Almost as interesting as the judging in the ring at the annual Connemara Pony Show at Clifden is the dealing going on in the wings.
Although the sun had a tentative couple of hours yesterday morning it came through in triumph as the event gathered momentum. To win at Clifden is the ultimate for a Connemara pony-breeder. The show, which offers overall prize money of £2,500, is in its 77th year.
To win at Clifden is the most important endorsement of a pony's quality. The breeders and competitors know this. So do the buyers. Jane Andrews, a breeder from the north of England, has been to the Connemara show many times. Last year she brought two stallions. As she points out, the Connemara is a moorland, mountain pony, and, whereas in Ireland this rugged breed is out on its own, in England there are many varieties of mountain breeds including Dartmoor and Exmoor.
While Ms Andrews was casting a critical eye on each pony as it passed, respective riders were engaged in their own private triumphs and disappointments.
Of the many children present yesterday those who were not competing or having their faces painted stood at the ringside discussing which pony they would like to take home.
The best quote of the day, however, came from a very small girl who seemed to have been asleep but responded with much assurance to her mother's remark that she liked a particular grey mare and foal in that class. The child looked up and said: "Why do you like that pair? I like them all."
