At times, I will have Kerry bog pony sale at the bottom of this page. The ponies which were probably known as hobbyhorse in years gone by are a native Irish rear breed that would be classed as a mountain and moorland breed.similar enough to the Dartmoor, Icelandic or ex moor ponies they are an extremely hardy breed and will survive practically anywhere. They need very little care and are immune to a lot of equine diseases. The pony is small to average size and weighs around 190 to 220kgs and have a very kind and quiet temperament making them ideal pets.
In the past they were originally used as ponies for taking milk or butter to the creamery or bringing turf home from the bog or collecting seaweed but their numbers declined rapidly with the invention of tractors and cars to the extent that in the early 1990s their were only around 20 mares and 6 stallions living feral on the mountains around Glenbeigh in Co. Kerry when they were captured and tested by Weatherbys DNA Laboratory where they were characterized at genetic level as a distinct breed and the Kerry bog pony society was set up in an effort to breed them and save them from extinction.
Today their are around 300 registered ponies so while the numbers have improved they are still a rare pony mainly because of their size, While other breeds like the Connemara pony can be used for showjumping or riding the bog pony has limited use in today s world. They do however make an excellent companion pony and a great pet for children. They are also great grazers in marginal ground and will live happily in bogs or moorland in summer or winter. In winter, they grow a thick coat of hair to insulate themselves from the cold. They will do better than cattle as they can out compete them by grazing tighter to the ground and will graze on a wide variety of vegetation.
The Kerry bog pony has a unique footfall compared to other ponies which is believed to help spread its weight more evenly to travel over soft ground in bogs and wetlands. I have seen our ponies eating heather bilberry shrubs furzes and thistles and have even heard that they have been seen to use their hooves to dig out roots if vegetation was scarce. They also have a dish shaped face like the Arabian horses but are closer in DNA to the Icelandic and Shetland ponies which leads some to believe that they came to Ireland with the vikings.
If you are interested in getting a pet or companion pony then the Kerry bog is the friendliest pony you could wish for. Our aim is to help with the preservation of the Kerry bog pony and to keep the breed alive for future generations. When ponies are for sale I will post them below on this page all our ponies are purebred registered the Kerry bog pony society and have passports and microchips. For more information about the breed see links below.
Read my longer post about Kerry bog ponies Here
other links
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerry_Bog_Pony
For sale
Name April bell
Date of birth 24-4-19
April bell is an untouched yearling filly purebred registered Kerry bog pony she is a daughter of rusty rua and granddaughter of flashy fox. She is microchiped wormed and ready to go she is a quite pony would be very easily trained.
Price sold
April bell
April bell
Name Lakeside view
Date of birth 2006
Lakeside view is a chestnut class 1 mare purebred registered Kerry bog pony. She is microchiped and wormed and is a very well handled pony and very good with children (see pics above with little girl platting her mane)
Price sold
lakeside view
lakeside view
7 thoughts on “Kerry bog ponies”
Thanks so much for this great article on the Kerry ponies, the Kerry ponies has been one of my greatest pet so far, the last one I got went away without knowing her whereabouts, they are one of the unique animals very fun to be with, I think am gonna get another one soon , thanks for this review on them
Thanks rose I will probably have some foals for sale if yo are interested I will post them on this page when they are ready
i would like to appreciate you for your review on the bog pony. even if it has limited use in our world today, even while it is noted that there are over 300 ponies that are registered, so many people would hardly place high value to the surreptitious opulence that these wonderful creatures hold for the future. thanks for the review
Hi DJ,
Thank you for your lovely blog on the Kerry Bog Ponies DJ. I’m on the west coast of Scotland and haven’t managed to find any of them over here. I’d be super interested in getting a couple – they sound perfect for the terrain here – do let me know if you are likely to have any available in the next year or two. Thank you, Wendy
I would be a long drive from Scotland living in Kerry in Ireland. I have one colt foal this year. We sold most of our ponies last year due to lack of time in halter training etc. We didn’t want to end up with too many to be looking after. If you have a look at the kerry bog pony website they have a list of breeders http://kerrybogpony.ie/using-the-database
I think they would be very suitable for your terrain.
Great article! I loved reading this and learned alot about the Kerry bog ponies. I have been around ponies since the age of 10 and have owned Fell ponies and a Shetland. I love all native breeds and only discovered Kerry bog ponies a few years ago. They are very rare and seldom seen over here in Cumbria, NW England. I hope to see some Kerry bog ponies one day. Perhaps when I visit Ireland 🙂 My Nanna was from County Roscommon so I would love to visit one day and combine family history with Kerry bog ponies!
Thanks Rebecca
If you are ever in Kerry there are always some outside The red fox in which is a popular tourist stop on the ring of kerry
you would be welcome to see mine too if you are in the Castleisland area. I often post my ponies on Twitter @mcauliffedj or my other social media pages. Thanks again for the feedback always appreciate it even though I have not got around to writing on this blog for a while