THE final day of the Connemara Pony Show week began with the early call time of 7.30am, the volume of competitors entered for Friday’s Performance classes again reflecting the interest in Connemara ponies to pursue dynamic careers.

Catching the attention of the audience from the start, the striking cremello Buachaill Bui (Templebready Fear Bui - Golden Bee), ridden by Nancy Lyons Teehan, captivated throughout, winning the Riders Under 16 Working Hunter class before dominating in the Championship to claim the Kylemore Abbey-sponsored sash. Riding with a confidence and style beyond her 12 years, Nancy and the gelding’s partnership is an exciting one for the future.

Speaking of her daughter’s win on the way to the BSPS Summer Championships in Grantham, Lincolnshire, Louise Lyons was delighted with the family’s first experience at the Connemara Pony Show. “My mother Anne and I bought him from Goresbridge last May from his breeder Avril Doyle.

“He is unusual because of his colour, but he has a bit of a fan club now. We really like his sire. Mum had a pony by Templebready Fear Bui years ago - Nobel Springbok, who ended up going to Laura Collett MBE and she produced him to win Team Gold at the 2005 Pony European Eventing Championships.”

Describing the feeling of competition at her first Championship at the Clifden Showgrounds, Nancy shared: “I really enjoyed the go around and I was wowed when they called my number.” Participating in the Parade of Champions was a truly unique experience, said Louise: “It is just great to see the enthusiasm people have for the Connemara there. We will definitely be back. The ground was amazing and it held up, even with so many ponies jumping on it.”

Buachaill Bui is owned by Nancy’s grandmother Anne with her mother Louise, who had qualified herself to compete in the High Performance Final on Friday afternoon. The dream mother-daughter share. “We are really enjoying him. I qualified him for the Performance class in Dublin and Nancy has done so much with him from IPS shows to Pony Club eventing. She even hunted him over the winter,” Louise explained.

Taking Reserve in the Working Hunter Championship was the bay mare Clochanard Silver Poppy (Dunloughan Troy - Clochanard Silver Princess), ridden by Clodagh O’Toole. The five-year-old mare is owned and bred by her mother Olivia Staunton and it was a family-filled celebration, with sister Sadhbh who is heavily involved with the pony at home joining her in the presentation.