Okeechobee, FL: Maureen Loughman Abel has just returned from a trip to England and Ireland and has written the following about the best time to visit Connemara.

“When you become involved with the Connemara Ponies you also become involved with a culture, and it is the goal of most enthusiasts to make a trip to Connemara someday – almost like a pilgrimage. The best time to make that visit is when you can see a lot of ponies and meet a lot of breeders without having to spend hours driving all over the countryside on narrow unmarked roads. Two opportunities for this are presented each year: the Clifden Connemara Pony Show held the third Thursday in August and the Spring Pony Festival held in Clifden in late March.

“The Clifden Connemara Pony Show is by far the most popular venue. With entries of over 400 ponies and visitors from all over the world, the area is congested and the local pony breeders are rushing to and fro in preparation for a chance at winning a rosette with little time to stop for a chat. For a more relaxing visit when you can soak up the ambiance of the area, consider going at the time of the Spring Pony Festival. Of course in March you can also get soaked, but this can happen in August too. March weather can be cold, windy and wet, or you can be blessed as we were this year with mild temperatures and sunshine.

“The Festival coincides with the pony inspections. You can follow the inspection route early in the week to Clifden. A reception is held Thursday night at the Abbeyglen Castle Hotel and is open to all visitors. This year’s reception included an interesting photo exhibit by Swedish breeder Nina Gustafsen of photos of ponies taken over the past 40 years. A colt inspection was held on Friday and on Saturday there was a pony sale at the Clifden Livestock Mart. The best event of the Festival is by far the Sunday Stallion Parade. Where the stallion class at the August Clifden Show may have an average of 12 entries, this year over 60 stallions showed up for the parade and it was impressive. More information can be found at www.cpbs.ie.

“I took the opportunity of clear skies and clear roads to take some photos which will illustrate for my friends why I have such a love for Connemara as well as its ponies!”

Kaisa Kukkanen from Finland was also at the Festival and has invited all to see her photos of the stallions in the stallion parade at http://www.kukkanen.kuvat.fi/kuvat/kuvat_2010/

Eatonton, GA: Rai Pullen writes to say that Caraway Charlotte (Maplehurst Micheal MacDaire X *Wensum Plum) attended the Atlanta Spring Classic at the Georgia International Horsepark several weeks ago and came away as Green Medium Pony reserve champion. Rai says, “As this was an "AA" show, getting reserve champion in her division has qualified her for the USEF Pony Finals in Kentucky in August! In order to prepare for the finals, Lottie and her rider Grace will continue on the A circuit through the summer until August. Castlewood Farm is very proud of both Lottie and Grace and we will keep our fingers crossed for a good showing at the finals!”

Landrum, SC: Amanda Miller Atkins riding the 11-year-old Connemara/Thoroughbred gelding, Connor of Clearfield, took home top honors at the FENCE inaugural SmartPak Equine/USEA Training Three-Day Event (T3D). The pair finished on their dressage score of 38.6 to lead the victory gallop in the first T3D of 2010. Conor of Clearfield is by Aladdin's Denver.

Most upper level events or Three-Day events used to be run in what is now known as the long form with dressage, endurance day and show jumping. Endurance day consisted of 4 Phases, A, B, C and D. Phase A and C were roads and tracks, with A being a medium-paced warm-up to prepare the horse and rider for Phase B, a steeplechase format at an extremely fast pace over steeplechase-style fences. Phase C was a slow-paced cool down coming off of Phase B, in preparation for the toughest and most demanding phase, D, or Cross Country. Before embarking on Phase D, in the "ten-minute box," horses had to be approved to continue by a vet, who monitored their temperature and heart rate, ensuring that the horse was sound and fit. Three-Day events are now offered in traditional (long) format with endurance day, or short-format with no Steeplechasing (phase B) or roads and tracks (phases A & C). The 2004 Olympic Summer Games in Athens, Greece chose the short format, due to lack of facilities, time and financing, which sparked a large debate in the eventing community as to whether to keep Steeplechase or just offer Cross Country. Today, most events are run short-format, except for a few one-star competitions. But after the horrific injuries that occurred at several venues in 2008, some people began to wonder if the short format, while appearing to be less demanding, was not partially responsible for the accidents, allowing horses that were not quite as fit to compete.

Now there is a move to bring back the long (Three-Day), or classic, format, even for Training and Preliminary levels and this year the USEF approved national rules specifically for the Training and Preliminary Three-Day Classic format, for inclusion in the 2010 USEF Rules for Eventing. Below are listed venues for Training and Preliminary classic Three-Day Events. We are very pleased that a Connemara was the winner of the first of these!

2010 Preliminary Three-Day Events
Virginia Horse Center, Lexington, VA (Area II), May 21-23
Coconino Summer, Flagstaff, AZ (Area X), July 15-18
Event at Rebecca Farm, Kalispell, MT (Area VII), July 22-25
Hagyard Midsouth, Lexington, KY (Area VIII), October 20-24
Galway Downs, Temecula, CA (Area VI), November 5-7

2010 Training Three-Day Events
FENCE, Landrum, SC (Area III), April 2-4
Meadowcreek Park, Kosse, TX (Area V), May 21-23
Indiana Eventing Association, Edinburgh, IN (Area VIII), June 3-6
Inavale Farms, Philomath, Oregon (Area VII), June 25-27
South Farm, Middlefield, OH (Area VIII), July 2-4
Coconino, Flagstaff, AZ (Area X), July 16-18
GMHA, South Woodstock, VT (Area I), August 10-13
Hagyard Midsouth, Lexington, KY (Area VIII), October 20-24
Waredaca, Laytonsville, MD (Area II), October 21-24
Galway Downs, Temecula, CA (Area VI), November 5-7
Rocking Horse, Altoona, FL (Area III), November 4-7

Indian Summer Bride

Vass, NC: Sandy McShea writes that, “Our precious Bridie has been purchased by Debbie Shade and is heading to the chilly Northeast tomorrow. We’ll miss her pretty face, but are excited that she’s found such a good home!” Bridie is Indian Summer’s Bride by *Hohnhorst Branni out of Ballencrieff’s Fleur de Lis (by Hearnesbrook Dunoon). She really does have the most congenial personality imaginable!”

Debbie (from Glen, N.H.) was likewise enthusiastic. She says, “She seemed like a great match for me. A great riding partner and a new young broodmare. Totally different bloodlines but they seem like good ones.” Debbie also says, “Balmullo's Rhiannon (Concord River Roaringwater Bay X Tullymor’s April Fool) is now safely in her new home with Darian Hall in California. This girl really gets around and after covering the east coast from Florida to New Hampshire she has now made it to the west coast. She has left behind wonderful foals everywhere she has been with Shadey Hill's Oscea (by Seven Hill’s Grey Ghost) and Bold Testamony (by TB) being born while she was in New Hampshire. Shadey Hills Oscea in now in light training with Sarah Shade in Kentucky and was able to go on an exposure trip to Ocala, Florida when Sarah went down there to train and show one of her other horses. When Rhiannon got to California she was able to meet up with her daughter, Foothills Foggy Morning (by Gunsmoke), and her granddaughter, Rosewood Doon Buggy (by MGRM Brigadoon).”

Shadey Hills Oscea