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.

All Regions of the ACPS: It is time to start planning for inspections this year! Inspectors will be available starting in May to travel to Regions where there are at least 10 ponies to be inspected. All Connemaras, domestic or imported, with an ACPS Temporary Foal Certificate (TFC) or ACPS permanent registration are eligible for inspection. Connemaras presented for ACPS inspection should conform in type and conformation to the ACPS/ICCPS breed standard. The minimum age for eligible ponies is two-years-old. It is recommended that stallions be at least three-years- old. Owners of mature ponies who measure over 148 cm, or 14.2 ¼ hh, should, if possible, have credible proof of the pony’s height at age two. It is generally accepted that an over height Connemara who is “pony type” in every other way, (conforming to the ICCPS and ACPS breed standard), may have been 14.2 ¼ hh, or under, at age two, and is therefore eligible for inspection. Ponies that are 8 years old or older may be inspected for Premium status. They may or may not have been inspected before. To be eligible for Premium status, both stallions and mares should have produced at least one foal.

If you have a pony to be inspected, you should contact your region chair rather than the Inspection Committee directly as it is the region chairs who organize the inspection sites. However the Inspection Chair or any member of the Committee will be glad to try and answer your questions. Information on inspectors and the process of inspection can be found at http://www.acps.org/general/inspections.htm#eligibility

Takoma Park, Md: Susan Hearn reports that Billy Elliott (Gunsmoke X Balmullo’s Veronica) made his dressage debut Feb. 11 at the tender age of 31/2. They did Intro A and B and came in 2nd in both classes, with scores of 68.5% and 65.5%! The judge called him a "very capable little horse." Said Susan, “I'm very proud (as far as I could tell, he was the smallest and the youngest of the horses competing). It was also his first time in an indoor arena- he was great about it, but was very curious about the handsome pony he kept seeing in the mirrors!” Susan’s daughter,
Matison Hearn-Desautelles and Balmullo’s Katydid (Fieldstream Riley X Tullymor’s Ladybugg) did well too. They came in 5th in Training Test 1.

Windrush Farm, New Hampshire: Debbie Shade has reported that the Florida girl, Balmullo’s Rhiannon (Concord River Roaringwater Bay X Tullymor’s April Fool), is doing well in her new home in the frozen north! She doesn’t seem to mind the snow as she has free access to her stall and still likes to come out and enjoy the outdoors. Rhiannon was previously owned by Michael Edwards and produced a number of foals for his Claymore Farm.

Colville, WA: Kelsie Staeheli of Jolley Fir Line Farms has written to say that she has set up an account with Country Care at Country Supply (http://www.horse.com) that will donate 5% of purchases made there to the ACPS Adult and Youth Scholorship Programs. Anyone that purchases supplies at Country Suppy just needs to mention the Country Care Code, Connemara, and 5% of those purchases will go to the ACPS. Jolley Fir Line is the home of Wildwych Strider ( by Glenormiston Flurry Knox), Wintermist Mountain Charm (by Kilofenora Windy Isles), and Devon Ridge Hazy Heather (by Fairyhill Hawk) amoung other well-bred ponies.

Sweden: Our Swedish correspondent has devised a game that she thought would be of interest to US Connemara breeders and owners. Have you ever had the perfect foal and repeated the breeding and got something entirely different? Or maybe you were lucky and the perfect one repeated itself! At the web site http://www.connemaraponny.org/siblings/siblings.htm
there is a series of photos of Connemara ponies. Everyone of the ponies has a full sibling also pictured. It is up to you to pick out the sibling pairs! Answers will be revealed at a later date.

Past Weekly News