Tell me about Connemaras please

[Digger123]

I am thinking of downsizing from my Irish sports horse to something a bit smaller. I have seen a nice connie for sale which I am going to view at the weekend. I have to admit I have never thought much about characteristics and traits of a particular breed before.It was always a case of judging the individual.
So can I have the good and bad points of owning one please??

 

[albeg]

I have a connie, he's a super all rounder, he'll give anything a try (once he's had a couple of silly spooks). His only problem is he's a very quick learner and once he gets it into his head that he knows how to do something, it can be great fun trying to convince him to do it my way rather than his as he's a cocky little so-and-so (we've had a few hissy fits when I've told him no - only when ridden, he's generally very good on the ground). Overall he's super though and I always have great fun with him, the pros definitely outweigh the cons.

Keep an eye out for sweet itch, a lot of them suffer from it afaik.

 

[lynseylou1]

i have a 3/4 connie with 1/4 ID beautiful looking and very very versatile. Hardy and easy to keep, but is quite spooky esp hacking alone. Will try and take the mick so not for a novice but overall a lovely kind temperament that tries very hard x

 

[CMequestrian]

Out of the one's I've known/ridden, they've been very enjoyable. Would say they're a great buy if you get a good one.

 

[Solo1]

Absolutely love them.

Have had 2 purebreds and now my pony who was bred out of my first pure bred so she's half - definitely more connie than IDxTB! They're absolute characters, real sweethearts but not pushovers.

Sam's the grey and was the horse of a lifetime, stupidly I sold him on as I wanted something more 'competetive' but he has the best home hunting, eventing and pootling to his hearts content so it couldn't have worked out better for him even if I miss him rotten!

Charm was a 13.2 dun connie, an absolute sweetheart. Everyone loved her. She was fine to plonk a novice on but would sharpen right up for more comptent rider.

Ruby's Charm's foal who's now 4 and been broken for 6 months. A fabulously quick learner as I think all connies are. They're brilliant jumpers and very keen to get you out of trouble.

Sorry, I'm going to have to put pics now!

Sam doing some nannying and half connie Ruby:

How trustworthy they are!:

Charm and Ruby:

 

[dafthoss]

When they are good they are awesome but when they are bad you better be ready for a tantrum. Love mine though, once he is on your side he will do any thing for you and will out perform all the big posh horses on a good day. I have just done his eventing debut in cr where he came 8th out of a massive class. He can tone it down to lead rein pony one day and be in full on competition pony mode the next day. He turns his hoof to every thing and once he is a bit more experianced he will be a true contender in all diciplines.

A few sneaky photos of him doing his thing

 

[Littlelegs]

They're fab.
Good points;
- fab jumpers
- sane & safe like any native.
- usually pretty talented little allrounders
-generally more 'sporty' than other natives, but still have the other native benefits eg cheap to keep & pretty tough.
- stunning looking
Bad points;
-quite a few seem to have a thing about water, but nothing that can't be trained out of them if you do get a youngster that's funny about it.
- can be very determined to do things their way, but once that determination is going your way they'll do anything for you. (eg the hedge may be bigger than me but I'm damn well going to get over it'
Think it says a lot for the breed that even in the current climate even overheight & unregistered ones are still holding a better value than most other breeds. Really can't rate them enough.

 

[Solo1]

Littlelegs - funny, Charm was very weird about water when we first got her! And Ruby is a bit but with a little encouragement is going more readily now. Definitely not a breed you can bully into doing something though!

Also very food orientated...

 

[suey12]

I have just backed one for a friend, prior to this I have never had anything to do with them, lat horse was a 17.3 TB / Han so a massive difference, but I have to say that it has been a thoroughly enjoyable experience, very honest and trusting, agree totally with the comments about once they decide they can do something their way, however, nothing has been a major problem, I am now a total convert to them and am even considering buying one !

 

[lynseylou1]

dafthoss- you put that perfectly... my trainer says mines right up there in the diva strop charts when she really wants to go , but we have learnt how to get her to co-operate now so those times are rare.. never think you will bully a connie into doing something.. you WILL lose! BUT learn to speak the language and you wont get better

 

[little_Christmas_monkey]

I have a beautiful 3 year old Connie called Arthur he is by.laerkens cascade dawn x curna mucka pride mare he is a real old type Connie sorry can't put pics up on phone. Love this pony to bits really good temperment full of personality but can be a stubborn cheeky little git on occasions lol but wouldn't change him for the world would have another in a heart beat

 

[dafthoss]

Another that was an utter knobber about water, point blank refused for 3 hours mainly spent on his back legs but as said you cant bully them in to things and he is now in the process of being trained out of it.

 

[L&M]

My connie x is:

A fab jumper
A fab hunter
Intelligent
Safe
Handsome

however he is also:

Greedy
Stubborn
Self opinionated

When he is motivated he will give you 110%, but when he can't be bothered, it is like riding a dead donkey!!

A friend of mine breeds them and stands by the fact that they are 'ponies for adults' as some can be too sharp for young childen and need firm handling/discipline at times.

Good luck!

 

[suey12]

[]never think you will bully a connie into doing something.. you WILL lose! BUT learn to speak the language and you wont get better[/QUOTE]

^^^
Thats what I was trying to say

 

[lynseylou1]

heres my dun 3/4 connie
http://s1183.photobucket.com/albums...Show 2012/?action=view&current=honeylunge.jpg

 

[ladyt25]

I have a TB x Connie btu he is VERY Connie like in his personality I would say which can be a liability at times as he has no sense of personal space when you're in the field. He loves people though - that's part of his problem, he used to coming running over to you when he was a youngster but didn't know about applying the brakes in time and at 16hh that was quite scary!!

He has been fab though in the 17 years I've had him, he turns his hoof to anything, is very careful jumping, always has been but has always been one to just put enough effort in to get the job done! (bit like his owner - me - really!). Lovely character to be honest and, although he can be a swine when you're on the ground (he knows his own strength when being lead let's put it that way!) there is no malice in him at all ever. He's never thrown strops though either to be honest, just wants to please and is very quick to learn anything!

 

[Parker79]

Love em!! my mare is a cross, when sound she was AMAZING! we have 2 on the yard, the older gelding who is brill and a gorgeous 5yo that everyone wants to buy!

I would have another, my mare was always funny about water and most definately could not be bullied into anything!

They seems to have a special charm I think!

 

[madmav]

My first pony was a Connemara (a very long time ago). He was so beautiful. Lovely manners on the ground, but...what a s*** once you were on board. Think everyone that rode him got dumped at some point. Bucked, napped, had the dirtiest stop at jumps.
But...when he decided he would play nicely, he was truly amazing. Lovely mover and a great jump. Not sure he was an ideal first pony, though! I still have a bad back thanks to him.

 

[starryeyed]

My first pony was a Connemara (a very long time ago). He was so beautiful. Lovely manners on the ground, but...what a s*** once you were on board. Think everyone that rode him got dumped at some point. Bucked, napped, had the dirtiest stop at jumps.

YOU'VE DESCRIBED MINE!
Absolutely stunning, fab ground manners but an absolute nightmare to ride!

He is the grumpiest, most stubborn connemara going and I recently overheard my vet muttering to someone that he was the stroppiest horse he's ever met - eeeek!! - so on the plus side, you can't do any worse than him
On the whole connies are fab, they have a huge fan base and are known for being brilliant allrounders who are brave and willing & a lot of fun. Unfortunately mine has put me off connemaras for life but I know of several amazing ones so they're not all bad!

Mine hates water, it took me years to get him to go outside in the rain let alone attempt a water jump! He's extremely stubborn, will be fab one day and the complete opposite the next - there's no consistency, we go one step forward and ten steps back, but I think that's just "him" rather than being a connie trait. He's a diva and can throw insane tantrums if you ask him to do something he doesn't want to (will plant for days,rear,chuck us both in front of cars, run backwards at high speed and buck like buckaroo). Very opinionated, extremely food orientated (will eat bute without it being disguised simply because its edible), extremely antisocial, breaks absolutely everything and has no respect for fences whatsoever (will run through post and rail if he wants to go next door without thinking twice about it). He's not very good with his feet, tangles himself up and falls over himself but they're supposed to be very agile so think i have a dodgy model... Hes ridiculously spooky, and also a complete wuss and trembles if he doesn't have a rug on when it gets colder, so does need to be rugged up as if he were a delicate little tb.
Routine is also very important to him, if someone is late for his breakfast there will be hell to pay!

However - he has a hell of a jump on him (has cleared the gate and hedge from standstill on many occasions as I've been trying to catch the bugger!) and when he's in the mood will jump anything put in front of him, he has lovely paces (when he can be bothered!) and looks absolutely stunning, despite all his naughtiness he gets complimented wherever he goes - he also poses for the camera . His ground manners are fantastic, he's an angel for the farrier, or to go in a horsebox, or to clip. He is extremely clever and they're supposed to be very trainable!

Just make sure you get a good one!

 

[natalia]

Connies are far to clever for their on goods! I buy and sell a lot and would always go for a part bred over a pure bred as it seems to dilute the stubborness! They learn bad as well as good very quickly and need keeping on top of. I am now very careful about what I buy as a lot of the irish ponies are becoming a bit inbred like welsh D's (they call it line bred) and sadly this is making them al the more nappy and difficult. The popular sires are very overused. In general I try to avoid anything that goes back twice to Abbeyliex Owen as have found this to be where most of the problems lie!

 

[3bh]

One word, awesome! Never met a bad one. At work we have two in the riding school who are genuinely the kindest horses I've ever met. Both can jump 3' tracks and do an Elem test, but equally do the very simple beginner rides too, they have the patience of a saint. One lovely boy actually had a client have an epileptic fit on him a couple of years back, just stood stock still as quiet as you like whilst it was dealt with, he is just a saint. But the sort that can do that after a days hunting the day before!
I bought one for myself as a fun play pony, she came over from Ireland at the back of last summer and is just coming 5. She has been hunting, dressage, qualified for NPS champs, you name it really she'll have a crack at it!
As my other boys are very sensitive TBs, talented but need kid gloves, the connie is simply FUN - she does everything with gusto and a smile, and is the easiest thing to deal with, hasn't a nasty bone in her.
They aren't cheap though, probably as testament to their verstility? I bought my Class 1 graded 4yo through the BCPS sales at Malvern last year, for £2500. I have been already offered over 4k for her but she's not going anywhere quite yet, we're having too much fun!

ETA photo - she can seriously jump!! (The jockey, not so much at 5'10'' in a 16'' show saddle!)

 

[blackislegirl]

My connie had only ever done county level ridden showing when I bought him. With an average old soul like me as his rider, he has learned how to jump, do prelim dressage and loads of hacking alone or in company, including pleasure rides. Like others has said, he is very quick to learn, and has an almost dog-like enthusiasm for anything we do. He always stands quietly in the collecting ring, totally chilled, then switches into competition mode as soon as we enter the arena. To begin with he found the jumping very exciting, and brakes were the issue. Once that was sorted and he began to realise that we'd go jumping regularly, he settled down, We are not jumping anything big yet, but he practically never stops (unless I have turned him on a rotten line, and even then he'll try if he can) and he adores his cross-country - and will go into water. Out hacking, he will pass anything. In fact, sometimes things which would spook my other horse actually attract him and he tries to tow me off to get closer and have a look! He is fantastic fun, and I would not swop him for anything.

 

[Chocy]

I've got part bred Connie altho no idea dot the other bit is!
He's just fab 6 going on 16 but not boring! & no water problems 1st in2 sea giving leads 2 much bigger/older horses that should no better!
He was used as 'sensible' hacker 2 lead out newly broken racehorses when only broken 4 wks himself!
& wot a jumper!!!!
On the other hand he can b a pain 2 lead as just goes where he fancys which is usually the nearest edible thing is VERY food orientated (always muzzled in field) but this did help when he had a loading prob he just planted feet on ramp so stuck bucket of pony nuts inside lorry & hey presto a self-loading pony! Now always travel with pony nuts & only prob is untieing him quick enuf b4 he gallops up the ramp!!

 

[Puppy]

When they are good they are awesome but when they are bad you better be ready for a tantrum. Love mine though, once he is on your side he will do any thing for you and will out perform all the big posh horses on a good day.

/\ /\ Ha! This sums up my boy a treat. He is half connie (cross TB) but the connie side of him is very apparent.

 

[LouiseG]

I have a rising 5 year old 15.2hh Connemara x Irish TB. He is the most sensible 5year old you could ever meet, with impeccable manners on the ground 99% of the time. He loves a cuddle and attention and is a complete softie. He is also incredibly cheeky, a tad impatient but a very sensitive soul who just wants to please and honestly I wouldn't change a thing about his temperament, he is definitely more Connemara than TB in his nature.

He's not at all spooky and is not at all scared of water or puddles, he will dodge them if he can but will go through them if you ask him to. His jump is amazing and very powerful.

He is also exceptionally clever as he is just like an overgrown pony so he does test me... but I think that's his age rather than his breed, and he is quite excitable, again, probably due to his age than breed but he doesn't have a bad bone in his body.

 

[yasminA]

1 word AMAZING.

I have a connemara gelding & he's a pony of a lifetime, getting on a little bit now but will do anything & jump anything, such a fun ride, but changes depending whos on him, for example he will gallop round flat out with me jumping everything but then we can pop my 4 yr old cousin on him and he will happily plod round & stands really still in the stable so he can groom him & if he moves its just to muzzle him. Their not the cheapest to buy but deffinatly money well spent!

 

[seoirse]

Absolutely amazing ponies.

My first pony was a connie, we had him 11 years and he looked after me, my sister and my Mum so brilliantly well, my next horse was also a full connie that grew massively over height, I had him 10 years til he sadly died last summer, and now I've got a connie x tb. We've had others along the way too but the connies have really left their hoofprints on our hearts! Connies are just super, really lovely charactars, tons of ability, and beautiful too. They can be quite opinionated, all three of mine have been, but when you gel with them they will do anything for you.

Interesting about the water thing, the connie I lost last year was hysterical about water when I got him as a 4yo, and after a couple of years of really struggling I ended up getting off at a sponsored ride and wading through the water with him much to everyones amusement - he NEVER refused to go through water ever again though and was always first in after that!

All 3 of them have been serious jumpers, they could clear anything as long as they were confident there were no lions under it and if they thought there were they'd probably still jump it, just giving it an extra couple of feet for safety!

 

[smallgirl]

Since buying my Mum one a few years ago I promised myself they would be the next pony I got, so two years ago I bought a lovely Kirtle Connemara yearling from the Hodges in Lockerbie who, if I am totally honest, I picked on gut feeling and I thank god I did as he is the nicest, cheekiest (now) 3 year old I know. Yes he is bright, bold but also sensitive and just dying to please, he goes to shows like an old pro and is genuinely a pleasure to have about.

He loves doing his 'work', I just can't wait to backing him this autumn and seeing where we take each other. They are the only breed I'll be having from now on....

 

[measles]

We sold a super 15.3hh dun connie x ISH recently and he was a superstar, so much so that we have just bought two competition bred connemara 4yo's for my son to produce, a grey dun and a grey. We also couldn't quite leave behind one, the dun's yearling half sister, and she is a show quality dun to make 15.2-16hh.

Highly recommended!

 

[MissSBird]

My boy is my first connie and I adore them. I'd never look at another breed now.

He can be naughty in the field (has an issue with personal space), and is very food orientated. He's very clever so picks things up quickly, but consequently learns bad habits quickly and can occasionally convince he is better than you.

However, he is also the most honest pony I've ever known. Yes he has personal space issues, but he also trots over to me in the field every time. I purchased him as a broken 6 weeks 3 year old, and he's my first youngster. He's been a dream to work with and has given me tons of confidence. When I bought him I swore I'd never jump again and we now do 85cm tracks - not bad for a 4 year old!

Like most natives they're easy to keep, though have a tendency to be overly good doers. He can be sharp when wound up, and isn't a push button ride. The perfect adults pony in my opinion