President's Message

4-2008

I’m not sure where the spring weather is less friendly. Chesterfield has snow, sleet and wind. Connemara has rain, sleet and wind. I was lucky enough to enjoy them both this year!

Several ACPS members recently traveled to Clifden, Connemara, Ireland for a wonderful week of activities sponsored by the CPBS showcasing the Connemara Stallions of Ireland. The entourage included Susan McConnell, Marynell Eyles, Kathy Lucas, Joanie Webster, Brenda Kiniyalocts, me and my friend Zada Steidl. I hope at some time you all are able to make the trip to Clifden for either the spring inspections and stallion celebration, or even better, the August show and week of activities celebrating the Connemara Pony. (It still rains in August, but the sun is warmer when it is out and the heather is in bloom!) Everyone is welcomed to be a part of the festivities! It is a chance to meet and visit with Connemara owners and breeders from all over the world. The nightlife can prove entertaining, too!

The first order of business (literally) was the ICCPS meeting. Marynell is reporting on the meeting in more detail elsewhere in this Magazine, so I will just let you know that this group of 17 countries in which the Connemara Pony is bred, shown and used is very much dedicated to the preservation and promotion of our wonderful breed. The international database, which is nearing completion, will reference the pedigrees of Connemaras from around the world. This has been a huge undertaking! The Irish studbooks are now accessible through this database and the studbooks from the other countries will hopefully be included soon. This will be an incredible tool for Connemara breeders and enthusiasts world wide, accessible from your home computer! The other tool to soon be made available through the ICCPS will prove most useful in the education of pony owners and breeders and promotion of the ponies. It is a slide show presentation of over 700 outstanding photos of lovely Connemaras. This slide show is designed to be used at horse expos and other promotional gatherings. The eye catching photos present an outstanding opportunity to help us form a solid mental picture of type and quality. Some of the world’s top ponies are shown in the competitive arena, in hand as well as under saddle. Additional photos show them in their native habitat amongst the rocky shores and slopes of the hills of Connemara. Susanne Lehmann, a leading European horse photographer from Germany, has assembled this slide show and treated us to a preview. I guarantee you will be impressed with her production!
Stallion inspections were held in Clifden on Friday, Cavan on Monday and Rockmount on Wednesday. Nineteen, twenty nine and thirty eight stallions were presented respectively with six, six and five making grade one at each site. This correlates to a pass rate of approximately 20% to grade one. The quality varied widely with a few very nice individuals, some adequate and a few who will make nice riding geldings. Percentage wise it seems to be the same across the world. The breed needs a few exceptional stallions of quality representing a diversity of bloodlines, but many colt owners seem particularly barn blind to the merits of their own animals. The upside is there is a strong and growing performance market for athletic and typey geldings, so they have value in another arena.

Educational seminars were presented for us, as well. There was a hands-on judging seminar which was well attended. Lib Petch, Padraic Hynes and a local veterinarian presented the qualities to look for using a mature mare and stallion. Participants were then asked to judge one of two classes of three mares. These mares were subsequently evaluated by the panel and placed first to third and then first to sixth, after being combined into one group. A lively question and answer session followed. After a delightful lunch and an entertaining bus ride back to Clifden – we followed a small hatch back car carrying a calf in the back- we were treated to a demonstration of correct lunging techniques at the Showgrounds. It was a shame more local stallion owners missed this useful clinic! The rest of the afternoon was filled with a terrific talk by a veterinarian who works as both a practitioner and at a teaching hospital. He was originally scheduled to speak on the topics of sweat itch and laminitis, but the audience was getting so much valuable information from his slide show presentations, he was persuaded to do an encore on foaling!

Now I’m going to brag (sort of)! Another riotous activity devilishly planned by Tom MacLochlainn, Naimh Philbin and their assistant Meghan, was the Table Quiz. This is a ten round quiz bowl using questions on pedigrees, famous breeders, and who won the Clifden show in 1952! The Americans were seated at three of the tables on teams of four or five. Competition is fierce and a fair amount of texting seemed to be going on by the sound of the many cell phone beeps! To our good fortune, my friend Zada and I were at a table with Padraic Hynes, his young assistant, Robert, and Jeffrey Heanue. We were never placed higher than fourth in the first eight rounds, to our frustration, but rallied in rounds nine and ten and won! Padraic Heanue’s table has vowed revenge next year! I was surprised to have known more answers than I would have thought. Maybe Pat Lyne’s books are sinking in. At least I could contribute correct answers to the odd ball questions like, “Who wrote the Per Gynt Suite? and “Who was the author of All The Pretty Horses?”.

Other social activities included the launch of the wonderful magazine An Capaillan which is so ably edited by Ruth Rogers and the launch of Pat Lyne’s newest book, “Artic Moon”. I found this to be Pat’s best read ever and have already devoured every word. The ‘whose who’ of the Irish Connemara world gathered to honor Pat on her special night. She has made an invaluable contribution to the history and general knowledge of the Connemara Pony. Her legacy will live forever through her outstanding series of books. Tom MacLochlainn, in his introductory tribute to Pat, noted that he was finally happy to welcome her out of the mist!

No time to rest, yet. Sunday started with a beautiful carriage driving demonstration through the town of Clifden. Our own Karen Vincencio did us proud driving her bay gelding wearing a very fashionable red hat! Following the driving the Showgrounds was packed with railbirds ready to feast their eyes on the presentation of 60 top quality stallions. The stallion parade showcased each individual and was excellently narrated so that we were able to match animals, pedigrees and accomplishments. The entire performance was professionally videoed and will no doubt be available on DVD in the future. A dressage quadrille was also presented as intermission to the stallion parade. The whole day was a massive immersion in Connemaras. After the stallion parade a few hearty souls stayed to watch the evaluation of 26 mature stallions for the coveted title of elite status. Only three or four of these grade one stallions were awarded this honor under the careful scrutiny of Lib Petch and Padraic Hynes.

Tom MacLochlainn and Naimh Philbin are to be especially thanked for their tireless efforts to organize all the activities of the week. Tom is stepping down as CPBS president this year. He has made a great impact during his term, particularly in creating a broader understanding of the need for the view of the primary job of the Connemara Pony to shift from that of a farm animal to a performance pony. A good pony can be true to type and still be an athlete!

While the rest of the American contingent headed off to Cavan Sunday afternoon, following the inspection trail, Zada and I stayed behind in Clifden to spend a few days visiting. We had a great time with Henry O’Toole, Nicola Musgrave and Padraic Hynes and enjoyed seeing all their ponies at home and checking out some of the foals of 2008. We felt right at home after Clifden had returned to its sleepy little town status.

On Wednesday we drove to Athenry and were treated to a quick but very interesting farm tour at the new home of Cashel Bay Connemaras. Robbie and Barbara Fallon are most gracious hosts. The love and hands on attention Robbie gives to each of his animals is obvious and heartwarming. We spent the afternoon, now accompanied by Joanie Webster, in a whirlwind drive across Ireland working our way back to Dublin and the airport. We did manage to visit to the Irish National Stud and Berney Brothers Saddlery in Kilcullen. We fit in one last stop to renew our acquaintance with old friends Pat and Marian Murphy and family at their farm in Ballymore Eustace. Pat manages Ragusa Stud, one of Sheik Mohammad’s Irish Thoroughbred breeding farms and the site of the film ‘Braveheart’. The next time you see that movie look for the Connemaras and Marian’s dun cob in the battle scene!

I was pleased to report back to our ACPS Internet Committee that I had compliments on our webpage while in Ireland. One comment was whenever you look for Connemaras on the internet the ACPS page is the first to be found! There is also an interest in our Connemara ‘product line’ and hopes that the ACPS Country Store will be available online in the future. Susan brought scarves and ties to sell which kept shopkeepers Marynell and Kathy Lucas doing a brisk business during the ICCPS meeting day.

On the home front, the Promotions Committee has finished designing several beautiful new brochures which will soon be in production. One is a general introduction to the Connemara and another showcases the ACPS Awards Programs. We should all have copies to pass out to farm visitors!

The Inspection Committee is geared up for another busy year. One Irishman asked me why we no long bring over an Irish inspector each year. I think they miss the opportunity to join in our activities. Some of them went home with an interesting story or two from their time on tour with the American inspectors!
It is also time to start thinking about proposing names to the Nominating Committee for the Board of Governors election this fall. We need to bring some new energy and enthusiasm to the Board. The same folks seem to keep shouldering a great deal of the work load of the Society. As any organization we need youthful ideas and dedication if the Society is to continue to move forward. Consider jumping in yourself or putting forward the name of someone you know who would like to join this hardworking group of great folks. We have a legacy to carry on here!

I hope you are looking forward as I am to some long, warm, dry days ahead enjoying the countryside from the back of a reliable Connemara Pony!

Chris

Chris Knox
950 Miles Road
Chesterfield, Idaho 83217
208-648-7175
chris@knoxfarm.com

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