I gave the Bartley O’Sullivan talk a few years in the Station House Hotel in Clifden - I wouldn’t call it a lecture because I wouldn’t be fit to lecture anybody! - but I wrote out then how I came into Connemaras.
I don’t come from a family of established breeders with heritage going back hundreds of years, but I’ve hunted with the Meaths and ridden all my life.
So it was a chance meeting with the late Stanislaus Lynch on the hunting field in 1965 that put me in the picture about the wonderful Connemara pony.
Stanislaus was a true champion, his work on behalf of the breed was tireless.
He really was a wonderful man, I could go on forever about him. He was the only man in the world to win Olympic medals for his writing, his books on hunting are collectors items and the plans for an exhibition on him in Cavan County Museum are absolutely marvellous.
I think you do need to be breeding to keep up and to gain the respect of breeders and exhibitors
So it was really all thanks to Stan that I became involved with the Connemaras.
I rode the first stallion in Clifden, there was no ridden stallion classes back then but Gay Lorenzo was saddled up near the church, then we went down through the throngs of people in the street, me in my full hunting regalia!
The foreigners were really interested in him and after the class, they asked me could he jump.
It was before the Station House Hotel was even
built so a fence was made with poles and beer barrels where the hotel is now and he put on a great show.
The crowd was very impressed with him.
World records
My daughter Susan holds two world records for side-saddle jumping.
One was with the Connemara Bobby Sparrow Blue, her own pony was lame but Patricia Dalton very kindly lent Bobby at Clifden and he just took to side-saddle like a duck to water.
The side-saddle high jump was a great crowd puller at Clifden.
Clare's daughter Susan Oakes holds two world records for side-saddle jumping. \ Laurence Dunne/jumpinaction.netClare's daughter Susan Oakes holds two world records for side-saddle jumping. \ Laurence Dunne/jumpinaction.net
It’s like all mothers when I’m watching my daughter at these high jump record attempts, I let on I’m looking but your eyes are closed!
In September 2016 Susan had an accident practising for a show in New York and had a bleed on the brain which affected her balance afterwards.
Glencarrig Rambo was bought from the Naughtons in Rosmuc. He’s a lovely, quiet pony so she started back riding and hunting with him and came right again.
I spoke to Susan this morning when she was getting ready for the St Patricks Day parade in Boston. It was minus 15 degrees!
She had already tried the Connemara mare [Sally Oxnard’s Tower Hill’s Breeze] she was to ride side-saddle in the parade, wearing her green habit, and said she was a lovely mare.
She’s a great ambassador for the Connemara pony, she was always a gifted horsewoman and was invited over to take part in the parade with five other riders, because she holds those world records.
There was a lovely banner with all the names of the people that helped her get to Boston for the parade.
Return to hunting
Susan is master of the Grallaghs and she persuaded me to go back hunting this winter. It was more of a bet but I had a thoroughly enjoyable day in Monivea with Rambo.
Looking back, I’d buy eight Connemara geldings in the west, bring them home, break and hunt them.
Then they’d all be ready for sale by May, they were a great ambassador for their dam too as it gave the breeder something to mention.
I sold a Connemara to an Arab sheikh once, it was Margo Dean, Lord be good to her, that was the contact. The pony hunted with Susan when she was a little girl and Margo spotted him.
Some wonderful ponies have come out of that sale since the sales yard opened in Clifden.
I buy foals now for the last three or four years and the plan is to keep them until they’re three.
I also bred Connemaras, I had one special mare Rathaldron Honey. I think you do need to be breeding to keep up and to gain the respect of breeders and exhibitors.
The Connemara pony is renowned worldwide. There is such pride in the people in the west about their ponies. It’s engrained into them, that knowledge, heritage and folklore west of the Shannon.
Mounted games
Mounted games brought a great number of accolades to the Meath Hunt Pony Club. It’s our local branch and its going from strength to strength in so many other disciplines too.
We had a really nice do last Friday for Micky Skelly, he retired after training the mounted games teams for 25 years.
It was held in Mick Ryan’s pub in Navan, all Mick’s kids played mounted games so it was the right place to host it.
As well as all Micky did for the Pony Club, he’s a unique man. We have a great committee working tirelessly, Tom Mullen and Gerry Brady are the joint District Commissioner and I’m the vice-DC.
Junior judge course
I’m equally at ease judging horses and Connemaras, having ridden and hunted horses all my life.
We’ve shown horses and cobs that have won at Dublin. My husband had a Draught mare that he hunted for 17 seasons.
When Derry Rothwell instigated the junior judges course in Kildalton, there were only six places and hundreds of applicants so I was very lucky to get a place and that put me on the Irish Shows Association (ISA) list.
Then in 1999, I was invited by the Connemara Pony Breeders Society (CPBS) to go on their judges list, I still have the letter.
I was privileged to be asked, the same as when you get that phone call or letter asking you to judge.
It’s humbling, it doesn’t matter where the show is in Ireland, the fact that someone has respect for your judgement is humbling.
When you’re invited to judge an All-Ireland, its such a wonderful, wonderful privilege. I keep myself to myself, I don’t be influenced. I just judge the animal.
The rules
I love mentoring junior judges. I make it clear before the show starts what the ‘rules’ are; we look at the ring, we discuss where they’ll line up.
If I’m judging with a gentleman, I’ll say, ‘You present the rosettes in the colt classes and I’ll do the mares and fillies’ and I’m a stickler for pride in your appearance.
Athenry was really special last year, really memorable for a number of reasons. It moved dates and sometimes it can almost be sacrilege to move a show date but it worked.
It worked too because of Robbie Fallon, that’s why the Connemara exhibitors came and I had a really good junior judge Peter O’Malley. It was just a wonderful show.
Louisburgh was another show I was thrilled to be invited to judge at. It was lying dormant before it was revived.
I’d gone down the previous night and I remember looking at a window display in Stauntons chemist, all the cups and memorabilia from the old shows, it was amazing.
I’m just sorry I didnt’ take a photo of it.
Clare Oakes was in conversation with Susan Finnerty.
Read more
Ringside stories: 'Judge the horse and you won’t go wrong'
Ringside stories: Shauna Finneran – a show ring Supernova
I gave the Bartley O’Sullivan talk a few years in the Station House Hotel in Clifden - I wouldn’t call it a lecture because I wouldn’t be fit to lecture anybody! - but I wrote out then how I came into Connemaras.
I don’t come from a family of established breeders with heritage going back hundreds of years, but I’ve hunted with the Meaths and ridden all my life.
So it was a chance meeting with the late Stanislaus Lynch on the hunting field in 1965 that put me in the picture about the wonderful Connemara pony.
Stanislaus was a true champion, his work on behalf of the breed was tireless.
He really was a wonderful man, I could go on forever about him. He was the only man in the world to win Olympic medals for his writing, his books on hunting are collectors items and the plans for an exhibition on him in Cavan County Museum are absolutely marvellous.
I think you do need to be breeding to keep up and to gain the respect of breeders and exhibitors
So it was really all thanks to Stan that I became involved with the Connemaras.
I rode the first stallion in Clifden, there was no ridden stallion classes back then but Gay Lorenzo was saddled up near the church, then we went down through the throngs of people in the street, me in my full hunting regalia!
The foreigners were really interested in him and after the class, they asked me could he jump.
It was before the Station House Hotel was even
built so a fence was made with poles and beer barrels where the hotel is now and he put on a great show.
The crowd was very impressed with him.
World records
My daughter Susan holds two world records for side-saddle jumping.
One was with the Connemara Bobby Sparrow Blue, her own pony was lame but Patricia Dalton very kindly lent Bobby at Clifden and he just took to side-saddle like a duck to water.
The side-saddle high jump was a great crowd puller at Clifden.
Clare's daughter Susan Oakes holds two world records for side-saddle jumping. \ Laurence Dunne/jumpinaction.netClare's daughter Susan Oakes holds two world records for side-saddle jumping. \ Laurence Dunne/jumpinaction.net
It’s like all mothers when I’m watching my daughter at these high jump record attempts, I let on I’m looking but your eyes are closed!
In September 2016 Susan had an accident practising for a show in New York and had a bleed on the brain which affected her balance afterwards.
Glencarrig Rambo was bought from the Naughtons in Rosmuc. He’s a lovely, quiet pony so she started back riding and hunting with him and came right again.
I spoke to Susan this morning when she was getting ready for the St Patricks Day parade in Boston. It was minus 15 degrees!
She had already tried the Connemara mare [Sally Oxnard’s Tower Hill’s Breeze] she was to ride side-saddle in the parade, wearing her green habit, and said she was a lovely mare.
She’s a great ambassador for the Connemara pony, she was always a gifted horsewoman and was invited over to take part in the parade with five other riders, because she holds those world records.
There was a lovely banner with all the names of the people that helped her get to Boston for the parade.
Return to hunting
Susan is master of the Grallaghs and she persuaded me to go back hunting this winter. It was more of a bet but I had a thoroughly enjoyable day in Monivea with Rambo.
Looking back, I’d buy eight Connemara geldings in the west, bring them home, break and hunt them.
Then they’d all be ready for sale by May, they were a great ambassador for their dam too as it gave the breeder something to mention.
I sold a Connemara to an Arab sheikh once, it was Margo Dean, Lord be good to her, that was the contact. The pony hunted with Susan when she was a little girl and Margo spotted him.
Some wonderful ponies have come out of that sale since the sales yard opened in Clifden.
I buy foals now for the last three or four years and the plan is to keep them until they’re three.
I also bred Connemaras, I had one special mare Rathaldron Honey. I think you do need to be breeding to keep up and to gain the respect of breeders and exhibitors.
The Connemara pony is renowned worldwide. There is such pride in the people in the west about their ponies. It’s engrained into them, that knowledge, heritage and folklore west of the Shannon.
Mounted games
Mounted games brought a great number of accolades to the Meath Hunt Pony Club. It’s our local branch and its going from strength to strength in so many other disciplines too.
We had a really nice do last Friday for Micky Skelly, he retired after training the mounted games teams for 25 years.
It was held in Mick Ryan’s pub in Navan, all Mick’s kids played mounted games so it was the right place to host it.
As well as all Micky did for the Pony Club, he’s a unique man. We have a great committee working tirelessly, Tom Mullen and Gerry Brady are the joint District Commissioner and I’m the vice-DC.
Junior judge course
I’m equally at ease judging horses and Connemaras, having ridden and hunted horses all my life.
We’ve shown horses and cobs that have won at Dublin. My husband had a Draught mare that he hunted for 17 seasons.
When Derry Rothwell instigated the junior judges course in Kildalton, there were only six places and hundreds of applicants so I was very lucky to get a place and that put me on the Irish Shows Association (ISA) list.
Then in 1999, I was invited by the Connemara Pony Breeders Society (CPBS) to go on their judges list, I still have the letter.
I was privileged to be asked, the same as when you get that phone call or letter asking you to judge.
It’s humbling, it doesn’t matter where the show is in Ireland, the fact that someone has respect for your judgement is humbling.
When you’re invited to judge an All-Ireland, its such a wonderful, wonderful privilege. I keep myself to myself, I don’t be influenced. I just judge the animal.
The rules
I love mentoring junior judges. I make it clear before the show starts what the ‘rules’ are; we look at the ring, we discuss where they’ll line up.
If I’m judging with a gentleman, I’ll say, ‘You present the rosettes in the colt classes and I’ll do the mares and fillies’ and I’m a stickler for pride in your appearance.
Athenry was really special last year, really memorable for a number of reasons. It moved dates and sometimes it can almost be sacrilege to move a show date but it worked.
It worked too because of Robbie Fallon, that’s why the Connemara exhibitors came and I had a really good junior judge Peter O’Malley. It was just a wonderful show.
Louisburgh was another show I was thrilled to be invited to judge at. It was lying dormant before it was revived.
I’d gone down the previous night and I remember looking at a window display in Stauntons chemist, all the cups and memorabilia from the old shows, it was amazing.
I’m just sorry I didnt’ take a photo of it.
Clare Oakes was in conversation with Susan Finnerty.
Read more
Ringside stories: 'Judge the horse and you won’t go wrong'
Ringside stories: Shauna Finneran – a show ring Supernova
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