Welcome to the American Connemara Pony Society Web Site

Chairperson:	Megan Lepper	709 Placer Ct. Santa Rosa, CA 95401 Phone: (909) 762-2816 lepper@sonoma.edu
Vice Chairperson	Trisha Dashnaw	6620 Heffren Rd. Shingle Springs, CA 95682 (530) 672-2171 mtcddashnaw@yahoo.com

ANNUAL REPORT

This year started with months of preparation and planning for our June 3rd-5th West Coast Connemara Show, which was to be held at Twin Rivers Ranch in Paso Robles. All of this planning went up in smoke due to the horrendous outbreak of EHV-1 virus. Safety forced several shows to be canceled, including ours. The thought of not having a show this year was very disappointing, so everyone came together and worked hard to re-schedule. We chose to hold the show at the Santa Rosa Equestrian Center August 5th-7th. With all of the planning compressed into a few months, we felt rushed and under a lot of pressure, but all of the hard work paid off! It was a very lovely show and everyone had a great time! It was a great success thanks to incredible teamwork!

We are pleased to announce that we have a new Region Chair and Governor! Bonni Kelley has been elected Region X Chair and Charlene O’Neil was elected Region X Governor! We are very excited to have these ladies serving our region and are confident that we remain in good hands!

I had the pleasure of serving Region X this past year. It was more work than I had anticipated, but I learned so much and met many wonderful people. It was an honor. I must admit, however, it was awkward not owning a Connemara myself. SO, I decided to jump in and purchase my first Connemara pony. I didn’t have a lot of funds but Darian Hall made me an incredible deal and I ended up buying her filly, Rosewood Witchcraft. The first couple of months were all joy and fun. I entered her in our WCCS show in the foals of 2011 class. I was so proud to be showing my very own Connemara pony! Unfortunately, shortly after WCCS we started noticing that her feet were looking really bad- dangerously bad. I immediately sent photos to my veterinarian and he came right out to take x-rays and blood. Her blood work was completely normal, no low levels of minerals or vitamins. He shared her case with several other veterinarians, one of whom recognized the disease. He said it was common in Connemaras and that a geneticist at UC Davis was currently researching it. They forwarded “Crafty’s” case on to Dr. Carrie Finno, with who I am now working. They are using my filly for research purposes to learn more about the disease and to develop a test that will detect CARRIERS. Using this test we will be able to test our breeding stock to determine who are carriers and who are not, creating a safer breeding program. I don’t want others to go through the troubles and heartbreak I’ve been going through. This disease is being termed “Hoof Wall Separation Syndrome” unofficially by many at the moment. Ponies with this disease cannot incorporate lipids into their hooves. Lipids in the hoof not only form a vital part of its structure, but contribute to the waterproofing properties of hoof horn. Additionally, these lipids provide the hoof with its ability to resist the invasion of hoof infecting micro-organisms and contribute to its elasticity. The lack of lipids has two effects. First, the glue between the coronary horn layers is insufficient and the permeability barrier of the outer hoof wall is not adequate. Second, moisture gets through the defective permeability barrier and then combines with the deficient glue and the tissues 'unzip'. It would appear from pedigree research that it is an autosomal recessive condition with variable penetrance. Simply stated, BOTH parents must be carriers of the recessive gene in order for it to be expressed in their offspring. This is part that I would like to stress. In creating this DNA test we will be able to determine CARRIERS. As long as BOTH parents aren’t carriers the offspring will be fine. We would be able to create a safer breeding program to protect our ponies, not breeding two carriers to each other. The problem is widespread the world over and certainly will damage the Connemara reputation if not dealt with. It is important that we share knowledge gathered from ponies that have died and those ponies living with it. As caring and responsible breeders and owners, we all need to become educated in recognizing the condition and support ongoing research to develop a test to identify and protect against perpetuating the DNA strain. New Zealand and Canada are performing and funding research that has already been conducted. I feel it’s important that the American Connemara Pony Society recognize this issue and help to educate members and share knowledge about how to prevent and manage this devastating disease. I have heard people say that Crafty is the first “confirmed” case in the US. I would like you to know that this is not true. Crafty’s is the first case going forward with research. But I’ve had several members from ALL over the US contact me requesting information and sharing their stories. Most of us had no knowledge of this disease (myself included) and when their foal was born with it they just treated it for “poor” feet. Rosewood Witchcraft has her own Facebook page where I have been openly sharing photos and information to help other owners as it becomes available. Anyone desiring to learn more is free to “like” her and follow along with her treatments and progress.

Currently the majority of research is being headed at UC Davis by Dr. Carrie Finno. There has been a small research grant made to get her started, but she will need more to perform this research thoroughly. Anyone interested in helping can send their monetary donation to the Center for Equine Health, One Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616. Please include a letter accompanying your check stating that the donation should be directed to Connemara DNA research. Any further questions can be referred to Gregory L. Ferraro at (530) 752-6433.
They will be in need of blood samples from ponies affected, as well as from ponies not affected. For blood collection instructions and shipment instructions please contact me at telesisequestrian@hotmail.com.

Megan Lepper
Former ACPS Region X Chair
(909) 762-2816