DESPERATE weather in Clifden over the October bank holiday weekend didn’t deter buyers from travelling to the five-day Connemara Pony Sales where there was standing room only - and it was tight - around the sales ring particularly on Sunday and Monday. Some 1,108 ponies passed through the ring and returned a spectacular clearance rate of 86%, up from 77% 12 months ago.

The top price of €13,000 also held strong, albeit slightly down on last year (€14,500), and two foals broke the €5,000 barrier. As is the case across the country, the well-produced animals are making a premium but the bottom end of the market remains tough for breeders and sellers.

The UK remains the strongest overseas market for Connemaras with 78 finding a new home with our nearest neighbours, including 11 of the top 20-priced ponies. There were 28 sold to the Benelux countries, 24 to Spain thanks to Casa Sporthorses, 12 to France, six to Germany, as well as Sweden (four), Italy (two) and Finland (one).

Sales manager Ann de Courcey said: “We are very happy overall with the sale and the really positive clearance rate, which is important for the vendors. The only negative was that there was very little demand for some of the lesser quality foals and that seems to be consistent. There was no shortage of money for the nice foals. The buyer of the top-priced foals was new to Clifden so that was good to see.

“The foreign interest continues to grow and some of the bigger dealers take huge volume out of here. We are seeing a lot more individual interest from UK; at every sale more and more UK buyers rock up to buy two or three nice ponies. The general feeling is that it has been a very good year - trade has held up very well.”

Sale topper

The sale-topping price of €13,000 fell in favour of Stephen Fahy’s five-year-old Class 1 stallion Inbhear Hugo (Lot 313) on Friday. A winner in the show ring and lightly broken, the Glencarrig Knight grey is destined for the yard of English producer Amber Thorpe when she and her mother, Claire, had the final bid through local Clifden breeder Joe McCann. A former winner at HOYS, Thorpe plans to produce the stallion to ride under saddle on the competitive UK Connemara scene.

Amber explained how she came to see the pony. “I was at the Horse of the Year Show sitting next to some people and told them I really wanted a new Connemara to bring on. They had seen him and that he was up for sale. I called Stephen and had a chat and he told me he was going to the sales. I hoped to make my way over, I have never been to Clifden, but with work commitments I couldn’t make it, however my friend was going and she looked at him and sent me a million videos. Joe McCann did the bidding for me, while I was on the phone.

“We did have a budget and we went over the budget, but honestly we are really, really happy with him. We bought him on Friday and he arrived here on Sunday morning. We were excited to get him home and he’s got a really lovely temperament and seems like a really genuine sort.”

Amber and Claire do the ponies together at their base in Suffolk, while both work full-time, so it is very much a hobby for the pair. Having sold some ponies to fund her wedding in August, Amber was keen to get something new to bring on and is looking forward to starting from scratch with the stallion. “He was backed as a three-year-old and he’s five, rising six now. I am going to back him now again as if it was the first time and take everything slow and we will hopefully do some ridden and even some jumping next year.”

Top four-year-old

While just one other pony broke the five-figure barrier (five in 2024), there were a plethora of prices between €7,000 and €9,000 and the average price of older stock held its own at €4,800, while the average for the four-year-old stock was €5,300.

Patrick O’Gorman and Hannah Taylor were as busy as ever around the venue when signing for a total of 16 ponies over the five days. The most expensive of those was Lot 193, Massvilla Lad, the top-priced four-year-old of the sale. The 155cm bay gelding by Derryveeney Lad with no recorded breeding on the dam side was consigned to the sale by pony/horse producer and judge Hannah Gordon and her father Matt, who were happy with the price of €10,600.

The couple, who base themselves between Tipperary and the UK, also signed for the next two top lots. On Friday evening, at €9,800, they had the final say on Lot 461, Aidan Hillary’s eye-catching 15.2hh traditional black cob Banagher Basher. The six-year-old gelding was well marketed pre-sale on social media and was the subject of plenty of interest when described as fit and ready for the hunting season.

Lot 193 Massvilla Lad was sold for €10,600. Pictured with vendor Hannah Gordon and buyer Hannah Taylor \ Rynes Walker

On Thursday, they purchased the top-priced mare of the sale, Lot 77, Peata’s Girl, an eight-year-old 14.2hh by Melody’s Boy for €9,400. Described as “straight and correct with an excellent temperament” the mare has hunted, pony clubbed, evented, and show jumped up to 1.10m with scope for more.

National champion

Local Clifden dressage rider and producer Sadhbh O’Toole sold her good performance half-bred gelding Dawns Sherlock (Lot 202) to the O’Gorman/Taylor stable. The five-year-old is by the Thoroughbred stallion Lucarelli xx, out of the home-bred Libero Justice Connemara mare Clochanard Dawn.

A national champion in dressage earlier in 2025, the gelding also won a leg of the Western Region of Eventing Ireland combined training league in February. Also the result of shrewd social media marketing, he was knocked down for €9,000.

Another sale regular, Finola Heslin purchased Lot 374, Calim Keogh’s Lough Conn Foreman, online for €9,400. The five-year-old 158cm grey gelding is by the prolific show ring winner Drumbad Fletcher Moss and is well-schooled over cross-country, as well as jumping around a course of 80cm fences.

Another four-year-old bound for the UK is the second top lot of the age category in Lot 465, Cooleys Pride, a grey 15.1hh by Granit Hero. Consigned to the sale by breeder John Traynor, UK buyer Joanne Shaw signed the docket at €8,800.

As is the trend, the three-year-old market was tougher but still the top lots made decent money to finish with an overall average of €3,300. The best of the bunch was breeder Laura McWeeney’s grey filly Lehery Aloise (Lot 387), by Rathmorragha Lark. A big strong quality and correct mare, she was purchased by Patrick Dee for €7,000.

Lot 387, Lehery Aloise was the highest priced three-year-old when sold for €7,000. Pictured here with vendor Laura Mc Weeney \ Rynes Walker

The highest-priced three-year-old gelding fell to Gerard Butler’s over height Moonlight Jester (Lot 310), by Whitethorn Buachaill Bui, knocked down to Kevin Reilly at €6,700.

Making just €100 less was Lot 433, Martin Sweeney’s unnamed dun gelding by Classiebawn Hughs Promise, sold to Joanna Butler.

Foal market

The foal market was a mixed affair with some breeders failing to reach their reserves at the lower end of the market, but there was no denying the quality of some at the higher end of the scale and the average price was up (albeit €100) from 12 months ago to €1,400.

Lot 600, Cong Arizona, was the joint top-priced foal at €5,800 \ Rynes Walker

Roger Stepehens from the UK was the determined buyer of the top two lots - one of each sex and both at an exceptional €5,800. The first to hit those highs on Saturday was the Caherlistrane Bay filly foal Cong Arizona, consigned to the sale by Jonathan Wall. On Sunday, Stepehens was ringside and had a good tussle with an online buyer for Lot 835, Clan Gwenn De Shadow, a colt by the popular sire Gwennic de Giovara, sold by Marie McManus.

Local breeder Pat O’Neill received €4,650 for his home-bred Illaunurra Ace, a colt by the late Silver Shadow, sold online to Michael Robinson. Also selling in the €4,000 bracket was Cathal Smith’s Coral Bambi filly Corrohoe Coco (Lot 477), knocked down to James Chavoke.

The final sale of the year at the venue takes place from November 29th-30th and entries are now open.