Why the west coast of Ireland? Since joining the Connemara Pony Breeders Society (CPBS) council a year ago, I do get asked that question quite a lot!

Arriving in Clifden in the summer of 1994 as an exchange student at Clifden Community School was the start. My horsey background and interest in the Connemara pony made me choose Clifden for my year away from home.

Living in Connemara and seeing how the ponies were kept in their native country was very different and I loved it!

Coming from generations of horse breeders in Austria and growing up in Germany, I spent all my free time at the stables, on the back of a horse and every weekend at show jumping shows around the country as a groom and rider. I competed first at 1.20m-1.30m level and later had the fantastic opportunity to be offered horses and competed successfully with them up to 1.50m level.

Those years also provided the opportunity to meet the big show jumping names at international shows and ride in yards such as Peter Luther’s in north Germany. Later, I trained and was coached by the 1988 German Olympic team show jumping gold medalist, the late Dirk Hafemeister and also spent a summer training with the late Andreas Harrer of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, a huge influence on my later life with horses.

The highlight definitely was going as a groom to the Olympic Games in Barcelona, an unforgettable experience.

Back to Connemara

Until I returned to live in Ireland in 2005, my life was occupied by studying dentistry at university, riding and training show jumping horses and coaching riders. I had worked in big stables, groomed for international showjumpers and always stayed involved in the breeding of horses.

My own jumping career ended with a bad riding accident in which I very nearly lost my right leg and, after almost a year of rehab, I then concentrated more on training, coaching and judging.

In all those years, the interest in the Connemara pony stayed with me. Returning to Clifden that year and meeting my husband Kevin, I thought it was clear that I would stay in Ireland for good.

Finally, some 20 years after meeting Connemara ponies – the lovely Mona Mia aka Lyra and her offspring in Germany – I had my own Connemaras.

I set up my practice for equine dentistry, had my ponies and horses and started a family. We have two boys Luca (11) and Phelim (eight).

No longer actively involved in show jumping, I focused more on the breeding side, only now we concentrated on Connemara ponies. As life always has plenty of surprises and unknown turns, we got the opportunity to buy a yard and set up the stud and practice in the main horse region in north Germany.

Family tradition

It was a big decision to move horses, ponies, family and household to Germany. I was very excited but also knew I would miss Ireland by leaving once again. After buying three more young mares, we set off to Germany to start our new adventure.

I got involved in the breed society there. Between running the dentistry practice and then adding veterinary physiotherapy, being involved more and more in the breed society by inspecting and judging, running our Connemara stud and being a mother it was the busy horsey life I loved. And still do.

All the years of riding, grooming and spending time in top class yards around Europe gave me the background to now concentrate more and more on the inspection and breed consultancy side.

Due to the different society system in Germany, I was able to also stay closely connected to the sport horse world and very much enjoyed being involved in inspections for all breeds as a member of the ZFDP mare and foal inspection committee and stallion inspection panel.

The stud grew and finally in 2015 the Connemara stallion Gurteen Cathal joined us in Germany.

Showing ponies in-hand was not one of our priorities and Germany does not offer the same amount of shows for doing so, but with Gurteen Cathal we decided to keep showing him. With only a maximum of two Connemara shows per year, we decided to take him to the international show in Wickrath in 2016 and brought along a few more ponies. It ended up as our most successful weekend, bringing home the supreme championship for Gurteen Cathal and many more ribbons.

Things were going well, but once again life changed and the decision was made to move ‘home’ to Ireland for good in the summer of 2018. All the ponies, other animals and household was packed up and moved back to Co Clare, the homeplace of my husband.

Returning to Ireland and setting up a new yard was a big task and we arrived in time to be settled in the new place for Christmas.

Christmas with the horses was always very special in our family, due to my fondest childhood memory of a tradition told by my grandmother about my great grandfather. He would bake oat dumplings with a single whole hazelnut in the centre for every horse and pony on the farm.

Come midnight on Christmas Eve, he and his children would bring the dumplings to the horses and the children were told if they listened very carefully to the horses they would hear them talk.

My grandmother continued this tradition and always baked oat dumplings for the horses in my care and now with her no longer with us I am continuing it.

With the family, stud, equine dentistry and veterinary physiotherapy practice all set up again in Clare, I was encouraged to stay closely connected to the breeding of Connemara ponies and continue to support the breed by joining the CPBS council.

Here I am now, enjoying being as busy as ever with my job, the ponies and horses at home, being a mum to our two boys and living an all-round horsey life with my family on the Wild Atlantic Way.

Ulla Connolly was in conversation with Susan Finnerty.