About CPSNZ 40 years on, the CPSNZ of 2025 has only a small number of active members who are breeding registered Stud Book ponies. The quality of the ponies being produced is high. The big concern is the lack of younger people becoming involved in breeding ponies. The CPSNZ was formed in 1984 for the purpose of promoting the Connemara pony in NZ, maintaining standards and for keeping a Stud Book of ponies bred in NZ in a form acceptable to the Connemara Pony Breeder’s Society in Ireland, with the addition of a register for part-bred Connemara ponies. Founding members were Mr and Mrs D Axe, Mr H Brandell, Mrs H Cameron, Miss D Cochrane, Mrs A Crump, Mrs L Graham, Mrs T Hore, Mrs S Jones, Sir John Marshall, Mrs B Millward, Major Dermot Neill, Mrs D Rutherford, Mrs J Springford, Mr W Storey, Mrs H Storey, Mrs W Tatham. History In 1970 Connemara Park Roy, a yearling colt, was imported from Australia to North Otago by Mrs Taieri Hore (Ridgeway Stud). In 1974 Mrs B. Millward imported the two-year-old colt Connemara Park Michael, from Australia to Te Aroha (Leitrim Stud). In 1975 Mrs D. Rutherford imported the yearling colt Barwidgee Erriff from Australia to North Canterbury (Galway Stud). Initially, these stallions were mated to mares of all sizes and types producing part-bred ponies. The first purebred Connemara pony mares arrived in 1977 and 1978. Taieri Hore imported full-sisters Blandings Juliet (in-foal) and Blandings Brigid; Mrs B. Millward imported filly foal Blandings Ardrahan; and Sir John and Lady Marshall imported in-foal mares Blandings Henrietta and Irish Mist. All these mares were imported from Australia, although Irish Mist was born in Ireland and imported into Australia as a foal at foot with her dam. Blandings Juliet, Blandings Brigid and Blandings Henrietta were all daughters of Clonkeehan Archer, and the dam of Juliet and Brigid was a three-quarter sister to the dam of Henrietta. Blandings Ardrahan had just two foals in New Zealand before being bought back by Blandings Stud in Australia. The first purebred Connemara pony foal born in New Zealand was Ridgeway Dream imported in utero (iiu), a filly by Blandings Bobby out of Blandings Juliet. She was born in December 1977. In February 1978 the first purebred Connemara pony colt foal born in New Zealand arrived. He was Canningvale Irish Dusk (iiu), by Domo Cavallo Benjamin out of Irish Mist. Canningvale Irish Dusk became a Stud Book stallion. In 1978 Sir John and Lady Marshall imported colt Chiltern Sunsilk in 1978, purchased from renowned Connemara Pony enthusiast and author Pat Lyne in England (Canningvale Stud). Chiltern Sunsilk had been judged best two-year-old colt at the 1978 Ponies of Britain show. Windward, by Rebel Wind out of Snabo Girl, was born in Ireland in 1973 and imported by Mrs W Tatham in 1979 (Lonsdale Stud). Blandings Jade and Blandings Kimberley, yearling daughters of Blandings Bobby were imported from Australia in 1980 by Taieri Hore. In 1987 the Marshalls created the “Sir John and Lady Marshall Trust of Ambury Park Riding for the Disabled”. Chiltern Sunsilk, and the mares Irish Mist, Blandings Henrietta and Canningvale Bonnie Jean each in foal, and with a foal at foot, were donated to the trust to serve as a foundation for breeding ponies specifically for use in therapeutic riding in this country. In 1989 Anne Ryan imported the mare Glenormiston Dingle Bay from Australia. Glenormiston Dingle Bay left four colt foals that were all gelded (Scarteen Stud). In 1989 Tom McNamara imported Ganty Champ from Ireland (Bunratty Stud). In 2025 his now elderly son, Liss Tara Ganty Gold, is his only offspring still breeding. By the start of 1990 around 50 purebred mares and filly foals had been imported to or born in New Zealand. Many of these purebred mares never had the chance to breed as they were such great family ponies, they became too busy to have foals. Connemara Park Roy, Chiltern Sunsilk and Canningvale Irish Dusk were the most used sires in those early years. Lonsdale Moonwind, by Connemara Park Michael out of Windward, was the first son of a New Zealand based stallion to be become a registered stallion. He was followed by Bunratty Chieftain, Ridgeway Stonelea, Waterfall Dan, Bunratty Kerry Gold and Sun’n’Air of Summer Valley. Bruce Sturgeon imported the stallion Glenormiston Jasper from Australia in 1996. His son Keltic O’Se, out of Leitrim Ardan died late 2023 after a succusseful stud career. Lonsdale Legend, born in 2002, by UK-based Spinway Comet, was a result of the first importation frozen Connemara pony semen to New Zealand. He left one gelding before being exported to Ireland, where his first foals were born in 2008. He is now resident in Scotland. By the early 2000s it was clear that the initial importations of closely related mares had led to a decline in breeding options for the national mare herd. This led to the importation of Capparis Casanova from Australia in 2005 by Sheila Ramsay (Kohatu Stud) and the Mullen Family (Wembleybrrok Stud). He has one son at stud Crossiebeg Brennan. His second entire son, Wembleybrook Giacomo sadly died late 2023 without leaving a son himself to carry on his mareline. Capparis Casanova himself is well and still breeding. From 2005, over the next 10 years the following mares were imported from Australia:
Biwmares Madonna and her iiu daughter Kohatu Dark Isle,
2013 Parsons Pride, was imported from the UK into New Zealand then re-exported to Australia. Her son Lucanus of Wychfields left three fillies in 2016 before being gelded. 2021 Exmoor Saffron 2023 Dylandglen Bonnie Bay and her iiu fill, Rimrock Knight Rider Stallions Glenormiston Rowan and Glenormiston Fineen were imported from Australia. Frozen semen imports are now the preferred means of accessing sire genetics. In recent years these imports include semen from Gentle Cascade (UK), Churchway Daybreak (UK), Pattys Veuve Cosmic (Germany), Rhinestroms Mighty Man (Germany), and Nyton Mr Mole (France). In 2007 Tomás Mac Lochlainn, former President of the Connemara Pony Breeders Society (Ireland) and breeder visited Australia and New Zealand. He visited ponies from one end of the country to the other. One of his recommendations was that 3 New Zealanders attend the ICCPS meeting in Clifden, Ireland in 2008 – it didn’t happen then, but we did have three people there in 2014 for the first public meeting with breeders in Ireland to inform them about Hoof Wall Separation Disease.
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