LAST Thursday week’s performance horse and pony sale at Mullingar Equestrian was notable on a couple of fronts as it produced a record price in the Co Westmeath sales arena for a Connemara pony, while the mid-term break ensured that there was a great buzz as there were plenty of children among the large attendance.

Potential purchasers were keen to return to normality by being on-site with many travelling over from Britain while there was a representative present for Belgium’s Luc deLoof who bought three ponies. In keeping with the last couple of years, there was a large online audience (with registrations from Britain, Germany, Poland, Slovenia and the USA) but the majority of the day’s successful bidders were in the sales arena.

The top-priced lot was the Gary Kilgallon-consigned five-year-old Connemara mare, Lot 28, who, following some spirited bidding, was finally purchased for €20,600 by David Harrison who was acting on behalf of a Swedish client. The 14.2hh grey will be further produced in this country before heading to Scandinavia. Registered as Lass Ross, she is by the Grade A jumping pony Ross Fear Bui out of Menlo Rose (by Kingstown Boy).

The other eight Connemaras on offer all found new homes and little wonder in the case of the Fiona Heslin-consigned ‘Barney’ (Lot 48) who had topped the online views in the week prior to the sale.

While bids came in from as far away as Ljubljana in Slovenia, the 15.1hh chesnut faced a shorter journey to his new home as he was knocked down to Leicestershire’s Sophie Pickering for €7,800. The seven-year-old, whose registered name is Killadeer Barney, is a son of Cullane Comet and is the eldest registered produce out of the Rynn Richard mare May Daisy.

Wilson Equestrian had an active day as vendors and among their consignment was the Connemara gelding Sparkey Grey Dawn (Lot 41) for whom the equally busy Co Sligo purchaser Tiernan Gray gave €6,000. A five-year-old son of Dunloughan Scot, the grey is out of the Dangan Donal mare Dangan Cailin.

Midland Connemara breeder, Brendan Lennon of Drumlish, Co Longford consigned two home-bred grey ponies both of whom have hunted, competed at training shows and been schooled cross-country.

The older of the pair, Bohey Star (Lot 12), an 11-year-old 148cms mare by Loughill Cullen out of Nanny Darling (by Little Rascal), was sold online to Somerset’s Lisa March for €5,500 while locally based dealer Jim Derwin showed his continued support for the venue when parting with €5,700 for Bohey Jake (Lot 27). That nine-year-old 145cms gelding by Gwennic de Goariva is out of the Abbeyleix Owen mare Rosscon Dolly.

High clearance rate

The average price of the nine Connemaras sold worked out at just over €6,500 while that for the entire sale was €5,050 from a 81% clearance rate.

The strong trade carried through to the horse section where Wilson Equestrian topped the list of vendors when Kilkenny’s Shannon Fogarty gave €10,000 for Cavalot Money Talks (Lot 49), a five-year-old 16.1hh grey mare by Hector Van D’Abdijhoeve out of the Pacino mare Cavalot Chino. The same vendor received €9,600 from Hertfordshire’s Harriet Shirley who, bidding online, secured Roxy (Lot 53), a similarly aged 15hh dun cob mare.

Co Westmeath-based Christian Josewski fended off online competition from Britain when going to €8,500 for Michael Reilly’s Lillys Kingdom (Lot 52), a six-year-old dappled grey Irish Draught mare by King Alton out of Dappled Daisy, by Star Kingdom.

For slightly less, €8,000 in fact, Co Down’s Niall Kearney had the final bid on another ID mare (Lot 42), Pat Lombard’s unnamed dun five-year-old by Cloneyhea Spellbound out of Gentlest Ginger (by Ginger Diamond).

Ralph Trenier’s Cool Diamond (Lot 50), an eight-year-old gelding with no recorded pedigree and whose career had been put on hold because of the pandemic, was one of Tiernan Grey’s purchases, this bay being secured for €5,800.

There was a strong demand throughout for quality small horses and cobs with Avril Lane Watson’s Miss Lady Sally (Lot 40), a 10-year-old 15hh grey mare, being purchased for €6,800 by Co Down’s Eunice Drake. Also heading across the water was Shane McHugh’s Bob (Lot 55), a heavy 15.1hh piebald eight-year-old, who was knocked down late in the day for €6,000 to regular British visitor, Hannah Taylor.

Earlier, Gerry Clarke’s Gyemant (Lot 34), a 14-year-old, 15.2hh roan and white gelding, was purchased for €6,400 by Dublin’s Stephen Lawlor.

Upcoming sale

The next regular horse and pony performance sale at Mullingar is scheduled for Thursday, April 14th, while on the evening of Friday, April 8th, in conjunction with the Youngster Tour, there will be an online auction of selected show jumpers aged four and upwards.