Connemara ponies reach new heights

A LIFELONG love of Connemara ponies has blossomed into a full-scale breeding program for Frank Hill at his Derrinal homestead.

His first pony, Captain, was bought in 1972 and was followed by Smokey which he purchased for his daughter Bridget Rosenbrock in 1988.

After Ms Rosenbrock’s daughter Ava asked for a pony in 2015, Mr Hill bought the first of the family’s current Connemara stock.

“Bridget had a look around up in Queensland and she found Garnet Topaz, a lovely buckskin mare,” he said.

This was followed by three more ponies from Boonahburra Connemaras near Geelong and then a stallion, Black Swan de Vuzit, from France in 2016.

“We’ve bred some lovely foals by him.”

One of these was White Onyx de Derrinal which Ms Rosenbrock entered in the 2022 Mountain and Moorland Association of Australia’s online international youngstock show.

“White Onyx competed against other breeds and came second in Australia, and the judge made a special comment that he was world class so you can imagine how pleased we were,” Mr Hill said. “He won the Connemara section.”

Mr Hill said most of the Connemara show ponies in Australia were of Irish blood.

“They’re heavy in the bone and a bit on the fat side which means they’re very slow moving so they’re alright if you want a slow ride, but if you want to do a bit of jumping it’s different,” he said.

“I’m looking for ponies which are a bit finer in the bone and faster moving.”

Mr Hill said he had seen Irish ponies who were jumping only 70 centimetres.

“Now the ponies we’re breeding are bred from ponies that jump 135 centimetres, so it’s a completely different type.

Mr Hill has now bought a second French colt, Magrid Pondi, which will come to Australia in October.

“We are trying to breed ponies that have showring quality, they have the athletic ability to match the best and very quiet temperaments so that children can ride them,” he said.

“We’re also breeding them with proper pony heads, with pigmentation around the nose.

“A lot of the Irish ponies are white nosed and that’s no good out here, they get sunburned and get melanoma.

“We want our ponies to live for a long time, so these are the things you have to select for.”

Mr Hill said his family has had horses at Derrinal over several generations.

“It started with my grandfather, he won first prize for a horse and buggy at the Royal Melbourne Show in about 1910 and he showed Clydesdales in Heathcote,” Mr Hill said.

“The last foal was born here about 1946 and in 1948 dad bought the third Ferguson tractor that came to Bendigo.

“Dad went out ploughing and my grandfather couldn’t fault the ploughing so that was the finish of the draft horses.”