Connemara Pony Tales Connemara Pony Tales

Introducing some of our best show riders and producers of native ponies across UK & Ireland!
1. Aimee Devane
2. Charlotte Smiley
3. Amber Thorpe
These riders are at the top of their game competing successfully at HOYS on many occasions.
Want to pick up some tips before the full season kicks off? 

Listen Now!
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In this episode, Daragh O'Tuairisg, the CPBS President and Cait Hennessy, HR Executive of theCouncil take on a whirlwind of quickfire questions from our listeners.

Get an exclusive peek into the Council's plans for the upcoming year, as they share insights, strategies, and exciting developments. Unfiltered and candid, they address pressing issues head-on, outlining their commitment to resolving challenges and fostering transparency. 

Join us for a fast-paced, no-holds-barred session as the CPBS Council provides genuine, honest answers to the questions that matter most.
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Foreward – by Pam Clingan

I have the honour of writing the foreward for this extraordinary bumper podcast of our host, Lucinda Kelly, in conversation with Kingstown Connemara’s Malachy Gorham.

Mal and Joe, like their father Joe Gorham snr before them, have vast knowledge of the Connemara Pony, as judges, inspectors, CPBS councillors and breeders.  Throughout the trends they have staunchly maintained their preferences on the type of traditional Connemara pony that they wish and believe should be bred.

Mal has asked me to extend his thanks to his and brother Joe’s endlessly patient wives, Jane and Monica.  Anyone acquainted with showing ponies knows about the infamous condition, ‘Showitis’! But Jane and Mon find themselves scrambling every summer to stock up on enough ‘tablets’ for the ailment Mal’s daughter, Maria and brother Joe seem to suffer from the most. They endure marathon sessions of pony talk, nodding through the polite and perpetually reserved debates over last year’s (and the previous 30+ years’) Clifden Show placings…until inevitably a sip of the black stuff sends the conversation spiralling into a linguistic quagmire better suited to a blue movie set.

For 41 years, since my mother fell in love with Ocean Gipsy at Clifden 1983, my family have had the honour of participating in a fair few in-depth discussions with the Gorham’s. Thank you Malachy for your invaluable contribution to the podcast series.  Despite its length, I know that we have only scratched the surface of your knowledge and memories. But this is a great start to adding your families’ invaluable input into the ongoing efforts to safeguard the health and heritage of the Connemara for generations to come.

Thank you, Lucinda, for the amazing historic audio archive you are creating and to the listeners across the world who continue their support by listening, ‘for the love of the Connemara Pony’.
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Welcome to the first episode of the 2024 series!

Joining me are two highly respected Midland Connemara pony breeders, Sean Dunne of Garryhinch Stud and Pat Rabbitt of Monaghanstown Stud. These two individuals have dedicated their lives to preserving and promoting the unique qualities of the Midland Connemara pony, and today, they'll be sharing their insights, experiences, and their views on our beloved pony.
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In this episode we meet with 3 of Australia's Connemara pony breeders who are passionate about the pony and the promotion of the breed through the Connemara Pony Breeders Society Australia.

1. Catherine Hollingsworth 
Catherine is the CPBSA Registrar and breeds under the Badine prefix. Catherine has been associated with Connemara ponies in Australia for 20 years. Originally involved with the Wychwood Stud for 13 years, she has more recently been operating under the Badine prefix and breeding one or two ponies. While at Wychwood Catherine produced both pure bred and part bred ponies and competed predominantly ‘in hand’ and in endurance.
Notable ponies included a two time 160km championship part bred who placed 2nd and then 3rd Middleweight, while a
full brother won the Sydney 3DE, 4 year old young event horse championship and later qualified as an 80km endurance
horse, and a pure bred mare who was an in hand supreme champion and reserve champion preliminary dressage pony.
Catherine is a Society inspector and travelled to Ireland in 2009, attending the Clifden Show and visiting a number of breeders.

2. George Hillis-Howe 
George and her Family are long term breeders of Welsh Ponies and Cobs under Nawarrah Park prefix for over 50 years – the Howe Family have imported several Welsh Cob stallions from UK. George is now also breeding Connemara ponies under the Nawarrah Park Prefix. George purchased her first Connemara pony mare in 2014 and enjoyed her so much she purchased a colt foal and future sire in 2018 when the stud officially became recognised as a Welsh Pony, Cob and Connemara Pony Breeder. Since this time George has imported 2 stallions, Castle Ceasar from the UK & Skaergarden Discovery Night from Denmark. George also has a foal on the ground this season by AI to Skellorn Harrison UK.
George is well known in the showing world, competing in both breed classes and open show hunters as a competitor and accredited judge and it is great asset for the Connemara Pony here in Australia to have a new convert to the breed which will help increase their popularity here in Australia. She is also a committee member and advocate for the Mountain& Moorland Pony Promotional Group raising awareness and funding classes for M&M ponies at major shows in Australia. 


3. Dianne Collins 
CPBSA Committee member and breeds Connemara ponies under the “Capall Park” prefix – Owned & ridden since she was 3. Her father was born in Johnstown Co. Kilkenny and emigrated to Oz aged 36. He grew up with horses, more so working ID horses, on their family farm. He loved Connemara ponies and is foremost responsible for her addiction to them. At 7yrs of age she dreamed of bringing a Connemara Pony back from Ireland. She was lucky enough to accompany him back to Ireland in 1978 and went to Dublin Horse show when they used to have lots of in hand classes and the annual Clifden Pony Show. She went back to Ireland in 2008 with her daughter and decided on a 10 yr plan to bring her long awaited pony back from Ireland. She visited Ireland on several occasions for the new few years and went seriously looking in 2018. Dianne was originally intending to bring back a colt but decided on a mare after visiting a lot of breeders and the common denominator was a great mare line. Through her friend Karen Holloway she was introduced to Padraic Hynes and the Canal ponies. She had always loved the much decorated mare Village Laura and was introduced to her granddaughter, Canal Lucy who was by Gl Knight out of Canal Linnett. Canal Lucy was Junior Champ at the Midlands Show 2017 and placed in her 3 yr old class at Clifden. She was not for sale that year. Dianne came back again in 2019 and explored the possibly of purchasing Canal Lucy, this time she was successful. Her intention was for her to be shown at Clifden in 2020 and then flown out to Austral
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 The Horse of the Year Show 2022 kicks off at the NEC in Birmingham tomorrow!  In this episode, I speak to three riders who have qualified their ponies.   Joining me are  Vicky Casey (UK), Vikki Smith (UK) and Ciara Mullen (IRE).

We chat about their ponies, show preparation, behind the scenes and some of their top tips.




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