Connemara Bloodlines?

[jrscomet]

I am looking into buying a Purebred Connemara mare for breeding and am hoping to get some input on what to look for. I am wanting younger then 10yrs

I am looking to breed for performance/eventing. I am fairly new to the Connemara breeding world (though I do have a 1/2 Connemara gelding that I bred) so any and all advice from connemara breeders is greatly appreciated

What are some performance bloodlines that I would want to keep an eye out for?

I have noticed a lot of lines with

Aladdin, grange finn sparrow, hideaways erin smithereen, greystone, wildwych eclipse, glenmoristons flurry knox, etc…any thoughts on these?

Thanks so much!

[Huntin_Pony]

The Connemara world is very small. You may find people disinclined to respond on a public BB.

Or maybe not. We’ll see.

I will say that there is lots of good blood there.

[jrscomet]

Good point Huntin’ Pony I changed my post a bit, hopefully it will help people want to respond

[poltroon]

One of the things I suspect about Connemara bloodlines is that the absolute number of ponies is so small that there is a significant component of chance and opportunity involved in the success of any particular individual or stallion.

As an example (because he’s the one I’ve seen in person most), Wildwych Eclipse is a fantastic little stallion (now gelding); we all know about him because his owners spent a great deal of time, money and effort getting him out to competitions and putting him in the care of strong riders. His genetics would have been just as fabulous if he’d just been standing around in the yard going for a hack now and again, though. It seems to me a lot of nice Connemaras are in that situation, enjoyed but not promoted.

The stallions we hear about get the most mares, but even so, I don’t think any of these stallions got a lot of purebred mares in an absolute sense.

All the stallions you mention have produced some nice and very useful and quality offspring, although there’s definitely variation in type (and height) between them. Getting out to the shows and seeing more ponies in person may help you refine your question a bit more in terms of what it is you are looking for specifically in a mare. There are few enough US individuals out there for sale that you can probably look at them all (at least in pictures/video).

[Janet]

My own observations.

I have a grand-daughter of Grange Finn Sparrow and she is a fabulous jumper. But she is not an easy ride, and she hates dressage.

I have seen quite a few Grange Finn Sparrow offspring competing in upper level Eventing, not so often at the lower levels with inexperienced riders.

Obviously, Smithereen has also produced some upper level Eventers, but I also do not often see them with inexperienced riders

I see a lot of Aladdin (and Aladdin’s Denver) offspring in lower level Evening, often with less experienced riders. Not so often at the upper levels.

I see Ian McVai offspring doing well in Hunters.

[tuppysmom]

A little off topic, but today our Connemara Pony, Dain’s Irish Tuppence age 28 3/4, jumpEd an electric tape fence because he could. The fence in question was turned off as we’re doing a minor repair nearby and measures just over 4’4". He made his jump from a walk and gave me the stink eye as he trotted off after. The little, 14.1 stinker, would let me catch him to put him back either! Maybe he shouldn’t be retired?
Sire was Greystone Creggan Winter who won the An Tostal trophy and competed at Prelim
Dam was Mocha

[snowrider]

I don’t know what you want to spend but I would seriously look at importing. Or at the very least study the connemara bloodlines producing top jumper ponies in Ireland and England, which doesn’t exist in the US. It’s a much bigger and tougher field of competition, and there are so many good pony riders there and so many shows that it really evens the playing field in terms of evaluating producers. Keep in mind a lot of the top producers are not going to have show records themselves necessarily and very likely no websites. Look at who’s winning in the A pony ring for raw jumping talent and who’s producing a lot of kids fox hunters for rideability.

[jrscomet]

I truly wish I could import, but at this time it is out of the question. I would like to be able to consider it in the future though

Janet, thank you very much. Your comment gives me a lot to think about.

My top pick at this time is an Aladdin great grand-daughter with moy hazy cove on top and cuchulainn ( Also castlegrange sparrow, any relationto grange finn?)but I am now questioning that. She has a lovely show record in the lower levels but does not seem like she will be going a whole lot further.

Another that I am looking at is a great great grand-daughter of grange finn sparrow (a bit more expensive I might ad) and a lot of Tre Awain on the bottom. I will honestly say that I see it a lot but do not know much about the Tre Awain lines

I have at home a half Connemara that I bred by W.H Top Gun whom I absolutely adore. He just turned 4yrs in October so I don’t knowwhat his jumping ability is yet but he has been a breeze under saddle so far.

If it helps, I am looking to breed to Top Gun…though not every time of coarse
Thank you everyone for all of the input/thoughts so far…keep them coming!

[Obsidian_Fire]

Castusha’s Cashel Rock (deceased now). He was a heck of an athlete and threw some very nice babies. Some of his stallions are still standing. They also have very, very nice temperments.

I don’t know how to post this link but I found an old COTH thread with tons of Connemara bloodline information. (I just googled connemara custasha cashel rock).

[SLW]

I have a purebred Tre Awain Connemara. The farm is on the east side of Missouri and the owners were among the first to import Connemaras to the USA back in the 60/70’s. My mare is what I call old style- sturdy, 9" bone on a 14.2 body. Tough as tacks and a thinking mountain goat on our scrappy hunting terrain.

[Janet]

Tre Awain Connemaras have been around since the 50s. They have a very good reputation, and have produced a lot of good ponies.

But what their strengths are depend on the particular bloodlines- some are known for their jumping ability, some for their dressage. I am not an expert, but if I see Tre Awain, it is a “good thing”, but I’d need to investigate further to see if it what what I was looking for.

I suspect one of these is the thread referred to below.

http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showthread.php?246619-Connemara-peeps-educate-me-please-)

http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showthread.php?291275-Connemara-breeders-know-anything-about-quot-Little-Heaven-quot

But if you use the COTH search function with the name of a particular stallion, you will probably find lots of threads.

[jrscomet]

Thank you

Her Dam is Tre Awain Maeve?

I am following the links but honestly I thinks it is making things more confusing haha. There seem to be so many great lines out there that I have no idea which one to pick! I truly don’t have a huge interest in dressage so I would like to stick with jumping lines.

I found another mare that is a possibility, though she is coming 12yrs old Her sire is Glenormiston flurry knox. Dams sire is Whitwall senator

[poltroon]

So, more specifically, you’re looking for a horse with a big jump, yes? What do you need in height and temperament?

My mare is from a hot damline which gives her a lot of power and forward and sensitive, but she’s an uncomplicated and super pleasant and low maintenance ride as long as you are a good rider with good body control. However, she’s not a horse I’ll trust with a rider who might lose her balance and then clamp on the reins or leg.

[SLW]

[QUOTE=jrscomet;8412726]
Thank you

Her Dam is Tre Awain Maeve?

I am following the links but honestly I thinks it is making things more confusing haha. There seem to be so many great lines out there that I have no idea which one to pick! I truly don’t have a huge interest in dressage so I would like to stick with jumping lines.

I found another mare that is a possibility, though she is coming 12yrs old Her sire is Glenormiston flurry knox. Dams sire is Whitwall senator[/QUOTE]

That mare has the same sire as my mare, Tre Awain De Valera. He passed away in 2013 in his 30’s. He was a good dressage horse. I don’t know if this link will work but it’s one of Dev doing dressage. https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10201671810584937

This is a nice link to research pedigree. I typed in the dam’s name.
http://www.tephra.se/cgi-bin/pedigree.pl?line=53524

[Equibrit]

http://www.horsesportireland.ie/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/STBOOK15_ISH_WEB_Connemara-Pony-Breeders-Society-Stallions.pdf

Article; http://www.connemarapony.org/site/?p=406

[jrscomet]

Yes I am looking for a big jump. I would like to stay around the 14.2hand range, not much smaller.

Temperament: I am looking for intelligence and not necessarily calm but not reactive/spooky. I am not convinced that I need to breed child mounts so I would like a bit of spunk without going too far from the Connemara temperament that is so raved about. Does that make sense?

I absolutely love my 4yr half-breds temperament (By Top Gun). He is not overly reactive but yet has personality (bit of an attitude at times that I could do with a bit less of haha, dams side I believe) and is incredibly intelligent. Not lazy and is willing to work/please but also not hot, energy is there when you want it. Not to mention incredibly well balanced!

Poltroon: Your mare sounds pretty similar to what I am wanting…minus the sensitive (if by sensitive you mean reactive). I want something that has the mind for traveling/showing and of being able to hack out on the trails without jumping at every stick/leaf. Now sensitive to leg/seat I am just fine with

[largo]

My mom used to breed connemaras and one of the ones we kept turned into a fabulous little guy. His sire is Cashels Rock of Ages out of a Grange Finn Sparrow mare. He’s brilliant and athletic but he did turn out about 15.2. The same mare went on to have several other foals, all of which were very nice so I have to say the grange Finn sparrow line is one I’ve found to be quite nice for sport horses.

[poltroon]

[QUOTE=jrscomet;8413270]
Poltroon: Your mare sounds pretty similar to what I am wanting…minus the sensitive (if by sensitive you mean reactive). I want something that has the mind for traveling/showing and of being able to hack out on the trails without jumping at every stick/leaf. Now sensitive to leg/seat I am just fine with[/QUOTE]

She is the perfect kind of sensitive for an advanced rider, in that she is very aware of you, but not reactive. That is, yesterday after she hadn’t been ridden for a couple of weeks (stupid job! :D) I rode her on the buckle at a beautiful forward walk for about a half hour out through the fields and orchards, with birds and deer bursting out of the brush and her not turning a hair.

(If we’d been fit enough to gallop it might have been a hair bit problematic, I admit… :D)

It is the perfect temperament for high performance work. But, she is the wrong kind of sensitive for a rider without excellent body control, because she will do what you asked, not what you meant.

When she was young, she was a goof about new places, but a few days invested at the $4 gymkhana down the road with crazy barrel horses and cattle fixed that right up.

[jrscomet]

[QUOTE=poltroon;8413335]
She is the perfect kind of sensitive for an advanced rider, in that she is very aware of you, but not reactive. That is, yesterday after she hadn’t been ridden for a couple of weeks (stupid job! :D) I rode her on the buckle at a beautiful forward walk for about a half hour out through the fields and orchards, with birds and deer bursting out of the brush and her not turning a hair.

(If we’d been fit enough to gallop it might have been a hair bit problematic, I admit… :D)

It is the perfect temperament for high performance work. But, she is the wrong kind of sensitive for a rider without excellent body control, because she will do what you asked, not what you meant.

When she was young, she was a goof about new places, but a few days invested at the $4 gymkhana down the road with crazy barrel horses and cattle fixed that right up.[/QUOTE]

Ok so that is exactly what I am looking for! That kind of sensitive I am all for…that is how most of my horses ride and I love it. I want something that is handy and listens to the subtle weight shifts and leg What is your mares breeding?

[Huntin_Pony]

I have one that fits that description perfectly, and she’s pretty too. She’s by Aladdin’s Denver out of a Tre Awain-bred mare, about 15 hands.