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Stallion lines

Today's Connemara pony breeding is based on five pure Connemara stallion lines:
Line I or blue line
Line II or yellow line
Line III or red line
Line IV or pink line
Line V or green line

and two foreign bloodlines:
Thoroughbred line or purple line
Arabian line or orange line

Line I or Blue Line - founder of CANNON BALL CPS 1
The gray stallion Cannon Ball was born in 1904 and was 140 cm tall. Important descendants from his line include: Example: Rebel CPS 7, Inishgoill, Laddie CPS 21, Carna Bobby CPS 79 or Rebel Wind CPS 127. This line is characterized by a strong dominance of the color gray, a lot of type and not too rustic, BEC factor is rare, ponies are mostly in moderation and have good movements.

Line II or Yellow Line - founder BLACK PADDY CPS 8
The black stallion Black Paddy was born in 1916 and was 134 cm tall. The stallion did not breed for long and therefore only has a few offspring, including Lavalley Star CPS 25, InishgillStar CPS 20 or Noble Star CPS 17. Due to the low number of offspring produced by the stallion, the clear occurrence of certain characteristics cannot be reported here.

Line III or Red Line - founder CONNEMARA BOY CPS 9

The gray stallion Connemara Boy was born in 1922 and was 137 cm tall. Important offspring include Heather Bell CPS 15, Dun Heath CPS 31, Dun Lorenzo CPS 55 and Mac Dara CPS 91.

Important characteristics of the red line are many duns, also gray and brown, and few black horses. Many types, somewhat more primitive than line I. Frequent occurrence of the BEC factor. If the line is strong in the pedigree, the ponies are sometimes a little narrow in the elbow and therefore somewhat restricted in the freedom of movement of the forehand.

Line IV or Pink Line - founder JOHN QUIRKE CPS 13
The gray stallion John Quirke was born in 1923 and was 140 tall. He was a strong and tough pony. His most important descendants include Silver Pearl CPS 18, Man of Barna 73 and Silver King CPS 66. The line was no longer continued after the 2nd generation and therefore the same applies as to line II.

Line V or Green Line - founder MOUNTAIN LAD CPS 32

The gray stallion Mountain Lad was born in 1928 and was 140 cm tall. His most important offspring are Tully Lad CPS 48, Tully Gray CPS 110, Thunder CPS 113 and Thunderbold CPS 178.
All colors are present in the line, but a special feature of this line is the white horses born as foxes. which only turn pale very late and are still gray in old age. The ponies are in size and have a lot of type, the BEC factor is rare. If the line V is strong in the pedigree, a slightly steep shoulder will occasionally appear and thus a higher knee action with less reaching movement.

Thoroughbred or Purple Line - founder LITTLE HEAVEN XX

The brown thoroughbred stallion Little Heaven was born in 1942 and was 150 cm tall. In terms of size, he was a good fit for the refinement of the Connemara ponies. His main offspring Carna Dun CPS 89.
The colors brown and black occur frequently in this line, resulting in a rare occurrence of the BEC factor. The ponies are often over the top and have particularly good jumping ability. With a very high proportion of whole blood, this is of course reflected in the interior and exterior.

Arabic Line or Orange Line - founder NASEEL OX

The gray stallion Naseel was born in 1936 and was 143 cm tall. He is the founder of the most important foreign bloodline. His most important offspring is Clonkeehan Auratum CPS 104.
The ponies are in maturity and the BEC factor occurs frequently. The ponies usually have particularly great stamina and good looks with pretty heads.

Sources: Beatrice Millender: Connemara Pony No. 2 from the Connemara-Pony-Interessengemeinschaft eV, Connemara breeding in Germany from 1990, Pat Lyne: Shrouded in Mist, ECPS: Connemara Chronicle, Michael Schäfer: Small horses, large ponies and Andalusian horses, CPS Studbooks, IG-Connemara: newsletters since 1970