I’ve done a Connemara search here on the forum and, while the most robust discussions are rather old, I do glean that there are loads of Connemara fans on here.
On the off chance, has anyone worked with a breeder in Ireland who they like/trust/have good experience with?
Many thanks in advance!
Don’t just limit yourself to Ireland and the Irish breeders. The UK has also been breeding Connies for many years and, from observation, the British breeders are concerned to keep “type” more than many Irish breeders are e.g. British ponies must be 14.2 or less but Irish ones now are registered at 15.2 or more.
when we first got horses for our kids over thirty years ago the Connemara ponies were what we first looked for. Like your search we found very few.
Many thanks for the input so far.
I have done no search so far for actually ponies, so this is my prelim casting about to see if anyone has someone they really like working with.
This is not for import so I would dearly love to buy as local as possible. That’s why I’m looking for Irish breeders. I’m also super open to a larger pony and 15 or even 15.2 would be grand, so I’m not so concerned about that.
But, @Willesdon, have you a breeder you’re a fan of in the UK?
Henrietta Knight owns the Lockinge Stud, which she inherited from her mother. Retired from being a leading racehorse trainer but is still busy as an international judge and breeder as well as a busy all-round horse person. Her ponies are sold back to Ireland. I think a Lockinge bred was a USA champion at one time but can’t recall his name.
Muskoka Lakes Connemara in Ontario is definitely worth a look! Some lovely, well-bred ponies there!
Thanks so much for the shout out 
Very much appreciated!
OP, you live in Ireland I assume? Inis Sle Connemaras has some lovely ponies…
No matter who you buy from, do make sure that you know what the HWSD status is of ANY pony you are interested in.
Brilliant, many thanks. I’m going to check those two out now, so thanks so much for the recs.
@MuskokaLakesConnemaras, would it be okay to DM you on here?
Absolutely!
FitzE - I can’t send you a PM because of your profile settings, but if you would like to send me a message, I would love to give you some names both in Ireland and over here.
Wonderful and many thanks!
Do you know where Inis Slé are located? I can only find their facebook, which is great, but I cannot find their location other than a vague “a small island” description. I know a bunch of the local islands, but that name is not booting up.
Also, anyone who would like to chime in about what they love, like, or even just observe about their Connemara(s), I would love to hear you tales.
The “Tell me about your Connemaa” threads on here are very old, so any fresh feedback would be greatly appreciated!
I had a Connie/TB by the wonderful Maplehurst Michael McDaire. He was a truly incredible little horse who I did absolutely everything with until we lost him to colic at age 14. Prettiest, kindest little horse you could possibly imagine.
In Ireland, I would highly suggest contacting Kevin Bolger of Coral Connemara. He has lovely, lovely ponies and is very much involved with the breed there. If he doesn’t have what you are interested in, he could definitely point you towards someone who does. His brother is in the Boston area, I believe, and is involved with ponies as well.
Please PM me if you would like, and I would be happy to give a bit more info.
A very unhelpful Facebook page. I’m wondering if they are French as other ponies with the same prefix are in French videos.
I wouldn’t think so. Inis means island and slé could have something to do with mountains. That’s a fada, not an accent aigu.
Maybe they just prefer to keep the location private until they have direct contact with someone interested?
Quite. But the French breed a lot of Connies and there is nothing to stop a French stud using a Gaelic name. All the links I found relate to France, hence my suggestion.
You might check out the Connemara Pony Tales podcast. Lots of good information, discussion, and potential leads.
Thank you! I’m just after listening to the history of the Clifden show. So much info!
I don’t have anything useful to add, just wanted to say I’m glad OP started this thread cuz Connemaras are a breed I’m considering when I’m ready to start looking for my first horse. (I want a large pony or small horse and Connies fit that bill)
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