THE smaller of the species enjoyed a fantastic year, with all the auction houses regularly reaping returns well into five figures.

Jumping ponies with form proved especially popular, and heading the annual figures at a spectacular €32,000 was Cian Melia’s The Chaser, a six-year-old 128cm gelding by Gladiator (dam by Gerry Got Talent).

Sold at the inaugural sale of show jumping ponies at Goresbridge in December and an obvious catalogue pick, this smashing performer had already competed in his age class at the RDS and carried a career total of 115 SJI points.

Sourced in Clifden last year and beautifully produced by Melia’s 11-year-old cousin Tim Hawkins, he was secured by Carl Dore on behalf of an Irish-based client.

At Goresbridge in September, Jerry Lenihan’s home-bred Seafield Be Lucky was the stand out pony, changing hands at €17,000. Home-bred, the 148cm palomino gelding was by the sport horse sire Ganesh Hero Z and was the last foal out of a Moores Clover-sired dam.

Cavan in April delivered several good pony returns, among which was Conor and Caoimhe O’Meara’s MH Bellamianta, a seven-year-old 138cm mare (no recorded breeding) at €16,000, as well as the €13,500 sale of Mooney Farms Ltd’s attractive Flossy’s Little Lady, an eye catching 148cm seven-year-old dun mare who, although offered with no recorded breeding, was believed to be by a Connemara sire.

In the west of the country, the hugely popular Connemara Pony Sales at Clifden enjoyed yet another superb season, regularly yielding figures in excess of €10,000.

The top price of €14,500 came at the five-day October sale, when the four-year-old over height grey gelding Hay Scoby, by Dunally Lad out of Shannon Misty (Shannon Prince) was sold to regular buyers Laura Geraghty and Kieran Egan.

Hay Scoby was the highest priced pony sold in 2024 at the Connemara Pony Sales at €14,500 \ Rynes Walker