearance rate, similar to last year (63%), and while the top price of €15,800 fell short of the corresponding sale last year (€17,200), 10 ponies were sold for a five-figure sum and 115 are destined for new homes overseas. The UK market continues to bolster the sale, with 75 sold to British buyers, including 10 of the top 20 prices.

There have been improvements too to the sales complex at the Clifden venue, which is also a mart for livestock animals. The owners have added 24 new permanent stables, while improvements around the arena area and a professional backdrop for photographs is also appreciated by vendors and buyers.

Ann de Courcey, Connemara Pony Sales manager, commented: “We were very happy overall with the sale. Good ponies are making really good money and there is plenty of demand for them; two sold for over €15,000 and one didn’t sell when making over €15,000. Trade was definitely a bit softer for the more average ponies on offer.

“We noticed a bigger interest from the UK this weekend. We put a lot of effort into advertising in the UK and saw a lot of new buyers come on the market, people who hadn’t bought with us before. Some of them were online but there were some on site too. It was great to have Olympic show jumper Holly Smith buy four ponies. She wasn’t here this weekend but has been in the past.”

De Courcey added: “We have built 24 new stables which people are happy with. We would love to have the whole yard like that, it is a great improvement.”

Sale-topper

The top price of €15,800 fell to Wesley Ryan’s 10-year-old gelding Paddy Maloney (Lot 168) on Friday afternoon. The gelding by Rathlacken Richard has 85 Showjumping Ireland points to his name, having been ridden under SJI rules since 2018 by Blanaid Ryan. He was knocked down online to Susanne Glenn from Belfast.

Wesley Ryan who runs Boskill Equestrian Centre in Limerick commented: “He was dropped into me to be broken as a three-year-old and I bought him after that. My sister Blanaid started riding him when he was four and she was only 10 or 11. She brought him up through Pony Club, she hunted him, did cross-country and a lot of show jumping. It wouldn’t have been possible to get him to this point without her so she deserves the credit.

“She did equine studies at Galway Community College but is now off to University in Maynooth in September so I decided to sell him and knew it was also a good time to sell. I have a riding school and knew he was too good to keep for that. I wasn’t going to let him go for anything less than €15,000, I knew I had something special, so was delighted with the price. I wish I had a few more like him as they are making great money.”

Ryan also thanked his mother Biddy, and father who brought the gelding to shows all around the country, and his wife Ira who got the gelding ready for the sale.

Earlier in the day, Ballinasloe’s Kieran Egan signed for the seven-year-old gelding Belmont Danny Boy (Lot 87) at €15,000. By Gurteen Dara, the bay gelding was eye-catching under saddle. Featured in these pages before, he was ridden by Edie Murray-Hayden as a five-year-old to win the Young Event Horse Series Connemara Performance Hunter Qualifier classes at Forth Mountain, Scarteen and Rincoola in 2021. An all-rounder, he has also hunted and done endurance riding.

Presented smartly by Geraldine MacCann, who owned him since a three-year-old, he was also well marketed on social media beforehand in videos which helped gain attention.

Lot 87, Belmont Danny, was knocked down to Kieran Egan for €15,000 at the Connemara Pony Sales \ Rynes Walker

Leading buyer

The next best price of €11,000 was secured by Nicola Coffey for Shambo Big Boy (Lot 34), a six-year-old gelding by Illaunurra Cathal. He was knocked down to Patrick O’Gorman who bought a total of 23 lots over the three days, a figure only surpassed by Belgium buyer SDV Horses who went home with 25 ponies.

O’Gorman also paid €10,800 for Mary Flynn’s year younger dun gelding Ice Cube (Lot 166). Offered for sale as the owner, a novice at Riding Club level, wanted him to reach his full potential, he was described as having serious potential in both cross-country and eventing in the right hands,

Always present at Clifden, and most sales around the country, Sligo dealer Tiernan Gray brought 17 lots home after the weekend. The highest price paid was €10,600 for Patrick Cahill’s grey Glencarrig Knight gelding Balmoral Charlie (Lot 76), a seven-year-old 15hh grey who has done some showing, Pony Club, one day events and show jumping.

UK buyer Rachel Richard gave €10,400 for Lot 62, Jane’s Apollo, the highest priced four-year-old of the sale. By Lightening Star, he was consigned by John Glennon. Four more of the five-figure prices also went to Britain.

The highest priced mare over the three days was Lot 382, Willmount White Rose, Stephen Russell’s four-year-old grey by Drumbad Fletcher Moss who made €10,200 when sold on Saturday to Holly Wales (UK). Gillian Pace (UK) gave €10,000 for another four-year-old, the Rogaire na Locha-sired Croaghrim Beg (Lot 8), sold by Sean Lewis.

Lot 382, Willmount White Rose was the highest priced mare sold last weekend, making €10,200 on Saturday \ Rynes Walker

Patrick O’Gorman paid the same price for Michael Byrne’s five-year-old Birchview Able, a bay gelding by Fairyhill Paddy, and Tiernan Gray was another to give €10,000 for Ben Kavanagh’s six-year-old gelding Goshan Patrick (Lot 314) on Saturday afternoon.

An interesting name that showed up on the results sheet at Clifden was British Olympic show jumper Holly Smith who was buying with her partner Eddie Ahearne. Smith signed for four lots, including the four-year-old bay Western Boy gelding Corker Western Boy at €9,500.