SOME 211 ponies passed through the ring at the one-day Connemara pony sale in Clifden last Saturday, with the four-year-old registered stallion Annaghdown Caseman topping the sale when fetching €4,400.

A total of 84 ponies were sold overseas, including the sale-topper, who was purchased from Roger Joyce of Knockillaree Riding Centre in Oughterard by German buyers. British buyers accounted for 19 ponies going overseas, while 18 were sold to both Germany and Belgium with Dutch buyers close behind purchasing 17 lots.

Clifden Pony Sales manager Padraic Heanue, happy with the overall 72% clearance rate at the one-day sale, commented that there has been an improvement in the demand for breeding mares. “A number of broken and ridden gelding and mares fetched from between €2,700 to €3,600. Some younger broken and ridden ponies sold in the region from €1,500 to €2,000. There was a slight move in price in the right direction for the breeding fillies and mares. Yearling colts and fillies varied a lot depending on quality and prices ranged from €300 to €1,400 and yearling fillies from €600 to €1500,” he said.

Impressed with the number of overseas buyers that travelled to Clifden for the sale, Heanue added: “What was most promising was the fact that most of the overseas buyers were new buyers and hopefully we will see them return again in the future.”

The next sale in Clifden for Connemara ponies takes place on Saturday, May 21st and Sunday, May 22nd.

Meanwhile, over 60 people attended an AI (artificial insemination) demonstration held by veterinary surgeon Philip McManus last Sunday, at Rockmount AI Centre, during which McManus paraded two Connemara performance stallions, Ice and Fire d’Albran and Silver Shadow.

Ice and Fire d’Albran, who was purchased by Liam Diamond of Diamonds Equestrian Centre earlier this year, is a fully approved 20-year-old stallion by Dexter Leam Pondi that jumped internationally for 10 years. The second of the two stallions, Silver Shadow, owned jointly by Diamond and McManus, is a well-known sire of top show jumping ponies and has represented Ireland at European Championship level.

Rita Carlone, veterinary surgeon and equine reproduction specialist, gave a presentation on the advantages of AI. Two stallion nominees were raffled in a prize, with Padraig O’Rourke and Sinead McGrath the lucky winners.