Legend has it that the Connemara Pony descended from Spanish horses, rescued from the Armada when the ships wrecked on the rocky coast of western Ireland in 1568. In fact, the Connemara’s ancestors lived in Ireland for thousands of years, although some of the Armada's horses may have mated with local stock. It is certain that Thoroughbred and Arabian blood was introduced in the 1700's. By the 1920's the breed was threatened by random breeding and the Connemara Pony Breeders Society was formed to preserve the purity of the breed. A key to the excellence of the Connemara Pony is the hardy environment in which it lives. Turned out to survive the harsh weather on rough pasture, only the strong of the breed survive.
The body of the Connemara is compact and deep, yet not bulky. It has legs which are short, clean, and have ample bone; the shoulders are rounded. The Connemara has a handsome head, the neck fairly lean, and it has abundant mane and tail. The Connemara stands between 12.2 and 14.2 hands. In spite of its relatively small size, the Connemara is known as an excellent hunter and jumper, and it competes in such varying events as distance riding and dressage. The Connemara was originally dun in coloring, but this color is now rare. It is most frequently found gray, but also in black, bay, and brown.
Origin
The Connemara is a member of that group of equids known as mountain and moorland ponies. It originated in Connemara, county Galway in western Ireland. Arab and Spanish blood have been introduced to refine the breed. But the Connemara, in turn, was used to influence the fine Irish hunter.
The Connemara's Survival
By the beginning of this century, the purity of the Connemara was threatened by the random cross-breeding with other breeds of horses. Also, many Connemaras were being kept in stables and hence inferior examples survived. In the 1920's, a group of owners chose a dozen quality ponies and turned them out into the wilds to live and reproduce. Those that survived had excellent qualities, and they preserved the stamina and purity of the breed.
 Islenzki hesturinn, Icelandic toelter horse, Iceland Tolter The Icelandic horse is descended from horses brought to Iceland by settlers over eleven centuries ago. Comparison between the Icelandic horse, at the time of the settlement of Iceland, and ancient Norwegian and German horses show them to have similar bone structure. Some consider it likely that there was a separate species of horse, Ecuus scandianavicus, found in these areas. These horses were lat...
|
 Mestnaya estonskaya, Estonskaya loshad, Estonian Klepper, Estonian Pony The Estonian Native is one of the few breeds which has retained the characteristic features of the native northern horse and were not significantly influenced by crossing with other breeds. It played an important role in the formation of the Obva (now extinct) and Vyatka breeds. The breed has also been used with the Hackney in the formation of the Tori breed and with Ardennes in forming the Estoni...
|
 One of the classic native breeds of England, the Fell Pony is noted for its hardiness, courage and adaptability. Its docile temperament makes it popular with riding and trekking stables, and it is also well suited for driving, is a creditable jumper and has the ability to trot for long distances at a steady speed. Bred for the harsh environment of England's north country where feed is always a...
|
 An elegant medium height, strong horse with track record of bravery and loyalty in the battle fields of medieval period. Now famous for traveling long distances, have strong feet and hoof, has his home in the area called "Malani" which is part of Barmer district of Marwari, in the villages namely Nagar, Gudha, Jasol, Sindhari, Bakhasar and some areas of Sanchor Tehsil. These areas are said to be t...
|
 Tradition has it that around the turn of the century a young horse appeared in eastern Kentucky that gave rise to a line of horses that has been prized and treasured in this part of the country ever since. The basic characteristics are of a medium-sized horse of gentle temperament with an easy ambling four beat gait. This gait made it the horse of choice on the farms and the rugged foothills of th...
|
 The Criollo horse is the direct descendant of the horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish. Since the moment the first Spanish horses were brought to the Americas until the conformation of the Criollo there is a long history that covers many centuries during which the adaptation to the environment constitutes the basis upon which the Criollo horse has built its roots.
When the Spanish horse...
|
(4.2)
Add Feedback