Description
I took this photograph many years ago but it was one of those images that will stay with me forever. I had taken my son back to Ireland to meet his Irish family and we went for a drive into Connemara. If you can get past the midges in the summer it’s an absolutely beautiful place.
I would love to say I walked 5kms through the boggy Connemara terrain to get this but it was actually just on the side of the road. They are known for their good temperament so you just have to be quiet and patient.
These ponies are Irelands only unique breed of horse. Surprisingly, the breed is actually of Scandinavian descent having been brought into Ireland by the Vikings who arrived in 795AD. Legend has it that whilst returning home after unsuccessfully attempting to invade England, galleons from the infamous Spanish Armada unexpectedly ran aground off the Galway coast in 1588. The Andalusian horses on board were set loose and swam to shore from the wrecks. These horses then gradually began to breed with the now Irish ponies that ran wild in the mountains.
