Connemara Pony
brave, clever, amenable
Origin
Connemara, Ireland
Withers height
128–148 cm
EventingShow jumpingYouth sportLeisure
Traits & strengths
- ✦exceptional jumping ability for its size
- ✦great courage in front of solid obstacles — shaped by the Irish terrain
- ✦sure-footed and enduring on uneven ground
- ✦carries adults as readily as young riders
Breed-typical predispositions
HWSD (hoof wall separation disease)
Disease →recessive (SERPINB11) — the hoof wall separates along the white line; homozygous animals are affected from foalhood, carriers are healthy. Gene test before mating
Insulin dysregulation / laminitis
Disease →hardy pony genetics developed on barren coastal pasture — energy-rich feed is the critical factor
Latest findings
Cause of HWSD (SERPINB11)
2015A variant in the SERPINB11 gene was identified as causal; carrier frequency in the Connemara is considerably higher than the number of affected animals would suggest.
Source · Finno et al. — SERPINB11 in Connemara ponies