Irish Oil on Canvas of Preparing the Champion by Seamus Coleman

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Lovely piece of original Irish Art by one of our FAVORITE IRISH ARTISTS!

Painting by popular and rapidly rising Irish … Read more Lovely piece of original Irish Art by one of our FAVORITE IRISH ARTISTS!

Painting by popular and rapidly rising Irish Artist - Seamus Coleman of Co Roscommon. Signed on the bottom right.

This painting is titled "Preparing the Champion".

Ireland is World Famous for its equine industry. Irish horses of all breeds are highly prized and sought out internationally. Ireland is very proud of this.

In the days before mechanization, horses were an essential part of farming in Ireland. For example, in 1939, it was estimated that over 350,000 horses worked on Irish farms.

Today, horses are kept for breeding or for pleasure, or usually a combination of both. There are three main sectors to the horse industry on Ireland’s farms – racing, breeding and equestrian sports.

Despite its small size, Ireland holds a pre-eminent position in thoroughbred racing and breeding and in the equestrian world.

The Irish bloodstock breeding and racing industry is of major national importance in terms of employment (especially in rural areas) as well as in exports and tourism. The industry is worth hundreds of millions of euro of economic activity, sustaining jobs and a national network of racecourses, trainers, breeders and farms with an enviable skills base.

Irish horses are in demand worldwide, with exports to 40 countries. A long tradition of skilled horsemanship is a key reason, as is the fact that our limestone soils provide ideal grazing for healthy equine bone growth. Tax incentives for stallion farms introduced in 1969 helped encourage major investment in stud operations.

This painting depicts a Connemara pony (from the West of Ireland) being prepared for a Pony Show. During the Summer months each year, Connemara Pony Shows take place all over the West of Ireland and culminate in the main yearly show in Clifden, Connemara, Co. Galway in August of each year where the individual Champions are awarded for that year.
These ponies are world famous because of their breeding which includes Andalusian (from the Spanish Armada) and Arabian purebred lines and also because of their size and docile nature. They are also an extremely 'hardy" breed, o would you, if you had to survive in the "Wilds of Connemara" ! See less