Irish Sport Horse Magazine caught up with Carina Scott, a Scottish lady with a passion for preserving the Connemara Pony Breed. Carina has set up a wonderful Connemara Pony Stud Elevage De Garros in the picturesque part of the south of France known as the Gers, formally Gascony. Here she breeds beautiful Connemaras that not only look the part, but also epitomize the versatility of the breed for Equestrian Sports.
Hi Carina, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to Irish Sport Horse Magazine, we just want to ask you a few questions to discover more about your Stud and your passion for the Irish Connemara Pony.
How long has your Stud been Established?
I actually started breeding in 1990. However in the beginning I was breeding and producing Irish Sport Horses having retired my competition mare to stud when I moved to Ireland. We built a small stud farm just outside of Clane in County Kildare. When my children came along, that got me thinking about ponies, and in particular Connemara ponies, which I’d become familiar with whilst teaching at the Kildare branch of the pony club and several local riding schools. In 2005 we moved to the farmhouse here in the Gers region of France on 21 acres and started the Connemara stud, Elevage de Garros.
What attracted you to the Connemara Pony in particular?
We had made the decision to move to France. The climate here where I live is hot and dry in the summer and wet in the winter, with occasional frosts. I believed that Connemaras would adapt well to the climate and be able to live out all year round. The lack of grass in the summer due to the heat might also be an advantage as less chance of laminitic ponies! I also knew that the French love Connemara ponies so there would be a market for them.
The other reason I was attracted to the breed is that as an instructor coming into contact with children of all ages through the pony club and riding schools, I was very impressed by their extraordinary temperaments. Connemara’s are safe and sensible, intelligent and very trainable. They are fantastic all rounders and suitable for both children and adults due to their size and bone. They are also very easy to keep as they are hardy and easy to handle. The Connemara makes the perfect pony for all the family!
What Stallions are you currently standing, and can you tell us a bit about them?
In 2008 I travelled back to Clifden to buy a stallion for the stud, and I came home with an impressive yearling colt called Kinard Boy, by Castleside JJ out of Vinura Zola (Robe Earl). Boy was exactly what I was looking for as he has loads of bone and is very ‘true to type’. He has a fantastic temperament and he is very easy to handle. A big softy, who loves attention and cuddles! He lives out all year round often with a gelding or a young colt for company. We broke him as a 4 year old and he showed big potential over fences, but unfortunately living where we do, at the time I couldn’t find a rider for him. Instead he got down to the job of covering mares and he missed out on a competition career.
My other stallion Eden de Garros is a descendant of my two foundation mares. He is 4 years old, bay, and achieved class 1 last year. He is out of Windy’s Princess and he’s by a stallion I bred called Vivaldi de Garros. Vivaldi is a son of Jenny’s Easter Storm, by the well known French international showjumper Thunder du Blin, who died last year, aged 32. Eden is the only foal produced by Vivaldi de Garros who is now gelded.
Eden was Champion foal his only time out showing. He has a fantastic temperament and he’s in his second season of covering mares. He ran with our mares who had foals at foot this spring and he’s also been covering outside mares in hand. His first two foals were born in the spring – a strong dun filly, and a lovely bay colt. Both of them are super, so I have covered those two mares with him again this year. Eden doesn’t carry the grey or cream genes so I know I’ll have a bit of colour, depending on the mare. He is continuing his schooling under saddle and I hope to send him off eventing next year, which I’m sure he will love!
Tell us about your mares and how you selected them.
When I moved over to France from Ireland I wanted to bring over Connemara mares that are true to the breed standard, with good bone, good movement and super temperaments. This was important to me as most of the Connemara ponies I had seen in France were light in bone moving towards a sports type model rather than the true to type Irish Connemara. I brought over two foundation mares that were both covered and in foal to Irish stallions, Jenny’s Easter Storm by Spring Con (The Fugitive) out of Harwell’s Jenny Wren by Maam Hill. Jenny is a typical ‘old type’ Connemara with excellent bone and type.
The other mare is Windy’s Princess, by the beautiful dun Elite Stallion Prince of Thieves, out of Windy Bluebell by Abbeyleix Owen. I fell in love with Princess as soon as I saw her as a virtually unhandled 4 year old that had been running out with thoroughbred yearlings. Her owner literally chased her out of the stable and down the yard and when I saw her trot I bought her on the spot! She has fantastic movement (something that can be lacking in some Connemaras) and she’s a beautiful bright bay.
Over the following few years I have travelled back to Connemara to add to our breeding stock with several well bred mares, always looking for good temperaments, movement and bone. I have 2 lovely young dun mares with the aim of producing some nice coloured ponies with my stallion Eden de Garros. My objective is to breed as true to type as possible and respect the breed standard, producing ponies that are real all rounders with super temperaments so that they are suitable for children, as well as adults.
Do you find that the French Favour the Connemara as much as the Irish?
In France it seems that teenagers are often encouraged to ride horses rather than ponies, but the tide seems to be turning and there are a growing number of people who have realised how versatile the Connemara pony is, and the advantages they have over horses.
What disciplines have your stock gone on to excel in?
Many of the ponies I’ve bred have gone to family homes to do pony club activities and are often handed down from one child to the next, while being ridden by the mum during the week whilst the children are at school. We’ve had great success showing, including Reserve Champion mare at the French National Championships, as well as many other placings at National and Regional level with our youngsters and mares.
One of our ponies (Allegro de Garros) was very successful in showjumping here at top level, and was sold to America last year to the yard of Rodrigo Pessoa. Another youngster, Dancer de Garros, was Reserve Champion at the French National Eventing Championships last year and also classed ‘Elite’. We have some lovely young stock who are starting competing this year in dressage and showjumping, so I’ll keep you updated!
What young stock have you available at the moment, have you any rising stars that you are excited about?
This year we have the first two foals from Eden de Garros, who look very promising! I think we may keep the dun filly Jolie de Garros as a future brood mare, but the plan would be to get her out competing before breeding from her.
Other than this year’s foals we have a very nice 3 year old called Gizmo de Garros who should excel in any sphere as he has the looks and the ability to do so! We just need to find him the right partner to get him there! We also have a 4 year old who has grown over height at 157cm, who we will get out competing in eventing next year if he isn’t sold before hand. This year has been a good year for us, with 6 of our ponies sold in the first few months of the year. Thankfully our ‘name’ is now firmly on the French map for our super ponies who all have great temperaments!
We start their education at birth, with lots of human contact from the beginning, and then we work with them using natural horsemanship to create a good relationship with our ponies which is the basis for their future training. The other important factor is making sure our pony goes to the right home. My experience as a rider and teacher has helped me with that. I have often refused to sell my ponies to people who’ve come to buy them because I know that they are not the right person for that pony!
As a breeder are you happy with how the Connemara Breed is developing in recent years?
“I think we must strive to keep breeding Connemara ponies that respect the breed standard of the Stud Book and only breed from quality stock that conforms with that standard.”
Carina Scott – Stud Owner from Elevage De Garros
I have to admit I’m a little concerned about the current trend for light boned Connemaras here. I don’t see the point in producing this type of pony, as this already exists in ‘poney Francais du selle’ (French saddle pony) which are more like mini sport horses and they are often rather sharp to ride. I think we must strive to keep breeding Connemara ponies that respect the breed standard of the Stud Book and only breed from quality stock that conforms with that standard. We need quality ponies that can perform in all disciplines.
What are your plans for the Future of Your Stud?
After having a serious riding accident that has meant significant changes, I have reduced the number of ponies on the stud. I intend keeping my two stallions, and the plan with our young stallion Eden de Garros is to get him out competing next year so he can realise his potential. I have deliberately moved away from grey mares as I have a personal preference for coloured ponies, especially duns. Part of the reason is also because I worry about equine cancer in greys as we have a hot and sunny climate here.
If you had one piece of advice to offer an Equestrian considering getting into the breeding sector what would that be?
The mare is just as important (and perhaps more so) than the stallion you use. She is the one bringing up her foal for at least the first six months so you need a mare with a good temperament and a maternal instinct, not just a pretty pony!!
“The mare is just as important (and perhaps more so) than the stallion you use. She is the one bringing up her foal for at least the first six months so you need a mare with a good temperament and a maternal instinct, not just a pretty pony!!”
Carina Scott – Stud Owner from Elevage De Garros
Carina, thank you again for chatting with us about your lovely Stud, we look forward to talking to you again in the future.
This Interview was originally published in the August 2019 Issue of Irish Sport Horse Magazine. All Pictures are courtesy of Carina Scott, Stud Owner at Elevage De Garros.