Megan Harris and her half-bred gelding, Sparrow's Owen

Fairburn, GA: “Connemaras were out in force at the USEA Area III Championships! The Championships were held at the incredible new facilities at Chattahoochee Hills the weekend of May 14th-16th. This venue will also host the 2010-2012 AEC's. Our area celebrities, Donna Miller and her purebred stallion, *ArdCeltic Art (Monaghanstown Fionn X Moydow Lady), finished 2nd in their first CIC One Star. This pair also finished 3rd in the Ocala CCI One Star in April. Art certainly drew a crowd ringside, and everyone seemed to be talking about the talented grey stallion!

Megan Harris and her half-bred gelding, Sparrow's Owen (*Grange Finn Sparrow X Appendix mare), competed in the Senior Novice Rider Championship Division. Only Owen's third Novice outing, they finished 4th out of a field of 22, only adding one rail to their dressage score. Fate’s Patriot, a Connemara/TB by CR Roaringwater Bay, ridden by Laura Duchamel, was 9th in this division.

Owen's half-brother, Rivendell's Mr. Bubbles (*Grange Finn Sparrow X ISH mare), and his owner/rider, Claire Robinson, moved up from 7th to finish 4th in the Junior Novice Rider Championship Division, adding no penalties to their dressage score of 38.30. Pony O'Ryan (Aluinn Bernie O'Brien X Big Bear's Molly Brown), and his owner/rider Caroline Mandeville, finished 5th in the Senior Beginner Novice Championship Division on their dressage score of 42.40. Big Bear's Cadence of Love, a Connemara/Hanoverian by Fergus, and Meredith Evans, competed in the Beginner Novice Horse Championship Division, earning a 4th place. Ridgetop Zachary, a half-bred gelding by Aladdin's Denver, and his young rider, McCallie Moore, brought home 2nd place in the Junior Beginner Novice Championship Division, on their fantastic dressage score of 31! Elphin Phintan, ridden by Nancy Katheryne Webb, was only 0.4 points behind at 3rd. Phintan is a halfbred-Connemara by Maplehurst Michael McDaire out of a crossbred pony.

Most of, if not all of, these teams will be reappearing at AEC's,
hopefully joined by other Connemaras from across the country, come see us in
September!” This report was kindly contributed by Megan Buchanan Harris!

Donna Miller has posted a video of Art’s cross country at the following link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rD2fomqdsH0

Lexington, VA: Cindy Wood of Newark, Maryland and her eight-year-old Connemara/Thoroughbred gelding, Unbelievable (Hideaway's Erin Go Bragh X Gold Rock[TB]), led the Virginia Preliminary Three-Day Event from start to finish, adding no penalties to their dressage score of 33.3. The Virginia Preliminary Three-Day Event is one of the five nationwide long-format Preliminary events in the 2010 SmartPak Equine USEA Classic Series. The complete story of Cindy and Unbelievable can be found in the USEA News at http://useventing.com/competitions.php?section=classic&id=2399.

Paso Robles, CA: Leslie Herron sent this photo and charming tale of her daughter, Sonia, 12 years old, and Folklore Sean Crowley (Tre Awain Cavan O'Conor X Tullymor's Caroline), a 14-year-old old gelding. They were entered in the Novice division at the Twin Rivers Ranch Horse Trials. Leslie says, “Sonia had a small problem in stadium but once again Sean saved the day. They had over-watered the arena, and Sean slipped and lost both hind legs rounding a corner to fence three. Sonia lost one stirrup and was sitting up on his shoulder and for some reason decided to keep going. She was doomed to fall off and be eliminated if Sean jumped fence three. Sean, however, always thinks of her and realized something was not right with his small charge. He came to a slow trot and then a very nice halt before the fence. Sonia grabbed her stirrup circled and then jumped the fence! Now Sean really picked up the pace and flew around with her beautifully. She got four penalties for the stop, but no time penalties. She only dropped down one or two places. Sunday he jumped cross country superbly and they ended up 5th giving them two USEF points. She was very happy. Their next show is at Moorepark in the beginning of June, and then the Connemara Show at Twin Rivers. It will be their first Connemara show!”

Augusta, New Jersey: We also received this captivating note from Maddie Morris…reprinted just as Maddie wrote. Maddie says, “Buying my pony Mc Jagger was THE best thing that has ever happened to me. ‘Mickey’ is a rockstar literally. Two weeks ago at the Garden State Horse Show it was blowing 50 mph winds and they ended up closing down the horse show but before they stopped the horse show i went in for 3 trips. The flowers were blowing everywhere but Mickey kept on going down the lines and jumping every obstacle that came his way. We ended up winning a class out of 60 people. Even though i have a new horse because mickey is too small for me to do ponies anymore, he will forever be my best friend. Every time i walk into the barn i am greeted with a happy hello from him. in the summer times i sit in his stall for hours and he puts his head in my lap. Mickey is the most perfect pony in the world and a proven winner. My whole bedroom is lined with first places and champions pretty much all from him. Mickey is the reason i ride and he is the reason I live.”

Alachua, Fl: Concord River Roaringwater Bay, who was gelded in November, has had his last foal. A brightly colored filly named Roar’s Last Fancy, she belongs to Patricia Starnes of Alachua.

Midlothian, VA: Margaret Long sent this remembrance of Devonridge Irish Rose (Bien Mallin's Rory O’Sullivan X Daaghn's Irish Heart). Margaret says, “This high flying lass had to be put down last night. Got into a kicking match with another horse and he landed a blow in jeeeeeeeeeest the right spot on Rose's leg, and shattered her LEFT hind cannon bone. A four piece, through-the-skin-fracture, no hope. Jennifer Wright of Three Oaks Equine euthanized her on the spot late last night… a sad end to a difficult story, one which I had such high hopes for. She came from Clove Connemaras in upstate New York, had a beautiful black filly named Wings, and was ready to go-and-do when she came to me in Virginia. Rose was breathtaking in every way if you are a Connemara pony person.

I originally bought her three years ago as a resale project, and after she came out of the required ten-day quarantine, she got into a kicking match the first night she was turned out with other horses, absorbing a blow that shattered her right splint bone. Of all the Connemaras I have owned, she was the most like my first, Desi, and I just couldn't put her down without a fight. She just got me right in the heart from the beginning. The injury was operable, did the splint bone/fragment removal with the wonderful help of surgeon Doug Berry at Woodside Equine, and subsequently I went through all the rest of my horse savings trying to rehabilitate her and get her sound again. She was endlessly patient with everything that had to be done, as if she knew we were all trying to save her and get her well. At the one year mark, all things were going in the right direction except my savings account, so I ended up giving her away to Susan May, manager of the rehab barn where Rose was being treated. Susan fell in love with her, too, and just took it upon herself to finish what I had started so that Rose could have that new chance at life. Bless her. Susan finished helping Rose heal, strengthen, and progress as a dressage and trail mount, and they spent two more years together as riding partners. Susan had just made arrangements to ship Rose to her new owner -- Lora Howard of Clove Connemaras! Lora is who I bought Rose from in the first place, small world, and I know she was soooooooo looking forward to enjoying this spectacular equine partner again. To a dignified, Irish lady of great patience and long-suffering, a mare of opinions, drama, an almost regal bearing, incredible athleticism, and great beauty, goodbye. I loved you very much.

Vögnitz, Germany: Alexandra Kramer sends this news from Germany. “Yesterday we have shown our three-year-old filly, Sternbergs Mandy (El Larry X Norlunds Mary Lou), for mares inspection. We were very happy about her wonderful result. She was inspected in Studbook I with very high grades and got one of the much-in-demand tickets for the Landesshow in Munich. In all three gaits she got 8’s for her good movement, and for her beautiful and feminine Connemara pony type. For her body and the overall impression she even got the rarely given 9’s. Her score of 8.14 is also only rarely achieved.”