THE Connemara Pony Sales held their one-day sale in Clifden last Saturday where trade for Connemara Ponies held strong with five sold for a five-figure sum, and joint top lots of €12,500.

From 186 ponies, there was a healthy clearance rate of 74% at the Clifden mart, where overseas buyers were strong once again, accounting for 48 ponies, and 24 were sold online, demonstrating the online platform remains important for these remote sales especially at busier times of the season.

Among the two ponies sold for €12,500 was Lot 27, Maecon Mira, a five-year-old gelding by Bohola Mirah who passed through the same sales ring as a foal in October 2018 when sold for €1,750. The dun is out of the Monaghanstown Fred mare Crosskeys Lass.

Sold by Ronan Curran of Glenariska Stables in Dungarvan, Co Waterford, he was snapped up by Niall Daly. “I bought him as a three-year-old and he is just a lovely solid pony with a leg in each corner, his temperament is second to none, I had my six-year-old daughter riding him at the sales,” Curran told The Irish Field.

“I broke him and he got out to a few fun rides and a local show last year. He didn’t do too much and was let off then before being brought in for the sales. If he didn’t make €9,000 I was going to bring him home again but I am delighted with the price and the strongest fella bought him on the day.”

Curran never misses a sales fixture at Clifden. “I go to every sale and buy a lot of youngstock. I don’t sell many at the sale but the likes of that pony is making more at the sales than he would from my clients so that is why I decided to bring him. The trade is still flying for Connemaras; I thought the whole thing was gone when the war in Ukraine happened but, even with the UK as it is, trade it still going strong which is hard to understand,” added the former jockey whose 12-year-old son Caolán led the pony in the sales ring.

Lot 27, Maecon Mira made the joint highest price on Saturday at the Connemara Pony Sales Clifden when sold for €12,500 \ Rynes Walker

Eddie Ahearn is a regular Clifden customer and while he wasn’t onsite last weekend, he bought the joint top-lot, Kildromin Highlight (Lot 21), sold by Martin O’Dea from West Clare Equestrian Centre. Another five-year-old the 148cm grey mare by Carraig Eibhir is well proven in the performance show ring with a long list of accolades under Katie O’Dea.

The mare achieved victories last season at Newmarket On Fergus, Charleville and Newcastle West, as well as qualifying for the Green Hunter at the Clifden show where she finished second. Ahearn has indicated the mare will go the UK to further her education.

Older pony

Shannon O’Connor consigned the 13-year-old mare Bobby’s Lady (Lot 148) to the sale and got a healthy return when she was knocked down to Sligo dealer Tiernan Gray for €11,500. The mare by Parkmore Bobby is out of the Quilca Silver-sired Kilkenny Lady.

Also selling well at €10,500 was the four-year-old gelding Deelish Owen (Lot 146), a dun by Lough Mervan Gorteen out of a Moyvoon Star mare. Sold by Eamon O’Neill, the 158cm gelding is recently broken and showing promise over a loose pole with a perfect temperament. Grace Thomas signed for him.

Local breeder Peter Molloy sold the striking bay stallion Dooneen Troy Star (Lot 81) to Denis Gould for €10,000. The four-year-old by Dunloughan Troy is a CPBS Class 1 approved stallion and his dam, Dooneen Starlight, is a former Clifden winner as is the aforementioned sire who won the stallion class in 2022. The stallion is lightly backed and could go on to any discipline.

Class 1 stallion Dooneen Troy Star sold for €10,000 at the Connemara Pony Sales last Saturday \ Rynes Walker

Another locally-bred pony by Dunloughan Troy to warrant a top return was Lot 7, Clochanard Silver Cassius, a six-year-old grey gelding out of Silver Lady (by Village Boy) bred in Clifden by Olivia Staunton. Regular buyer Patrick O’Gorman signed for the grey at €9,200.

Big buyers

O’Gorman and his partner Hannah Taylor were the largest buyers on Saturday, taking home 11 ponies. Among them was the final lot on the day (183), a five-year-old listed as Mossie.ie, by Fortrane Stuart, with €8,400 being paid to vendor Eamonn Finn.

He parted with €7,400 for Gerry Finnerty’s Cregclare Joey (Lot 131), a 10-year-old gelding by Tulira Robuck, and €7,000 for Lot 79 Roo Prince (Caherlistrane Prince x Kenagh King), Roger Mee’s four-year-old grey gelding.

Westmeath dealer Gerty Tynan bought a total of 10 lots and gave the highest price of €8,800 for Emer Glavin’s recently broken Sunhilll Andy (Lot 63), a four-year-old 148cm gelding by Rosscon Castle King out of the Larkens Cascade Dawn mare Meelickisland Snowdrop.

Also ringside was Laura Geraghty, another regular who often tops the sales from Kieran Egan’s Ballinsloe yard, and she signed for Lot 167, Meadow Court Lad, at €8,600. Consigned by Patrick O’Looney, the six-year-old 138cm grey gelding had no breeding recorded but has 12 Showjumping Ireland points and is considered an “ideal prospect” for RDS young pony qualifiers this year.

Tiernan Gray went home with six lots and as well as one of the top prices, he gave €8,200 for Noel Flannelly’s six-year-old mare Kilshrewley Hazel (Lot 89), a chesnut daughter of Drimcong Cove.

Despite the problems Brexit has caused UK buyers in transport costs and paperwork, they continue to buy Connemaras and, aside from home buyers, were the biggest overseas market once again, purchasing a total of 28 ponies. Eight were sold to the Benelux country, five to France, five to Germany and two will make their way to Sweden.

The next sale at the Connemara Pony Sales takes place on two days over May 20th and 21st next. Entries for the sale are now open.