Lofty Connemara Pony Stud

Välkomna till Lofty Connemara Stuteri

In english

Stuteriets första ston inköptes 1967-68. De var Cocum Lindy Lou RC 95, kallad ”Lofty” och Gina of Ganty RC 50. Dessa två ston gav oss, förutom mycket glädje, även erfarenhet och inte minst kontakter med uppfödare på Irland och i England. Så 1989 fick vi hjälp av Jimmy Jones, Ashfield stuteriet, att hitta stona Rolo RC 637 och Creewood Folly RC 655. Stona har blivit fler men inte fler än att varje häst kan vara en individ samt att verksamheten ryms inom vår ”fritid”. Välhanterade unghästar är viktigt för oss.

Avelsmålet är att med bibehållen connemaratyp få fram en sund ponny med bra ridbarhet, god hoppförmåga och ett gott temperament. I ordet temperament ligger även ett gott mod. Vi har med avsikt valt att ha avelsston som är födda på Irland och efterhand deras döttrar. I första hand för att våra avkommor lättare ska passa in i den svenska aveln, i andra hand för att vi uppfattar det som enklare att avelsvärdera ston med irländsk härstamning då avelsmaterialet på Irland är mycket större. Målsättningen är att ha avelsston ur väl beprövade stofamiljer och att få fram tre föl per år. En del unghästar säljs som föl men många är kvar till tre års ålder eller längre beroende på tillgång till ryttare. Målet för dessa är ungponnytesterna.

Från 2019 har vi dragit ner på verksamheten och målet är idag ett föl per år eller bättre två vartannat år.  Två aktiva avelsston samsas med två pensionerade. Den egna ridningen har idag fått ett större utrymme !!

Nina och Anders Gustafson

Anders och Nina
Welcome to Lofty Connemara Pony Stud

The stud was founded in 1969 when the first two foals were born. I ( Nina) was still living with my parents and ponies were a family thing. Our first pony was Cocum Lindy Lou , ”Lofty”, who came from England 1967.  She was out of the irish mare Francie Alice IRE  and by a young Mac Dara colt Treeyews Lindisfarne GB . His dame was no less than Village Swallow.

”Lofty” was supposed to become my riding pony but her joints caused her problems from the early start so we gave up and after a discussion with a vet, put her in foal. She had 10 of which there were 8 colts.I have nothing left from her.  Lofty wasn´t beautiful but had everything you can ask concerning a super temperament and she loved to be ridden. She followed me since my teens, we moved around, met Anders and she was put down at an age of 33.

1968 I spent two months in England at Calmore stud and pedigree pigs.  Here I met my next pony, Gina of Ganty ( Paddy´s Heaven- Ganty Jane). Gina had been bought at Maam Fair as a foal following her dame and breeder an October day 1964. Susan Bowen ( nee Bradley) bought her and the foal went to England. Gina had no joint problems and she never made me disappointed. We did the jumping up to 120 cm, dressage and eventing- she was a real pony of her time, one of the best. A lovely dun, 139 cm. Except all the rosettes Gina gave me and Anders a friend for lifetime- her breeder Joe Mcnamara, Ganty.  She had 10 foals and we kept two fillies to breed from.

Our second son was born with a serious asthma and we decided to sell all young ponies and just keep Lofty and Gina in a kind of extensive holding. We were happy , and so was our  today farming , son- the asthma disappeared at an early age.

In 1989 we went to Ireland and did one of our best buy ever- Rolo IRE 8078 and got another friend for life, Tom O´Donnell, her breeder in Roundstone. Rolo is today still with us, 14 foals later, 31 years old (2013).  In 1998  we went to Sligo to meet ”Bobby”, the foal Rolo left in Ireland 1989. We came to Beezies Stud, found Bounty  IRE 11056, and got  more friends for life.

Our stallion Coosheen Finbarr was bought from Lib Petch as a foal. 2012 we couldn´t resist the offer to have another mare,  Glenayre Mystique IRE 11304. She is 17 years old (2013)  but hopefully we will get some foals from her.

We breed 2-3 foals per year and keep most of them until they are 3-4 years old and have started their education.  In Sweden we have cold winters and no grass so we keep them stabled nighttime between mid October until early May. Grow our own hay/ silage and try to get a quality that minimize the hard feed. For the moment we have too many broodmares so one or two are lent to people to breed or to ride. We won´t take the risk to loose our bloodlines so both Rolo and Bounty have two daughters at the stud.

From 2019 we are more or less retired from work and have reduced the herd. One foal a year or even better ,two every second year is the goal.

 

Nina och Anders Gustafson

 

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