American Connemara, Volume 1, Issue 1, March-April 1986

 

The American Connemara Pony Society’s journey to its present official publication, “American Connemara,” was a bit of a windy path.

The ACPS’ first secretary, Charlotte Read, initially summarized news on a few pages at the front of the original Stud Books, which were published every three years, starting in 1959.

This proved highly insufficient, so the society started a quarterly newsletter in 1968, according to the secretary’s notes in Stud Book IV. That was before our time in Connemaras (we bought our first Connemara in 1972).

The ACPS began sending a newsletter called “The News” four times a year in 1971, according to the volume numbers on editions we have starting in 1973. We have summarized the editions we have here.

In 1978, ACPS member Caroline Nesbitt began publishing her own newsletter, “Connemara Country.” It came out six times a year.

The ACPS adopted “Connemara Country” as its official publication in 1980, while also publishing a no-frills “News Supplement” to members in the months in between to get out announcements and ads.

This arrangement lasted until Nesbitt announced in 1985 that she would end her newsletter in December of that year.

The ACPS, at the board of governors meeting in January 1986 in San Antonio, Texas, hired Pat Lightbody as editor of a new publication, to be called “American Connemara,” and launched it with a March-April 1986 issue. That’s not nearly enough time to put together a new publication; make it conform to a printer’s specifications; and get all the mailing machinery in place. But it happened.

The back of the issue listed Marynell Eyles as associate editor.

Another newsletter, called “ConnQuest,” was being published at the same time by a group in New York. Members in this group had created the Irish Sport Horse Association and also gave out their own Connemara year-end awards.

There was tension between this group and the ACPS, and we’re still working on figuring out what was happening there.

There appeared to be some meeting in the middle between the ACPS and the group, given that the group participated in the new “American Connemara” magazine, including running a full page summary in the first issue explaining the Irish Sport Horse Association and being allowed to have a member on the editorial committee.

We have no “Connemara Country” newsletters, so we’re missing a lot of news from 1980 to 1986. We have some of the ACPS “News Supplements” and a few “ConnQuest” newsletters.

But, we have all the “American Connemara” magazines starting with Vol. 1, No. 1!

Let’s discuss that first issue in 1986.

It was a half-letter-size magazine format, 48 pages, black and white, with green spot color on the cover. The cover was made up of the ACPS logo at the top,  a photo (of a horse jumping) and a big “Connemaras Perform” ribbon under the photo.

The publication was free to members. Additional copies were $2.50 each or $20 for 10. Ads were $45 for a full page, $30 for a half page and $17 for a quarter page.

Camlin Trophy winner

The cover photo was of Mountain View Paddy, featured because he was the winner of the Camlin Trophy, with Blain LaCroix aboard. Paddy was owned by the LaCroix family of Alberta, Canada. The Connemara was foaled in Ireland, by Carna Dun (by Thoroughbred Little Heaven) out of *Lovely Lormount.

Paddy was bay and 16 years old in 1986 (so born around 1970) and had been competing since 1976 in pony hunter, combined training, show jumping, team show jumping, dressage and pony club. His list of accomplishments filled an inside page.

There were summaries of the other nominees, too:

—Avenns Dain Lore, by Lynfields Cormac MacCarthy (by *Texas Hope) out of *Lovely Lormount.

—Blue Ridge Tiger, by Pamunkey (by Whitewood Galway Bay) out of Blue Ridge Jubal Early.

—FF (Fiddlestix Farm) Ballingarry Rose, by Far Above’s Ballingarry Boy (by Far Above’s’ Shannon) out of OH (Oak Hills) Clynagh Rose’s Tulip.

—And RBR (Wainer’s River Bottom Ranch) Miss Patrice by RBR Playboy (by *Marconi) out of RBR Georgia Lady.

The magazine had some official news from Secretary Betty O’Brien, such as new members and transferred Connemaras, plus regional news from five of the 11 regions.

ACPS sets Artificial Insemination policy

There was coverage of the board meeting held in conjunction with the AHSA meeting in San Antonio.

At the meeting, the board adopted an artificial insemination (AI)  policy “in part.”

Requirements to register an AI foal now included:

—Blood typing of stallions.

—The mare owner must blood type the foal if the mare is bred to a different stallion after 42 days.

—The mare owner must notify the ACPS secretary of the AI breeding.

—The veterinarian’s signature is required at collection and insemination.

—At the end of the season, the stallion owner must give the ACPS secretary a list of mares bred.

Summary of awards available

ACPS awards given at the time were summarized. These included four Hall of Fame awards, though they were not called Hall of Fame trophies at the time: the An Tostal Trophy, Camlin Trophy, Broodmare Trophy and Halfbred Connemara Trophy.

The ACPS also gave year-end awards for high point Connemara in various activities based on accumulated points at AHSA shows, rated or not, for hunter, combined training, breeding (in hand conformation), jumper and dressage. Winners received $10 and a brass halter plate with the Connemara’s name on it.

In addition, the USDF gave all-breed awards to Connemaras within its Connemara division.

And the ConnQuest group offered awards for participating in any show or competitive event, with the points doubling for a show recognized by the parent organization (AHSA, USDF, USCTA). Endurance riders earned points by the mile.

There was no mention of AHSA year-end awards. The AHSA recognized the Connemara and included rules for Connemara hunter divisions in its Rule Book in 1978. We will track down how that translated into awards.

Ads and other articles

There were many great ads with photos, plus an obituary by Dr. Marian Molthan for Oak Hills Red Baron (by Camus John’s Gladiator out of Oak Hills Clynagh Rose), a simply awesome gelding rideable by anyone in any endeavor. The obituary needed a photo. We wish we had one to post now. Picture in your head an adorable bay pony glad to see everyone.

Lastly, there was a write-up on our pony, Kerrymor’s Autumn Hope (by *Texas Hope out of Round Robin’s Easter Bonnet), 13.2, then 9, for competing in September 1985 in the St. Louis National Charity Horse Show’s Challenge of the Breeds, made up of hunter, pleasure, barrel racing, trail riding and driving phases. The show was held in an indoor ice skating rink, filled with green shavings each year for the show. Warm-up was outside, and the Challenge of the Breed classes were at night, so warm-up was in the dark under a few bright lights.

We don’t remember the other breeds in the Challenge other than the Curly. We became friends with the Curly team.

Hope had stayed in St. Louis when we moved to Arizona in August 1985 since the show would be held Sept. 23-28. We had little time to get rider Terry McKenna, then 15, and Hope back in sync when we arrived in St. Louis two days before the show.

Joan McKenna Jr. served as groom and later wrote the story for the “American Connemara.” The editor wrote a note on our copy of the publication saying our photo hadn’t arrived in time to publish. We’ll include one here. Don’t know which one we sent her back then.

 

Kerrymor’s Autumn Hope waits with Terry McKenna for a riding phase of the Challenge of the Breeds event in 1985 at the St. Louis National Charity Horse Show.

 

In rereading the story, we realize that we had forgotten that the other Challenge of the Breed teams came with merchandise to hand out, while we had none. Mane combs with a horse’s name on them were a favorite. Gaining crowd support was a big part of the Challenge, lending excitement to the atmosphere.

Also, we had forgotten that Hope had to do the barrel racing event twice because of a problem with the clock. She was slower the second time.

But, Hope finished sixth out of eight and gave that whole competition her all, as you would expect from her breeding and performance career up to that point. She simply LOVED to compete and have people clap for her. We believe that she was the crowd favorite.

Over the years, we tried to get her in foal. Subsequent owners did, too. She wouldn’t have it. She was born to perform.

After we sold her in 1986, when Terry’s legs were dragging the ground and Hope wasn’t ready to retire, Hope went on to win the first Clifden Trophy in 1992 for the highest scoring Connemara in US Equestrian Federation pony hunter divisions — an award that didn’t exist during some of Hope’s biggest show years.

Previous Connemaras in the Challenge of the Breeds included Charlene O’Neil’s Red Ridge Super Star (by *Texas Hope out of *Bo Peep) and Doris Jacobi’s Avenns Golden Ruby (by *Ruta Raitni out of *Ciotog). We’ll get together the full list if we can find all the names.

Spring Ledge Irish Whiskey was the Connemara entry in 1986, finishing fifth. The Connemara division had ended at the St. Louis National by 1986, but the Challenge of the Breeds continued.

We likely won’t be summarizing every “American Connemara” magazine, be we can summarize them in groups.