The Connemara Pony
The Connemara Pony is a large Mountain and Moorland pony breed that originates in the west of Ireland. They are known for their excellent temperament, being able to be ridden and handled by all family members, their conformation and presence to hold their own in the show ring, and the athleticism to excel in all equestrian sporting disciplines.
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Clairvale founder, Tearna Goldston, was first introduced to the Connemara Pony as a child. She lived close to the Shelford Downs Connemara Pony stud where she first learned to ride on the imported mare Chiltern Saffron. Her parents purchased two ponies from Shelford Downs, Shelford Downs Castanette and Shelford Downs Ardrahan, and this led to a long standing passion for the breed.
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Clairvale Connemara Stud was established in 1999 with the birth of our first foal, Clairvale Cenedra. It has remained a small stud occasionally breeding top quality ponies. We believe that it is important for our breeding ponies to have also proven themselves under saddle, and we train and compete our own ponies both for enjoyment and to promote the breed and the stud.
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Tearna's interest in breeding and pedigrees of her own ponies led to her researching the Connemara Ponies of Australia extensively, ultimately producing the A Dusty Grey Pony series of books. Visit the A Dusty Grey Pony page to read about the first book in this series, published in 2013. The second book in the series is currently being finalised and should be published later this year.
With the Clairvale Stud family moving temporarily to the UK in August 2013, our two broodmares were leased to excellent homes to continue their breeding or performance careers. During our stay we had many opportunities to view the best of Irish, British and European Connemara breeding. We are now back on home soil and will continue to be involved with the Connemara breed in Australia.
