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It's official! The ACPS Region III show will be held again this year at Glenwood Park in Middleburg, VA on July 19-20. The classes will be essentially the same as last year, and prize lists will be available in a couple of months.

Because of the delay in establishing a date for the Region III show, the deadline for 2008 futurity nominations at the $50 rate has been extended to May 1, 2008 (this supersedes information in the March/April newsletter). After that time the fee will be $100. The futurity classes will be held as usual on Saturday (July 19).

Inspections will be held at Glenwood on Sunday, July 20, at 2 p.m.; contact Marynell Eyles, 540-886-2239, marynelleyles@hughes.net

ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARTY AND MEETING
Don’t miss the annual St. Pat’s Party and Region III meeting, which this year will be held at the home of Marilynn and Adam Davis in the Purcellville/ Middleburg area. Bring a dish to share; festivities start at noon. No RSVP is necessary. Everyone is welcome!

Directions: From Middleburg: Turn at the light in Middleburg onto (left if coming from the west, right if coming from the east) and follow that road past Glenwood Park and past Foxcroft School (about 4.8 miles), and turn right on St. Louis Rd/VA-611. Go 3.7 miles and turn right on Snickersville Turnpike, go 0.8 miles to 36985 on the right. From Purcellville: Head west on E. Main St/VA-7-BR toward S 20th St/VA-690 N for 259 ft, turn left at S. Nursery Ave/VA-690 S for 0.6 miles, turn left at S. 32nd St/VA-690 and continue to follow VA-690 for 5.0 miles. Turn left at Snickersville Turnpike and go 0.8 miles to 36985 on the right.

Since this is a new location for our meeting, take the phone number with you: 540-338-3776.

Helpful Notes: At the blinking light at Snickersville, turn right from Middleburg or left from Purcellville. Go 7/10 of a mile; a 30 mph sign is on the right, put on turn signal and turn in the next drive on right. An empty field is on the left...if you reach Jeb Stuart, you've gone too far. There is a circular drive, so the first in should pull all the way around. There is also room for parking in the grass (on the right) if you have 4 wheel drive.

FROM THE REGION III CHAIR
Hello Region III members, what follows is a summary of an e-mail I sent out in January. You will find it redundant if you have kept up with your e-mail, otherwise, please read on …

I hope to update you generally on the ACPS annual meetings in Louisville, Kentucky in conjunction with the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) meetings and on the much discussed Region III show.
This was my first USEF meeting. It was held on January 9 though 13, 2008. The “Meeting” is really a combination of meetings, including those of the USEF, as well as member breeds and disciplines, of which the Connemara/ Welsh committee is one. There were special presentation dinners and awards were distributed, including the Pegasus Award for Media, Equestrian of the Year, achievement awards, etc. (See www.usef.org for those results.)

If I can sum up the ACPS Board of Governors meeting in a nutshell, I will tell you that we hope to take steps to draw more youth involvement into the ACPS. Courtney Yeager is the USEF Youth Council member from the ACPS. She advised the Board of the activities of the Youth Council, the fast approaching end of her term and the sad but true apathy she encountered in trying to muster some youth involvement from young ACPS members. It is our intent to beat the bushes to try to find some preteen members to become involved in this area. As a parent, I recognize that my kids (now, way too old) would have needed a good prod from me to get themselves involved. It is no small task, but the rewards could span a lifetime. Please, do what you can to get your kids (and grandkids) more involved in the ACPS. From this end, we will do our part to make that involvement appealing.

Other than regional business, the USEF meetings addressed several rule changes and proposed changes. To date, much of that has not impacted upon Region III. Although the ACPS is taking steps to qualify judges to USEF standards and to have USEF involvement through the Connemara/Welsh committee, the regional ACPS shows have not followed USEF rules or been qualified as USEF sanctioned events. As a breed association, the collective feeling of the BOG members is that now is the time to step up and make the ACPS a bit more professional by qualifying our shows. Such a move would provide a venue for our newly qualified judges to satisfy their judging requirements, which in turn will open more doors for the education of new judges. The USEF has programs for education and funding, all of which I am still learning. But this issue leads me into a word on our Region III show.

During the month of January many Region III members provided their thoughts and insights over our show and what to do in 2008. The consensus became clear after a written vote: the show should be held in Glenwood Park in Middleburg, much unchanged from the show of prior years. Some of our members have expressed a desire to see the ACPS step up and become more professional in its programs, and several members who are familiar with USEF requirements are working on additional venues for USEF-sanctioned Connemara events.
Anyone wishing to serve on the show committee for 2008 is invited to contact Anne Moe (410) 552-5729 or Les Cheek on (540) 341-7104. We hope to address some of our volunteer needs at the St. Pat’s Day party on March 16.
For those of you who have expressed interest, http://www.usef.org provides a wealth of information regarding the additional requirements and expense of a USEF approved show.

Sandy McShea, Region III Chairman

THE VOTE IS IN
The Region III members have voted as follows: Twenty-three votes for Option 1 -- to hold the traditional show at Glenwood. Of those, ten votes included comments receptive to holding a USEF show in the future if there was manpower, interest, an investigation of costs, etc. Sixteen votes were for Option 3 -- to hold two shows. Clearly, Option 1 is the winner! Please contact Les Cheek or Anne Moe if you would like to volunteer to help with the show. We intend to hold a talk on show volunteers, what their duties are and what they need to know, at the St. Patrick's Day meeting at the Davis residence on March 16.

SHOW COMMENTS
Over forty people attended the show discussion meeting on January 20 at the Cheek’s and a lively discussion took place, with a variety of comments and opinions as to the future of shows in Region III. Subsequently, many, many comments were circulated to the membership that were well thought out and presented in the interest of the breed and the members. There is no way to include all of them, but here are a few.
***
Catherine Mack has been a moving force in Region III and the ACPS, as well as being our resident walking encyclopedia, and one of only three USEF-sanctioned Connemara judges. She was presented with the Crestwood Trophy at our 50th Anniversary Gala in recognition of her outstanding personal endeavor on behalf of the Connemara pony.

It was a long time ago that we started the show at Glenwood and the goal then was simply to get some Connemara ponies together in one place for people to see. At the time, the pony population of the East Coast (the ACPS hadn't yet thought up the “Regions” concept) was not more than about forty ponies total and there was lots of curiosity about what Connemaras looked like as well as what they could do Gradually, as the number of Connemaras grew and grew we became more ambitious and went from a single class to many classes and finally to several days of classes. Our little show eventually became an institution!

Yes, the emphasis changed a bit over time as the breed and the show grew; we slowly began losing our missionary zeal and started thinking that having fun ourselves was more important than being a breed showcase. Glenwood Park has had to stretch and it has managed to barely accommodate our show’s needs. The physical plant is not set up for horse shows. Glenwood was never meant to be a horse show grounds , it is a race track, and though we have made it work for us over the years, it has never been easy. However, since the show at Glenwood is so popular, I think it should continue as is, assuming that people are willing to put in the work involved in setting the show up and keeping it organized. I would suggest that we keep the Glenwood show as the fun and welcoming show it has evolved into over the years.

However, I also believe it is time to step the Connemara pony out onto the playing fields of the USEF. We do need to get the ponies out into the mainstream if we want to keep on selling them. The horse/pony market is currently under going a “correction,” as they say, and I do not want to see our little breed get relegated to the back room. Let's organize a second show in some highly visible location that will draw the more polished Connemara competitors. Right now, that group is not getting much of our attention and it is a pity. This new show would not compete with nor supplant the Glenwood show, as it would have an entirely different focus. Region III members could volunteer at one or both or neither as their interest levels dictated. Lets move forward. Change is always threatening at first but nothing ventured, nothing gained. Surely there is room in our region for some new activity as well as continuing with the old tried and true. I hope that all this discussion will lead us forward. I, for one, am excited about forging ahead.

Catherine Mack
***
Vicki Wadlow was indispensible to Region III for many years as not only our Region III secretary, but newsletter editor, show secretary, and keeper of the Hotlist. Yes, it took four people to replace her when she decided to take a well-earned rest. It’s good to get news of the Wadlow family and their Connemaras as well as comments on the show

Hi to everyone,
I know many of you don't even know who we are, or that we are connected with Connemaras at all, but at one time, it was our life. My children have grown, and my riding daughter, Anne, is married, expecting her first baby this August, and living in RI finishing her PhD. But she still has *Gloves Maire and *Gloves Achillea (23 and 22 years old) and we still have MF Owen O'Neill, Spider MacDaire, Tullymor's Evening Star, MF Erin Damsel and MF Carna Cricket, in addition to MF Charles Stuart Parnell, who is leased out. We don't come to the show anymore, as Anne has moved away and I had a very bad riding accident last April and am still trying to recover. But I know what the show meant to us for so many years: it was a place where we could go and my daughter could ride without (most of the time) the back-stabbing, competitive atmosphere of other shows and more competitive riding circuits. It was all for fun and the love of the breed and the love of each rider for her or his pony. I would so hate to see the ACPS Region III Show lose that wonderful atmosphere and supportive friendliness. I know the ACPS and the region has changed and I know change is inevitable and even desired from time to time. And I know, having had no input and having given no support that I don't have a right to say anything, but this show meant so much to me and to my family in the past, that I just would hate to see it become just another "recognized" show.

Fond memories to all,
Vicki Wadlow
***
Nancy Dillon, former Region III Treasurer and former National Treasurer, looks at the show proposals from the financial angle.

I want to highlight one aspect of the situation which I think is especially important: the fiscal implications for Region III and consequently for ACPS.

The Region III show has been the region's biggest fundraiser, and also the region's biggest financial commitment. Other, smaller financial commitments, such as the Maryland Horse Expo and various charitable donations and class sponsorships have been discussed with specific dollar figures at the March meeting or by e-mail and explicitly approved in advance.

Making a significant change to the Glenwood show and/or undertaking a second show will have financial implications for the region and should involve an explicit financial-based decision. Running a second show, should that be the final solution, will likely require a significant outlay of Region III funds in advance and may or may not break even in its first year. This is equally true of the Glenwood show, but we do have a track record and detailed figures. The second show creates a second financial commitment and concomitant risk. This may be perfectly justifiable when we look at it, but it needs to be looked at in advance.

I am not opposed to USEF shows nor to Region III holding a USEF show. I am in favor of fully-informed decision-making, especially where potentially thousands of dollars are involved.

NancyD
***
Deb Norman, Region III Connemara breeder, sees it from both angles.

I am on board with USEF shows and would be glad to help you all put one on. I just don't want to throw the Glenwood show away or even to change it on a whim.

There are a lot of people who LOVE that show. I am not a horse show person either and would have never shown my ponies were it not for the wonderful atmosphere and lack of competitive pressure at our show. There are people in our region who only come to show their horses in hand at Glenwood; and people
who don't really ride well enough to show at a "recognized" show. I don't really know of another show like ours.

I thoroughly understand the idea of promoting our ponies and, as a breeder, that is wonderful. I would just like to leave Glenwood alone. We have people who are willing to take on the responsibility of the show entirely. Then we can start fresh with a USEF show and make it whatever "the powers that be" think that it should be. Maybe Glenwood would evolve into a place to "practice" for the more serious shows, a place that would encourage and teach people how to get their ponies out there in the limelight.

To grow as an organization I realize that some changes may need to be made. I just really hate for so many radical changes to happen so quickly. I love the ACPS in general and Region III in particular. We have great camaraderie among the members of our group. That should be preserved at all costs.

Deb
***
Judy Brescia is currently the Region III secretary. She has volunteered and shown at the Region III show for many years, back to the days when the jumping classes were held “under the oaks!”

. . . My big concern is that people are going to align with camp Glenwood or camp USEF and I really think to be productive we need to involve everyone possible into making both happen. We have a lot of strong opinions and years of history and I'm sure a reluctance to move forward. I think for a lot of us, the reason we were attracted to the ponies in the first place was that the people were fun and non-stuffy. A fun show doesn't preclude us from having a recognized show but I think we have to attract a lot of the same people to attend both.

The one thing I would suggest about putting on the recognized show is that we need to do some financial forecasting, i.e., with the facility rental, various associated fees, judges, etc, how many ponies would we need in how many classes to break even (or if it’s subsidized how much do we need to take in to make it plausible).

I am at best a weekend warrior and I know that the people who want the USEF show to come off have put their heart and souls into the ACPS for most of their lives. I think it can happen, I just don't want to abandon everyone who loves the friendly non-horse show atmosphere.
Judy
***
Lucy Bernstein is a long-time Connemara enthusiast and owner, and has volunteered and shown at the Region III show for many years.

Even though "option I" received slightly more votes I think we should try to come up with a plan that satisfies everyone's needs. I am concerned that in all our agonizing over whether to have a recognized show we might be losing sight of the more important objectives.

We all want several things: 1) to enjoy our wonderful ponies; 2) to promote the
breed and increase its appeal to horse owners; 3) to give our ponies good opportunities to have fun and show what they can do.

The problem is that our current approach appeals primarily to existing Connemara owners and breeders but to few in the rest of the equestrian community. We need to broaden our audience. We need to strongly publicize the achievements of those Connemaras who are out there competing in all the various disciplines—eventing, show jumping, dressage, driving, endurance, etc. We need to make a big deal whenever a well-known rider (national or international) competes a Connemara in major shows or events. The Association should sponsor ads and articles in horse publications around these successful ponies and their riders. These champion Connermaras will get the attention of non-Connemara horse people and raise their interest in the breed.

Then we need to create and publicize venues where interested people can see our own "regular" Connemaras having fun and performing with their owners and riders. These well-publicized breed specific events—either stand-alone or
divisions within other shows—can take advantage of the increased awareness of the public and show off the breed to non-Connemara people while providing more showing opportunities for ourselves.

These are not all novel ideas but I think we have not adequately addressed the idea of wider publicity that reaches the general public. I know there is also the issue of judging cards [becoming a USEF-approved judge]. I, for one, don't understand the process of getting a judging card. Maybe if we all knew more about it we could come up with a creative solution to that problem too.

Lucy
***
And another from Nancy Dillon, reviewing the issues.
I think several people made excellent points [at the meeting] and I want to underline and align myself with them.
1) Lucy Bernstein requested that we find out the cost of any additional fees required of exhibitors and tell people before they are asked to vote. I agree that an informed electorate is best. In addition, I think we should price out the additional fixed costs such as EMT, steward, licensed judges and any others. Let's vote on facts rather than wishful thinking.
2) Carol Eichner said that the way to promote Connemaras to the general public is to get them out in the "big world" and show that they compete and win against all comers, not to expect the "big world" to come to see our "little shows." I agree and furthermore think that (crass as it may be) plain old marketing in magazines, online and at horse expos and such is required to make a noticeable splash today. ACPS should spend some real money on this.
3) Many people said that they compete at rated shows and don't have nearly as much fun as they do at the Region III show. Several people added that the networking and the opportunity to see their ponies' "relatives" is valuable and much appreciated. I'd like to add that Glenwood provides a relatively "safe" place to take our young stock with less exposure to shipped-in bugs than a place like Morven Park or Lexington or temporary stalls anywhere.
4) Catherine Mack's e-mail said that Region III has been a leader and should continue to lead so that we don't wind up with a "backyard" specialty breed not appreciated for its tremendous versatility and capability. I agree—that's why I went to Devon the first year and to Upperville the first year although I dislike the big shows. I'll go again if needed. After the first year at Devon, we added a Connemara-only class and the entries have dropped steadily. We hope that the Upperville entries will grow in 2008 from 2007 due to better class selections. Warrenton has been up and down.

If Region III wants to lead, we should push ourselves to make these divisions on the big stages more competitive and more accessible to our general membership FIRST and only after we establish a meaningful USEF-recognized showing contingent consider taking away our comfortable little Region III show. (I understand the argument about it still being "our show" even if we go USEF recognized, but since few if any of us have recently run a USEF show, I think this remains to be seen.)

Region III should not lead itself into irrelevance to our active local membership just to promote a judge-licensing program.

NancyD

Subject for Discussion: Can you Overvaccinate?
Lorna Henard of Kingsport, TN, wrote: “One of my horses stopped having a chronic cough after greatly reducing vaccinations. Another Connemara pony I have has ‘head shaking syndrome’ that is generally caused by overvaccination. I am treating her with a homeopathic remedy called ‘CAPSTAR’ that will cancel out the damage of the vaccines, but I cannot vaccinate her for quite some time. I have just started, but I can see an improvement already. My old horses will not receive any more vaccines!”

According to an article by Dr. Joyce Harman, “The vaccine issue is a complex one. There is not one perfect answer as to whether to vaccinate, or what to use. It is clear that annual vaccines can have negative effects on our animals, yet many people board their horses in barns where they are required to vaccinate.” This lengthy article covers some of the latest thoughts about vaccinating, the use of titers, and alternatives to regular vaccination.” See the link to her website below.

Websites of Interest
Judy Brescia brought an interesting item to our attention—BBC radio did a 4-part series on the native ponies of the British Isles (including Connemaras). They cover ten breeds and their history. The link is http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/raresteeds.shtml

We also just heard about a new clearinghouse-type site that puts out a bi-weekly e-mail with activities, sales, needs, give-aways, and horse issues, all noncommercial. E-mail stephanie.malevich@verizon.net to be put on the mailing list or visit the excellent website at www.stephshorsestuff.com. Stephanie hunts with Piedmont, boards several horses at Blue Ridge Farm, and is considering breeding a couple of mares to Moxley Duncan, so she is almost a member of the Connemara community.

Germane to our ongoing discussion of overvaccinating is Joyce Harman’s lengthy article on the subject at
http://www.harmanyequine.com/vaccines.stm

And check out our own ACPS website, http://www.acps.org. Pat Lightbody, Chris Knox, and Pat Norton White have worked with webmaster Karen Fildes to create a more current awards page with better links to the policies and other information. The Awards Committee also reminds Connemara owners it is time to scrutinize their herds to see if they have a pony who deserves to be nominated this year for a Hall of Fame Award.

CLOSE CALL
Emily Daily let us know that on February 19 her mom, Alicia, and a friend were trailering a horse to the Aiken, NC Event Horse Sale and they were struck by a tractor-trailer coming out of a blind turn at 55 mph; they didn't even see him coming. The only saving grace is that the truck hit right at Alicia’s hitch (it was a big gooseneck rig) and separated the truck from the trailer instead of dragging the truck under the tractor-trailer's back tires. The vehicles were toast and the horse didn’t make it, but Alicia and Bernard are fine, so, as Emily says, all in all they were lucky. Alicia plans to take it easy for a while and enjoy her pottery and this year’s foals which will be arriving shortly.

PONY TALES
Kathryn Hutchins sent an update: “I wanted to let you know that Morning Glory’s Waterfall and I won the VADA/Nova Intro Level Year End Award with an average score of 74.3%. We also won a Special Award for the highest average for all the schooling shows across all the levels this year. The little half Connemara did it! I am so thrilled. Look for us in the upcoming year at Training Level for the Dressage competitions here in Northern Virginia. Connemaras really can do it all!”

Kathryn Hutchins and Morning Glory’s Waterfall
[photo credit: Photo by D.C. Greinke]

Caroline Phelps and Aladdin’s Gillis are moving to a “serious” dressage training/competition barn for some high-grade education. In the meantime, Oakfields Kieran will be hanging out at a friend’s farm as a pasture decoration for a while.

Alice Laimbeer says they are still immersed in horses, just not so many Connemaras! “Rick is one of the masters of the Warrenton hunt so we all are very involved. Margot has two lovely Connemaras, Oakfield’s Ethan and one imported from Ireland (Aille Cross Meghan). She just got her hunt colors over Christmas so she is quite excited. We are hoping to do the Virginia Pair races starting in February.”

Here’s a small world Connemara story. Julie Skaife, recently relocated here from California, was checking out the ACPS website, saw the newsletter in the Region III news section, and e-mailed Sandy McShea since she is listed as Region III Chair. Sandy forwarded her e-mail address to Anne Moe so she could be added to the e-list and other mailing lists. Anne wrote to her asking where she was located and for a little news to put in the next newsletter. She is a Ph.D. and Director of Quality Assurance at Select Breeders Service, Inc. and it turns out she is located at Hilltop Farm (MD), where Nancy Dillon’s Erin Go Get ‘Em is getting some high-quality dressage training and where Nancy is going every few weeks for a lesson with a top trainer. Julie was not aware that Nancy’s friend Beth (also relocated from California) is the Hilltop Farm General Manager, and bought a purebred Connemara, Tabernash, from Nancy. Julie owns H.K.’s Sassy Pants, a seven-year-old 14.2 h chestnut Connemara x TB mare by MGRM Brigadoon, bred by Karen Vicencio. She says, “Of course I am biased but she is the most fabulous pony in the world! With the stress of moving across country, buying a new home and starting a new job we didn’t do any competing this last year. Instead we thoroughly enjoyed riding the trails at Fair Hill. We are now back in training and gearing up to compete this year at First Level and also hope to take advantage of the many eventing competitions in the area.” Julie, Beth, and Nancy are planning to get together the next time Nancy heads to Hilltop for another lesson.

Team Connemara was not able to duplicate its big win of last year at the Battle of the Breeds in Calgary, Alberta , but with the same team as last year, they finished fifth. The big news is that Hillside Sassafras, bred in Region III by Anne C. Hindman, owned by Melonie White of M&M Connnemaras, and ridden by Brian Morton, had the fastest run of the whole competition in barrel racing, beating out all comers including the Quarter Horses. That ought to put Connemaras in the limelight!

Download the 2008 Yearling Futurity Application here.

Region III News - January /February 2008
Click here for PDF version