Thousands of people will flock to Clifden this weekend for the start of the annual Connemara Pony Festival, which will be held from Sunday 16 August until Sunday 23 August.

For the first time, the festival will feature an art trail, with a number of paintings of Connemara ponies on display in local shops.

The opening event is the Connemara Pony Show Queen contest at the Station House Theatre, where the festival queen will be crowned.

The bus tour visiting studs in Connemara has become increasingly popular with visitors and this year it will be held over two days.

On Monday, the tour will travel from Clifden towards Letterfrack and Renvyle, while on Tuesday it will travel from Cashel to Ballyconneely.

Tuesday is international day and the ICCPS AGM will take place in the morning, followed by a memorial service for deceased friends.

A linear profiling workshop will follow, while on Tuesday evening, the Abbeyglen Castle Hotel will host the international reception.

PONY SHOW

The highlight of the festival is the Connemara Pony Show, now running over three days, starting on Wednesday morning.

The first class is the four-year-old performance mare championship, with a €5,000 prize fund sponsored by Horse Sport Ireland. The green hunter and three-year-old loose jumping finals will also take place on Wednesday.

Thursday features in-hand classes, ridden classes, dog show, Irish dancing, séan nós dancing, domestic arts and a best dressed lady competition.

Working hunter classes start on Friday, with the high performance final and puissance competition taking place in the afternoon. The show will culminate with a parade of champions.

A sale of Connemara ponies will take place in Clifden Mart next Saturday and Sunday at 11am each day. For more details, please read more here.