Pinehurst, NC: The ACPS held its annual meeting on the weekend of October 3. Most of the meetings took place in the Hampton Inn in Aberdeen. Prior to the meeting, on the Thursday, committee meetings were held into the wee hours of the night in preparation for the Board of Governors meeting on Friday morning.

After the Board met on Friday morning the general membership meeting was held and new officers were elected. The new President is Sally Oxnard of Exeter, NH, with Pam Liddell of Conestoga, Pa. and Laura Balding of St. Louis, Mo. as Vice Presidents. Cathy Blackmon and Marynell Eyles remain the Treasurer and Secretary, respectively.

Sally Oxnard, new President of the ACPS (on the right),
enjoying the company at the Friday night barbeque.

Deb Norman of Glendale Farm in Virginia will be a new face on the Board of Governors, while four members whose terms were expiring will return. On Friday night a Barbeque to celebrate our annual coming together was held at the Pine Needles Resort.

New Board of Governors member, Deb Norman,
with her husband at the Friday night barbeque

Pinehurst, NC: On Saturday morning as part of the October 3-5 annual meeting of the ACPS there was a classroom clinic given by form/function guru, Judy Wardrope, followed in the afternoon by a lecture on Connemara type by Henry O’Toole of Clifden, Ireland.

Later in the afternoon, Judy and Henry both spoke briefly at a hands-on session using just inspected ponies as examples of conformation and type. On Saturday night the annual Awards banquet was held with guest speaker Henry O’Toole talking about his breeding program at Castle Connemaras in Clifden. The silent auction held Saturday night was another resounding success.

Henry O'Toole talks about his breeding program
at Castle Connemaras

Award winners for 2008 are as follows: MGRM Brigadoon won the An Tostal, Grange Finn Sparrow took the Tooreen Laddie and Ridgetop Ringdancer was awarded the Halfbred trophy. Seaborne Navigator was the Camlin winner while Bar S Heather took home the Broodmare award.

Susan McConnell of Charlottesville, Va. and a long time breeder and supporter of the ACPS was awarded the Crestwood Service award. They will all be featured in an upcoming American Connemara magazine.

Susan McConnell accepts the Crestwood Service award

Tower Hill's Darby Dun (Chiltern Copa x Tower Hill’s Killaire), was chosen as the 2008 ACPS Connemara of the Year. The 16 year old gelding was chosen as he was an exemplary film star in an upcoming movie about Frederick Douglass and attracted much admiration from the folks on the movie set for his kind and willing demeanor. He belongs to Stacy Taylor from CT.

Connemara of the Year Tower Hill's Darby Dun