EUROPEAN pony champions often come in every shape and breed denomination imaginable. Some high-powered bloodlines often appear when looking through the roll call of medal winners, for example, Luidam and Cruising are prominent amongst the breeding of this year’s Irish show jumping gold medal team.

Luidam produced both Rincoola Babóg and Saxton Freedam while Cruising is the dam sire of Rincoola Babóg, MHS Glow and Glor Tire Cruise.

Bloodlines and fashions inevitably change, however, one native pony breed stands out from European show jumping and eventing results: the Connemara.

From the trailblazing Ashfield Bobby Sparrow right up to Cornafest Fred, a dual individual silver medal winner at the two most recent eventing championships, Connemara ponies have collected multiple medals for a host of next generation young riders across Europe.

The promotional value of medal-winning results by top Connemaras, including the trickledown benefit across the market, is immense. Six-figure sums change hands for European championship-calibre ponies and the ongoing strong demand for Connemaras at sales here, particularly at Clifden, are markers of the value of the Connemara pony to breeders and producers.

What makes the Connemara pony special? Intelligence, temperament, toughness and athleticism, particularly in thoroughbred-stemmed lines, all add up to a unique package amongst native pony breeds. And European championship medal winners.

Relatively few ponies will compete at championship level in their lifetime. When they do, one of the greatest setbacks is non-recorded pedigrees and breeders on the FEI database. It happens. Often some of the best known names are a mystery story when it comes to their background or verified pedigrees. It’s just a lost opportunity for connections.

Caveats aside, let’s look at some of the Connemara stars among the medal winner ranks.

SHOW JUMPING

Time certainly flies when you consider that it is 42 years since Ashfield Bobby Sparrow, owned by Mary McCann, and Edward Doyle won their gold medal at the 1980 European championships in Belgium. That milestone achievement signalled the arrival of the Connemara pony on the championship stage.

Bred by the late Jimmy Jones in Tullow, Ashfield Bobby Sparrow was by Carna Bobby out of Wise Sparrow, a Dun Lorenzo mare bought by the Carlow man at Clifden Show.

The 10-year-old Ashfield Bobby Sparrow and Edward were selected alongside the dun Caramel Dessert (Vina Lyons), Misty Moods (Roisin Allen) and Star Trek (Dermot Costello) on that Irish silver medal team.

That Irish individual gold medal at Waterloo was won against some of the UK household names of the pony scene then. Amanda Gaskell’s Woodnymph took silver and was also on the victorious British team of Cogshall Powys (Keith Shore), Frère Jacques (Philip Heffer) and Sligo Master (Robert Bevis).

Ashfield Bobby Sparrow himself produced another European championship pony in Some Man For One Man, bred by Peter Meehan. Originally produced by Gemma Phelan, he won a host of classes here before his sale to Sweden where he was selected for three European championships with Alma Björkland (2010) and Adam Carey (2013, 2014).

Famous relations

Dun Sparrow, the Carna Dun filly foal at foot when Jimmy bought Wise Sparrow, went on to become Lady Maria Levinge’s foundation mare. Amongst Dun Sparrow’s descendants is none other than Sillogue Darkie (Ard Talisman - Coillchru Esmeralda, by Grange Sand Sparrow).

Bred and owned by Eamonn Briscoe, Sillogue Darkie was voted the Connemara Pony of the Decade in 2010 after a stellar career with a host of riders including Jessica Burke, David Blake, Alexander Butler, Michael Duffy and Benny Kuehnle.

With Jessica, Sillogue Darkie was on the bronze medal team at Freudenburg (2007) and followed up with a silver medal two years later for Michael at Moorsele (2009).

Moorsele was a memorable championship for the Irish as Kellie Allen won individual gold there with another Connemara, Ballyowen Maybell Molly (Monaghanstown Fred - Ballyowen Bonny Bell, by Callowfeenish Mairtin).

Owned by Anthony McCormack, Ballyowen Maybell Molly was bred by John and Jenny Richardson and both Connemara ambassadors - Sillogue Darkie and ‘Molly’ were paraded at Clifden that year.

As was Cul Bán Mistress (Silver Shadow - Cloneenagh Lass, by Dunloughan Lad) in 2017 after hers and Kate Derwin’s individual silver and team gold medals haul. The Barry Connaire-bred mare was later sold by Clive Swindell to Jim Derwin and went on to notch up more European medals for the Athlone family.

Two years later, she was on the gold medal team at Strezgom with Kate’s younger brother Francis aboard and then recorded her third European championships appearance in 2021 with James Derwin Jnr, with the pair winning on the opening day. Earlier this year, the prolific mare was sold for young British rider Sula von Bülow to take up the reins.

Pender connection

Another Silver Shadow son at the Europeans is Doon Laddie. Nowadays Mikey Pender continues to fly high on the international stage with the HHS fleet of horses, headed by HHS Calais, after a prolific career in ponies. This also included being one of Cul Bán Mistress’s earlier jockeys.

Doon Laddie, bred by the late former Connemara Pony Breeders Society president John Luskin, is out of the Island Lad mare Doon Kate. He and Mikey were on the Irish silver medal team on home ground at Millstreet where the 2014 European championships were hosted.

Yet another Connemara pony Mikey Pender is linked with is one more European medallist pony: Blackwoodland Rock. By the late French-bred I Love You Melody, a sire well represented at championship and international level, Blackwoodland Rock was bred by Anthony and Janice Linden. His dam is the Derrigragh Robin daughter, Grey Rock Trish.

At the 2017 championships in Kaspovar in Hungary (where Kate Derwin and Cul Bán Mistress claimed their gold and silver medals), Blackwoodland Rock appeared on the Dutch bronze team with Julia Engelsman.

Another pure-bred Connemara gold medal teammate of the by-now ubiquitous Cul Bán Mistress two years later at Strezgom was Ardry Skye.

Bred by Claire Crawford, who had also produced Ardfry Skye’s sire Cashelbay Prince (I Love You Melody), out of the Abbeyleix Owen mare Ross Castle Ardfry Fuchsia, the pony was ridden by another bright young talent in Niamh McEvoy.

The pair finished in ninth place individually at the championships three years ago where Dexter D’Or and Holly Truelove were on the British team that took silver after a nail biting jump-off with the Irish team to decide the medals.

This French-bred pony is by the well-known stallion Dexter Leam Pondi (Leam Finnigan - White Granite, by Marble) and was also on the French bronze team at the 2015 championships with his previous rider Victoria Tachet.

Dexter Leam Pondi’s bloodlines represent foundation stock originally exported to France and Sweden, two more strong markets for Connemara ponies and the stallion competed on three French teams at the European championships with Alice Chambaud. His final championship appearance was in 2007 at Freudenburg with Italian rider Filippo Marco Bologni.

The entire history of the European pony show jumping championships is dotted with Connemara ambassadors bringing home medals galore and making future sales. The same applies to the eventing results.

EVENTING

This summer’s results were another triumph for Connemara breeding with one Connemara-sired and two pure-bred ponies on the winning Irish team. The pure-bred Connemaras are Cornafest Fred (Gwennic de Goariva - Cornafest Nora, by Westside Mirah), the pony that also won individual silver for a second successive championship for Kildare rider Ben Connors, and Claire O’Ryan’s Carhu Melody (I Love You Melody - Lickeen Star, by Oisin).

This gold medal pair was bred by Thomas Grimes and Denis Kelleher respectively.

The third pony on the team with a Connemara background is an in-house home-bred success story in Matthew Love’s Lucky For Some (Dunlewey Seamus - Gifted Sister, by Classic Cliché), bred by Sarah Love.

Cornafest Fred has finished second twice at the European championships to the French-bred pony Boston du Verdon and Mai Rinaldi. The gold medal winning pony represents the French Saddle Pony (PFS) studbook. By the PFS stallion Salam du Roc, his dam’s breeding is pure Connemara, as the French-bred Dames des Vents is by Abbeyleix Apollo.

Abbeyleix Apollo was by the renowned Carna Bobby, who had several thoroughbred influences sprinkled throughout his pedigree including Thistleton and Buckna. Blue Moon, Abbeyleix Apollo’s dam, also features Thistleton and Little Heaven, through his son and another Connemara stalwart Carna Dun, in her pedigree.

Family tree

Carna Bobby, as one example, appears in numerous Connemara pedigrees. The double-edged sword for any breeder, in the thoroughbred, sport horse or pony worlds, of overusing popular lines is in narrowing the gene pool and its knock-on risks.

The addition of thoroughbred blood in the earliest days of the Connemara studbook has undoubtedly added to the breed’s reputation for athleticism, as well as ‘pony smarts’, fifth leg and good temperament.

This time-proven cross is seen in both Lucky For Some and another traditional cross in Millridge Buachaill Bui, bred by Gerald Leahy. By the popular performance stallion Templebready Fear Bui out of the thoroughbred mare Anna’s Girl, Millridge Buchaill Bui was selected for no less than five European championships with Shannon Nelson (2013), Zara Nelson (2015-2017) and Alex Connors (2019).

He brought home three bronze medals (2013, 2017, 2019) and an individual bronze for Zara in 2015.

The Cáit Ui Loinsigh-bred Fiona’s Fionn (Monaghanstown Fionn - Gortnaphisey Fiona, by Carrantubber Lad) and the late Grace Tyrell were also on that bronze medal team at Strezgom three years ago. Another pure-bred Connemara, Midnight Dancer II (Ardgaineen Boy - Dawn Dancer), won the individual gold at those 2019 championships for British team member Finn Healy.

After the pandemic cancelled the 2020 championships, the finals returned to Strezgom the following year. Alongside Cornafest Fred were two more pure-bred Connemaras: Caoimhe Crozier’s Kildromin Banjo (Glendale Kestrel - Newtown Heather, by Ashfield Jovial Joker) and Sarah Keane’s Lon Mac Liomtha (Silver Shadow - Ocean Bealtaine, by Grange Merlin Surf), bred by Patrick Hayes and Avril Hobson, respectively.

The fourth Irish team pony was Ted O’Leary’s part-bred Connemara Rockon Pedro, by Newtown Pedro, bred by Brendan Andrews.

No breeding or breeder details could be uncovered for the grey Connemara lookalike Ice Cool Bailey, another pony machine that took no less than five Irish team riders - Kate Harrington and the O’Brien siblings: Joseph, Sara, Ana and Donnacha, plus British team member Gina Ruck to the European championships. And brought home six team medals; two gold (Gina, 2007 and Ana, 2012), two silver (again the same riders, Gina in 2008 and Ana in 2011) and two bronze (Kate, 2005 and Donnacha, 2013).

These are just a snapshot of the Connemara champions and medal winners to have graced the European roll of honour since 1980 when Ashfield Bobby Sparrow and Edward Doyle brought home the first gold.

Long may Connemara pony power continue.

Did you know