Welcome to the American Connemara Pony Society Web Site

Do you have news about your Connemara that you would like to share with other ACPS members? Email Donna Duckworth with the details and any photos to duckwort@mgm.ufl.edu. Show results, results of inspections, new foals or unusual adventures especially welcome! Please note that any professional photos must be accompanied by a photographer's release before they can be used.

Mantua, Ohio: Courtney Yeager and Shammer Jake (Ballinaboy Eamon X Grange Dierdre Sparrow) had a wonderful and highly successful time at Region 2 USDF Championships! USDF Regional Championships, which all 9 regions of the USDF have, are held every Fall. In order to qualify for Championships, riders must obtain qualifying scores at various shows during the season. This year, Courtney and Jake qualified to ride the FEI Young Rider Team test and the Prix St George test. The Championship classes are split into open, adult amateur and young rider, except for the FEI Young Rider Team test which is only available to riders under 21 year of age who qualified. Courtney and Jake WON the FEI Young Rider Team Championship class, and were also placed 2nd in the open Prix St George, and 6th in the young rider Prix St George championship class. Courtney and Jake have qualified for USDF championships every year since she was 12 (eight years in all). This is her third win. She has won the 2nd level musical freestyle, the 4th level Jr/YR test, and now the FEI Young Rider Team test. She has always placed in the top 8 riders. All this and Jake is always the only pony competing against some very high quality warmbloods. “Who says the little guys can't do it all!”

The next step for Courtney is to qualify for the Young Rider’s Team. The Young Riders Program is for riders under 21 year of age who are riding Prix St George level. They compete at specific qualifying shows in their region for a spot on the young rider team. They ride the Prix St George and the FEI Young Rider Team tests and those 2 scores from the 4 required shows are averaged to get the top 4 riders. Those 4 top riders from each USDF region go to the Young Rider Championships. Each region has a team and they compete against the other regions, “kind of like the Olympics”. Courtney has one more year to try for the young rider team before she turns 21. This is a very tall order as Jake would have to be one of the top four horses in the 5 state region for the team, but it’s Courtney’s dream and she is going to go for it! You go girl!! (and guy…)

Lyme, CT: Glastonbury Pony Club ended up in first place at the Connecticut Valley Pony Club's D-Rally that was held at the lovely Lord Creek Farm in Lyme on September 9 and 10. Steph Giola, the team's captain aboard the Connemara halfbred, C.K.C. Katie (Hideaway's Erin Go Bragh x Feather in My Cap), led the way with a nice dressage ride and clean cross country and stadium rounds for the D-3s. The weekend before, the pair won the Junior championship for the 2-phase division at the Randy May Memorial horseshow. Steph hopes to do her C-1 rating on C.K.C. Katie at the end of October.

Meg Brauch and the 5-year old halfbred, Crib Glas Mandolin (Bobby Brown x G.G.'s Dove), won Babcock Hill Equestrian Center's High Point Dressage award for holding the highest dressage scores for the season. Their scores ranged from mid-60's to a high of 69% for Training Level dressage tests. Meg hopes to show the mare at First Level 1 & 2 in October.

Clermont, Florida: Jill Torres reports that Glynmary Peter (Loughmor Aran X Balius Lark in the Morning) and Jaclyn Cartesio won all their classes at Lendon's Youth Dressage Festival last month. In addition, they did very well at the Region 8 Dressage Championships. They were the only Jr/YR Qualified for 2nd level, so they won it with a nice score of 64%. They were 2nd place in their Dressage Equitation class with an 81% and qualified for Dressage Equitation Nationals! Glynmary Peter used to live in Florida with Jill who trained him to 2nd/3rd level. When his allergies became too severe in Florida, Jill gave him to Lendon Gray for Dressage4kids, Inc. The purpose of Dressage4kids, a non-profit organization, is to encourage riders under 21 to become true horsemen with correct position, competitive skills, and knowledge of all aspects of riding and horse care; to offer scholarships to enable competitors to further their education; to have fun and develop good sportsmanship throughout. Pete has been leased to Jaclyn Cartesio for almost 3 years now and they have formed a wonderful partnership. Jaclyn trains with Lendon on a regular basis and was a working student at Lendon's farm this past summer. Jaclyn was 12 when she recieved Pete. Jill says Pete was her favorite pony and she miss him a lot, but says “it warms my heart to see him doing well with his young friend.” Congratulations go out to Jaclyn and Pete and also Jill for finding such a great place for Pete!

Montague, MA: Amy Plavin reports that Windy Hollow Lilia (Seaborne's Flagship x HH Greystone Irish Wind) is on her way to Raeburn, North Carolina to the Carolina Horse Park for the American Eventing Championships at open novice level. She is coming off a win at the Genesee Valley Riding Club horse trial in NY state 2 weekends ago, and at her final prep this weekend at a dressage show she scored an incredible 83% in her novice dressage test. Says Amy, “thanks to Carol Kozlowski for her incredible coaching these past two weeks”.

Meanwhile Lil's four year old daughter, Windy Hollow Modern Millie ( by Bantry Bay Kilcullen) finished up her first season eventing by placing second at beginner novice at the fall GMHA horse trials in VT this past weekend. Lilia's rider is Katherine Short and Millie's rider is Lisa Malek. Amy plans to take over Millie after she returns from the AEC's. Several other Connemaras are on their way to the Carolina Horse Park -- Alicia Dailey, Lauren Ochs, Dana Norquist, and Devon Brown will all be competing their ponies. The Carolina Horse Park is located on 250 acres of beautiful farm land, approximately 12 miles south of Southern Pines, North Carolina. There are wonderful flat fields, perfect for show jumping, dressage and racing, as well as expansive wooded areas that host cross country courses for eventing. Look for the results and photos next week!! And for news of Amy and Millie next year.

Drummindoo, Mayo, Ireland: The Irish Horse Board were delighted to support three Connemara Pony classes, taking place at Drummindoo Equestrian Centre on Sunday 17th September 2006. The first of these classes was the All Ireland Loose Jumping Championships. Winning this class was Aine O’Callaghan’s 3 year old by I Love You Melody . The second class of the day was the Discovery Class for 4 year olds. The ponies were jumped over a small track of 5 fences by their rider and then by the judge Lt. Brian Curran-Cournane. Winning this class was Michael Mitchell’s colt, also by I Love You Melody. The final class of the day was the Ridden Class for 5 year olds. Irene Sweeney rode Declan Daly’s Robe Dulla by Mervyn Pookhan to victory in this ridden class.
The standard of Connemara ponies in all of the classes was reported to be very high and the Irish Horse Board is delighted to have been associated the Westport Show. The IHB would like to thank the South Mayo Breeders Association and Paddy Joe Foy for all their efforts in organising the show.

Canfield, Ohio: Jill McNicol, DVM, one of the ACPS’ IC’s, took her young Connemara Loughin's Dreamcatcher aka Cat (*Kilfenora Windy Isles X Balius Miakoda) to the Canfield Fair, the third largest county fair in the country being larger than many state fairs. They had a wonderful time showing everyone what these ponies are all about. Cat, a three year old chestnut filly, was bred by Mary Yeager. It was Cat's first trip off the farm after being hauled from Mary's to Jill’s. Jill reports that she did fabulously! “We had very good stalls and she had many visitors looking at her everyday. Most of the people that really had questions were other horse people. It was a good Connemara promotion…. I showed Cat in the "grade" pony division so we showed against POAs, Quarter ponies etc. The judge was a stock horse type..... and we did not place- didn't expect to. There were over 20 in the class for mares 3 and over. I was the only "English type" pony shown. Cat is really big mover and the judge didn't have any idea what to do with that!” Jill says she also moved pretty well herself considering that she has a broken ankle. Also attending the fair was Jill’s daughter’s grade pony - a cute little buckskin. They did great in leadline and her daughter did even better showing her on the line. “SO CUTE!”, says Jill. Great that she is starting young!

Devon, Pa: The renowned Dressage at Devon show will be held next weekend and, again, several Connemaras are expected to be on hand for the Mountain and Moorland Class which was first held at this show two years ago. Although the Virginia Connemara Breeders have shown up in force the last two years, the 50th Anniversary Celebration kept many too busy to enter. But a large contingent of spectators will be there to cheer on the ponies that do go. On Friday (Sept 29), there will be an Inspection at Pam Liddell’s Kynymount Farm in Conestoga, Pa. The following weekend on Saturday (October 7) there will be another Inspection at River Road Farm in Concord, Mass. Spectators and invited to come to either or both. Results will be announced and ponies discussed after their inspections, if the owners agree.

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