Connemara

Origin

Connemara horses are part of the group of horses known as mountain or hill ponies. They originated in Connemara, County Galway in the west of Ireland.
Arab and Spanish blood was introduced to freshen the blood. Instead this breed of horse has been used to influence and improve the Irish hunter horse breed.
Legends say that this pony is descended from Spanish horses. The Spanish horses were rescued from the Spanish Armada when their ships were destroyed by storms off the rocky coast of Ireland in 1568.
In fact, the ancestors lived in Ireland for thousands of years, although some of the rescued Spanish horses mated with local ones.
It is known that in the XVIII century an infusion of thoroughbred and Arabian blood was introduced into this breed.
By the 1920s the breed was threatened by random occurrences so the Connemara Pony Breeders ' Association was established to conserve this threatened breed. An asset of this breed is the environment in which they live.
Accustomed to living in harsh weather and feeding on poor pastures, the natural selection was tough: only the Hardy and well-built specimens resisted.

Connemara Appearance

The body of the ponies is compact and deep, but not adnacite. His legs are short, clean and with solid bones.
The head is hunky, the neck rather smooth and has a mane and tail abundant in the hair. His height is between 132 and 150cm and despite his small height he is recognized as an excellent hunter and jumper competing with great success in endurance events, jumping, riding and dressage.
Connemara horses originally had a special color that today is not very common. Currently the most common color is gray, but it can also be found black, beige and brown.

Connemara Behaviour

The connemara pony is best known today as a sports pony.
Ridden by children and adults it is considered a very versatile pony breed, competitive in jumping competitions, but also with good endurance.
Connemara pony competitions are held worldwide, however the most famous show is the "Clifden Connemara Pony Show" which takes place every year in august.