With South East Connemaras around Scotland

Every year, the local branch of the British Connemara Pony Society, South East Connemaras, with Cherry Caddy at the helm, arranges a coach trip with the purpose to travel around, meet other Connemara enthusiasts and look at Connemaras. Over the years trips have been arranged to Ireland, France, Denmark and this year the aim was set for Scotland, an equally exotic trip for many Englishmen. Once arrived in Scotland Edinburgh was the base camp of the tour and as there were room left on the bus I could come along when the coach travelers invaded the Transy and Falfield studs. The Coach trippers turned out to be a cheerful bunch of friendly Connemara enthusiasts, with both longtime breeders and new enthusiasts. All were keen to see what Scotland had to offer in terms of Connemaras.

The first stop of the day was with Dougal Dick and his Transy stud. Transy is perhaps best known for its Shetland ponies that have been bread at the stud for more than 100 years and exported all over the world, including to Sweden. We were told how Buffalo Bill once had been to Scotland and bought a Transy pony that he brought back to the US and displayed in his wild west show as the world's smallest horse. We were, however, more curious about the Connemara ponies that in the past couple of years have been bred at the stud, and after a cup of coffee we set out to see them. Unfortunately, by this time the sun that shone so happily in Edinburgh had given place to a dense drizzle, but name the Connemara enthusiast you can stopped with a bit of rain.

Foundation mare at Transy is Bardsey Bangle (by Whitwell Cockade out of Holton Flash Favour), a nice mare, true to type, who we saw in a field with her four offspring. The first was a very nice part bred by a thoroughbred stallion who moved very well. "Just what you'ld like in a patrbred." somebody commented. The other three, a gelding and two mares, were by Lockinge Frederick (by Atlantic Swirl out of Faddiley Flora). The yearling, Transy Bangle, has been shown quite frequently during the summer. Her three-year-old sister, Transy B.M., was a twin foal. Bangle had slipped her foal at a fairly late stage and everyone had thought the foal of that year had been lost, until Bangle a month later gave birth to a live and healthy filly foal*. Hence the name B.M. - "Bloody Miracle".

After finishing viewing Bangle and her offspring we went over to a grass paddock where a couple of the Connemaras of the neighbourhood had been taken to be displayed to us. On our way there we were also shown some of the stud's Shetland ponies, among others a mare that had been Champion at the international Shetland pony show a year. Now the drizzle turned into a more persistent rain and the coach travelers took cover under umbrellas and strategically growing apple trees. I pitied the Connemara owners who had groomed their ponies to perfection, only to see them soaked when it was time to show them. The ponies, however, were not particularly bothered by the weather.

First out was Sydserff Fingal (by Kirtling Brigadoon out of Fort Ash). This pony had been very successful at ridden classes and had several times qualified to the big ridden class finals for the native breeds that is held at Olympia every autumn. The finals brings the creme de la creme of ridden ponies and Fingal had in his heydays secured a second place. Fingal was now 21 and beginning to show his age a bit. We were also shown Sydserff Lord of the Dance (by Cocum Camelot out of Sydserff Silver Fir), a six-year-old gelding the owner hoped would be a worthy successor to Fingal.

After this we were shown three lovely ridden ponies. First out was Locking Frank (by Atlantic Swirl out of Faddiley Flora), a full brother of Locking Frederick, the sire of Bangle's foals and many successful ponies at the Eastland stud. Thereafter followed, in a downpour, a pas de deux with Sydserff Clincer (by Cocum Camelot out of Fort Ash) and Pilgrim's Crystal Sprite (by Kirtling Brigadoon out of Errislannon Tourmaline), accompanied by bagpipes of course. When the display was over, Mr Dick appologised for the weather once again and we were happy to follow his suggestion and return to the house where somebody had had the good, if somewhat un-Scottish, taste of turning on the heating, in spite of it being only September.

Back in the house we were served a fabulous buffet lunch with Sydserff Fingal's birday cake for dessert. There were also ample opportunity to talk Connemaras with other enthusiasts and I mentioned to Mr Dick that him judging Connemaras in Sweden wearing a kilt was something that was still being talked about. Mr Dick well remembered the occasion and said he had been surprised at the number of bay and brown Connemaras we had. Too soon it was time to head on for the next part of the program, the Falfield stud. The sun came out again and Fife showed itself from its nicest side. Until we got out of the bus when rain and wind struck again. Fortunately only briefly this time.

After saying hello to two ponies that were not from the Falfield stud, Hayselden Thalia (by Hayselden Bacchus out of Lady Duff) and Lishmar Finnegans Wake (by Garryhinch Finn out of Lishmar Fiona) we continued to the homebred ponies. Both Dartmoor and Connemara ponies are being bred at Falfield, and for the latter it seemed like duns were a speciality. Falfield Honeymoon (by Camlin Comet out of Sydserff Honeysuckle) and her full sister Falfield Honeybee were two lovely typey dun mares and Honeybee had a very nice filly by Tiercel Woodman by her side**. The ponies got excited by the wind and all the visitors and gave a nice display in trot and canter with heads and tails held high.

Next we proceeded to look at a halfsister of Honeymoon and Honeybee, Falfield Honeysuckle (by Arrow Javelin). Unfortunately, she and the other horses in the field had ringworm, so we had to be content with viewing her from a distance, but she seemed very nice too. Honeysuckle was the survivor of a set of twins and the breeder, Winsom Aird, had surely been relieved when one of the foals survived after having sent her mare all the way down to England to have her covered by Arrow Javelin. When we were done looking at the ponies we were invited into the house for tea and the most ambitious cake buffet I had seen in a very long time. "I'm eating my way through Scotland" Cherry panted and pointed out that it was fortunate that we at least had to walk around to see the ponies considering all the nice food they were being served everywhere. When everybody was happy with their refills of tea and had tasted the homebaked delicacies they could manage if was time to get back on the bus and head back to Edinburgh.

Sunday morning took the coach travelers to a whiskey distillery, so I made my own way to the Sydserff stud and met up with them there after they had enjoyed a late lunch at a castle nearby. It was a group of happy and satisfied coach travelers that rolled out of the coach onto the Sydserff yard and ensured me that I had really missed something when it came to lunches.

We started by saying hi to the old mares at Sydserff, Ballydonagh Misterina (by Kirtling Brigadoon out of Atlantic Mist) and Sydserff Silver Fir (by Kirtling Brigadoon out of Sydserff Silver Birch), 23 and 25 years old respectively. The two sisters were looking great and as beautiful as ever. "Eileen's had some mares I would have given my back teeth to own." Pat Parker from the arrow stud sighed jealously.

In the next field were Boden Park Snowgoose (by Abbeuleix Owen out of Spinway Snowbird) and Sydserff Fiona (by Kirtling Brigadoon out of Fort Laura) with a nice filly foal each***, and in the next field three yearlings****. Eileen's favourite of the three was Sydserff Golden Whim (out of Sydserff Golden Beech), a dun gelding by Cocum Camelot. She had been tempted to keep him as a stallion, but decided he would make a better gelding than a stallion and gelded him instead. Next we were shown Sydserff Copper Beech, a full sister of Golden Whim, who had a showy filly by Tiercel Woodman at her side. In the last mare field were Sydserff Golden Beech (by Kirtling Brigadoon out of Sydserff Golden Willow) and Sydserff Wytch Hazel. The latter is clearly recognizable as a daughter of Cocum Camelot who seems to stamp his stock. Hazel had recently lost an eye to cancer and was reluctant to turn that side to the visitors, but seemed otherwise not bothered by her handicap.

It was now time to see Cocum Camelot (by Thunderbolt out of Cocum Prima Donna). Somebody who was particularly keen to see him was Jane Strick who ran Camelot with her mares at Bardsey for a couple of seasons, but who hadn't seen him since. In his 19th year Camelot is still in great shape and was considerably slimmer then when I saw him a couple of years ago. He had nothing against being admired by so many people and since he is not a show pony many probably enjoyed seeing him in the flesh. The tour was concluded with a visiting mare with foal. Fort Donna (out of Fort Karina) is one of very few Abbeyleix Dolphin mares in the UK. Unfortunately she had a rather long dipped back that attracted the eye and made it difficult to appreciate her other qualities.

When we had seen all the ponies it was time for tea and a cake buffet that was not far behind the one at Falfield. I had brought my laptop and showed some photos from the Swedish breed show which raised considerable interest. People commented in particular how fit many of the ponies were, something that is quite different from the show condition usually shown here. The afternoon passed all too quickly and soon it was time to bid good bye to the coach travelers and see them of. Those of us residing in Scotland stayed for a bit more tea and Connemara talk before wee too reluctantly had to head home.

* At the time of writing I was under the impression B.M. had been a filly, but he was actually a gelding.

** Falfield Beeleaf was the foal.

*** The foals were Sydserff Swan and Sydserff Maeve.

**** In addition to Sydserff Golden Whin the other two were Sydserff Woodpecker (by Tiercel Woodman out of Sydserff Wytch Hazel) and Sydserff Misty Morning (by Tiercel Woodman out of Ballydonagh Misterina).

All photos from Transy

All photos from Falfield

All photos from Sydserff