THE four-day Connemara Pony Show takes place from August 9th to 12th next, moving from its original third week of August date to accommodate the broader equine community and avoid a clash with the Dublin Horse Show. It will, however, revert to its traditional date for 2023, the centenary year of the society.

A press release from the CPBS this week outlined changes have been made to the schedule to enhance and reflect a deeper awareness of the breed. Tuesday has been developed to embrace the All-Ireland Connemara Pony Loose Jumping Championships and will be held in the newly refurbished and extended sand arena. One championship will be for all three-year-olds, and followed by four-year-old mares.

With an enhanced prize fund and breeder prize (total fund €3,250), these championships hope to attract a good standard of athleticism and show the pony’s jumping ability from an early age and indicate its value to breeding stock and appeal to the modern market.

To make best use of the rings, renovated after the extensive flooding of November 2020, with new classes in all sections, and ensure the smooth running of the show it is necessary that in hand classes move to Wednesday, followed by the ridden classes and some performance classes on Thursday, thus facilitating Friday’s working hunter classes and permitting an efficient and early start that morning.

New in hand classes enable a Broodmare Championship and there is a return to the division in the stallion section (4-6 years and 7+). A mini young handler’s class and the existing 10 to 15 years young handlers will encourage breeders of the future.

To accommodate the smaller pony, new classes for Thursday and Friday include both a ridden class and a working hunter class for the 138cm and under, riders for both 10 and over. The in-hand 138cm and under class will be on Wednesday. A performance working hunter class (phase one only) should also prove popular to a wider audience. The Green Hunter Final for four-year-olds will be on Thursday afternoon and the hotly contested High Performance final on Friday.

“It is always a great honour to welcome friends from abroad, and the ICCPS, which brings so many people of different backgrounds and nationalities together with the common purpose of the Connemara pony, will yet again be able to hold their Annual General Meeting during the show. There will be a reception for our international visitors and the presentation of the ICCPS Michael O’Malley Awards on Tuesday evening in the Abbeyglen Hotel. All breeders are welcome,” the press release said.

An evening with Philip Scott on the ‘The performance pony through the ages’ will take place in Station House Theatre on Thursday evening where the CPBS Hall of Fame inductions will be made.

Willow Ingredients has come on board as the leading sponsor for 2022, joining existing principal sponsors Horse Sport Ireland, Galway Irish Crystal and Clifden Station House Hotel.

The continued support of the DAFM, Clifden business community, Connemara Livestock Sales for the use of their facilities and An Garda Siochána is also acknowledged.

The show will be formally opened on Wednesday, August 10th, by Mr Joe Connolly, one of Galway and Ireland’s great sporting heroes and who captained Galway in 1980 to their first All-Ireland hurling title since 1923.

The ever popular Puissance followed by the traditional Parade of Champions around the town of Clifden will bring the 97th Annual Connemara Pony Show to a close on Friday evening.