Thousands of people have travelled to Clifden in Co Galway today for the 88th Connemara Pony Show.
The Clifden Chamber of Commerce says there has been a huge increase in tourism in the region this summer, with foreign visitors up 27% over last year.
Breeders from as far apart as Australia and Finland have come to take part in this year’s show and to support the effort to promote the Connemara breed worldwide.
The President of the International Connemara Pony Breeders Society, Tuula Pyoria, said the Connemara breed was gaining an increased reputation across the world because of their great versatility and the relationship they have with children and young riders.
She said the society had recently been in touch with a new group of breeders in China and she believed that the trade in Connemara ponies would increase significantly in the coming years.
