Comments on: The Connemara Pony Population in Ireland http://ashbrookstud.ie/the-connemara-pony-population-in-ireland/ Connemara Pony Stud and Magazine Dedicated to the Connemara Pony Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:00:04 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Jacqui Lewis http://ashbrookstud.ie/the-connemara-pony-population-in-ireland/comment-page-1/#comment-664 Jacqui Lewis Mon, 07 Jun 2010 09:02:50 +0000 http://oldkitbag.com/ashbrook/?p=418#comment-664 Great to hear your comments, The inbreeding problem is a difficult one, Almost all decend from Carna Dun, or Carna Bobby. I don't think the answer lies in passing high numbers of colts each year, as people will always use the show winners or jumping stars, depending where their preferences are Show or Performance lines. Even by using imported stallions- the lines go back to the same Carna Dun or Carna Bobby. Maybe it is time to add a few partbreds to the register again, if of correct type, I think maybe they could introduce 6 stallions, but limit their contribution to say 3 years. I know this is frowned upon by most, but those that wish to use them could and those that did'nt want to need'nt use them. It seems crazy to me that There are so many full stallion brothers been passed, I think some other european connemara stud books, will only give a provisional approval for 3 year old colts after this they are performance tested in open competition for a few years and only if they prove themselves are they given full approval. A stallion is only Proven by the stock he has on the ground/ not by a one day inspection, with no real vetting taking place on the day. Colour, I have a dun or buckskin mare and a grey mare that carries cream/ it would be great to know which grey stallions are carring cream/ but If mare owners got their mares tested there would be no problem. Great to hear your comments,
The inbreeding problem is a difficult one, Almost all decend from Carna Dun, or Carna Bobby.
I don’t think the answer lies in passing high numbers of colts each year, as people will always use the show winners or jumping stars, depending where their preferences are Show or Performance lines.
Even by using imported stallions- the lines go back to the same Carna Dun or Carna Bobby.
Maybe it is time to add a few partbreds to the register again, if of correct type, I think maybe they could introduce 6 stallions, but limit their contribution to say 3 years.
I know this is frowned upon by most, but those that wish to use them could and those that did’nt want to need’nt use them.
It seems crazy to me that There are so many full stallion brothers been passed,
I think some other european connemara stud books, will only give a provisional approval for 3 year old colts after this they are performance tested in open competition for a few years and only if they prove themselves are they given full approval.
A stallion is only Proven by the stock he has on the ground/ not by a one day inspection, with no real vetting taking place on the day.
Colour, I have a dun or buckskin mare and a grey mare that carries cream/ it would be great to know which grey stallions are carring cream/ but If mare owners got their mares tested there would be no problem.

]]> By: Anon http://ashbrookstud.ie/the-connemara-pony-population-in-ireland/comment-page-1/#comment-246 Anon Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:01:52 +0000 http://oldkitbag.com/ashbrook/?p=418#comment-246 I’d just like to comment on this article, which is a great read with some great information My comments might get a few peoples hairs up! People are trying to produce good quality stock (or believed to be good quality stock) because this is what we are lead to believe, in the show ring you see the winners a constantly the most used sires and every year we see less and less of the Traditional Connemara in the ring, because people want to produce stock that have a chance to win and get the best price they can on their foals (Granted there is one or two sires that have remarkable show careers that have great bone no need to say who they are) But because of this over use of these sires, it’s changing the Connemara pony, pushing their height beyond the maximum into Horse categories, this is also due to the fact that the larger pony is seen to be the better stock have you seen a nice 13.2 mare win champion of the show in recent years over a nice 14.2, There is something I would like to mention that this article didn’t, and that’s it Colour! We are set to lose every single colour in Ireland apart from the Grey if breeding keeps going the way it is, thankfully Duns had a huge mark up this year and we will now expect to see a mad increase in duns in the next two years as a result, but there is nothing saying the rest of the colours that are lower value and don’t win the show only the odd few here and there, but obviously we need bay to give the us the Dun, without the risk of the breeding a blue eyed cream, The Palomino (no I don’t have one), Ireland used to have registered Sires of this colour, but now it’s that colour is not suitable for the show ring or breeding, I can only find 2 Palomino stallions in all 17 countries there may be more, Sweden seem to have a different frame of mind you see Palomino mares winning their class and are not fronded upon. Everyone should use the following link before mating http://www.connemara-pony.com/mare-coi.php to ensure they are not adding to this huge problem, Importing Stallions for 1 or 2 seasons need to become more common place, I know there is a Dun Stallion arriving in Ireland this year from another EU country which I intend to breed a mare with, but it was by pure fluke I found this information, it needs to be advertised to encourage people to avail of them while here on a limited time frame, The Price of the AI route as deterred a number of people I would say, I will be paying a large sum of money next year for a stallion that if I end up with a colt foal I will stand to lose a €1000.00 which is a scary prospect for anyone to face, I think the cost needs to be looked at to encourage us to avail of the service, annoyingly I notice a top class jumping stallion who need no introducing in France, with shipping cost of €380.00 to Ireland this before you factor the container, handling fees and the papers, for some reason Ireland (Home of the Connemara) was the most expensive country to send a dose to of all the EU countries. Stallion inspections, need to have a different approach, based on the back breeding of the stallion or else each stallion that because a Grade 1 will have the same characteristics and will also be closely related which will only future add to the inbreeding I seen a grade one mare for sale this year in Clifden with an inbreeding rate of 8.8% , there needs to be a cut of somewhere in the region of 4% to start with and gradually decrease this figure, or state that the animal will not be accepted as a grade 1 make it part of the inspection rules for both mares and stallions, this will increase awareness and aid in the problem I feel. I’d just like to comment on this article, which is a great read with some great information

My comments might get a few peoples hairs up!

People are trying to produce good quality stock (or believed to be good quality stock) because this is what we are lead to believe, in the show ring you see the winners a constantly the most used sires and every year we see less and less of the Traditional Connemara in the ring, because people want to produce stock that have a chance to win and get the best price they can on their foals (Granted there is one or two sires that have remarkable show careers that have great bone no need to say who they are)

But because of this over use of these sires, it’s changing the Connemara pony, pushing their height beyond the maximum into Horse categories, this is also due to the fact that the larger pony is seen to be the better stock have you seen a nice 13.2 mare win champion of the show in recent years over a nice 14.2,

There is something I would like to mention that this article didn’t, and that’s it Colour!
We are set to lose every single colour in Ireland apart from the Grey if breeding keeps going the way it is, thankfully Duns had a huge mark up this year and we will now expect to see a mad increase in duns in the next two years as a result, but there is nothing saying the rest of the colours that are lower value and don’t win the show only the odd few here and there, but obviously we need bay to give the us the Dun, without the risk of the breeding a blue eyed cream,
The Palomino (no I don’t have one), Ireland used to have registered Sires of this colour, but now it’s that colour is not suitable for the show ring or breeding, I can only find 2 Palomino stallions in all 17 countries there may be more, Sweden seem to have a different frame of mind you see Palomino mares winning their class and are not fronded upon.

Everyone should use the following link before mating http://www.connemara-pony.com/mare-coi.php to ensure they are not adding to this huge problem,

Importing Stallions for 1 or 2 seasons need to become more common place, I know there is a Dun Stallion arriving in Ireland this year from another EU country which I intend to breed a mare with, but it was by pure fluke I found this information, it needs to be advertised to encourage people to avail of them while here on a limited time frame, The Price of the AI route as deterred a number of people I would say, I will be paying a large sum of money next year for a stallion that if I end up with a colt foal I will stand to lose a €1000.00 which is a scary prospect for anyone to face, I think the cost needs to be looked at to encourage us to avail of the service, annoyingly I notice a top class jumping stallion who need no introducing in France, with shipping cost of €380.00 to Ireland this before you factor the container, handling fees and the papers, for some reason Ireland (Home of the Connemara) was the most expensive country to send a dose to of all the EU countries.

Stallion inspections, need to have a different approach, based on the back breeding of the stallion or else each stallion that because a Grade 1 will have the same characteristics and will also be closely related which will only future add to the inbreeding I seen a grade one mare for sale this year in Clifden with an inbreeding rate of 8.8% , there needs to be a cut of somewhere in the region of 4% to start with and gradually decrease this figure, or state that the animal will not be accepted as a grade 1 make it part of the inspection rules for both mares and stallions, this will increase awareness and aid in the problem I feel.

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