Connemara Sires Dominate in Pony Eventing

I was recently reading an older article in The Horse Magazine that discussed the WBFSH eventing sire rankings. What I found particularly interesting was the observation that, beyond the top few ranked stallions, there appeared to be "a sorry collection of randomness, which seemed to confirm the prevailing wisdom that you can't breed eventers." This reflected the long-standing belief that successful event horses could not be systematically bred for, but instead emerged from a wide and unpredictable range of bloodlines.

While modern sport horse breeding has increasingly moved away from this viewpoint, it is fascinating to see that this traditional assumption appears to be particularly unsupported when looking at eventing ponies.
One of the most striking findings from my eventing pony sire rankings, based on results from the last decade of the FEI European Pony Championships, is the dominance of the Connemara breed. Of the top 20 ranked sires, 14 were purebred Connemara stallions. The only other breed groups to feature prominently were German Riding Ponies and Dutch New Forest Ponies, which contributed six sires each to the top 20 rankings.

Given the perception that Connemaras lack the 'blood' required for top-level sport, these results tell a different story. Rather than being disadvantaged, Connemara stallions have consistently produced elite event ponies. This suggests that, at least within the pony eventing world, breeding for eventing talent is far from random and that certain bloodlines have a proven ability to pass on the attributes required for success.

Connemara Stallion Glencarrig Dolphin 

at the 2022 Euros ridden by Lucy Baguley

However, it should also be noted that this does not mean all of the offspring from these sires were purebred Connemaras. In fact, the Warmblood x Connemara cross was the second most common F1 (horse x pony) combination represented in my study, behind only the Warmblood x Welsh cross. This suggests that the Connemara can be a highly valuable outcross for sport pony breeding programmes, contributing qualities that complement and enhance existing performance bloodlines.

Historically, the Connemara may have been somewhat overlooked by continental sport pony breeding programmes. Although the breed has long enjoyed popularity in France, Connemara blood remains relatively limited within German Riding Pony and Dutch Riding Pony populations. This is likely because Connemaras have traditionally been perceived as less extravagant movers, lacking the flashy paces that are desired by most dressage riders. However, this also appears to be slowly changing. In recent years, some breeders have begun selectively breeding their Connemaras for more expressive gaits.

Wirtsmühle Delaney's owned by
 Skaergaarden Connemaras 

I believe the Connemara could prove to be one of the key ingredients in the future of sport pony breeding. At a time when many breeders are seeking to balance performance with temperament, the breed offers a compelling combination of athletic ability, versatility, soundness, and good character. Connemaras are renowned for their sensible nature and willingness to work, making them well suited to amateur and young riders, without compromising on talent. The results of these sire rankings suggest that introducing more Connemara blood into sport pony breeding programmes may help produce ponies that are not only capable of competing at the highest levels, but are also rideable, reliable, and accessible to a wider range of riders.

Grand Prix Jumping Pony Del Piero:
by Dexter Leam Pondi out of a German Riding Pony damline

Click here to view the full sire rankings and other findings of my study