CONNEMARA Pony Sales’ inaugural Special Sale of breeding mares took place at the sales complex in Clifden last weekend, to coincide with the Connemara Pony Breeders’ Society’s annual Spring Weekend. The catalogue devoted two pages to each lot, and was limited to 40 entries of Class I mares with proven breeding histories; either in foal, with a foal at foot or having previously foaled.

Of the 17 mares presented, eight sold, and the top lot was Jackie Hockley’s Lady Dexter. A 16-year-old proven broodmare by Dexter Leam Pondi and sold in foal to Carnakilly Mac Guire, she realised €8,200 when sold to Karol Scollan. Kevin and Mary Whelan’s Dawn’s Melody, in foal for the first time to Glencarrig Knight, was purchased by Carole Hill for only a fraction less at €8,000.

This was the first time Connemara Pony Sales have used social media to stream the action in the interests of facilitating their online buyers, and it proved to be a worthwhile endeavour when the first lot into the ring, Justine O’Hara’s five-year-old Cnoc an Noinin Nancy, went to Austrian buyer Caroline Freistatter for €7,200.

Prices were significantly lower for the remaining lots, with Ian Mulligan’s Coolnahinch Rose, a rare non-greying black six-year-old sold not in foal, earning €3,600. The remaining four mares saw returns of less than €3,000.

Sales manager Ann DeCourcey said: “We introduced this sale with the aim of bringing another dimension to the CPBS’s Spring Weekend, and it proved to be a welcome addition to the range of events and activities on offer. There was a mixed bag of ponies on offer, as we had no selection process other than requiring the entries to have achieved Class I status, because we’re not in the business of judging ponies.

“The sale received very positive feedback and we definitely intend to run it again.

“Some vendors pointed out that, being held at the end of March, some potential entries were very close to foaling, so in future years we might look at having it coincide with our February sale.”