Team Brennan's second lesson with Becky

Brennan really had his brain in gear today and was a super pony. I am not sure who was happier with him; Me, Karen or Becky!

Finished his clipping after lunch so he is now sporting a very clean cut of total nakedness except for his legs and head - the racing stripes just weren't working for Karen and he was still getting very hot so it made sense to just whip it all off. We got up behind the ears today too, just took a little persuasion and he worked out it was not going to chop his ears off and let Karen go for it.

He has picked up his stretching lesson really quickly and I am so pleased to see he is actually now willing to stretch down at walk and trot - A HUGE improvement. His trainability is really starting to show. He's going to be a super breed ambassador and I just get more and more excited about this journey we are taking with every step we take.

Fluffy face

Streeeetch

This canter rocks!

Going places baby!

Rawr!

Looking very smart

Zoom zoom

More stretch

More goin' places

Love

Racing Stripes

Today Brennan had his first date with the clippers. Initially we had hoped to use Karen's lovely quiet cordless Laube set but for some reason the new blades would not seat into the handpiece so we had to go to plan two and use her other set which are quite a bit noisier. Brennan was very good although decided, when the clippers got too close to his ears, that he did not really like that and would like to exit stage left, please. No drama tho, we got pretty much the rest of him done and will address the final touches tomorrow!

Once clipped, we whizzed over to Becky's so he could have a workout in her arena. Wires must have been crossed somewhere along the line because another float with a pony on board turned into her driveway literally in front of us. Pony was a mare too, of course! Anyway, we decided it would be good for him to have to 'share' his sandpit and, after explaining to other people that he was a stallion, we set forth and tacked up and took him down to the arena.

Karen said he was quite hard work today - I think he was pretty tired after a couple of hours standing in the shed concentrating on ensuring that the clippers did not eat him alive. He still did some nice work so all was not lost. He and Karen have a lesson tomorrow afternoon so hopefully they will have a great session.

Apparently, now that Karen has seen the photos, we will be removing the rest of his body hair tomorrow so, sorry Brennan, you are going to be a very naked pony!!

Rideability and Temperament

I took a little bit of a punt when I purchased Brennan. I knew quite a bit about the Connemara breed and was confident that the breed attributes* fit perfectly with what we are trying to breed/produce here at Talisman Farm but I had no personal experience of Connemara ponies here in NZ and only minimal experience of them in the UK. Brennan was basically a nicely bred and very handsome 3 year old colt who had had light handling. I didn't go and meet him myself before making the decision to purchase. He had been recommended to me by a friend and I did, of course, have photos and video to go over and I had him looked at by a close friend whose opinion I trusted and was more than happy with the feedback she gave me and so, up he came.

Brennan settled in here pretty quickly, although took a while to come to terms with wearing a cover and he tended to be a bit spooky from time to time so I did wonder how all of this might translate under saddle. Fortunately we have a wonderful horseman in our neck of the woods by the name of Gavin Morison and I sent Brennan to him to be started (Gavin started Meg and Reilly for me as well). Gavin commented very favorably on Brennan's temperament at the time we picked him up and he was finished and ready to come home in under 4 weeks so I knew I must have a good 'un.

Brennan's really just going from strength to strength and simply has not put a foot wrong since he came home. He takes everything that is thrown at him and never throws anything back. From time to time he likes to puff himself up and pretend he is wild but it's all a big show and never comes to anything. It does make me laugh though.

In textbook Brennan style, today he went from being a dressage pony, trying very hard for his rider and working on stretching and lengthening exercises, lateral work and transitions and rein backs, to being a loose rein kickalong riding pony for a weekend rider. He is so happy to adjust himself to his rider that I feel confident about putting anyone on his back, knowing that he won't do anything naughty or dangerous. This speaks volumes when it comes to his temperament and rideability. I am just so excited about what we can breed from him and his performance career. What a great 'ride' this is going to be!!!

Brennan being a kick-along pony for Lucinda

*Connemaras are strong and sturdy with a short back and sloped, muscular croup. The hindquarters are powerful. The shoulder is sloped and long. Their legs have short, strong cannons and hard feet and a good stride length. The breed has a fine head with small ears and usually a slightly dished profile set on a well-arched neck. The Connemara is considered hardy and agile, with good jumping ability. The Connemara has a lively but eager and trainable temperament, tends to be long-lived and is described as intelligent. They are hardy and are excellent mounts for children & adults.

Connemara Breed Standards - Set By The CPBS Of Ireland

If a Connemara pony is to be passed as Grade 1 on inspection, it must meet the following criteria:

• Height: 12.2 to 14.2 hands (50 to 58 inches, 127 to 147 cm).
• Colours: Grey, black, Bay, Brown, Dun with occasional Roan & Chestnut, Palomino and Cremello, called Blue Eyed Cream.
• Type: Compact, well-balanced riding type with good depth and substance and good heart room, standing on short legs, covering a lot of ground.
• Head: well-balanced pony head of medium length with good width between large kindly eyes. Pony ears, well-defined cheekbone jaw relatively deep but not coarse.
• Front: Head well set onto neck. Crest should not be over developed. Neck not set too low. Good length of rein. Well-defined withers, good sloping shoulders.
• Body: Deep, with strong back, some length permissible but should be well-ribbed up and with strong loin.
• Limbs: Good length and strength in forearm, well-defined knees and short cannons, with flat bone *measuring 18cms to 21cms. Elbows should be free. Pasterns of medium length, feet well shaped, of medium size, hard and level.
• Hind Quarters: Strong and Muscular with some length, well-developed second thighs (Gaskin) and strong low-set hocks.
• Movement: free, easy and true, without undue knee action, but active and covering ground.

If they do not meet this specification then they will be given a Grade 2 or Grade 3 on inspection.

The Connemara is best known today as a sports pony. Ridden by both children and adults, it is considered to be a very versatile pony breed, competitive in show jumping, dressage and eventing, but also with the stamina for endurance riding. They are also shown in harness.