IT is seldom one is fortunate enough to talk to a person with such commitment and knowledge of the Connemara pony as Pat Lyne (87), famous author, and adopted daughter of Connemara.

Her profile is an odyssey of true grit research, hard work, and above all dedication. She is one of very few people living today that have penned in such detail, the history of Ireland’s Connemara ponies. Throughout the decades, access to the Society records has made it possible to preserve the history of the foundation stock, especially the taproots of the all-important selected foundation stallions.

Pat wrote and published her first of five books - Shrouded in Mist - in 1984, focusing with great detail on how the breed evolved as she documented the history and formulation of the studbook founded in 1923. Later came As I see IT and Turning the Pages. Thirty four years on, this book takes pride of place in among cherished rosettes and dusty studbooks in many homesteads all over the world!

In total contrast to present day technology and the introduction of the internet and social media, Pat was ahead of her time.

Relying on her pen and notebook as the only tools of her trade, Pat travelled the roads of Connemara with a map in one hand and the early studbooks in the other. She met the breeders, stallion custodians, and above all, the many wonderful people of Connemara.

For many breeders, Lyne’s observations of the various bloodlines have proved an invaluable gospel. These observations which are, after all, responsible for the preservation of the traditional genes that have placed the Connemara Pony on a platform of its own in Europe, USA and the Southern Hemisphere, both as an industry and a tourist attraction.

It was the opening chapter of an incredible journey when Pat bought her first Connemara pony in 1964, a three-year-old filly, named Artic Moon (Carna Dun-Canrower Lass) which changed the course of her life. Artic Moon was a champion at all the major shows in England and bred 16 foals.

In 1968 Pat bought the Stallion Island Duke (208), foaled in 1963 and bred in Moycullen by John Mulkerrins, as her foundation stallion and became a full-time breeder of Connemara Ponies using the Chiltern prefix. Many were exported and she subsequently travelled in the footsteps of these ponies to judge and lecture in Europe, the USA, Australia and New Zealand. She has judged in Dublin in 1980 and at Clifden in 1985.

The result of her travels was a second book, Out of the Mist. Many of the ponies portrayed in this book were foundations of the international societies which are now represented by one body, the I.C.P.S., daughters of the mother society in Clifden.

Combined with an astute understanding of her subject, Pat always focused on the decisive aspects of the pony such as type, conformation and presence.

Never afraid to speak her mind and a lover of tradition, she has strong views and strong convictions about the future of the breed.

Lyne believes that a stallion’s primary task is his stud duties. She is not an advocate of performance testing or loose rein jumping, and considers the former “a crash course” for which young stallions are rarely fit enough, physically or mentally. Loose rein jumping requires a skilled trainer. Pat is strong in her belief that: “The Connemara pony has natural jumping ability, and it is good to see a stallion performing well under saddle but only if he has been professionally produced,” while also saying that: “Connemara is the cradle and it is here that the old established bloodlines should be treasured and above all preserved.”

CROSSROADS

Her thoughts on the breed today?

“I believe the breed is at a crossroads. It is vital that the Society ensure that the essential type, hardiness, and intelligence be maintained. The time might have come for a free market and no inspections.”

Referring to Back to the Roots, Island Duke, a pre-potent sire: “Island Duke’s conformation was far from perfect but he had a distinctive personality, vitality, and charm. He was a true pony and was obviously a Connemara. His head, with neat pony ears, broad forehead, and full eye was hard to fault. As time passed, we realised he stamped his progeny with his distinct native characteristics. In my view, he was a pre-potent sire, one who left his definitive mark on all his progeny. He covered many mares, other than Connemara, and the same could be said of their progeny. In the case of Teglstrup Duke, this strong gene came to him via his dam, a daughter of Island Duke, all the more interesting for that. The Banks ponies Vanilla and Timber, by Teglstrup Duke, carry this same strong Island Duke gene. In my view, these two ponies represent all that is best in the breed. They could act as a template for those anxious to breed true-to-type Connemara Ponies in an era when the breed is losing some of its essential trademarks.”

Banks Vanilla was imported to Ireland by Sean Dunne from the famous Garryhinch Stud and she won several major championships before she changed hands and took up residence at Noel Noonan’s Manor Stud at Ardbear, Clifden. She had a successful season under saddle in the UK before returning to stud.

Sean Dunne retained Vanilla’s first filly when parting with her dam Garryhinch Vanilla by Monaghanstown Boy who is also a multiple champion in her own right.

At Clifden in 2016, a young stallion out of Vanilla by Currachmore Cashel, Manor Duke, won his class and looked like a chip off the old block.

Pat expressed her delight by saying: “I was especially pleased to see Noel has retained ‘Duke’ in his name. I like to think this reflects a small tribute to his great, great, grandsire my foundation Stallion Island Duke who helped to set this bloodline rolling.”

Banks Timber, owned by Seamus Hynds - a full brother to Vanilla - has been showing how to perform under saddle in the UK where he has collected many ribbons. He left behind him in Connemara some promising young stock which represented him successfully in the ring at Clifden in 2016.

She continues: “The Banks ponies are not the end of this story. Island Duke’s first filly for the Chiltern stud, Chiltern Gazelle, bred some good progeny, the best of them being Chiltern Cameo. In 1989 Cameo provided me with a useful-looking colt by Thunderbolt. I sold Chiltern Thunderburst to Germany as a yearling colt. He was soon passed on to the Noffka family, but they lived in an area of Germany where Thunderburst had few opportunities to prove himself as a sire. In 1997 he travelled to the Dutch Connemara show where he was awarded the championship. He was left in Holland for a season for the benefit of Dutch breeders. One of the mares he covered was Van de Arenbosch Donna and she provided a colt, Rory Rasputin by Thunderburst in 1998.”

Pat speaks about Thunderburst as: “a fine pony possibly on the tall side but with great bone and substance. He did not carry the typical Chiltern ‘look’ as did his full sister Chiltern Sunday.

“However his son, Rory Rasputin, certainly did so. He was Champion Connemara in Belgium in 2003 and 2004 and was given his licence in 2005. He spent that season with John Varley in Co Mayo. I saw him the year he was in Ireland and there again recognised the strong Island Duke imprint. In 2016 the champion ridden pony at the RDS was Shanbo Rory by Rory Rasputin yet another in the remarkable line of ponies that show the true character of the Connemara breed, dare I say, retained in the fifth generation thanks largely to Island Duke.”

TRUE TYPE

Why does Pat say this with such authority? What is the imprint?

“Firstly they are ponies, not small horses. They look what they are – a Connemara, they have gaeity of spirit and natural charm, and they are well built. Finally, they have a temperament second to none and would be able to pull a cart loaded with turf if asked to do so.”

Two further sons of Rory Rasputin were classified as class 1 in Ireland. Cloughbrack Rory is now in the UK and Callow Rory who is with Roger Joyce.

When asked about Red Baroness, she replied: “A friend, Bill Woodley, owned two Connemara mares bred by the Aylesland Stud. They visited my stallion, Island Duke, each season. When returning them after covering in 1977, I noticed a two-year-old filly by Duke in the far field. I thought she looked a lovely filly. I asked Bill would he sell her for a client I had in Denmark?

“Red Baroness had a strong look of Island Duke, and little of her dam Aylesland Silver Treasure. My current interest was in her colt, foaled in 1986 by Oxenholm Marble Junior and named Teglstrup Duke. From his photograph, he was very like his grandsire Island Duke.”

Concluding, Lyne says: “It is many years since Island Duke died and I have compiled this information to show the value of a pre-potent sire. He was by Clonjoy, a son of Auratum.

“His dam, Grey Dawn Lassie by Inchagoill Laddie was one of the lovely broodmares of the early studbook. She never saw a show ring but bred a good foal year after year.

“As a breeder, I find this story an education in the ‘mystery’ of our endeavour to breed only the best. Teglstrup Duke’s dam Red Baroness was by Island Duke whose sire Clonjoy was by Auratum. His grand dam, Aylesland Silver Treasure, was a well-built old fashioned type mare by Silver Snow, who had no known breeding.”

Lyne’s words underline the value of a pre-potent sire. That is a stallion that leaves a definitive mark on his progeny and in turn, their progeny in succeeding generations.

Pat Lyne explained: “Pre-potent stallions are rare jewels. I believe Island Duke was one. He covered many mares, other than Connemara, and the same could be said of their progeny. In the case of Teglstrup Duke, this strong gene came to him via his dam, a daughter of Island Duke, all the more interesting for that.”

Like the pony itself, Pat Lyne is a living legend.

Now in her 87th year, she is semi-retired but her interest in the Connemara Pony and writing has never dwindled.

Thankfully her contribution will be etched into our history books for generations to come and deservedly so.

THE MUSEUM

Having completed and published three books, Pat’s greatest wish was to create a lasting tribute to the Connemara pony and to the founding fathers of the Society.

A museum seemed a good idea and the obvious location was Clifden. However, with no building, it was a dream.

When on one of her visits to Connemara, she discovered that the engine shed at the old Clifden station complex was being restored.

Very much on her mind was the old saying, ‘ask and thou shall receive’ and so she approached the owner, John Sweeney.

The Museum was opened in 1998 and today it draws visitors from all over the globe who browse over her books and many artefacts.

In 2006 Pat was awarded second place in the Galway Heritage awards in the Connemara region, for her work as curator of the museum.