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The Connemara pony is a pony breed from Ireland. The breed makes excellent show ponies.

Contents 1 Characteristics 2 History 3 Famous Connemaras 4 Connemaras Links

Strong and sturdy with a short back and sloped, muscular croup. The hindquarters are powerful. The shoulder is sloped and long, so they have a good stride length, and the pony has short, strong cannons and hard feet. The Connemara has a fine head with small ears and usually a slightly dished profile set on a well-arched neck.

The Connemara stands between 12.2 and 14.2 hands high, although some can grow taller and are therefore horse-sized, although still technically ponies genetically. The breed comes in grey, bay, brown, black, dun, chestnut, and occasionally roan. Pinto is not accepted.

Due to the fact that the Connemara is hardy and is possessed with tremendous agility as well as jumping prowess, the Connemara has been identified as the world's leading sports pony.

Some believe that the Connemara is from the Scandinavian ponies that the Vikings first brought to Ireland. Legend, however, says that galleons from the Spanish Armada ran aground in 1588, and the Andalusians on board were set loose. The Spanish horses breed with the native stock, refining the local ponies. The harsh lands made these horses into hardy, strong individuals.

For strength and stamina, Arabian blood was added in the 1700s. They were also crossed with Hackneys and Thoroughbreds.

Too much cross-breeding began to dilute the pony bloodlines, so the Connemara Pony Breeders’ Society, founded in 1923, worked to preserve the type. The stud book was established in 1926.

Today the ponies live all across the globe. They are ridden by both children and adults, and excel in all sport horse competition, including dressage, show jumping, eventing, and driving.

The Nugget: A 15 hh Connemara gelding who, at the 1935 International Horse Show in London, at age 22, cleared a 7' 2" jump. He won over 300 international prizes and 4,500 pounds sterling in prize money.

Little Squire: Won the Open Championship at Madison Square Garden in 1939, clearing fences over 7 feet tall. Known "the littlest horse with the biggest heart," he only stood 13.2 hh.

Dundrum: A 15.1 hh Connemara gelding who set a record at the Horse of the Year Show, Wembley, London after clearing a 7' 2" puissance wall, thus making him the Supreme Champion at the Horse of the Year show. The small horse also was named show jumper of the century after winning five events at the Dublin Horse Show in 1961 (the first time so many awards had been won by one rider or one horse), and was International Jumping Champion from 1959-1963.

Stroller: 14.1 hh half-Connemara. He was the only pony ever to compete in the Olympic Games, after becoming a member of the 1968 British Team when ridden by Marion Coakes. He received the individual silver medal, only four faults (one fence) behind the gold medal winners, and was only one of two horses to jump a clear round in that Olympic Games, clearing a 6' 10" puissance.

Marcus Aurelius: A Connemara/Thoroughbred cross, who competed in the 1975 Pan American Games with rider Mary Anne Tauskey as part of the US Equestrian Team. The team went on to win the gold medal in Three Day Eventing. They also won gold as part of the US Eventing Team in 1976.

Seldom Seen and Last Scene: ridden by Lendon Gray, these two Connemara/Thoroughbreds are international dressage horses.

Custusha's Cashel Rock: Won the An Tostal and Camlin Trophies, as well as won gold medals in Hunter, Jumper, Dressage and Combined Training from the ACPS. Was the Champion Connemara In-Hand at Woodstock in 1977-1979. Won Champion awards from the Washington States Horseman's Council in dressage, adult amateur hunter and jumper, small hunter, and working hunter in open competition. Won the Championship in the US Combined Training Association (now US Eventing Association) Area VII Adult Training Level and the US Dressage Federation's All-Breed first place in First Level Dressage in 1988. Made into a Breyer horse model in 1990.

Hideaway's Erin Go Bragh: With his rider, Carol Kozlowski, the stallion won the 1991 MCTA Horse Trials at the Preliminary Level. Later that year, won the Groton Horse Trials against several Olympic riders. In 1995, won 3 second-level classes at the Lake Erie College Dressage show. Later won the Open Intermediate Division at the Fair Hill and Middleburg Horse Trials. Was AHSA's Zone 2 Advanced Horse Trials champion for 1995, and was the USCTA's Connemara of the Year. The stallion is now in the breeding shed producing extremely talented offspring.

• Ard Connermaras
• Connermara Horse Diary