The Connemara is Irelands own indigenous pony. The type
evolved over hundreds of years through natural selection, due to the harshness
of its own environment and the fact that their owners needed them to be
versatile. They are tough, sound and have excellent temperaments.
The Connemara Pony Breeders Association formed in Ireland in
1928 and has made every effort to keep the sturdy active pony true to type.
Many partbreds have performed superbly over the years, for
example the famous bay pony ‘Dundrum’ thrilled the crowds as he competed
against far bigger horses in major show jumping competitions for Tommy Wade
when the pair represented Ireland.
‘Little Model’ a most attractive grey was 11th in
the dressage championships in the 1960 Rome Olympics. He went on to place third
in the European championships in Aachen the following year.
The first Connemara stallion, named ‘Island King’ (by Carna
Bobby) and two purebred mares arrived in Australia in 1963 thanks to veterinary
surgeon Dr. Fred Wiltshire, his wife Breda and two children, Kenneth and Anne
(later to marry Guy Creighton) when they migrated from Europe. They have gone
on to establish themselves as a wonderfully versatile and popular breed. Their
appeal lies in the fact that they are great everyday mounts for adults and
children in equestrian disciplines as well as carriage driving.
The crossbreds have also proven themselves many times,
competing successfully at high performance levels. Two of the earliest
champions were ‘Kildare’ (who won Melbourne Novice three-day-event with Kenneth
Wiltshire) and ‘Blue Isle’ (show jumper with Marianne Gilchrist and later a
hunter with Mr. Eric Rundle. ‘Oakdale Arab Isle’ was Scott Keach’s first
successful eventer. ‘Charlie Brown’ - a 15.2 jumper, won Adelaide World Cup and
a lot of other classes was by a Connie stallion out of a TB mare.
Many studs emerged, including Barwidgee Stud in Victoria's
Western District owned by the Kelly family who produced many versatile
champions over the years. Margaret (M) Kelly was an amazing horsewoman and top-class
rider. She had a great eye for horses and scoured the Irish countryside before purchasing
ESB Irish Anna, my purebred Irish Draught mare who was the foundation of ESB horses in 1986.