What would you do if a breed inspector told you your horse did not “fit the standard” of your breed, implying the horse would not pass an inspection, even if he seemed to have perfect conformation? It happened to me, and, from that day on, I have taken a close look at everything related to breed standards in an effort to correct what I felt was unfair and baseless discrimination. Thankfully, I am not alone. In 2008, the BBC did a scathing report on dog breeding, which seems to apply to horse breeding, as well. If you have the same contempt for breed standards as I do, join me on this journey to end them.
What would you do if a breed inspector told you your horse did not “fit the standard” of your breed, implying the horse would not pass an inspection, even if he seemed to have perfect conformation? It happened to me, and, from that day on, I have taken a close look at everything related to breed standards in an effort to correct what I felt was unfair and baseless discrimination. Thankfully, I am not alone. In 2008, the BBC did a scathing report on dog breeding, which seems to apply to horse breeding, as well. If you have the same contempt for breed standards as I do, join me on this journey to end them.
What would you do if a breed inspector told you your horse did not “fit the standard” of your breed, implying the horse would not pass an inspection, even if he seemed to have perfect conformation? It happened to me, and, from that day on, I have taken a close look at everything related to breed standards in an effort to correct what I felt was unfair and baseless discrimination. Thankfully, I am not alone. In 2008, the BBC did a scathing report on dog breeding, which seems to apply to horse breeding, as well. If you have the same contempt for breed standards as I do, join me on this journey to end them.
David O’Connor embraces horse emotions at USEF meeting, while ACPS expands bigoted Connemara inspections
In one room at USEF’s 2024 annual meeting, USEF Chief of Sport David O’Connor discussed weighty topics such as whether there should be horse sport at all and if horses enjoyed taking part in such activity. In another room, Connemara officials expanded their bigoted inspections to a bigger pool of Connemaras (halfbreds). The differences couldn’t be more stark.
Bigger cannon bone adds significant weight to Connemara pony, experiment shows
I have asked for two decades, “Where is the research that shows the effects of the American Connemara Pony Society forcing Connemaras to have thick legs?” The silence has been deafening. In early 2024, I decided to do my own research.
ACPS inspectors alter Connemara breed standard for cannon bone, benefiting their own stallions
Dear US Equestrian, I am deeply disappointed that you have not followed your own directive to affiliates to do the right thing. You have allowed inspectors in the American Connemara Pony Society to alter the Connemara breed standard when they use it in inspections, employing a word trick, so they can approve or give premium status to stallions, including their own, that otherwise would fail an inspection based on the real breed standard.
Could honesty about worthlessness of Connemara inspections bring ACPS thousands of new members?
What if it told the world that there’s no way one can anoint a Connemara as premium by watching it mostly stand still for 12 minutes with a brief walk and trot?
ACPS membership plunge of 38 percent coincides with inspections; new code of conduct may prevent criticism
A steep drop in ACPS membership reflects the failed direction taken by top officials over a 20-year period. For perspective, compare the ACPS numbers to American Morgan Horse Association membership.
Pony featured on ACPS logo would fail Connemara inspections
The longtime logo for the American Connemara Pony Society has appeared on ACPS official literature since at least 1966. But the Connemara in the logo looks exactly like the refined ponies – show hunter-quality ponies – that are now shunned by the breed organization.
Early History of ACPS Shows Focus was on Connemara Performance
Kerrymor Farm has put together a history of the early years of the American Connemara Pony Society that readers of this website should find interesting.
Bad ‘approved’ Connemaras are not an accident
The current list of ACPS-approved Connemaras in America includes many bad ponies, some dangerous, in my opinion. The list also contains some nice ponies, but there’s no way for someone to trust the list, given the bad ones.
Connemara inspections are producing ponies that can’t jump, Irish breeder says in blunt book
Enough with the lies about the Connemara pony being a distinct breed of coarse white ponies that roamed the mountains of Ireland for centuries and were jumping machines. Irish author and horseman Nicholas O’Hare laid bare the lies in his 2002 book, “The Modern Connemara: The Search for Performance.”
Who saved the Connemara pony and what did he want to save?
Irish horseman Michael J. O’Malley is credited with saving the Connemara pony as a distinct breed in the early 1900s. In a little more than a century, his story has been falsely rewritten from a Connemara lover fighting for what was on the inside of the pony (spirit) to someone fighting for what was on the outside (coarseness).
Connemara breed standards promote cresty neck linked to laminitis
If the ACPS wants to foster healthy and so-called premium Connemaras, it should encourage and reward Connemaras that have no neck definition and show some rib.
Connemaras need to evolve to avoid extinction
Where will climate change leave the American Connemara in 2050, three decades from now? How will climate change affect horses in general?
Five reasons to eliminate Connemara inspections
For starters, this is your chance to decide how history will judge you.
Denny Emerson urges American Connemara Pony Society to choose new strategy
Legendary U.S. equestrian Denny Emerson, 76, posted advice to struggling breed societies, particularly Connemara and Morgan groups, on his Facebook page Sept. 29, 2017, suggesting time is of the essence to preserve the breeds.
Blue-eyed cream Connemara stallions now OK because Irish say so
Irish Connemara officials have lifted the ban on registering blue-eyed cream stallions in Ireland, so the United States has followed suit, according to a post Jan. 22, 2016, by the American Connemara Pony Society.
Beware of the ‘premium’ label given to inspected Connemaras
The banner across the top of the American Connemara Pony Society website says: “Connemaras do it all!”
Latest Connemara inspections measure thickness of leg, not quality of horse
On July 19, 2015, I watched several Connemara inspections in St. Louis, Mo., by the American Connemara Pony Society.
Pretty Connemara lives matter
Once again, I return to the topic of hatred and bias, as the world continues to evolve quickly in accepting diversity, but the American Connemara Pony Society not so much. More
Horse therapy program opens hearts; Connemara inspections close them
I received a letter in May 2015 from an organization that helps troubled youth through its horse program.
Ireland welcomes gay marriage; how about pretty Connemaras?
Ireland’s overwhelming approval of gay marriage on May 23, 2015, seems a bit out of character for a country known for its rejection of diversity.
America’s race issue is the same as the Connemara type issue
America still has a pigmentation issue, according to Tom Brokaw on Meet the Press on May 3, 2015.
Watch video clips of Dundrum, famous son of Little Heaven
Two video clips of Dundrum are a treat to watch.
A test for prospective Connemara owners
So you want to buy a Connemara, and you’re asking yourself if you should pay attention to the inspections program?
Are inspections saving the Connemara?
Officials in the American Connemara Pony Society make many claims about their inspections program, but the only question that matters is: Is the program saving the Connemara?
Breed standards force Connemaras to have undesirable conformation
Many people look at breeds as if they have always existed.
Little Heaven may have contributed the famous big heart to Connemaras
Someone recently suggested that I use the term “grinch” to refer to Connemara inspectors who hate the Connemaras that look like Little Heaven.
Can 4,539 words justify Connemara inspections? No
The American Connemara Pony Society’s web page on inspections tries to justify the program with 4,539 words.
It’s time for Connemara discrimination to be ancient history
All indications are that horse discrimination based on appearance will die with the elderly generation that has tried so hard to keep diversity at bay.
Connemara society should make ‘profound shift’ in way it regards animals
A new site dedicated to animals should serve notice to the American Connemara Pony Society that bullying behavior in the form of inspections to force horses to look a certain way will not stand the test of time.
Connemara society should survey remaining members about inspections
Surveys appears to be gaining ground in the horse world, at least in many circles. Horse groups are ramping up their efforts to get feedback to improve and survive.
Connemara breed standards encourage exaggerated conformation
Breed standards encourage exaggerated conformation, according to Wayne Cavanaugh, president of the United Kennel Club, who was interviewed by veterinarian Karen Becker on Aug. 5, 2013, for the website Healthy Pets.
If Santa Claus can evolve, how about the Connemara breed?
An Associated Press story published on Dec. 20, 2013, looked at the changing appearance of today’s Santa Claus.
Breed standards encourage Connemaras that miss the mark to be treated as waste
In a CBS television show called “Lucky Dog,” dog trainer Brandon McMillan tries to find a new home for shelter dogs by taking in one dog per week, working with it at his Lucky Dog Ranch and placing it in a home where it will do well.
What Connemara time period are breed officials trying to preserve?
The most overlooked factor in the argument over what constitutes a Connemara is time.
U.S. Connemara officials should not follow their Irish counterparts
The American Connemara Society is taking its lead on breed inspections from an Ireland that was, not the country that remains today.
Young John F. Kennedy would have been discarded as a Connemara
As we mark the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s assassination, let’s look at Ireland’s treatment of Connemaras against the backdrop of its treatment of its favorite son, the former U.S. president.
Invoking Redford and Kennedy: Time to pass the torch in the Connemara society
Robert Redford discussed the toxic environment in Washington in an interview with CNN on October 16, 2013, as he promoted a new movie.
Don’t fight for bullying in the Connemara society
I’m curious why officials in the American Connemara Pony Society are working so hard to keep breed inspections that have not proven to create better Connemaras or make the breed more popular.
Do Connemara inspections teach kindness to children? No
In yet another sobering look at the life of kids today, CNN published an article October 11, 2013, describing the onslaught of bullying that children face on social media sites.
Connemara society ignores USEF’s welfare instruction and continues with Connemara inspections
The 2013 meeting of the American Connemara Pony Society has come and gone, and nothing appears to have changed with inspections.
Connemara inspections teach kids the wrong lesson: bigotry
Horses have long provided a sanctuary for children at a fragile stage in life.
Annual meeting is time for Connemara society to embrace USEF mission
USEF has asked its affiliates to examine their practices to ensure they are in line with a world in which there is no hiding from public scrutiny; affiliates should proceed as if their actions are being recorded by an NBC camera crew 24/7 with no editing.
Connemara inspections appear to violate antitrust law
What should Connemara owners take away from the Texas cloning lawsuit, in which a jury ruled against a ban on cloned horses in the American Quarter Horse Association?
Let’s stream Connemara inspections live so everyone can watch!
It’s only a matter of time until the courts strike down Connemara breed inspections for the same reason that a federal jury ruled against a cloning ban in the American Quarter Horse Association: It’s an illegal, monopolistic practice.
Cloning ruling should signal end for Connemara inspections
A jury in a federal court in Texas has ruled that the American Quarter Horse Association violated state and federal antitrust laws by banning cloned horses from its registry.
Connemara inspections would not pass USEF’s Central Park test
Of all the posts I’ve written about Connemara inspections, this is the most important, because it looks at the practices of the American Connemara Pony Society against the backdrop of its national federation, the United States Equestrian Federation.
Kennedy’s words ring true for Connemaras being failed at inspections
The late President John F. Kennedy made his “Report to the American People on Civil Rights” on June 11, 1963.
Young voters who call GOP ‘closed-minded’ and ‘racist’ unlikely to approve of Connemara bullying
The New York Times posted an article on June 3, 2013, under the headline “Why young people don’t vote Republican.”
Is extinction the goal for Connemara society?
The Washington Post published an article June 1, 2013, on why the Boy Scouts of America finally voted to end its discrimination against gay scouts.
Connemara inspections may require short horses to carry fat people
A recent study on how much weight horses can carry comfortably has illustrated yet again why Connemaras should not be forced to remain 14-2 hands and under.
2013 commencement speeches decry divisiveness embraced by Connemara inspections
I listened to two college commencement speeches given on May 11, 2013 — one by former President Bill Clinton and another by former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw.
Breed officials are trying to stop evolution of Connemaras
Charles Darwin was a British scientist in the 19th century whose research led him to theorize that survival and reproduction were the prime motivations for all species.
Are breed standards immoral?
I wish Connemara inspectors could have been in the room in February 2013 when the chief scientist with the RSPCA in Australia asked a conference of horsemen if humans are justified in asking a horse to do something it doesn’t want to do.
Simple vote on voluntary Connemara inspections escalated into witch hunt
How did this inspections process go from a simple vote for voluntary inspections to a Hitler-like weeding out of conformation that is not a flaw?
Why do women condone Connemara inspections?
In 2005, a Connemara inspector made some comments to me about my horse that would have been considered racially biased and bigoted if she were speaking about a human.
Who will speak up for animals in opposing breed standards?
One of my many issues with breed inspections and breed standards has been the lack of people who have been willing to go public and say these practices are wrong.
Connemara inspections require nothing but give the appearance of accomplishing something
I was discussing Connemara inspections with a family member recently, and we both wondered why Connemara inspections have become the No. item on the agenda of the American Connemara Pony Society when so many other activities seem more productive.
Connemaras publish letter to American inspectors
To the inspectors of the American Connemara Pony Society: I am one of the many Connemaras you have failed at an inspection.
Fear might be driving bias against pretty horses in Connemara breed inspections
This discrimination is bizarre behavior in the 21st century, a time when bullying has become especially unacceptable and the diversity of the nation has changed along with its definition of beauty.
Can ‘Rudolph’ convince Connemara inspectors that discrimination is wrong?
CBS generously ran the classic Christmas special “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” twice in 2012, allowing me to do some much-needed fact-checking.
It’s time to revisit why America started Connemara inspections
In 2005, when I first raised huge concerns about how the Connemara inspections process was taking shape in America, ACPS board members pointed to Ireland as the reason for the creation of U.S. inspections.
Evolved thinkers or bigots? Connemara officials should decide
You can’t be a bigot and evolved in the same breath.
An invitation to Connemara officials to do some soul-searching
I often wonder how long it will be before Connemara officials in America are willing to admit they were wrong to create inspections that intentionally discriminate against horses that are Connemaras by blood and have every right to equal treatment and inclusion in the society?
Do Connemara members approve of their dues paying for bullying?
the American Connemara society pays for the expenses of people who have been deemed inspectors to travel to cities to bully horses.
Discrimination seen in Connemara world has roots in baby biases
Allowing so-called inspectors to fail horses that weren’t to their liking and exclude them has always felt to me like the breed society was turned over to a bunch of adolescents. As it turns out, that comparison is more accurate than I thought.
Current property laws make exploitation of Connemaras, other animals possible
One cannot debate whether breed standards for horses and dogs are ethical without looking at the bigger picture of how animals fit into society.
Connemaras would be better off in Obama’s America
The Connemara society reminds me of the Republican party: completely blind to the fact that its future base will be a diverse population that doesn’t take kindly to discrimination.
Connemara inspectors could learn something from ‘Sing for the Silent’
I find myself quoting people under the age of 20 more often than not when it comes to bullying.
How long will we have to wait for an apology over breed inspections?
I believe in my lifetime that breed standards and inspections will be banned, because courts will outlaw the practice of forcing breeders to create animals that match a set of criteria written on paper by people who basically are just being bullies.
Connemara inspections are the worst business strategy possible
Did Steve Jobs let Bill Gates tell him how to run his business?
Let’s see Connemara inspections for what they are: bullying
By now, anyone who follows the news has heard Wisconsin anchor Jennifer Livingston turn the tables on the viewer who called her fat in an email.
If Connemaras could talk, what would they say about inspections?
A “Huffington Post” article captured the frustration of US gymnast Gabby Douglas hours after she won the individual gold medal in London in August 2012.
Connemara inspectors’ herds are full of Thoroughbred bloodlines, too
Allbreedpedigree.com shows that inspectors who repeatedly fail horses that “remind then of Thoroughbreds” are hypocrites.
Forum posts portray Connemara society as polarized over Little Heaven
“If you want to see a bunch of Connemara breeders almost come to blows, start a discussion about whether Little Heaven and Texas Hope were good or bad for the breed.”
Connemara breed hypocritical in rejecting Thoroughbred traits at inspections
A British study of Thoroughbred foundation mares suggests that they descend from native Irish mares, including Connemaras and Irish Draught mares, and mares native to the British Isles, more than horses from the Middle East and Asia, as originally thought.
When did rejection based on appearance become OK?
I haven’t been very shy about arguing that people should not put themselves above animals.
Stigmatizing animals through breed standards has no place in the United States
I keep seeing the word stigma in news reports, and I think it’s time to look at this word in relation to breed standards.
Inspections confirm age-old truism: You can’t judge a horse by its cover
Famed horse writer Walter Farley’s “Little Black, a Pony” delivers the not-so-subtle message that we shouldn’t prejudge something based on appearance.
Another battle brewing over breed standards and inspections
Frustration over breed standards appears to be building, based on feedback I’m getting from around the world, and I was sent an interesting article on the topic that was published in the June 2012 issue of Ireland’s Horse Review, a monthly sport horse newspaper.
Should Ireland be leading the Connemara horse world?
In December 2010, The New York Times did a sobering story on the plight of horses in Ireland today.
Breed standards motivated by pack mentality and need for esteem
A post on Psychology Today from December 2009 looks at human motivation. Author Robert Evans Wilson Jr. says humans are motivated by their status as a pack animal.
How much does peer pressure influence breed standards?
Peer pressure is a formidable force. It makes people agree to do things that they would not do on their own.
Wording for breed standards, bullying is the same
There is a pattern between the language on websites that decry the use of bullying and those that herald the use of breed standards.
Breed standards are based on flawed concept of ‘owning’ animals
The debate over whether breed societies can set breed standards for animals really is a larger debate about where humans and animals fall in the universal pecking order and whether humans should “own” animals.
Breed standards must evolve with beauty perceptions
America’s perception of the ideal beauty has changed from a white woman such as Christie Brinkley in 1991 to a mixed race or darker woman such as Angelina Jolie today.
Vet who failed dog breeds at Crufts talks about exaggerated conformation
Alison Skipper, one of the two vets who failed six of 15 Best of Breed winners at the Crufts dog show in Britain in March 2012, has aired her thoughts on the experience after coming under fire.
Dr. Fox takes on breed standards in latest column
The well-known veterinarian pulled no punches in attacking breed standards in a reply to a poor woman who just wanted to know why her sister’s Persian cats had constant tearing in their eyes.
Veterinarians target exaggerated conformation at British dog show
As victories go, this one is hollow. But, let’s not ignore any movement when it comes to breed standards.
Connemaras and women face same bigoted world
CNN is running a series on beauty, and one of the reports centers on a documentary called “Miss Representation.”
Where is the research that says certain cannon bone measurements make a better horse?
I continue to search for scientific evidence that a thicker, shorter cannon bone makes for a better horse, because, otherwise, it would seem odd or irresponsible that Connemara societies the world over would be requiring cannon bones of a certain width and length for a Connemara to pass an inspection.
Heavy cannon bones are detrimental to Connemara movement, science shows
Intentionally making horses carry around heavy cannon bones is the opposite of what nature intended, and research seems to refute the American Connemara Pony Society’s message that big cannon bones are better.
Canadian veterinary association asks vets to help fix breed standards
An article titled “A New Direction for Kennel Club Regulations and Breed Standards” published in 2007 in the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association addresses veterinarians’ role in the increasing “welfare predicament” of purebred dogs.
Australia RSPCA advocates eliminating breed standards based on appearance
Once again, another highly respected group has come out against breed standards based on appearance.
Law professor pushes for end to discrimination based on appearance
A Stanford law professor is finally laying the groundwork in the human world for what may lead to the end of appearance bias.
The ‘right’ breed standards are all in your head
I was researching whether there actually was more than one way to peel a banana to fact-check an article I was copy editing, and I came across this article by J. Howard Baker, an assistant professor of computer information systems and a guy who makes a lot of sense.
Bullying and breed standards are same thing
Bullying means “to affect by means of force or coercion,” according to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.
Breed standards exposed
If you haven’t seen the 2008 British documentary “Pedigree Dogs Exposed,” whether you’re a horse breeder, a dog breeder or just an animal lover in general, you should watch it.
Connemara breed standards and inspection requirements
If you want to pass an inspection by the American Connemara Pony Society, you will need to add at least an inch to the cannon bone circumference standard of 7 to 8 inches. The ACPS chooses to ignore that breed standard and is giving premium and approved status to Connemaras of pony height with 9- to 10-inch cannon bones.
David O’Connor embraces horse emotions at USEF meeting, while ACPS expands bigoted Connemara inspections
In one room at USEF’s 2024 annual meeting, USEF Chief of Sport David O’Connor discussed weighty topics such as whether there should be horse sport at all and if horses enjoyed taking part in such activity. In another room, Connemara officials expanded their bigoted inspections to a bigger pool of Connemaras (halfbreds). The differences couldn’t be more stark.
Bigger cannon bone adds significant weight to Connemara pony, experiment shows
I have asked for two decades, “Where is the research that shows the effects of the American Connemara Pony Society forcing Connemaras to have thick legs?” The silence has been deafening. In early 2024, I decided to do my own research.
ACPS inspectors alter Connemara breed standard for cannon bone, benefiting their own stallions
Dear US Equestrian, I am deeply disappointed that you have not followed your own directive to affiliates to do the right thing. You have allowed inspectors in the American Connemara Pony Society to alter the Connemara breed standard when they use it in inspections, employing a word trick, so they can approve or give premium status to stallions, including their own, that otherwise would fail an inspection based on the real breed standard.
ACPS membership plunge of 38 percent coincides with inspections; new code of conduct may prevent criticism
A steep drop in ACPS membership reflects the failed direction taken by top officials over a 20-year period. For perspective, compare the ACPS numbers to American Morgan Horse Association membership.
Pony featured on ACPS logo would fail Connemara inspections
The longtime logo for the American Connemara Pony Society has appeared on ACPS official literature since at least 1966. But the Connemara in the logo looks exactly like the refined ponies – show hunter-quality ponies – that are now shunned by the breed organization.
Connemara inspections are producing ponies that can’t jump, Irish breeder says in blunt book
Enough with the lies about the Connemara pony being a distinct breed of coarse white ponies that roamed the mountains of Ireland for centuries and were jumping machines. Irish author and horseman Nicholas O’Hare laid bare the lies in his 2002 book, “The Modern Connemara: The Search for Performance.”
Who saved the Connemara pony and what did he want to save?
Irish horseman Michael J. O’Malley is credited with saving the Connemara pony as a distinct breed in the early 1900s. In a little more than a century, his story has been falsely rewritten from a Connemara lover fighting for what was on the inside of the pony (spirit) to someone fighting for what was on the outside (coarseness).
Denny Emerson urges American Connemara Pony Society to choose new strategy
Legendary U.S. equestrian Denny Emerson, 76, posted advice to struggling breed societies, particularly Connemara and Morgan groups, on his Facebook page Sept. 29, 2017, suggesting time is of the essence to preserve the breeds.
Connemara society should make ‘profound shift’ in way it regards animals
A new site dedicated to animals should serve notice to the American Connemara Pony Society that bullying behavior in the form of inspections to force horses to look a certain way will not stand the test of time.
Breed standards encourage Connemaras that miss the mark to be treated as waste
In a CBS television show called “Lucky Dog,” dog trainer Brandon McMillan tries to find a new home for shelter dogs by taking in one dog per week, working with it at his Lucky Dog Ranch and placing it in a home where it will do well.
Annual meeting is time for Connemara society to embrace USEF mission
USEF has asked its affiliates to examine their practices to ensure they are in line with a world in which there is no hiding from public scrutiny; affiliates should proceed as if their actions are being recorded by an NBC camera crew 24/7 with no editing.
Let’s stream Connemara inspections live so everyone can watch!
It’s only a matter of time until the courts strike down Connemara breed inspections for the same reason that a federal jury ruled against a cloning ban in the American Quarter Horse Association: It’s an illegal, monopolistic practice.
Connemara inspections would not pass USEF’s Central Park test
Of all the posts I’ve written about Connemara inspections, this is the most important, because it looks at the practices of the American Connemara Pony Society against the backdrop of its national federation, the United States Equestrian Federation.
Connemara inspections require nothing but give the appearance of accomplishing something
I was discussing Connemara inspections with a family member recently, and we both wondered why Connemara inspections have become the No. item on the agenda of the American Connemara Pony Society when so many other activities seem more productive.
An invitation to Connemara officials to do some soul-searching
I often wonder how long it will be before Connemara officials in America are willing to admit they were wrong to create inspections that intentionally discriminate against horses that are Connemaras by blood and have every right to equal treatment and inclusion in the society?
Discrimination seen in Connemara world has roots in baby biases
Allowing so-called inspectors to fail horses that weren’t to their liking and exclude them has always felt to me like the breed society was turned over to a bunch of adolescents. As it turns out, that comparison is more accurate than I thought.
How long will we have to wait for an apology over breed inspections?
I believe in my lifetime that breed standards and inspections will be banned, because courts will outlaw the practice of forcing breeders to create animals that match a set of criteria written on paper by people who basically are just being bullies.
Connemara breed hypocritical in rejecting Thoroughbred traits at inspections
A British study of Thoroughbred foundation mares suggests that they descend from native Irish mares, including Connemaras and Irish Draught mares, and mares native to the British Isles, more than horses from the Middle East and Asia, as originally thought.
Another battle brewing over breed standards and inspections
Frustration over breed standards appears to be building, based on feedback I’m getting from around the world, and I was sent an interesting article on the topic that was published in the June 2012 issue of Ireland’s Horse Review, a monthly sport horse newspaper.
Where is the research that says certain cannon bone measurements make a better horse?
I continue to search for scientific evidence that a thicker, shorter cannon bone makes for a better horse, because, otherwise, it would seem odd or irresponsible that Connemara societies the world over would be requiring cannon bones of a certain width and length for a Connemara to pass an inspection.
Canadian veterinary association asks vets to help fix breed standards
An article titled “A New Direction for Kennel Club Regulations and Breed Standards” published in 2007 in the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association addresses veterinarians’ role in the increasing “welfare predicament” of purebred dogs.
The ‘right’ breed standards are all in your head
I was researching whether there actually was more than one way to peel a banana to fact-check an article I was copy editing, and I came across this article by J. Howard Baker, an assistant professor of computer information systems and a guy who makes a lot of sense.
Connemara breed standards and inspection requirements
If you want to pass an inspection by the American Connemara Pony Society, you will need to add at least an inch to the cannon bone circumference standard of 7 to 8 inches. The ACPS chooses to ignore that breed standard and is giving premium and approved status to Connemaras of pony height with 9- to 10-inch cannon bones.
David O’Connor embraces horse emotions at USEF meeting, while ACPS expands bigoted Connemara inspections
In one room at USEF’s 2024 annual meeting, USEF Chief of Sport David O’Connor discussed weighty topics such as whether there should be horse sport at all and if horses enjoyed taking part in such activity. In another room, Connemara officials expanded their bigoted inspections to a bigger pool of Connemaras (halfbreds). The differences couldn’t be more stark.
Bigger cannon bone adds significant weight to Connemara pony, experiment shows
I have asked for two decades, “Where is the research that shows the effects of the American Connemara Pony Society forcing Connemaras to have thick legs?” The silence has been deafening. In early 2024, I decided to do my own research.
ACPS inspectors alter Connemara breed standard for cannon bone, benefiting their own stallions
Dear US Equestrian, I am deeply disappointed that you have not followed your own directive to affiliates to do the right thing. You have allowed inspectors in the American Connemara Pony Society to alter the Connemara breed standard when they use it in inspections, employing a word trick, so they can approve or give premium status to stallions, including their own, that otherwise would fail an inspection based on the real breed standard.
Could honesty about worthlessness of Connemara inspections bring ACPS thousands of new members?
What if it told the world that there’s no way one can anoint a Connemara as premium by watching it mostly stand still for 12 minutes with a brief walk and trot?
ACPS membership plunge of 38 percent coincides with inspections; new code of conduct may prevent criticism
A steep drop in ACPS membership reflects the failed direction taken by top officials over a 20-year period. For perspective, compare the ACPS numbers to American Morgan Horse Association membership.
Pony featured on ACPS logo would fail Connemara inspections
The longtime logo for the American Connemara Pony Society has appeared on ACPS official literature since at least 1966. But the Connemara in the logo looks exactly like the refined ponies – show hunter-quality ponies – that are now shunned by the breed organization.
Early History of ACPS Shows Focus was on Connemara Performance
Kerrymor Farm has put together a history of the early years of the American Connemara Pony Society that readers of this website should find interesting.
Bad ‘approved’ Connemaras are not an accident
The current list of ACPS-approved Connemaras in America includes many bad ponies, some dangerous, in my opinion. The list also contains some nice ponies, but there’s no way for someone to trust the list, given the bad ones.
Connemara inspections are producing ponies that can’t jump, Irish breeder says in blunt book
Enough with the lies about the Connemara pony being a distinct breed of coarse white ponies that roamed the mountains of Ireland for centuries and were jumping machines. Irish author and horseman Nicholas O’Hare laid bare the lies in his 2002 book, “The Modern Connemara: The Search for Performance.”
Who saved the Connemara pony and what did he want to save?
Irish horseman Michael J. O’Malley is credited with saving the Connemara pony as a distinct breed in the early 1900s. In a little more than a century, his story has been falsely rewritten from a Connemara lover fighting for what was on the inside of the pony (spirit) to someone fighting for what was on the outside (coarseness).
Connemara breed standards promote cresty neck linked to laminitis
If the ACPS wants to foster healthy and so-called premium Connemaras, it should encourage and reward Connemaras that have no neck definition and show some rib.
Connemaras need to evolve to avoid extinction
Where will climate change leave the American Connemara in 2050, three decades from now? How will climate change affect horses in general?
Five reasons to eliminate Connemara inspections
For starters, this is your chance to decide how history will judge you.
Denny Emerson urges American Connemara Pony Society to choose new strategy
Legendary U.S. equestrian Denny Emerson, 76, posted advice to struggling breed societies, particularly Connemara and Morgan groups, on his Facebook page Sept. 29, 2017, suggesting time is of the essence to preserve the breeds.
Blue-eyed cream Connemara stallions now OK because Irish say so
Irish Connemara officials have lifted the ban on registering blue-eyed cream stallions in Ireland, so the United States has followed suit, according to a post Jan. 22, 2016, by the American Connemara Pony Society.
Beware of the ‘premium’ label given to inspected Connemaras
The banner across the top of the American Connemara Pony Society website says: “Connemaras do it all!”
Latest Connemara inspections measure thickness of leg, not quality of horse
On July 19, 2015, I watched several Connemara inspections in St. Louis, Mo., by the American Connemara Pony Society.
Pretty Connemara lives matter
Once again, I return to the topic of hatred and bias, as the world continues to evolve quickly in accepting diversity, but the American Connemara Pony Society not so much. More
Horse therapy program opens hearts; Connemara inspections close them
I received a letter in May 2015 from an organization that helps troubled youth through its horse program.
Ireland welcomes gay marriage; how about pretty Connemaras?
Ireland’s overwhelming approval of gay marriage on May 23, 2015, seems a bit out of character for a country known for its rejection of diversity.
America’s race issue is the same as the Connemara type issue
America still has a pigmentation issue, according to Tom Brokaw on Meet the Press on May 3, 2015.
Watch video clips of Dundrum, famous son of Little Heaven
Two video clips of Dundrum are a treat to watch.
A test for prospective Connemara owners
So you want to buy a Connemara, and you’re asking yourself if you should pay attention to the inspections program?
Are inspections saving the Connemara?
Officials in the American Connemara Pony Society make many claims about their inspections program, but the only question that matters is: Is the program saving the Connemara?
Breed standards force Connemaras to have undesirable conformation
Many people look at breeds as if they have always existed.
Little Heaven may have contributed the famous big heart to Connemaras
Someone recently suggested that I use the term “grinch” to refer to Connemara inspectors who hate the Connemaras that look like Little Heaven.
Can 4,539 words justify Connemara inspections? No
The American Connemara Pony Society’s web page on inspections tries to justify the program with 4,539 words.
It’s time for Connemara discrimination to be ancient history
All indications are that horse discrimination based on appearance will die with the elderly generation that has tried so hard to keep diversity at bay.
Connemara society should make ‘profound shift’ in way it regards animals
A new site dedicated to animals should serve notice to the American Connemara Pony Society that bullying behavior in the form of inspections to force horses to look a certain way will not stand the test of time.
Connemara society should survey remaining members about inspections
Surveys appears to be gaining ground in the horse world, at least in many circles. Horse groups are ramping up their efforts to get feedback to improve and survive.
Connemara breed standards encourage exaggerated conformation
Breed standards encourage exaggerated conformation, according to Wayne Cavanaugh, president of the United Kennel Club, who was interviewed by veterinarian Karen Becker on Aug. 5, 2013, for the website Healthy Pets.
If Santa Claus can evolve, how about the Connemara breed?
An Associated Press story published on Dec. 20, 2013, looked at the changing appearance of today’s Santa Claus.
Breed standards encourage Connemaras that miss the mark to be treated as waste
In a CBS television show called “Lucky Dog,” dog trainer Brandon McMillan tries to find a new home for shelter dogs by taking in one dog per week, working with it at his Lucky Dog Ranch and placing it in a home where it will do well.
What Connemara time period are breed officials trying to preserve?
The most overlooked factor in the argument over what constitutes a Connemara is time.
U.S. Connemara officials should not follow their Irish counterparts
The American Connemara Society is taking its lead on breed inspections from an Ireland that was, not the country that remains today.
Young John F. Kennedy would have been discarded as a Connemara
As we mark the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s assassination, let’s look at Ireland’s treatment of Connemaras against the backdrop of its treatment of its favorite son, the former U.S. president.
Invoking Redford and Kennedy: Time to pass the torch in the Connemara society
Robert Redford discussed the toxic environment in Washington in an interview with CNN on October 16, 2013, as he promoted a new movie.
Don’t fight for bullying in the Connemara society
I’m curious why officials in the American Connemara Pony Society are working so hard to keep breed inspections that have not proven to create better Connemaras or make the breed more popular.
Do Connemara inspections teach kindness to children? No
In yet another sobering look at the life of kids today, CNN published an article October 11, 2013, describing the onslaught of bullying that children face on social media sites.
Connemara society ignores USEF’s welfare instruction and continues with Connemara inspections
The 2013 meeting of the American Connemara Pony Society has come and gone, and nothing appears to have changed with inspections.
Connemara inspections teach kids the wrong lesson: bigotry
Horses have long provided a sanctuary for children at a fragile stage in life.
Annual meeting is time for Connemara society to embrace USEF mission
USEF has asked its affiliates to examine their practices to ensure they are in line with a world in which there is no hiding from public scrutiny; affiliates should proceed as if their actions are being recorded by an NBC camera crew 24/7 with no editing.
Connemara inspections appear to violate antitrust law
What should Connemara owners take away from the Texas cloning lawsuit, in which a jury ruled against a ban on cloned horses in the American Quarter Horse Association?
Let’s stream Connemara inspections live so everyone can watch!
It’s only a matter of time until the courts strike down Connemara breed inspections for the same reason that a federal jury ruled against a cloning ban in the American Quarter Horse Association: It’s an illegal, monopolistic practice.
Cloning ruling should signal end for Connemara inspections
A jury in a federal court in Texas has ruled that the American Quarter Horse Association violated state and federal antitrust laws by banning cloned horses from its registry.
Connemara inspections would not pass USEF’s Central Park test
Of all the posts I’ve written about Connemara inspections, this is the most important, because it looks at the practices of the American Connemara Pony Society against the backdrop of its national federation, the United States Equestrian Federation.
Kennedy’s words ring true for Connemaras being failed at inspections
The late President John F. Kennedy made his “Report to the American People on Civil Rights” on June 11, 1963.
Young voters who call GOP ‘closed-minded’ and ‘racist’ unlikely to approve of Connemara bullying
The New York Times posted an article on June 3, 2013, under the headline “Why young people don’t vote Republican.”
Is extinction the goal for Connemara society?
The Washington Post published an article June 1, 2013, on why the Boy Scouts of America finally voted to end its discrimination against gay scouts.
Connemara inspections may require short horses to carry fat people
A recent study on how much weight horses can carry comfortably has illustrated yet again why Connemaras should not be forced to remain 14-2 hands and under.
2013 commencement speeches decry divisiveness embraced by Connemara inspections
I listened to two college commencement speeches given on May 11, 2013 — one by former President Bill Clinton and another by former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw.
Breed officials are trying to stop evolution of Connemaras
Charles Darwin was a British scientist in the 19th century whose research led him to theorize that survival and reproduction were the prime motivations for all species.
Are breed standards immoral?
I wish Connemara inspectors could have been in the room in February 2013 when the chief scientist with the RSPCA in Australia asked a conference of horsemen if humans are justified in asking a horse to do something it doesn’t want to do.
Simple vote on voluntary Connemara inspections escalated into witch hunt
How did this inspections process go from a simple vote for voluntary inspections to a Hitler-like weeding out of conformation that is not a flaw?
Why do women condone Connemara inspections?
In 2005, a Connemara inspector made some comments to me about my horse that would have been considered racially biased and bigoted if she were speaking about a human.
Who will speak up for animals in opposing breed standards?
One of my many issues with breed inspections and breed standards has been the lack of people who have been willing to go public and say these practices are wrong.
Connemara inspections require nothing but give the appearance of accomplishing something
I was discussing Connemara inspections with a family member recently, and we both wondered why Connemara inspections have become the No. item on the agenda of the American Connemara Pony Society when so many other activities seem more productive.
Connemaras publish letter to American inspectors
To the inspectors of the American Connemara Pony Society: I am one of the many Connemaras you have failed at an inspection.
Fear might be driving bias against pretty horses in Connemara breed inspections
This discrimination is bizarre behavior in the 21st century, a time when bullying has become especially unacceptable and the diversity of the nation has changed along with its definition of beauty.
Can ‘Rudolph’ convince Connemara inspectors that discrimination is wrong?
CBS generously ran the classic Christmas special “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” twice in 2012, allowing me to do some much-needed fact-checking.
It’s time to revisit why America started Connemara inspections
In 2005, when I first raised huge concerns about how the Connemara inspections process was taking shape in America, ACPS board members pointed to Ireland as the reason for the creation of U.S. inspections.
Evolved thinkers or bigots? Connemara officials should decide
You can’t be a bigot and evolved in the same breath.
An invitation to Connemara officials to do some soul-searching
I often wonder how long it will be before Connemara officials in America are willing to admit they were wrong to create inspections that intentionally discriminate against horses that are Connemaras by blood and have every right to equal treatment and inclusion in the society?
Do Connemara members approve of their dues paying for bullying?
the American Connemara society pays for the expenses of people who have been deemed inspectors to travel to cities to bully horses.
Discrimination seen in Connemara world has roots in baby biases
Allowing so-called inspectors to fail horses that weren’t to their liking and exclude them has always felt to me like the breed society was turned over to a bunch of adolescents. As it turns out, that comparison is more accurate than I thought.
Current property laws make exploitation of Connemaras, other animals possible
One cannot debate whether breed standards for horses and dogs are ethical without looking at the bigger picture of how animals fit into society.
Connemaras would be better off in Obama’s America
The Connemara society reminds me of the Republican party: completely blind to the fact that its future base will be a diverse population that doesn’t take kindly to discrimination.
Connemara inspectors could learn something from ‘Sing for the Silent’
I find myself quoting people under the age of 20 more often than not when it comes to bullying.
How long will we have to wait for an apology over breed inspections?
I believe in my lifetime that breed standards and inspections will be banned, because courts will outlaw the practice of forcing breeders to create animals that match a set of criteria written on paper by people who basically are just being bullies.
Connemara inspections are the worst business strategy possible
Did Steve Jobs let Bill Gates tell him how to run his business?
Let’s see Connemara inspections for what they are: bullying
By now, anyone who follows the news has heard Wisconsin anchor Jennifer Livingston turn the tables on the viewer who called her fat in an email.
If Connemaras could talk, what would they say about inspections?
A “Huffington Post” article captured the frustration of US gymnast Gabby Douglas hours after she won the individual gold medal in London in August 2012.
Connemara inspectors’ herds are full of Thoroughbred bloodlines, too
Allbreedpedigree.com shows that inspectors who repeatedly fail horses that “remind then of Thoroughbreds” are hypocrites.
Forum posts portray Connemara society as polarized over Little Heaven
“If you want to see a bunch of Connemara breeders almost come to blows, start a discussion about whether Little Heaven and Texas Hope were good or bad for the breed.”
Connemara breed hypocritical in rejecting Thoroughbred traits at inspections
A British study of Thoroughbred foundation mares suggests that they descend from native Irish mares, including Connemaras and Irish Draught mares, and mares native to the British Isles, more than horses from the Middle East and Asia, as originally thought.
When did rejection based on appearance become OK?
I haven’t been very shy about arguing that people should not put themselves above animals.
Stigmatizing animals through breed standards has no place in the United States
I keep seeing the word stigma in news reports, and I think it’s time to look at this word in relation to breed standards.
Inspections confirm age-old truism: You can’t judge a horse by its cover
Famed horse writer Walter Farley’s “Little Black, a Pony” delivers the not-so-subtle message that we shouldn’t prejudge something based on appearance.
Another battle brewing over breed standards and inspections
Frustration over breed standards appears to be building, based on feedback I’m getting from around the world, and I was sent an interesting article on the topic that was published in the June 2012 issue of Ireland’s Horse Review, a monthly sport horse newspaper.
Should Ireland be leading the Connemara horse world?
In December 2010, The New York Times did a sobering story on the plight of horses in Ireland today.
Breed standards motivated by pack mentality and need for esteem
A post on Psychology Today from December 2009 looks at human motivation. Author Robert Evans Wilson Jr. says humans are motivated by their status as a pack animal.
How much does peer pressure influence breed standards?
Peer pressure is a formidable force. It makes people agree to do things that they would not do on their own.
Wording for breed standards, bullying is the same
There is a pattern between the language on websites that decry the use of bullying and those that herald the use of breed standards.
Breed standards are based on flawed concept of ‘owning’ animals
The debate over whether breed societies can set breed standards for animals really is a larger debate about where humans and animals fall in the universal pecking order and whether humans should “own” animals.
Breed standards must evolve with beauty perceptions
America’s perception of the ideal beauty has changed from a white woman such as Christie Brinkley in 1991 to a mixed race or darker woman such as Angelina Jolie today.
Vet who failed dog breeds at Crufts talks about exaggerated conformation
Alison Skipper, one of the two vets who failed six of 15 Best of Breed winners at the Crufts dog show in Britain in March 2012, has aired her thoughts on the experience after coming under fire.
Dr. Fox takes on breed standards in latest column
The well-known veterinarian pulled no punches in attacking breed standards in a reply to a poor woman who just wanted to know why her sister’s Persian cats had constant tearing in their eyes.
Veterinarians target exaggerated conformation at British dog show
As victories go, this one is hollow. But, let’s not ignore any movement when it comes to breed standards.
Connemaras and women face same bigoted world
CNN is running a series on beauty, and one of the reports centers on a documentary called “Miss Representation.”
Where is the research that says certain cannon bone measurements make a better horse?
I continue to search for scientific evidence that a thicker, shorter cannon bone makes for a better horse, because, otherwise, it would seem odd or irresponsible that Connemara societies the world over would be requiring cannon bones of a certain width and length for a Connemara to pass an inspection.
Heavy cannon bones are detrimental to Connemara movement, science shows
Intentionally making horses carry around heavy cannon bones is the opposite of what nature intended, and research seems to refute the American Connemara Pony Society’s message that big cannon bones are better.
Canadian veterinary association asks vets to help fix breed standards
An article titled “A New Direction for Kennel Club Regulations and Breed Standards” published in 2007 in the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association addresses veterinarians’ role in the increasing “welfare predicament” of purebred dogs.
Australia RSPCA advocates eliminating breed standards based on appearance
Once again, another highly respected group has come out against breed standards based on appearance.
Law professor pushes for end to discrimination based on appearance
A Stanford law professor is finally laying the groundwork in the human world for what may lead to the end of appearance bias.
The ‘right’ breed standards are all in your head
I was researching whether there actually was more than one way to peel a banana to fact-check an article I was copy editing, and I came across this article by J. Howard Baker, an assistant professor of computer information systems and a guy who makes a lot of sense.
Bullying and breed standards are same thing
Bullying means “to affect by means of force or coercion,” according to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.
Breed standards exposed
If you haven’t seen the 2008 British documentary “Pedigree Dogs Exposed,” whether you’re a horse breeder, a dog breeder or just an animal lover in general, you should watch it.
Connemara breed standards and inspection requirements
If you want to pass an inspection by the American Connemara Pony Society, you will need to add at least an inch to the cannon bone circumference standard of 7 to 8 inches. The ACPS chooses to ignore that breed standard and is giving premium and approved status to Connemaras of pony height with 9- to 10-inch cannon bones.
David O’Connor embraces horse emotions at USEF meeting, while ACPS expands bigoted Connemara inspections
In one room at USEF’s 2024 annual meeting, USEF Chief of Sport David O’Connor discussed weighty topics such as whether there should be horse sport at all and if horses enjoyed taking part in such activity. In another room, Connemara officials expanded their bigoted inspections to a bigger pool of Connemaras (halfbreds). The differences couldn’t be more stark.
Bigger cannon bone adds significant weight to Connemara pony, experiment shows
I have asked for two decades, “Where is the research that shows the effects of the American Connemara Pony Society forcing Connemaras to have thick legs?” The silence has been deafening. In early 2024, I decided to do my own research.
ACPS inspectors alter Connemara breed standard for cannon bone, benefiting their own stallions
Dear US Equestrian, I am deeply disappointed that you have not followed your own directive to affiliates to do the right thing. You have allowed inspectors in the American Connemara Pony Society to alter the Connemara breed standard when they use it in inspections, employing a word trick, so they can approve or give premium status to stallions, including their own, that otherwise would fail an inspection based on the real breed standard.
ACPS membership plunge of 38 percent coincides with inspections; new code of conduct may prevent criticism
A steep drop in ACPS membership reflects the failed direction taken by top officials over a 20-year period. For perspective, compare the ACPS numbers to American Morgan Horse Association membership.
Pony featured on ACPS logo would fail Connemara inspections
The longtime logo for the American Connemara Pony Society has appeared on ACPS official literature since at least 1966. But the Connemara in the logo looks exactly like the refined ponies – show hunter-quality ponies – that are now shunned by the breed organization.
Connemara inspections are producing ponies that can’t jump, Irish breeder says in blunt book
Enough with the lies about the Connemara pony being a distinct breed of coarse white ponies that roamed the mountains of Ireland for centuries and were jumping machines. Irish author and horseman Nicholas O’Hare laid bare the lies in his 2002 book, “The Modern Connemara: The Search for Performance.”
Who saved the Connemara pony and what did he want to save?
Irish horseman Michael J. O’Malley is credited with saving the Connemara pony as a distinct breed in the early 1900s. In a little more than a century, his story has been falsely rewritten from a Connemara lover fighting for what was on the inside of the pony (spirit) to someone fighting for what was on the outside (coarseness).
Denny Emerson urges American Connemara Pony Society to choose new strategy
Legendary U.S. equestrian Denny Emerson, 76, posted advice to struggling breed societies, particularly Connemara and Morgan groups, on his Facebook page Sept. 29, 2017, suggesting time is of the essence to preserve the breeds.
Connemara society should make ‘profound shift’ in way it regards animals
A new site dedicated to animals should serve notice to the American Connemara Pony Society that bullying behavior in the form of inspections to force horses to look a certain way will not stand the test of time.
Breed standards encourage Connemaras that miss the mark to be treated as waste
In a CBS television show called “Lucky Dog,” dog trainer Brandon McMillan tries to find a new home for shelter dogs by taking in one dog per week, working with it at his Lucky Dog Ranch and placing it in a home where it will do well.
Annual meeting is time for Connemara society to embrace USEF mission
USEF has asked its affiliates to examine their practices to ensure they are in line with a world in which there is no hiding from public scrutiny; affiliates should proceed as if their actions are being recorded by an NBC camera crew 24/7 with no editing.
Let’s stream Connemara inspections live so everyone can watch!
It’s only a matter of time until the courts strike down Connemara breed inspections for the same reason that a federal jury ruled against a cloning ban in the American Quarter Horse Association: It’s an illegal, monopolistic practice.
Connemara inspections would not pass USEF’s Central Park test
Of all the posts I’ve written about Connemara inspections, this is the most important, because it looks at the practices of the American Connemara Pony Society against the backdrop of its national federation, the United States Equestrian Federation.
Connemara inspections require nothing but give the appearance of accomplishing something
I was discussing Connemara inspections with a family member recently, and we both wondered why Connemara inspections have become the No. item on the agenda of the American Connemara Pony Society when so many other activities seem more productive.
An invitation to Connemara officials to do some soul-searching
I often wonder how long it will be before Connemara officials in America are willing to admit they were wrong to create inspections that intentionally discriminate against horses that are Connemaras by blood and have every right to equal treatment and inclusion in the society?
Discrimination seen in Connemara world has roots in baby biases
Allowing so-called inspectors to fail horses that weren’t to their liking and exclude them has always felt to me like the breed society was turned over to a bunch of adolescents. As it turns out, that comparison is more accurate than I thought.
How long will we have to wait for an apology over breed inspections?
I believe in my lifetime that breed standards and inspections will be banned, because courts will outlaw the practice of forcing breeders to create animals that match a set of criteria written on paper by people who basically are just being bullies.
Connemara breed hypocritical in rejecting Thoroughbred traits at inspections
A British study of Thoroughbred foundation mares suggests that they descend from native Irish mares, including Connemaras and Irish Draught mares, and mares native to the British Isles, more than horses from the Middle East and Asia, as originally thought.
Another battle brewing over breed standards and inspections
Frustration over breed standards appears to be building, based on feedback I’m getting from around the world, and I was sent an interesting article on the topic that was published in the June 2012 issue of Ireland’s Horse Review, a monthly sport horse newspaper.
Where is the research that says certain cannon bone measurements make a better horse?
I continue to search for scientific evidence that a thicker, shorter cannon bone makes for a better horse, because, otherwise, it would seem odd or irresponsible that Connemara societies the world over would be requiring cannon bones of a certain width and length for a Connemara to pass an inspection.
Canadian veterinary association asks vets to help fix breed standards
An article titled “A New Direction for Kennel Club Regulations and Breed Standards” published in 2007 in the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association addresses veterinarians’ role in the increasing “welfare predicament” of purebred dogs.
The ‘right’ breed standards are all in your head
I was researching whether there actually was more than one way to peel a banana to fact-check an article I was copy editing, and I came across this article by J. Howard Baker, an assistant professor of computer information systems and a guy who makes a lot of sense.
Connemara breed standards and inspection requirements
If you want to pass an inspection by the American Connemara Pony Society, you will need to add at least an inch to the cannon bone circumference standard of 7 to 8 inches. The ACPS chooses to ignore that breed standard and is giving premium and approved status to Connemaras of pony height with 9- to 10-inch cannon bones.
David O’Connor embraces horse emotions at USEF meeting, while ACPS expands bigoted Connemara inspections
In one room at USEF’s 2024 annual meeting, USEF Chief of Sport David O’Connor discussed weighty topics such as whether there should be horse sport at all and if horses enjoyed taking part in such activity. In another room, Connemara officials expanded their bigoted inspections to a bigger pool of Connemaras (halfbreds). The differences couldn’t be more stark.
Bigger cannon bone adds significant weight to Connemara pony, experiment shows
I have asked for two decades, “Where is the research that shows the effects of the American Connemara Pony Society forcing Connemaras to have thick legs?” The silence has been deafening. In early 2024, I decided to do my own research.
ACPS inspectors alter Connemara breed standard for cannon bone, benefiting their own stallions
Dear US Equestrian, I am deeply disappointed that you have not followed your own directive to affiliates to do the right thing. You have allowed inspectors in the American Connemara Pony Society to alter the Connemara breed standard when they use it in inspections, employing a word trick, so they can approve or give premium status to stallions, including their own, that otherwise would fail an inspection based on the real breed standard.
Could honesty about worthlessness of Connemara inspections bring ACPS thousands of new members?
What if it told the world that there’s no way one can anoint a Connemara as premium by watching it mostly stand still for 12 minutes with a brief walk and trot?
ACPS membership plunge of 38 percent coincides with inspections; new code of conduct may prevent criticism
A steep drop in ACPS membership reflects the failed direction taken by top officials over a 20-year period. For perspective, compare the ACPS numbers to American Morgan Horse Association membership.
Pony featured on ACPS logo would fail Connemara inspections
The longtime logo for the American Connemara Pony Society has appeared on ACPS official literature since at least 1966. But the Connemara in the logo looks exactly like the refined ponies – show hunter-quality ponies – that are now shunned by the breed organization.
Early History of ACPS Shows Focus was on Connemara Performance
Kerrymor Farm has put together a history of the early years of the American Connemara Pony Society that readers of this website should find interesting.
Bad ‘approved’ Connemaras are not an accident
The current list of ACPS-approved Connemaras in America includes many bad ponies, some dangerous, in my opinion. The list also contains some nice ponies, but there’s no way for someone to trust the list, given the bad ones.
Connemara inspections are producing ponies that can’t jump, Irish breeder says in blunt book
Enough with the lies about the Connemara pony being a distinct breed of coarse white ponies that roamed the mountains of Ireland for centuries and were jumping machines. Irish author and horseman Nicholas O’Hare laid bare the lies in his 2002 book, “The Modern Connemara: The Search for Performance.”
Who saved the Connemara pony and what did he want to save?
Irish horseman Michael J. O’Malley is credited with saving the Connemara pony as a distinct breed in the early 1900s. In a little more than a century, his story has been falsely rewritten from a Connemara lover fighting for what was on the inside of the pony (spirit) to someone fighting for what was on the outside (coarseness).
Connemara breed standards promote cresty neck linked to laminitis
If the ACPS wants to foster healthy and so-called premium Connemaras, it should encourage and reward Connemaras that have no neck definition and show some rib.
Connemaras need to evolve to avoid extinction
Where will climate change leave the American Connemara in 2050, three decades from now? How will climate change affect horses in general?
Five reasons to eliminate Connemara inspections
For starters, this is your chance to decide how history will judge you.
Denny Emerson urges American Connemara Pony Society to choose new strategy
Legendary U.S. equestrian Denny Emerson, 76, posted advice to struggling breed societies, particularly Connemara and Morgan groups, on his Facebook page Sept. 29, 2017, suggesting time is of the essence to preserve the breeds.
Blue-eyed cream Connemara stallions now OK because Irish say so
Irish Connemara officials have lifted the ban on registering blue-eyed cream stallions in Ireland, so the United States has followed suit, according to a post Jan. 22, 2016, by the American Connemara Pony Society.
Beware of the ‘premium’ label given to inspected Connemaras
The banner across the top of the American Connemara Pony Society website says: “Connemaras do it all!”
Latest Connemara inspections measure thickness of leg, not quality of horse
On July 19, 2015, I watched several Connemara inspections in St. Louis, Mo., by the American Connemara Pony Society.
Pretty Connemara lives matter
Once again, I return to the topic of hatred and bias, as the world continues to evolve quickly in accepting diversity, but the American Connemara Pony Society not so much. More
Horse therapy program opens hearts; Connemara inspections close them
I received a letter in May 2015 from an organization that helps troubled youth through its horse program.
Ireland welcomes gay marriage; how about pretty Connemaras?
Ireland’s overwhelming approval of gay marriage on May 23, 2015, seems a bit out of character for a country known for its rejection of diversity.
America’s race issue is the same as the Connemara type issue
America still has a pigmentation issue, according to Tom Brokaw on Meet the Press on May 3, 2015.
Watch video clips of Dundrum, famous son of Little Heaven
Two video clips of Dundrum are a treat to watch.
A test for prospective Connemara owners
So you want to buy a Connemara, and you’re asking yourself if you should pay attention to the inspections program?
Are inspections saving the Connemara?
Officials in the American Connemara Pony Society make many claims about their inspections program, but the only question that matters is: Is the program saving the Connemara?
Breed standards force Connemaras to have undesirable conformation
Many people look at breeds as if they have always existed.
Little Heaven may have contributed the famous big heart to Connemaras
Someone recently suggested that I use the term “grinch” to refer to Connemara inspectors who hate the Connemaras that look like Little Heaven.
Can 4,539 words justify Connemara inspections? No
The American Connemara Pony Society’s web page on inspections tries to justify the program with 4,539 words.
It’s time for Connemara discrimination to be ancient history
All indications are that horse discrimination based on appearance will die with the elderly generation that has tried so hard to keep diversity at bay.
Connemara society should make ‘profound shift’ in way it regards animals
A new site dedicated to animals should serve notice to the American Connemara Pony Society that bullying behavior in the form of inspections to force horses to look a certain way will not stand the test of time.
Connemara society should survey remaining members about inspections
Surveys appears to be gaining ground in the horse world, at least in many circles. Horse groups are ramping up their efforts to get feedback to improve and survive.
Connemara breed standards encourage exaggerated conformation
Breed standards encourage exaggerated conformation, according to Wayne Cavanaugh, president of the United Kennel Club, who was interviewed by veterinarian Karen Becker on Aug. 5, 2013, for the website Healthy Pets.
If Santa Claus can evolve, how about the Connemara breed?
An Associated Press story published on Dec. 20, 2013, looked at the changing appearance of today’s Santa Claus.
Breed standards encourage Connemaras that miss the mark to be treated as waste
In a CBS television show called “Lucky Dog,” dog trainer Brandon McMillan tries to find a new home for shelter dogs by taking in one dog per week, working with it at his Lucky Dog Ranch and placing it in a home where it will do well.
What Connemara time period are breed officials trying to preserve?
The most overlooked factor in the argument over what constitutes a Connemara is time.
U.S. Connemara officials should not follow their Irish counterparts
The American Connemara Society is taking its lead on breed inspections from an Ireland that was, not the country that remains today.
Young John F. Kennedy would have been discarded as a Connemara
As we mark the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s assassination, let’s look at Ireland’s treatment of Connemaras against the backdrop of its treatment of its favorite son, the former U.S. president.
Invoking Redford and Kennedy: Time to pass the torch in the Connemara society
Robert Redford discussed the toxic environment in Washington in an interview with CNN on October 16, 2013, as he promoted a new movie.
Don’t fight for bullying in the Connemara society
I’m curious why officials in the American Connemara Pony Society are working so hard to keep breed inspections that have not proven to create better Connemaras or make the breed more popular.
Do Connemara inspections teach kindness to children? No
In yet another sobering look at the life of kids today, CNN published an article October 11, 2013, describing the onslaught of bullying that children face on social media sites.
Connemara society ignores USEF’s welfare instruction and continues with Connemara inspections
The 2013 meeting of the American Connemara Pony Society has come and gone, and nothing appears to have changed with inspections.
Connemara inspections teach kids the wrong lesson: bigotry
Horses have long provided a sanctuary for children at a fragile stage in life.
Annual meeting is time for Connemara society to embrace USEF mission
USEF has asked its affiliates to examine their practices to ensure they are in line with a world in which there is no hiding from public scrutiny; affiliates should proceed as if their actions are being recorded by an NBC camera crew 24/7 with no editing.
Connemara inspections appear to violate antitrust law
What should Connemara owners take away from the Texas cloning lawsuit, in which a jury ruled against a ban on cloned horses in the American Quarter Horse Association?
Let’s stream Connemara inspections live so everyone can watch!
It’s only a matter of time until the courts strike down Connemara breed inspections for the same reason that a federal jury ruled against a cloning ban in the American Quarter Horse Association: It’s an illegal, monopolistic practice.
Cloning ruling should signal end for Connemara inspections
A jury in a federal court in Texas has ruled that the American Quarter Horse Association violated state and federal antitrust laws by banning cloned horses from its registry.
Connemara inspections would not pass USEF’s Central Park test
Of all the posts I’ve written about Connemara inspections, this is the most important, because it looks at the practices of the American Connemara Pony Society against the backdrop of its national federation, the United States Equestrian Federation.
Kennedy’s words ring true for Connemaras being failed at inspections
The late President John F. Kennedy made his “Report to the American People on Civil Rights” on June 11, 1963.
Young voters who call GOP ‘closed-minded’ and ‘racist’ unlikely to approve of Connemara bullying
The New York Times posted an article on June 3, 2013, under the headline “Why young people don’t vote Republican.”
Is extinction the goal for Connemara society?
The Washington Post published an article June 1, 2013, on why the Boy Scouts of America finally voted to end its discrimination against gay scouts.
Connemara inspections may require short horses to carry fat people
A recent study on how much weight horses can carry comfortably has illustrated yet again why Connemaras should not be forced to remain 14-2 hands and under.
2013 commencement speeches decry divisiveness embraced by Connemara inspections
I listened to two college commencement speeches given on May 11, 2013 — one by former President Bill Clinton and another by former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw.
Breed officials are trying to stop evolution of Connemaras
Charles Darwin was a British scientist in the 19th century whose research led him to theorize that survival and reproduction were the prime motivations for all species.
Are breed standards immoral?
I wish Connemara inspectors could have been in the room in February 2013 when the chief scientist with the RSPCA in Australia asked a conference of horsemen if humans are justified in asking a horse to do something it doesn’t want to do.
Simple vote on voluntary Connemara inspections escalated into witch hunt
How did this inspections process go from a simple vote for voluntary inspections to a Hitler-like weeding out of conformation that is not a flaw?
Why do women condone Connemara inspections?
In 2005, a Connemara inspector made some comments to me about my horse that would have been considered racially biased and bigoted if she were speaking about a human.
Who will speak up for animals in opposing breed standards?
One of my many issues with breed inspections and breed standards has been the lack of people who have been willing to go public and say these practices are wrong.
Connemara inspections require nothing but give the appearance of accomplishing something
I was discussing Connemara inspections with a family member recently, and we both wondered why Connemara inspections have become the No. item on the agenda of the American Connemara Pony Society when so many other activities seem more productive.
Connemaras publish letter to American inspectors
To the inspectors of the American Connemara Pony Society: I am one of the many Connemaras you have failed at an inspection.
Fear might be driving bias against pretty horses in Connemara breed inspections
This discrimination is bizarre behavior in the 21st century, a time when bullying has become especially unacceptable and the diversity of the nation has changed along with its definition of beauty.
Can ‘Rudolph’ convince Connemara inspectors that discrimination is wrong?
CBS generously ran the classic Christmas special “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” twice in 2012, allowing me to do some much-needed fact-checking.
It’s time to revisit why America started Connemara inspections
In 2005, when I first raised huge concerns about how the Connemara inspections process was taking shape in America, ACPS board members pointed to Ireland as the reason for the creation of U.S. inspections.
Evolved thinkers or bigots? Connemara officials should decide
You can’t be a bigot and evolved in the same breath.
An invitation to Connemara officials to do some soul-searching
I often wonder how long it will be before Connemara officials in America are willing to admit they were wrong to create inspections that intentionally discriminate against horses that are Connemaras by blood and have every right to equal treatment and inclusion in the society?
Do Connemara members approve of their dues paying for bullying?
the American Connemara society pays for the expenses of people who have been deemed inspectors to travel to cities to bully horses.
Discrimination seen in Connemara world has roots in baby biases
Allowing so-called inspectors to fail horses that weren’t to their liking and exclude them has always felt to me like the breed society was turned over to a bunch of adolescents. As it turns out, that comparison is more accurate than I thought.
Current property laws make exploitation of Connemaras, other animals possible
One cannot debate whether breed standards for horses and dogs are ethical without looking at the bigger picture of how animals fit into society.
Connemaras would be better off in Obama’s America
The Connemara society reminds me of the Republican party: completely blind to the fact that its future base will be a diverse population that doesn’t take kindly to discrimination.
Connemara inspectors could learn something from ‘Sing for the Silent’
I find myself quoting people under the age of 20 more often than not when it comes to bullying.
How long will we have to wait for an apology over breed inspections?
I believe in my lifetime that breed standards and inspections will be banned, because courts will outlaw the practice of forcing breeders to create animals that match a set of criteria written on paper by people who basically are just being bullies.
Connemara inspections are the worst business strategy possible
Did Steve Jobs let Bill Gates tell him how to run his business?
Let’s see Connemara inspections for what they are: bullying
By now, anyone who follows the news has heard Wisconsin anchor Jennifer Livingston turn the tables on the viewer who called her fat in an email.
If Connemaras could talk, what would they say about inspections?
A “Huffington Post” article captured the frustration of US gymnast Gabby Douglas hours after she won the individual gold medal in London in August 2012.
Connemara inspectors’ herds are full of Thoroughbred bloodlines, too
Allbreedpedigree.com shows that inspectors who repeatedly fail horses that “remind then of Thoroughbreds” are hypocrites.
Forum posts portray Connemara society as polarized over Little Heaven
“If you want to see a bunch of Connemara breeders almost come to blows, start a discussion about whether Little Heaven and Texas Hope were good or bad for the breed.”
Connemara breed hypocritical in rejecting Thoroughbred traits at inspections
A British study of Thoroughbred foundation mares suggests that they descend from native Irish mares, including Connemaras and Irish Draught mares, and mares native to the British Isles, more than horses from the Middle East and Asia, as originally thought.
When did rejection based on appearance become OK?
I haven’t been very shy about arguing that people should not put themselves above animals.
Stigmatizing animals through breed standards has no place in the United States
I keep seeing the word stigma in news reports, and I think it’s time to look at this word in relation to breed standards.
Inspections confirm age-old truism: You can’t judge a horse by its cover
Famed horse writer Walter Farley’s “Little Black, a Pony” delivers the not-so-subtle message that we shouldn’t prejudge something based on appearance.
Another battle brewing over breed standards and inspections
Frustration over breed standards appears to be building, based on feedback I’m getting from around the world, and I was sent an interesting article on the topic that was published in the June 2012 issue of Ireland’s Horse Review, a monthly sport horse newspaper.
Should Ireland be leading the Connemara horse world?
In December 2010, The New York Times did a sobering story on the plight of horses in Ireland today.
Breed standards motivated by pack mentality and need for esteem
A post on Psychology Today from December 2009 looks at human motivation. Author Robert Evans Wilson Jr. says humans are motivated by their status as a pack animal.
How much does peer pressure influence breed standards?
Peer pressure is a formidable force. It makes people agree to do things that they would not do on their own.
Wording for breed standards, bullying is the same
There is a pattern between the language on websites that decry the use of bullying and those that herald the use of breed standards.
Breed standards are based on flawed concept of ‘owning’ animals
The debate over whether breed societies can set breed standards for animals really is a larger debate about where humans and animals fall in the universal pecking order and whether humans should “own” animals.
Breed standards must evolve with beauty perceptions
America’s perception of the ideal beauty has changed from a white woman such as Christie Brinkley in 1991 to a mixed race or darker woman such as Angelina Jolie today.
Vet who failed dog breeds at Crufts talks about exaggerated conformation
Alison Skipper, one of the two vets who failed six of 15 Best of Breed winners at the Crufts dog show in Britain in March 2012, has aired her thoughts on the experience after coming under fire.
Dr. Fox takes on breed standards in latest column
The well-known veterinarian pulled no punches in attacking breed standards in a reply to a poor woman who just wanted to know why her sister’s Persian cats had constant tearing in their eyes.
Veterinarians target exaggerated conformation at British dog show
As victories go, this one is hollow. But, let’s not ignore any movement when it comes to breed standards.
Connemaras and women face same bigoted world
CNN is running a series on beauty, and one of the reports centers on a documentary called “Miss Representation.”
Where is the research that says certain cannon bone measurements make a better horse?
I continue to search for scientific evidence that a thicker, shorter cannon bone makes for a better horse, because, otherwise, it would seem odd or irresponsible that Connemara societies the world over would be requiring cannon bones of a certain width and length for a Connemara to pass an inspection.
Heavy cannon bones are detrimental to Connemara movement, science shows
Intentionally making horses carry around heavy cannon bones is the opposite of what nature intended, and research seems to refute the American Connemara Pony Society’s message that big cannon bones are better.
Canadian veterinary association asks vets to help fix breed standards
An article titled “A New Direction for Kennel Club Regulations and Breed Standards” published in 2007 in the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association addresses veterinarians’ role in the increasing “welfare predicament” of purebred dogs.
Australia RSPCA advocates eliminating breed standards based on appearance
Once again, another highly respected group has come out against breed standards based on appearance.
Law professor pushes for end to discrimination based on appearance
A Stanford law professor is finally laying the groundwork in the human world for what may lead to the end of appearance bias.
The ‘right’ breed standards are all in your head
I was researching whether there actually was more than one way to peel a banana to fact-check an article I was copy editing, and I came across this article by J. Howard Baker, an assistant professor of computer information systems and a guy who makes a lot of sense.
Bullying and breed standards are same thing
Bullying means “to affect by means of force or coercion,” according to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.
Breed standards exposed
If you haven’t seen the 2008 British documentary “Pedigree Dogs Exposed,” whether you’re a horse breeder, a dog breeder or just an animal lover in general, you should watch it.
Connemara breed standards and inspection requirements
If you want to pass an inspection by the American Connemara Pony Society, you will need to add at least an inch to the cannon bone circumference standard of 7 to 8 inches. The ACPS chooses to ignore that breed standard and is giving premium and approved status to Connemaras of pony height with 9- to 10-inch cannon bones.
David O’Connor embraces horse emotions at USEF meeting, while ACPS expands bigoted Connemara inspections
In one room at USEF’s 2024 annual meeting, USEF Chief of Sport David O’Connor discussed weighty topics such as whether there should be horse sport at all and if horses enjoyed taking part in such activity. In another room, Connemara officials expanded their bigoted inspections to a bigger pool of Connemaras (halfbreds). The differences couldn’t be more stark.
Bigger cannon bone adds significant weight to Connemara pony, experiment shows
I have asked for two decades, “Where is the research that shows the effects of the American Connemara Pony Society forcing Connemaras to have thick legs?” The silence has been deafening. In early 2024, I decided to do my own research.
ACPS inspectors alter Connemara breed standard for cannon bone, benefiting their own stallions
Dear US Equestrian, I am deeply disappointed that you have not followed your own directive to affiliates to do the right thing. You have allowed inspectors in the American Connemara Pony Society to alter the Connemara breed standard when they use it in inspections, employing a word trick, so they can approve or give premium status to stallions, including their own, that otherwise would fail an inspection based on the real breed standard.
ACPS membership plunge of 38 percent coincides with inspections; new code of conduct may prevent criticism
A steep drop in ACPS membership reflects the failed direction taken by top officials over a 20-year period. For perspective, compare the ACPS numbers to American Morgan Horse Association membership.
Pony featured on ACPS logo would fail Connemara inspections
The longtime logo for the American Connemara Pony Society has appeared on ACPS official literature since at least 1966. But the Connemara in the logo looks exactly like the refined ponies – show hunter-quality ponies – that are now shunned by the breed organization.
Connemara inspections are producing ponies that can’t jump, Irish breeder says in blunt book
Enough with the lies about the Connemara pony being a distinct breed of coarse white ponies that roamed the mountains of Ireland for centuries and were jumping machines. Irish author and horseman Nicholas O’Hare laid bare the lies in his 2002 book, “The Modern Connemara: The Search for Performance.”
Who saved the Connemara pony and what did he want to save?
Irish horseman Michael J. O’Malley is credited with saving the Connemara pony as a distinct breed in the early 1900s. In a little more than a century, his story has been falsely rewritten from a Connemara lover fighting for what was on the inside of the pony (spirit) to someone fighting for what was on the outside (coarseness).
Denny Emerson urges American Connemara Pony Society to choose new strategy
Legendary U.S. equestrian Denny Emerson, 76, posted advice to struggling breed societies, particularly Connemara and Morgan groups, on his Facebook page Sept. 29, 2017, suggesting time is of the essence to preserve the breeds.
Connemara society should make ‘profound shift’ in way it regards animals
A new site dedicated to animals should serve notice to the American Connemara Pony Society that bullying behavior in the form of inspections to force horses to look a certain way will not stand the test of time.
Breed standards encourage Connemaras that miss the mark to be treated as waste
In a CBS television show called “Lucky Dog,” dog trainer Brandon McMillan tries to find a new home for shelter dogs by taking in one dog per week, working with it at his Lucky Dog Ranch and placing it in a home where it will do well.
Annual meeting is time for Connemara society to embrace USEF mission
USEF has asked its affiliates to examine their practices to ensure they are in line with a world in which there is no hiding from public scrutiny; affiliates should proceed as if their actions are being recorded by an NBC camera crew 24/7 with no editing.
Let’s stream Connemara inspections live so everyone can watch!
It’s only a matter of time until the courts strike down Connemara breed inspections for the same reason that a federal jury ruled against a cloning ban in the American Quarter Horse Association: It’s an illegal, monopolistic practice.
Connemara inspections would not pass USEF’s Central Park test
Of all the posts I’ve written about Connemara inspections, this is the most important, because it looks at the practices of the American Connemara Pony Society against the backdrop of its national federation, the United States Equestrian Federation.
Connemara inspections require nothing but give the appearance of accomplishing something
I was discussing Connemara inspections with a family member recently, and we both wondered why Connemara inspections have become the No. item on the agenda of the American Connemara Pony Society when so many other activities seem more productive.
An invitation to Connemara officials to do some soul-searching
I often wonder how long it will be before Connemara officials in America are willing to admit they were wrong to create inspections that intentionally discriminate against horses that are Connemaras by blood and have every right to equal treatment and inclusion in the society?
Discrimination seen in Connemara world has roots in baby biases
Allowing so-called inspectors to fail horses that weren’t to their liking and exclude them has always felt to me like the breed society was turned over to a bunch of adolescents. As it turns out, that comparison is more accurate than I thought.
How long will we have to wait for an apology over breed inspections?
I believe in my lifetime that breed standards and inspections will be banned, because courts will outlaw the practice of forcing breeders to create animals that match a set of criteria written on paper by people who basically are just being bullies.
Connemara breed hypocritical in rejecting Thoroughbred traits at inspections
A British study of Thoroughbred foundation mares suggests that they descend from native Irish mares, including Connemaras and Irish Draught mares, and mares native to the British Isles, more than horses from the Middle East and Asia, as originally thought.
Another battle brewing over breed standards and inspections
Frustration over breed standards appears to be building, based on feedback I’m getting from around the world, and I was sent an interesting article on the topic that was published in the June 2012 issue of Ireland’s Horse Review, a monthly sport horse newspaper.
Where is the research that says certain cannon bone measurements make a better horse?
I continue to search for scientific evidence that a thicker, shorter cannon bone makes for a better horse, because, otherwise, it would seem odd or irresponsible that Connemara societies the world over would be requiring cannon bones of a certain width and length for a Connemara to pass an inspection.
Canadian veterinary association asks vets to help fix breed standards
An article titled “A New Direction for Kennel Club Regulations and Breed Standards” published in 2007 in the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association addresses veterinarians’ role in the increasing “welfare predicament” of purebred dogs.
The ‘right’ breed standards are all in your head
I was researching whether there actually was more than one way to peel a banana to fact-check an article I was copy editing, and I came across this article by J. Howard Baker, an assistant professor of computer information systems and a guy who makes a lot of sense.
Connemara breed standards and inspection requirements
If you want to pass an inspection by the American Connemara Pony Society, you will need to add at least an inch to the cannon bone circumference standard of 7 to 8 inches. The ACPS chooses to ignore that breed standard and is giving premium and approved status to Connemaras of pony height with 9- to 10-inch cannon bones.
David O’Connor embraces horse emotions at USEF meeting, while ACPS expands bigoted Connemara inspections
In one room at USEF’s 2024 annual meeting, USEF Chief of Sport David O’Connor discussed weighty topics such as whether there should be horse sport at all and if horses enjoyed taking part in such activity. In another room, Connemara officials expanded their bigoted inspections to a bigger pool of Connemaras (halfbreds). The differences couldn’t be more stark.
Bigger cannon bone adds significant weight to Connemara pony, experiment shows
I have asked for two decades, “Where is the research that shows the effects of the American Connemara Pony Society forcing Connemaras to have thick legs?” The silence has been deafening. In early 2024, I decided to do my own research.
ACPS inspectors alter Connemara breed standard for cannon bone, benefiting their own stallions
Dear US Equestrian, I am deeply disappointed that you have not followed your own directive to affiliates to do the right thing. You have allowed inspectors in the American Connemara Pony Society to alter the Connemara breed standard when they use it in inspections, employing a word trick, so they can approve or give premium status to stallions, including their own, that otherwise would fail an inspection based on the real breed standard.
Could honesty about worthlessness of Connemara inspections bring ACPS thousands of new members?
What if it told the world that there’s no way one can anoint a Connemara as premium by watching it mostly stand still for 12 minutes with a brief walk and trot?
ACPS membership plunge of 38 percent coincides with inspections; new code of conduct may prevent criticism
A steep drop in ACPS membership reflects the failed direction taken by top officials over a 20-year period. For perspective, compare the ACPS numbers to American Morgan Horse Association membership.
Pony featured on ACPS logo would fail Connemara inspections
The longtime logo for the American Connemara Pony Society has appeared on ACPS official literature since at least 1966. But the Connemara in the logo looks exactly like the refined ponies – show hunter-quality ponies – that are now shunned by the breed organization.
Early History of ACPS Shows Focus was on Connemara Performance
Kerrymor Farm has put together a history of the early years of the American Connemara Pony Society that readers of this website should find interesting.
Bad ‘approved’ Connemaras are not an accident
The current list of ACPS-approved Connemaras in America includes many bad ponies, some dangerous, in my opinion. The list also contains some nice ponies, but there’s no way for someone to trust the list, given the bad ones.
Connemara inspections are producing ponies that can’t jump, Irish breeder says in blunt book
Enough with the lies about the Connemara pony being a distinct breed of coarse white ponies that roamed the mountains of Ireland for centuries and were jumping machines. Irish author and horseman Nicholas O’Hare laid bare the lies in his 2002 book, “The Modern Connemara: The Search for Performance.”
Who saved the Connemara pony and what did he want to save?
Irish horseman Michael J. O’Malley is credited with saving the Connemara pony as a distinct breed in the early 1900s. In a little more than a century, his story has been falsely rewritten from a Connemara lover fighting for what was on the inside of the pony (spirit) to someone fighting for what was on the outside (coarseness).
Connemara breed standards promote cresty neck linked to laminitis
If the ACPS wants to foster healthy and so-called premium Connemaras, it should encourage and reward Connemaras that have no neck definition and show some rib.
Connemaras need to evolve to avoid extinction
Where will climate change leave the American Connemara in 2050, three decades from now? How will climate change affect horses in general?
Five reasons to eliminate Connemara inspections
For starters, this is your chance to decide how history will judge you.
Denny Emerson urges American Connemara Pony Society to choose new strategy
Legendary U.S. equestrian Denny Emerson, 76, posted advice to struggling breed societies, particularly Connemara and Morgan groups, on his Facebook page Sept. 29, 2017, suggesting time is of the essence to preserve the breeds.
Blue-eyed cream Connemara stallions now OK because Irish say so
Irish Connemara officials have lifted the ban on registering blue-eyed cream stallions in Ireland, so the United States has followed suit, according to a post Jan. 22, 2016, by the American Connemara Pony Society.
Beware of the ‘premium’ label given to inspected Connemaras
The banner across the top of the American Connemara Pony Society website says: “Connemaras do it all!”
Latest Connemara inspections measure thickness of leg, not quality of horse
On July 19, 2015, I watched several Connemara inspections in St. Louis, Mo., by the American Connemara Pony Society.
Pretty Connemara lives matter
Once again, I return to the topic of hatred and bias, as the world continues to evolve quickly in accepting diversity, but the American Connemara Pony Society not so much. More
Horse therapy program opens hearts; Connemara inspections close them
I received a letter in May 2015 from an organization that helps troubled youth through its horse program.
Ireland welcomes gay marriage; how about pretty Connemaras?
Ireland’s overwhelming approval of gay marriage on May 23, 2015, seems a bit out of character for a country known for its rejection of diversity.
America’s race issue is the same as the Connemara type issue
America still has a pigmentation issue, according to Tom Brokaw on Meet the Press on May 3, 2015.
Watch video clips of Dundrum, famous son of Little Heaven
Two video clips of Dundrum are a treat to watch.
A test for prospective Connemara owners
So you want to buy a Connemara, and you’re asking yourself if you should pay attention to the inspections program?
Are inspections saving the Connemara?
Officials in the American Connemara Pony Society make many claims about their inspections program, but the only question that matters is: Is the program saving the Connemara?
Breed standards force Connemaras to have undesirable conformation
Many people look at breeds as if they have always existed.
Little Heaven may have contributed the famous big heart to Connemaras
Someone recently suggested that I use the term “grinch” to refer to Connemara inspectors who hate the Connemaras that look like Little Heaven.
Can 4,539 words justify Connemara inspections? No
The American Connemara Pony Society’s web page on inspections tries to justify the program with 4,539 words.
It’s time for Connemara discrimination to be ancient history
All indications are that horse discrimination based on appearance will die with the elderly generation that has tried so hard to keep diversity at bay.
Connemara society should make ‘profound shift’ in way it regards animals
A new site dedicated to animals should serve notice to the American Connemara Pony Society that bullying behavior in the form of inspections to force horses to look a certain way will not stand the test of time.
Connemara society should survey remaining members about inspections
Surveys appears to be gaining ground in the horse world, at least in many circles. Horse groups are ramping up their efforts to get feedback to improve and survive.
Connemara breed standards encourage exaggerated conformation
Breed standards encourage exaggerated conformation, according to Wayne Cavanaugh, president of the United Kennel Club, who was interviewed by veterinarian Karen Becker on Aug. 5, 2013, for the website Healthy Pets.
If Santa Claus can evolve, how about the Connemara breed?
An Associated Press story published on Dec. 20, 2013, looked at the changing appearance of today’s Santa Claus.
Breed standards encourage Connemaras that miss the mark to be treated as waste
In a CBS television show called “Lucky Dog,” dog trainer Brandon McMillan tries to find a new home for shelter dogs by taking in one dog per week, working with it at his Lucky Dog Ranch and placing it in a home where it will do well.
What Connemara time period are breed officials trying to preserve?
The most overlooked factor in the argument over what constitutes a Connemara is time.
U.S. Connemara officials should not follow their Irish counterparts
The American Connemara Society is taking its lead on breed inspections from an Ireland that was, not the country that remains today.
Young John F. Kennedy would have been discarded as a Connemara
As we mark the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s assassination, let’s look at Ireland’s treatment of Connemaras against the backdrop of its treatment of its favorite son, the former U.S. president.
Invoking Redford and Kennedy: Time to pass the torch in the Connemara society
Robert Redford discussed the toxic environment in Washington in an interview with CNN on October 16, 2013, as he promoted a new movie.
Don’t fight for bullying in the Connemara society
I’m curious why officials in the American Connemara Pony Society are working so hard to keep breed inspections that have not proven to create better Connemaras or make the breed more popular.
Do Connemara inspections teach kindness to children? No
In yet another sobering look at the life of kids today, CNN published an article October 11, 2013, describing the onslaught of bullying that children face on social media sites.
Connemara society ignores USEF’s welfare instruction and continues with Connemara inspections
The 2013 meeting of the American Connemara Pony Society has come and gone, and nothing appears to have changed with inspections.
Connemara inspections teach kids the wrong lesson: bigotry
Horses have long provided a sanctuary for children at a fragile stage in life.
Annual meeting is time for Connemara society to embrace USEF mission
USEF has asked its affiliates to examine their practices to ensure they are in line with a world in which there is no hiding from public scrutiny; affiliates should proceed as if their actions are being recorded by an NBC camera crew 24/7 with no editing.
Connemara inspections appear to violate antitrust law
What should Connemara owners take away from the Texas cloning lawsuit, in which a jury ruled against a ban on cloned horses in the American Quarter Horse Association?
Let’s stream Connemara inspections live so everyone can watch!
It’s only a matter of time until the courts strike down Connemara breed inspections for the same reason that a federal jury ruled against a cloning ban in the American Quarter Horse Association: It’s an illegal, monopolistic practice.
Cloning ruling should signal end for Connemara inspections
A jury in a federal court in Texas has ruled that the American Quarter Horse Association violated state and federal antitrust laws by banning cloned horses from its registry.
Connemara inspections would not pass USEF’s Central Park test
Of all the posts I’ve written about Connemara inspections, this is the most important, because it looks at the practices of the American Connemara Pony Society against the backdrop of its national federation, the United States Equestrian Federation.
Kennedy’s words ring true for Connemaras being failed at inspections
The late President John F. Kennedy made his “Report to the American People on Civil Rights” on June 11, 1963.
Young voters who call GOP ‘closed-minded’ and ‘racist’ unlikely to approve of Connemara bullying
The New York Times posted an article on June 3, 2013, under the headline “Why young people don’t vote Republican.”
Is extinction the goal for Connemara society?
The Washington Post published an article June 1, 2013, on why the Boy Scouts of America finally voted to end its discrimination against gay scouts.
Connemara inspections may require short horses to carry fat people
A recent study on how much weight horses can carry comfortably has illustrated yet again why Connemaras should not be forced to remain 14-2 hands and under.
2013 commencement speeches decry divisiveness embraced by Connemara inspections
I listened to two college commencement speeches given on May 11, 2013 — one by former President Bill Clinton and another by former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw.
Breed officials are trying to stop evolution of Connemaras
Charles Darwin was a British scientist in the 19th century whose research led him to theorize that survival and reproduction were the prime motivations for all species.
Are breed standards immoral?
I wish Connemara inspectors could have been in the room in February 2013 when the chief scientist with the RSPCA in Australia asked a conference of horsemen if humans are justified in asking a horse to do something it doesn’t want to do.
Simple vote on voluntary Connemara inspections escalated into witch hunt
How did this inspections process go from a simple vote for voluntary inspections to a Hitler-like weeding out of conformation that is not a flaw?
Why do women condone Connemara inspections?
In 2005, a Connemara inspector made some comments to me about my horse that would have been considered racially biased and bigoted if she were speaking about a human.
Who will speak up for animals in opposing breed standards?
One of my many issues with breed inspections and breed standards has been the lack of people who have been willing to go public and say these practices are wrong.
Connemara inspections require nothing but give the appearance of accomplishing something
I was discussing Connemara inspections with a family member recently, and we both wondered why Connemara inspections have become the No. item on the agenda of the American Connemara Pony Society when so many other activities seem more productive.
Connemaras publish letter to American inspectors
To the inspectors of the American Connemara Pony Society: I am one of the many Connemaras you have failed at an inspection.
Fear might be driving bias against pretty horses in Connemara breed inspections
This discrimination is bizarre behavior in the 21st century, a time when bullying has become especially unacceptable and the diversity of the nation has changed along with its definition of beauty.
Can ‘Rudolph’ convince Connemara inspectors that discrimination is wrong?
CBS generously ran the classic Christmas special “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” twice in 2012, allowing me to do some much-needed fact-checking.
It’s time to revisit why America started Connemara inspections
In 2005, when I first raised huge concerns about how the Connemara inspections process was taking shape in America, ACPS board members pointed to Ireland as the reason for the creation of U.S. inspections.
Evolved thinkers or bigots? Connemara officials should decide
You can’t be a bigot and evolved in the same breath.
An invitation to Connemara officials to do some soul-searching
I often wonder how long it will be before Connemara officials in America are willing to admit they were wrong to create inspections that intentionally discriminate against horses that are Connemaras by blood and have every right to equal treatment and inclusion in the society?
Do Connemara members approve of their dues paying for bullying?
the American Connemara society pays for the expenses of people who have been deemed inspectors to travel to cities to bully horses.
Discrimination seen in Connemara world has roots in baby biases
Allowing so-called inspectors to fail horses that weren’t to their liking and exclude them has always felt to me like the breed society was turned over to a bunch of adolescents. As it turns out, that comparison is more accurate than I thought.
Current property laws make exploitation of Connemaras, other animals possible
One cannot debate whether breed standards for horses and dogs are ethical without looking at the bigger picture of how animals fit into society.
Connemaras would be better off in Obama’s America
The Connemara society reminds me of the Republican party: completely blind to the fact that its future base will be a diverse population that doesn’t take kindly to discrimination.
Connemara inspectors could learn something from ‘Sing for the Silent’
I find myself quoting people under the age of 20 more often than not when it comes to bullying.
How long will we have to wait for an apology over breed inspections?
I believe in my lifetime that breed standards and inspections will be banned, because courts will outlaw the practice of forcing breeders to create animals that match a set of criteria written on paper by people who basically are just being bullies.
Connemara inspections are the worst business strategy possible
Did Steve Jobs let Bill Gates tell him how to run his business?
Let’s see Connemara inspections for what they are: bullying
By now, anyone who follows the news has heard Wisconsin anchor Jennifer Livingston turn the tables on the viewer who called her fat in an email.
If Connemaras could talk, what would they say about inspections?
A “Huffington Post” article captured the frustration of US gymnast Gabby Douglas hours after she won the individual gold medal in London in August 2012.
Connemara inspectors’ herds are full of Thoroughbred bloodlines, too
Allbreedpedigree.com shows that inspectors who repeatedly fail horses that “remind then of Thoroughbreds” are hypocrites.
Forum posts portray Connemara society as polarized over Little Heaven
“If you want to see a bunch of Connemara breeders almost come to blows, start a discussion about whether Little Heaven and Texas Hope were good or bad for the breed.”
Connemara breed hypocritical in rejecting Thoroughbred traits at inspections
A British study of Thoroughbred foundation mares suggests that they descend from native Irish mares, including Connemaras and Irish Draught mares, and mares native to the British Isles, more than horses from the Middle East and Asia, as originally thought.
When did rejection based on appearance become OK?
I haven’t been very shy about arguing that people should not put themselves above animals.
Stigmatizing animals through breed standards has no place in the United States
I keep seeing the word stigma in news reports, and I think it’s time to look at this word in relation to breed standards.
Inspections confirm age-old truism: You can’t judge a horse by its cover
Famed horse writer Walter Farley’s “Little Black, a Pony” delivers the not-so-subtle message that we shouldn’t prejudge something based on appearance.
Another battle brewing over breed standards and inspections
Frustration over breed standards appears to be building, based on feedback I’m getting from around the world, and I was sent an interesting article on the topic that was published in the June 2012 issue of Ireland’s Horse Review, a monthly sport horse newspaper.
Should Ireland be leading the Connemara horse world?
In December 2010, The New York Times did a sobering story on the plight of horses in Ireland today.
Breed standards motivated by pack mentality and need for esteem
A post on Psychology Today from December 2009 looks at human motivation. Author Robert Evans Wilson Jr. says humans are motivated by their status as a pack animal.
How much does peer pressure influence breed standards?
Peer pressure is a formidable force. It makes people agree to do things that they would not do on their own.
Wording for breed standards, bullying is the same
There is a pattern between the language on websites that decry the use of bullying and those that herald the use of breed standards.
Breed standards are based on flawed concept of ‘owning’ animals
The debate over whether breed societies can set breed standards for animals really is a larger debate about where humans and animals fall in the universal pecking order and whether humans should “own” animals.
Breed standards must evolve with beauty perceptions
America’s perception of the ideal beauty has changed from a white woman such as Christie Brinkley in 1991 to a mixed race or darker woman such as Angelina Jolie today.
Vet who failed dog breeds at Crufts talks about exaggerated conformation
Alison Skipper, one of the two vets who failed six of 15 Best of Breed winners at the Crufts dog show in Britain in March 2012, has aired her thoughts on the experience after coming under fire.
Dr. Fox takes on breed standards in latest column
The well-known veterinarian pulled no punches in attacking breed standards in a reply to a poor woman who just wanted to know why her sister’s Persian cats had constant tearing in their eyes.
Veterinarians target exaggerated conformation at British dog show
As victories go, this one is hollow. But, let’s not ignore any movement when it comes to breed standards.
Connemaras and women face same bigoted world
CNN is running a series on beauty, and one of the reports centers on a documentary called “Miss Representation.”
Where is the research that says certain cannon bone measurements make a better horse?
I continue to search for scientific evidence that a thicker, shorter cannon bone makes for a better horse, because, otherwise, it would seem odd or irresponsible that Connemara societies the world over would be requiring cannon bones of a certain width and length for a Connemara to pass an inspection.
Heavy cannon bones are detrimental to Connemara movement, science shows
Intentionally making horses carry around heavy cannon bones is the opposite of what nature intended, and research seems to refute the American Connemara Pony Society’s message that big cannon bones are better.
Canadian veterinary association asks vets to help fix breed standards
An article titled “A New Direction for Kennel Club Regulations and Breed Standards” published in 2007 in the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association addresses veterinarians’ role in the increasing “welfare predicament” of purebred dogs.
Australia RSPCA advocates eliminating breed standards based on appearance
Once again, another highly respected group has come out against breed standards based on appearance.
Law professor pushes for end to discrimination based on appearance
A Stanford law professor is finally laying the groundwork in the human world for what may lead to the end of appearance bias.
The ‘right’ breed standards are all in your head
I was researching whether there actually was more than one way to peel a banana to fact-check an article I was copy editing, and I came across this article by J. Howard Baker, an assistant professor of computer information systems and a guy who makes a lot of sense.
Bullying and breed standards are same thing
Bullying means “to affect by means of force or coercion,” according to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.
Breed standards exposed
If you haven’t seen the 2008 British documentary “Pedigree Dogs Exposed,” whether you’re a horse breeder, a dog breeder or just an animal lover in general, you should watch it.
Connemara breed standards and inspection requirements
If you want to pass an inspection by the American Connemara Pony Society, you will need to add at least an inch to the cannon bone circumference standard of 7 to 8 inches. The ACPS chooses to ignore that breed standard and is giving premium and approved status to Connemaras of pony height with 9- to 10-inch cannon bones.
David O’Connor embraces horse emotions at USEF meeting, while ACPS expands bigoted Connemara inspections
In one room at USEF’s 2024 annual meeting, USEF Chief of Sport David O’Connor discussed weighty topics such as whether there should be horse sport at all and if horses enjoyed taking part in such activity. In another room, Connemara officials expanded their bigoted inspections to a bigger pool of Connemaras (halfbreds). The differences couldn’t be more stark.
Bigger cannon bone adds significant weight to Connemara pony, experiment shows
I have asked for two decades, “Where is the research that shows the effects of the American Connemara Pony Society forcing Connemaras to have thick legs?” The silence has been deafening. In early 2024, I decided to do my own research.
ACPS inspectors alter Connemara breed standard for cannon bone, benefiting their own stallions
Dear US Equestrian, I am deeply disappointed that you have not followed your own directive to affiliates to do the right thing. You have allowed inspectors in the American Connemara Pony Society to alter the Connemara breed standard when they use it in inspections, employing a word trick, so they can approve or give premium status to stallions, including their own, that otherwise would fail an inspection based on the real breed standard.
ACPS membership plunge of 38 percent coincides with inspections; new code of conduct may prevent criticism
A steep drop in ACPS membership reflects the failed direction taken by top officials over a 20-year period. For perspective, compare the ACPS numbers to American Morgan Horse Association membership.
Pony featured on ACPS logo would fail Connemara inspections
The longtime logo for the American Connemara Pony Society has appeared on ACPS official literature since at least 1966. But the Connemara in the logo looks exactly like the refined ponies – show hunter-quality ponies – that are now shunned by the breed organization.
Connemara inspections are producing ponies that can’t jump, Irish breeder says in blunt book
Enough with the lies about the Connemara pony being a distinct breed of coarse white ponies that roamed the mountains of Ireland for centuries and were jumping machines. Irish author and horseman Nicholas O’Hare laid bare the lies in his 2002 book, “The Modern Connemara: The Search for Performance.”
Who saved the Connemara pony and what did he want to save?
Irish horseman Michael J. O’Malley is credited with saving the Connemara pony as a distinct breed in the early 1900s. In a little more than a century, his story has been falsely rewritten from a Connemara lover fighting for what was on the inside of the pony (spirit) to someone fighting for what was on the outside (coarseness).
Denny Emerson urges American Connemara Pony Society to choose new strategy
Legendary U.S. equestrian Denny Emerson, 76, posted advice to struggling breed societies, particularly Connemara and Morgan groups, on his Facebook page Sept. 29, 2017, suggesting time is of the essence to preserve the breeds.
Connemara society should make ‘profound shift’ in way it regards animals
A new site dedicated to animals should serve notice to the American Connemara Pony Society that bullying behavior in the form of inspections to force horses to look a certain way will not stand the test of time.
Breed standards encourage Connemaras that miss the mark to be treated as waste
In a CBS television show called “Lucky Dog,” dog trainer Brandon McMillan tries to find a new home for shelter dogs by taking in one dog per week, working with it at his Lucky Dog Ranch and placing it in a home where it will do well.
Annual meeting is time for Connemara society to embrace USEF mission
USEF has asked its affiliates to examine their practices to ensure they are in line with a world in which there is no hiding from public scrutiny; affiliates should proceed as if their actions are being recorded by an NBC camera crew 24/7 with no editing.
Let’s stream Connemara inspections live so everyone can watch!
It’s only a matter of time until the courts strike down Connemara breed inspections for the same reason that a federal jury ruled against a cloning ban in the American Quarter Horse Association: It’s an illegal, monopolistic practice.
Connemara inspections would not pass USEF’s Central Park test
Of all the posts I’ve written about Connemara inspections, this is the most important, because it looks at the practices of the American Connemara Pony Society against the backdrop of its national federation, the United States Equestrian Federation.
Connemara inspections require nothing but give the appearance of accomplishing something
I was discussing Connemara inspections with a family member recently, and we both wondered why Connemara inspections have become the No. item on the agenda of the American Connemara Pony Society when so many other activities seem more productive.
An invitation to Connemara officials to do some soul-searching
I often wonder how long it will be before Connemara officials in America are willing to admit they were wrong to create inspections that intentionally discriminate against horses that are Connemaras by blood and have every right to equal treatment and inclusion in the society?
Discrimination seen in Connemara world has roots in baby biases
Allowing so-called inspectors to fail horses that weren’t to their liking and exclude them has always felt to me like the breed society was turned over to a bunch of adolescents. As it turns out, that comparison is more accurate than I thought.
How long will we have to wait for an apology over breed inspections?
I believe in my lifetime that breed standards and inspections will be banned, because courts will outlaw the practice of forcing breeders to create animals that match a set of criteria written on paper by people who basically are just being bullies.
Connemara breed hypocritical in rejecting Thoroughbred traits at inspections
A British study of Thoroughbred foundation mares suggests that they descend from native Irish mares, including Connemaras and Irish Draught mares, and mares native to the British Isles, more than horses from the Middle East and Asia, as originally thought.
Another battle brewing over breed standards and inspections
Frustration over breed standards appears to be building, based on feedback I’m getting from around the world, and I was sent an interesting article on the topic that was published in the June 2012 issue of Ireland’s Horse Review, a monthly sport horse newspaper.
Where is the research that says certain cannon bone measurements make a better horse?
I continue to search for scientific evidence that a thicker, shorter cannon bone makes for a better horse, because, otherwise, it would seem odd or irresponsible that Connemara societies the world over would be requiring cannon bones of a certain width and length for a Connemara to pass an inspection.
Canadian veterinary association asks vets to help fix breed standards
An article titled “A New Direction for Kennel Club Regulations and Breed Standards” published in 2007 in the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association addresses veterinarians’ role in the increasing “welfare predicament” of purebred dogs.
The ‘right’ breed standards are all in your head
I was researching whether there actually was more than one way to peel a banana to fact-check an article I was copy editing, and I came across this article by J. Howard Baker, an assistant professor of computer information systems and a guy who makes a lot of sense.
Connemara breed standards and inspection requirements
If you want to pass an inspection by the American Connemara Pony Society, you will need to add at least an inch to the cannon bone circumference standard of 7 to 8 inches. The ACPS chooses to ignore that breed standard and is giving premium and approved status to Connemaras of pony height with 9- to 10-inch cannon bones.
David O’Connor embraces horse emotions at USEF meeting, while ACPS expands bigoted Connemara inspections
In one room at USEF’s 2024 annual meeting, USEF Chief of Sport David O’Connor discussed weighty topics such as whether there should be horse sport at all and if horses enjoyed taking part in such activity. In another room, Connemara officials expanded their bigoted inspections to a bigger pool of Connemaras (halfbreds). The differences couldn’t be more stark.
Bigger cannon bone adds significant weight to Connemara pony, experiment shows
I have asked for two decades, “Where is the research that shows the effects of the American Connemara Pony Society forcing Connemaras to have thick legs?” The silence has been deafening. In early 2024, I decided to do my own research.
ACPS inspectors alter Connemara breed standard for cannon bone, benefiting their own stallions
Dear US Equestrian, I am deeply disappointed that you have not followed your own directive to affiliates to do the right thing. You have allowed inspectors in the American Connemara Pony Society to alter the Connemara breed standard when they use it in inspections, employing a word trick, so they can approve or give premium status to stallions, including their own, that otherwise would fail an inspection based on the real breed standard.
Could honesty about worthlessness of Connemara inspections bring ACPS thousands of new members?
What if it told the world that there’s no way one can anoint a Connemara as premium by watching it mostly stand still for 12 minutes with a brief walk and trot?
ACPS membership plunge of 38 percent coincides with inspections; new code of conduct may prevent criticism
A steep drop in ACPS membership reflects the failed direction taken by top officials over a 20-year period. For perspective, compare the ACPS numbers to American Morgan Horse Association membership.
Pony featured on ACPS logo would fail Connemara inspections
The longtime logo for the American Connemara Pony Society has appeared on ACPS official literature since at least 1966. But the Connemara in the logo looks exactly like the refined ponies – show hunter-quality ponies – that are now shunned by the breed organization.
Early History of ACPS Shows Focus was on Connemara Performance
Kerrymor Farm has put together a history of the early years of the American Connemara Pony Society that readers of this website should find interesting.
Bad ‘approved’ Connemaras are not an accident
The current list of ACPS-approved Connemaras in America includes many bad ponies, some dangerous, in my opinion. The list also contains some nice ponies, but there’s no way for someone to trust the list, given the bad ones.
Connemara inspections are producing ponies that can’t jump, Irish breeder says in blunt book
Enough with the lies about the Connemara pony being a distinct breed of coarse white ponies that roamed the mountains of Ireland for centuries and were jumping machines. Irish author and horseman Nicholas O’Hare laid bare the lies in his 2002 book, “The Modern Connemara: The Search for Performance.”
Who saved the Connemara pony and what did he want to save?
Irish horseman Michael J. O’Malley is credited with saving the Connemara pony as a distinct breed in the early 1900s. In a little more than a century, his story has been falsely rewritten from a Connemara lover fighting for what was on the inside of the pony (spirit) to someone fighting for what was on the outside (coarseness).
Connemara breed standards promote cresty neck linked to laminitis
If the ACPS wants to foster healthy and so-called premium Connemaras, it should encourage and reward Connemaras that have no neck definition and show some rib.
Connemaras need to evolve to avoid extinction
Where will climate change leave the American Connemara in 2050, three decades from now? How will climate change affect horses in general?
Five reasons to eliminate Connemara inspections
For starters, this is your chance to decide how history will judge you.
Denny Emerson urges American Connemara Pony Society to choose new strategy
Legendary U.S. equestrian Denny Emerson, 76, posted advice to struggling breed societies, particularly Connemara and Morgan groups, on his Facebook page Sept. 29, 2017, suggesting time is of the essence to preserve the breeds.
Blue-eyed cream Connemara stallions now OK because Irish say so
Irish Connemara officials have lifted the ban on registering blue-eyed cream stallions in Ireland, so the United States has followed suit, according to a post Jan. 22, 2016, by the American Connemara Pony Society.
Beware of the ‘premium’ label given to inspected Connemaras
The banner across the top of the American Connemara Pony Society website says: “Connemaras do it all!”
Latest Connemara inspections measure thickness of leg, not quality of horse
On July 19, 2015, I watched several Connemara inspections in St. Louis, Mo., by the American Connemara Pony Society.
Pretty Connemara lives matter
Once again, I return to the topic of hatred and bias, as the world continues to evolve quickly in accepting diversity, but the American Connemara Pony Society not so much. More
Horse therapy program opens hearts; Connemara inspections close them
I received a letter in May 2015 from an organization that helps troubled youth through its horse program.
Ireland welcomes gay marriage; how about pretty Connemaras?
Ireland’s overwhelming approval of gay marriage on May 23, 2015, seems a bit out of character for a country known for its rejection of diversity.
America’s race issue is the same as the Connemara type issue
America still has a pigmentation issue, according to Tom Brokaw on Meet the Press on May 3, 2015.
Watch video clips of Dundrum, famous son of Little Heaven
Two video clips of Dundrum are a treat to watch.
A test for prospective Connemara owners
So you want to buy a Connemara, and you’re asking yourself if you should pay attention to the inspections program?
Are inspections saving the Connemara?
Officials in the American Connemara Pony Society make many claims about their inspections program, but the only question that matters is: Is the program saving the Connemara?
Breed standards force Connemaras to have undesirable conformation
Many people look at breeds as if they have always existed.
Little Heaven may have contributed the famous big heart to Connemaras
Someone recently suggested that I use the term “grinch” to refer to Connemara inspectors who hate the Connemaras that look like Little Heaven.
Can 4,539 words justify Connemara inspections? No
The American Connemara Pony Society’s web page on inspections tries to justify the program with 4,539 words.
It’s time for Connemara discrimination to be ancient history
All indications are that horse discrimination based on appearance will die with the elderly generation that has tried so hard to keep diversity at bay.
Connemara society should make ‘profound shift’ in way it regards animals
A new site dedicated to animals should serve notice to the American Connemara Pony Society that bullying behavior in the form of inspections to force horses to look a certain way will not stand the test of time.
Connemara society should survey remaining members about inspections
Surveys appears to be gaining ground in the horse world, at least in many circles. Horse groups are ramping up their efforts to get feedback to improve and survive.
Connemara breed standards encourage exaggerated conformation
Breed standards encourage exaggerated conformation, according to Wayne Cavanaugh, president of the United Kennel Club, who was interviewed by veterinarian Karen Becker on Aug. 5, 2013, for the website Healthy Pets.
If Santa Claus can evolve, how about the Connemara breed?
An Associated Press story published on Dec. 20, 2013, looked at the changing appearance of today’s Santa Claus.
Breed standards encourage Connemaras that miss the mark to be treated as waste
In a CBS television show called “Lucky Dog,” dog trainer Brandon McMillan tries to find a new home for shelter dogs by taking in one dog per week, working with it at his Lucky Dog Ranch and placing it in a home where it will do well.
What Connemara time period are breed officials trying to preserve?
The most overlooked factor in the argument over what constitutes a Connemara is time.
U.S. Connemara officials should not follow their Irish counterparts
The American Connemara Society is taking its lead on breed inspections from an Ireland that was, not the country that remains today.
Young John F. Kennedy would have been discarded as a Connemara
As we mark the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s assassination, let’s look at Ireland’s treatment of Connemaras against the backdrop of its treatment of its favorite son, the former U.S. president.
Invoking Redford and Kennedy: Time to pass the torch in the Connemara society
Robert Redford discussed the toxic environment in Washington in an interview with CNN on October 16, 2013, as he promoted a new movie.
Don’t fight for bullying in the Connemara society
I’m curious why officials in the American Connemara Pony Society are working so hard to keep breed inspections that have not proven to create better Connemaras or make the breed more popular.
Do Connemara inspections teach kindness to children? No
In yet another sobering look at the life of kids today, CNN published an article October 11, 2013, describing the onslaught of bullying that children face on social media sites.
Connemara society ignores USEF’s welfare instruction and continues with Connemara inspections
The 2013 meeting of the American Connemara Pony Society has come and gone, and nothing appears to have changed with inspections.
Connemara inspections teach kids the wrong lesson: bigotry
Horses have long provided a sanctuary for children at a fragile stage in life.
Annual meeting is time for Connemara society to embrace USEF mission
USEF has asked its affiliates to examine their practices to ensure they are in line with a world in which there is no hiding from public scrutiny; affiliates should proceed as if their actions are being recorded by an NBC camera crew 24/7 with no editing.
Connemara inspections appear to violate antitrust law
What should Connemara owners take away from the Texas cloning lawsuit, in which a jury ruled against a ban on cloned horses in the American Quarter Horse Association?
Let’s stream Connemara inspections live so everyone can watch!
It’s only a matter of time until the courts strike down Connemara breed inspections for the same reason that a federal jury ruled against a cloning ban in the American Quarter Horse Association: It’s an illegal, monopolistic practice.
Cloning ruling should signal end for Connemara inspections
A jury in a federal court in Texas has ruled that the American Quarter Horse Association violated state and federal antitrust laws by banning cloned horses from its registry.
Connemara inspections would not pass USEF’s Central Park test
Of all the posts I’ve written about Connemara inspections, this is the most important, because it looks at the practices of the American Connemara Pony Society against the backdrop of its national federation, the United States Equestrian Federation.
Kennedy’s words ring true for Connemaras being failed at inspections
The late President John F. Kennedy made his “Report to the American People on Civil Rights” on June 11, 1963.
Young voters who call GOP ‘closed-minded’ and ‘racist’ unlikely to approve of Connemara bullying
The New York Times posted an article on June 3, 2013, under the headline “Why young people don’t vote Republican.”
Is extinction the goal for Connemara society?
The Washington Post published an article June 1, 2013, on why the Boy Scouts of America finally voted to end its discrimination against gay scouts.
Connemara inspections may require short horses to carry fat people
A recent study on how much weight horses can carry comfortably has illustrated yet again why Connemaras should not be forced to remain 14-2 hands and under.
2013 commencement speeches decry divisiveness embraced by Connemara inspections
I listened to two college commencement speeches given on May 11, 2013 — one by former President Bill Clinton and another by former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw.
Breed officials are trying to stop evolution of Connemaras
Charles Darwin was a British scientist in the 19th century whose research led him to theorize that survival and reproduction were the prime motivations for all species.
Are breed standards immoral?
I wish Connemara inspectors could have been in the room in February 2013 when the chief scientist with the RSPCA in Australia asked a conference of horsemen if humans are justified in asking a horse to do something it doesn’t want to do.
Simple vote on voluntary Connemara inspections escalated into witch hunt
How did this inspections process go from a simple vote for voluntary inspections to a Hitler-like weeding out of conformation that is not a flaw?
Why do women condone Connemara inspections?
In 2005, a Connemara inspector made some comments to me about my horse that would have been considered racially biased and bigoted if she were speaking about a human.
Who will speak up for animals in opposing breed standards?
One of my many issues with breed inspections and breed standards has been the lack of people who have been willing to go public and say these practices are wrong.
Connemara inspections require nothing but give the appearance of accomplishing something
I was discussing Connemara inspections with a family member recently, and we both wondered why Connemara inspections have become the No. item on the agenda of the American Connemara Pony Society when so many other activities seem more productive.
Connemaras publish letter to American inspectors
To the inspectors of the American Connemara Pony Society: I am one of the many Connemaras you have failed at an inspection.
Fear might be driving bias against pretty horses in Connemara breed inspections
This discrimination is bizarre behavior in the 21st century, a time when bullying has become especially unacceptable and the diversity of the nation has changed along with its definition of beauty.
Can ‘Rudolph’ convince Connemara inspectors that discrimination is wrong?
CBS generously ran the classic Christmas special “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” twice in 2012, allowing me to do some much-needed fact-checking.
It’s time to revisit why America started Connemara inspections
In 2005, when I first raised huge concerns about how the Connemara inspections process was taking shape in America, ACPS board members pointed to Ireland as the reason for the creation of U.S. inspections.
Evolved thinkers or bigots? Connemara officials should decide
You can’t be a bigot and evolved in the same breath.
An invitation to Connemara officials to do some soul-searching
I often wonder how long it will be before Connemara officials in America are willing to admit they were wrong to create inspections that intentionally discriminate against horses that are Connemaras by blood and have every right to equal treatment and inclusion in the society?
Do Connemara members approve of their dues paying for bullying?
the American Connemara society pays for the expenses of people who have been deemed inspectors to travel to cities to bully horses.
Discrimination seen in Connemara world has roots in baby biases
Allowing so-called inspectors to fail horses that weren’t to their liking and exclude them has always felt to me like the breed society was turned over to a bunch of adolescents. As it turns out, that comparison is more accurate than I thought.
Current property laws make exploitation of Connemaras, other animals possible
One cannot debate whether breed standards for horses and dogs are ethical without looking at the bigger picture of how animals fit into society.
Connemaras would be better off in Obama’s America
The Connemara society reminds me of the Republican party: completely blind to the fact that its future base will be a diverse population that doesn’t take kindly to discrimination.
Connemara inspectors could learn something from ‘Sing for the Silent’
I find myself quoting people under the age of 20 more often than not when it comes to bullying.
How long will we have to wait for an apology over breed inspections?
I believe in my lifetime that breed standards and inspections will be banned, because courts will outlaw the practice of forcing breeders to create animals that match a set of criteria written on paper by people who basically are just being bullies.
Connemara inspections are the worst business strategy possible
Did Steve Jobs let Bill Gates tell him how to run his business?
Let’s see Connemara inspections for what they are: bullying
By now, anyone who follows the news has heard Wisconsin anchor Jennifer Livingston turn the tables on the viewer who called her fat in an email.
If Connemaras could talk, what would they say about inspections?
A “Huffington Post” article captured the frustration of US gymnast Gabby Douglas hours after she won the individual gold medal in London in August 2012.
Connemara inspectors’ herds are full of Thoroughbred bloodlines, too
Allbreedpedigree.com shows that inspectors who repeatedly fail horses that “remind then of Thoroughbreds” are hypocrites.
Forum posts portray Connemara society as polarized over Little Heaven
“If you want to see a bunch of Connemara breeders almost come to blows, start a discussion about whether Little Heaven and Texas Hope were good or bad for the breed.”
Connemara breed hypocritical in rejecting Thoroughbred traits at inspections
A British study of Thoroughbred foundation mares suggests that they descend from native Irish mares, including Connemaras and Irish Draught mares, and mares native to the British Isles, more than horses from the Middle East and Asia, as originally thought.
When did rejection based on appearance become OK?
I haven’t been very shy about arguing that people should not put themselves above animals.
Stigmatizing animals through breed standards has no place in the United States
I keep seeing the word stigma in news reports, and I think it’s time to look at this word in relation to breed standards.
Inspections confirm age-old truism: You can’t judge a horse by its cover
Famed horse writer Walter Farley’s “Little Black, a Pony” delivers the not-so-subtle message that we shouldn’t prejudge something based on appearance.
Another battle brewing over breed standards and inspections
Frustration over breed standards appears to be building, based on feedback I’m getting from around the world, and I was sent an interesting article on the topic that was published in the June 2012 issue of Ireland’s Horse Review, a monthly sport horse newspaper.
Should Ireland be leading the Connemara horse world?
In December 2010, The New York Times did a sobering story on the plight of horses in Ireland today.
Breed standards motivated by pack mentality and need for esteem
A post on Psychology Today from December 2009 looks at human motivation. Author Robert Evans Wilson Jr. says humans are motivated by their status as a pack animal.
How much does peer pressure influence breed standards?
Peer pressure is a formidable force. It makes people agree to do things that they would not do on their own.
Wording for breed standards, bullying is the same
There is a pattern between the language on websites that decry the use of bullying and those that herald the use of breed standards.
Breed standards are based on flawed concept of ‘owning’ animals
The debate over whether breed societies can set breed standards for animals really is a larger debate about where humans and animals fall in the universal pecking order and whether humans should “own” animals.
Breed standards must evolve with beauty perceptions
America’s perception of the ideal beauty has changed from a white woman such as Christie Brinkley in 1991 to a mixed race or darker woman such as Angelina Jolie today.
Vet who failed dog breeds at Crufts talks about exaggerated conformation
Alison Skipper, one of the two vets who failed six of 15 Best of Breed winners at the Crufts dog show in Britain in March 2012, has aired her thoughts on the experience after coming under fire.
Dr. Fox takes on breed standards in latest column
The well-known veterinarian pulled no punches in attacking breed standards in a reply to a poor woman who just wanted to know why her sister’s Persian cats had constant tearing in their eyes.
Veterinarians target exaggerated conformation at British dog show
As victories go, this one is hollow. But, let’s not ignore any movement when it comes to breed standards.
Connemaras and women face same bigoted world
CNN is running a series on beauty, and one of the reports centers on a documentary called “Miss Representation.”
Where is the research that says certain cannon bone measurements make a better horse?
I continue to search for scientific evidence that a thicker, shorter cannon bone makes for a better horse, because, otherwise, it would seem odd or irresponsible that Connemara societies the world over would be requiring cannon bones of a certain width and length for a Connemara to pass an inspection.
Heavy cannon bones are detrimental to Connemara movement, science shows
Intentionally making horses carry around heavy cannon bones is the opposite of what nature intended, and research seems to refute the American Connemara Pony Society’s message that big cannon bones are better.
Canadian veterinary association asks vets to help fix breed standards
An article titled “A New Direction for Kennel Club Regulations and Breed Standards” published in 2007 in the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association addresses veterinarians’ role in the increasing “welfare predicament” of purebred dogs.
Australia RSPCA advocates eliminating breed standards based on appearance
Once again, another highly respected group has come out against breed standards based on appearance.
Law professor pushes for end to discrimination based on appearance
A Stanford law professor is finally laying the groundwork in the human world for what may lead to the end of appearance bias.
The ‘right’ breed standards are all in your head
I was researching whether there actually was more than one way to peel a banana to fact-check an article I was copy editing, and I came across this article by J. Howard Baker, an assistant professor of computer information systems and a guy who makes a lot of sense.
Bullying and breed standards are same thing
Bullying means “to affect by means of force or coercion,” according to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.
Breed standards exposed
If you haven’t seen the 2008 British documentary “Pedigree Dogs Exposed,” whether you’re a horse breeder, a dog breeder or just an animal lover in general, you should watch it.
Connemara breed standards and inspection requirements
If you want to pass an inspection by the American Connemara Pony Society, you will need to add at least an inch to the cannon bone circumference standard of 7 to 8 inches. The ACPS chooses to ignore that breed standard and is giving premium and approved status to Connemaras of pony height with 9- to 10-inch cannon bones.
David O’Connor embraces horse emotions at USEF meeting, while ACPS expands bigoted Connemara inspections
In one room at USEF’s 2024 annual meeting, USEF Chief of Sport David O’Connor discussed weighty topics such as whether there should be horse sport at all and if horses enjoyed taking part in such activity. In another room, Connemara officials expanded their bigoted inspections to a bigger pool of Connemaras (halfbreds). The differences couldn’t be more stark.
Bigger cannon bone adds significant weight to Connemara pony, experiment shows
I have asked for two decades, “Where is the research that shows the effects of the American Connemara Pony Society forcing Connemaras to have thick legs?” The silence has been deafening. In early 2024, I decided to do my own research.
ACPS inspectors alter Connemara breed standard for cannon bone, benefiting their own stallions
Dear US Equestrian, I am deeply disappointed that you have not followed your own directive to affiliates to do the right thing. You have allowed inspectors in the American Connemara Pony Society to alter the Connemara breed standard when they use it in inspections, employing a word trick, so they can approve or give premium status to stallions, including their own, that otherwise would fail an inspection based on the real breed standard.
ACPS membership plunge of 38 percent coincides with inspections; new code of conduct may prevent criticism
A steep drop in ACPS membership reflects the failed direction taken by top officials over a 20-year period. For perspective, compare the ACPS numbers to American Morgan Horse Association membership.
Pony featured on ACPS logo would fail Connemara inspections
The longtime logo for the American Connemara Pony Society has appeared on ACPS official literature since at least 1966. But the Connemara in the logo looks exactly like the refined ponies – show hunter-quality ponies – that are now shunned by the breed organization.
Connemara inspections are producing ponies that can’t jump, Irish breeder says in blunt book
Enough with the lies about the Connemara pony being a distinct breed of coarse white ponies that roamed the mountains of Ireland for centuries and were jumping machines. Irish author and horseman Nicholas O’Hare laid bare the lies in his 2002 book, “The Modern Connemara: The Search for Performance.”
Who saved the Connemara pony and what did he want to save?
Irish horseman Michael J. O’Malley is credited with saving the Connemara pony as a distinct breed in the early 1900s. In a little more than a century, his story has been falsely rewritten from a Connemara lover fighting for what was on the inside of the pony (spirit) to someone fighting for what was on the outside (coarseness).
Denny Emerson urges American Connemara Pony Society to choose new strategy
Legendary U.S. equestrian Denny Emerson, 76, posted advice to struggling breed societies, particularly Connemara and Morgan groups, on his Facebook page Sept. 29, 2017, suggesting time is of the essence to preserve the breeds.
Connemara society should make ‘profound shift’ in way it regards animals
A new site dedicated to animals should serve notice to the American Connemara Pony Society that bullying behavior in the form of inspections to force horses to look a certain way will not stand the test of time.
Breed standards encourage Connemaras that miss the mark to be treated as waste
In a CBS television show called “Lucky Dog,” dog trainer Brandon McMillan tries to find a new home for shelter dogs by taking in one dog per week, working with it at his Lucky Dog Ranch and placing it in a home where it will do well.
Annual meeting is time for Connemara society to embrace USEF mission
USEF has asked its affiliates to examine their practices to ensure they are in line with a world in which there is no hiding from public scrutiny; affiliates should proceed as if their actions are being recorded by an NBC camera crew 24/7 with no editing.
Let’s stream Connemara inspections live so everyone can watch!
It’s only a matter of time until the courts strike down Connemara breed inspections for the same reason that a federal jury ruled against a cloning ban in the American Quarter Horse Association: It’s an illegal, monopolistic practice.
Connemara inspections would not pass USEF’s Central Park test
Of all the posts I’ve written about Connemara inspections, this is the most important, because it looks at the practices of the American Connemara Pony Society against the backdrop of its national federation, the United States Equestrian Federation.
Connemara inspections require nothing but give the appearance of accomplishing something
I was discussing Connemara inspections with a family member recently, and we both wondered why Connemara inspections have become the No. item on the agenda of the American Connemara Pony Society when so many other activities seem more productive.
An invitation to Connemara officials to do some soul-searching
I often wonder how long it will be before Connemara officials in America are willing to admit they were wrong to create inspections that intentionally discriminate against horses that are Connemaras by blood and have every right to equal treatment and inclusion in the society?
Discrimination seen in Connemara world has roots in baby biases
Allowing so-called inspectors to fail horses that weren’t to their liking and exclude them has always felt to me like the breed society was turned over to a bunch of adolescents. As it turns out, that comparison is more accurate than I thought.
How long will we have to wait for an apology over breed inspections?
I believe in my lifetime that breed standards and inspections will be banned, because courts will outlaw the practice of forcing breeders to create animals that match a set of criteria written on paper by people who basically are just being bullies.
Connemara breed hypocritical in rejecting Thoroughbred traits at inspections
A British study of Thoroughbred foundation mares suggests that they descend from native Irish mares, including Connemaras and Irish Draught mares, and mares native to the British Isles, more than horses from the Middle East and Asia, as originally thought.
Another battle brewing over breed standards and inspections
Frustration over breed standards appears to be building, based on feedback I’m getting from around the world, and I was sent an interesting article on the topic that was published in the June 2012 issue of Ireland’s Horse Review, a monthly sport horse newspaper.
Where is the research that says certain cannon bone measurements make a better horse?
I continue to search for scientific evidence that a thicker, shorter cannon bone makes for a better horse, because, otherwise, it would seem odd or irresponsible that Connemara societies the world over would be requiring cannon bones of a certain width and length for a Connemara to pass an inspection.
Canadian veterinary association asks vets to help fix breed standards
An article titled “A New Direction for Kennel Club Regulations and Breed Standards” published in 2007 in the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association addresses veterinarians’ role in the increasing “welfare predicament” of purebred dogs.
The ‘right’ breed standards are all in your head
I was researching whether there actually was more than one way to peel a banana to fact-check an article I was copy editing, and I came across this article by J. Howard Baker, an assistant professor of computer information systems and a guy who makes a lot of sense.
Connemara breed standards and inspection requirements
If you want to pass an inspection by the American Connemara Pony Society, you will need to add at least an inch to the cannon bone circumference standard of 7 to 8 inches. The ACPS chooses to ignore that breed standard and is giving premium and approved status to Connemaras of pony height with 9- to 10-inch cannon bones.
David O’Connor embraces horse emotions at USEF meeting, while ACPS expands bigoted Connemara inspections
In one room at USEF’s 2024 annual meeting, USEF Chief of Sport David O’Connor discussed weighty topics such as whether there should be horse sport at all and if horses enjoyed taking part in such activity. In another room, Connemara officials expanded their bigoted inspections to a bigger pool of Connemaras (halfbreds). The differences couldn’t be more stark.
Bigger cannon bone adds significant weight to Connemara pony, experiment shows
I have asked for two decades, “Where is the research that shows the effects of the American Connemara Pony Society forcing Connemaras to have thick legs?” The silence has been deafening. In early 2024, I decided to do my own research.
ACPS inspectors alter Connemara breed standard for cannon bone, benefiting their own stallions
Dear US Equestrian, I am deeply disappointed that you have not followed your own directive to affiliates to do the right thing. You have allowed inspectors in the American Connemara Pony Society to alter the Connemara breed standard when they use it in inspections, employing a word trick, so they can approve or give premium status to stallions, including their own, that otherwise would fail an inspection based on the real breed standard.
Could honesty about worthlessness of Connemara inspections bring ACPS thousands of new members?
What if it told the world that there’s no way one can anoint a Connemara as premium by watching it mostly stand still for 12 minutes with a brief walk and trot?
ACPS membership plunge of 38 percent coincides with inspections; new code of conduct may prevent criticism
A steep drop in ACPS membership reflects the failed direction taken by top officials over a 20-year period. For perspective, compare the ACPS numbers to American Morgan Horse Association membership.
Pony featured on ACPS logo would fail Connemara inspections
The longtime logo for the American Connemara Pony Society has appeared on ACPS official literature since at least 1966. But the Connemara in the logo looks exactly like the refined ponies – show hunter-quality ponies – that are now shunned by the breed organization.
Early History of ACPS Shows Focus was on Connemara Performance
Kerrymor Farm has put together a history of the early years of the American Connemara Pony Society that readers of this website should find interesting.
Bad ‘approved’ Connemaras are not an accident
The current list of ACPS-approved Connemaras in America includes many bad ponies, some dangerous, in my opinion. The list also contains some nice ponies, but there’s no way for someone to trust the list, given the bad ones.
Connemara inspections are producing ponies that can’t jump, Irish breeder says in blunt book
Enough with the lies about the Connemara pony being a distinct breed of coarse white ponies that roamed the mountains of Ireland for centuries and were jumping machines. Irish author and horseman Nicholas O’Hare laid bare the lies in his 2002 book, “The Modern Connemara: The Search for Performance.”
Who saved the Connemara pony and what did he want to save?
Irish horseman Michael J. O’Malley is credited with saving the Connemara pony as a distinct breed in the early 1900s. In a little more than a century, his story has been falsely rewritten from a Connemara lover fighting for what was on the inside of the pony (spirit) to someone fighting for what was on the outside (coarseness).
Connemara breed standards promote cresty neck linked to laminitis
If the ACPS wants to foster healthy and so-called premium Connemaras, it should encourage and reward Connemaras that have no neck definition and show some rib.
Connemaras need to evolve to avoid extinction
Where will climate change leave the American Connemara in 2050, three decades from now? How will climate change affect horses in general?
Five reasons to eliminate Connemara inspections
For starters, this is your chance to decide how history will judge you.
Denny Emerson urges American Connemara Pony Society to choose new strategy
Legendary U.S. equestrian Denny Emerson, 76, posted advice to struggling breed societies, particularly Connemara and Morgan groups, on his Facebook page Sept. 29, 2017, suggesting time is of the essence to preserve the breeds.
Blue-eyed cream Connemara stallions now OK because Irish say so
Irish Connemara officials have lifted the ban on registering blue-eyed cream stallions in Ireland, so the United States has followed suit, according to a post Jan. 22, 2016, by the American Connemara Pony Society.
Beware of the ‘premium’ label given to inspected Connemaras
The banner across the top of the American Connemara Pony Society website says: “Connemaras do it all!”
Latest Connemara inspections measure thickness of leg, not quality of horse
On July 19, 2015, I watched several Connemara inspections in St. Louis, Mo., by the American Connemara Pony Society.
Pretty Connemara lives matter
Once again, I return to the topic of hatred and bias, as the world continues to evolve quickly in accepting diversity, but the American Connemara Pony Society not so much. More
Horse therapy program opens hearts; Connemara inspections close them
I received a letter in May 2015 from an organization that helps troubled youth through its horse program.
Ireland welcomes gay marriage; how about pretty Connemaras?
Ireland’s overwhelming approval of gay marriage on May 23, 2015, seems a bit out of character for a country known for its rejection of diversity.
America’s race issue is the same as the Connemara type issue
America still has a pigmentation issue, according to Tom Brokaw on Meet the Press on May 3, 2015.
Watch video clips of Dundrum, famous son of Little Heaven
Two video clips of Dundrum are a treat to watch.
A test for prospective Connemara owners
So you want to buy a Connemara, and you’re asking yourself if you should pay attention to the inspections program?
Are inspections saving the Connemara?
Officials in the American Connemara Pony Society make many claims about their inspections program, but the only question that matters is: Is the program saving the Connemara?
Breed standards force Connemaras to have undesirable conformation
Many people look at breeds as if they have always existed.
Little Heaven may have contributed the famous big heart to Connemaras
Someone recently suggested that I use the term “grinch” to refer to Connemara inspectors who hate the Connemaras that look like Little Heaven.
Can 4,539 words justify Connemara inspections? No
The American Connemara Pony Society’s web page on inspections tries to justify the program with 4,539 words.
It’s time for Connemara discrimination to be ancient history
All indications are that horse discrimination based on appearance will die with the elderly generation that has tried so hard to keep diversity at bay.
Connemara society should make ‘profound shift’ in way it regards animals
A new site dedicated to animals should serve notice to the American Connemara Pony Society that bullying behavior in the form of inspections to force horses to look a certain way will not stand the test of time.
Connemara society should survey remaining members about inspections
Surveys appears to be gaining ground in the horse world, at least in many circles. Horse groups are ramping up their efforts to get feedback to improve and survive.
Connemara breed standards encourage exaggerated conformation
Breed standards encourage exaggerated conformation, according to Wayne Cavanaugh, president of the United Kennel Club, who was interviewed by veterinarian Karen Becker on Aug. 5, 2013, for the website Healthy Pets.
If Santa Claus can evolve, how about the Connemara breed?
An Associated Press story published on Dec. 20, 2013, looked at the changing appearance of today’s Santa Claus.
Breed standards encourage Connemaras that miss the mark to be treated as waste
In a CBS television show called “Lucky Dog,” dog trainer Brandon McMillan tries to find a new home for shelter dogs by taking in one dog per week, working with it at his Lucky Dog Ranch and placing it in a home where it will do well.
What Connemara time period are breed officials trying to preserve?
The most overlooked factor in the argument over what constitutes a Connemara is time.
U.S. Connemara officials should not follow their Irish counterparts
The American Connemara Society is taking its lead on breed inspections from an Ireland that was, not the country that remains today.
Young John F. Kennedy would have been discarded as a Connemara
As we mark the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s assassination, let’s look at Ireland’s treatment of Connemaras against the backdrop of its treatment of its favorite son, the former U.S. president.
Invoking Redford and Kennedy: Time to pass the torch in the Connemara society
Robert Redford discussed the toxic environment in Washington in an interview with CNN on October 16, 2013, as he promoted a new movie.
Don’t fight for bullying in the Connemara society
I’m curious why officials in the American Connemara Pony Society are working so hard to keep breed inspections that have not proven to create better Connemaras or make the breed more popular.
Do Connemara inspections teach kindness to children? No
In yet another sobering look at the life of kids today, CNN published an article October 11, 2013, describing the onslaught of bullying that children face on social media sites.
Connemara society ignores USEF’s welfare instruction and continues with Connemara inspections
The 2013 meeting of the American Connemara Pony Society has come and gone, and nothing appears to have changed with inspections.
Connemara inspections teach kids the wrong lesson: bigotry
Horses have long provided a sanctuary for children at a fragile stage in life.
Annual meeting is time for Connemara society to embrace USEF mission
USEF has asked its affiliates to examine their practices to ensure they are in line with a world in which there is no hiding from public scrutiny; affiliates should proceed as if their actions are being recorded by an NBC camera crew 24/7 with no editing.
Connemara inspections appear to violate antitrust law
What should Connemara owners take away from the Texas cloning lawsuit, in which a jury ruled against a ban on cloned horses in the American Quarter Horse Association?
Let’s stream Connemara inspections live so everyone can watch!
It’s only a matter of time until the courts strike down Connemara breed inspections for the same reason that a federal jury ruled against a cloning ban in the American Quarter Horse Association: It’s an illegal, monopolistic practice.
Cloning ruling should signal end for Connemara inspections
A jury in a federal court in Texas has ruled that the American Quarter Horse Association violated state and federal antitrust laws by banning cloned horses from its registry.
Connemara inspections would not pass USEF’s Central Park test
Of all the posts I’ve written about Connemara inspections, this is the most important, because it looks at the practices of the American Connemara Pony Society against the backdrop of its national federation, the United States Equestrian Federation.
Kennedy’s words ring true for Connemaras being failed at inspections
The late President John F. Kennedy made his “Report to the American People on Civil Rights” on June 11, 1963.
Young voters who call GOP ‘closed-minded’ and ‘racist’ unlikely to approve of Connemara bullying
The New York Times posted an article on June 3, 2013, under the headline “Why young people don’t vote Republican.”
Is extinction the goal for Connemara society?
The Washington Post published an article June 1, 2013, on why the Boy Scouts of America finally voted to end its discrimination against gay scouts.
Connemara inspections may require short horses to carry fat people
A recent study on how much weight horses can carry comfortably has illustrated yet again why Connemaras should not be forced to remain 14-2 hands and under.
2013 commencement speeches decry divisiveness embraced by Connemara inspections
I listened to two college commencement speeches given on May 11, 2013 — one by former President Bill Clinton and another by former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw.
Breed officials are trying to stop evolution of Connemaras
Charles Darwin was a British scientist in the 19th century whose research led him to theorize that survival and reproduction were the prime motivations for all species.
Are breed standards immoral?
I wish Connemara inspectors could have been in the room in February 2013 when the chief scientist with the RSPCA in Australia asked a conference of horsemen if humans are justified in asking a horse to do something it doesn’t want to do.
Simple vote on voluntary Connemara inspections escalated into witch hunt
How did this inspections process go from a simple vote for voluntary inspections to a Hitler-like weeding out of conformation that is not a flaw?
Why do women condone Connemara inspections?
In 2005, a Connemara inspector made some comments to me about my horse that would have been considered racially biased and bigoted if she were speaking about a human.
Who will speak up for animals in opposing breed standards?
One of my many issues with breed inspections and breed standards has been the lack of people who have been willing to go public and say these practices are wrong.
Connemara inspections require nothing but give the appearance of accomplishing something
I was discussing Connemara inspections with a family member recently, and we both wondered why Connemara inspections have become the No. item on the agenda of the American Connemara Pony Society when so many other activities seem more productive.
Connemaras publish letter to American inspectors
To the inspectors of the American Connemara Pony Society: I am one of the many Connemaras you have failed at an inspection.
Fear might be driving bias against pretty horses in Connemara breed inspections
This discrimination is bizarre behavior in the 21st century, a time when bullying has become especially unacceptable and the diversity of the nation has changed along with its definition of beauty.
Can ‘Rudolph’ convince Connemara inspectors that discrimination is wrong?
CBS generously ran the classic Christmas special “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” twice in 2012, allowing me to do some much-needed fact-checking.
It’s time to revisit why America started Connemara inspections
In 2005, when I first raised huge concerns about how the Connemara inspections process was taking shape in America, ACPS board members pointed to Ireland as the reason for the creation of U.S. inspections.
Evolved thinkers or bigots? Connemara officials should decide
You can’t be a bigot and evolved in the same breath.
An invitation to Connemara officials to do some soul-searching
I often wonder how long it will be before Connemara officials in America are willing to admit they were wrong to create inspections that intentionally discriminate against horses that are Connemaras by blood and have every right to equal treatment and inclusion in the society?
Do Connemara members approve of their dues paying for bullying?
the American Connemara society pays for the expenses of people who have been deemed inspectors to travel to cities to bully horses.
Discrimination seen in Connemara world has roots in baby biases
Allowing so-called inspectors to fail horses that weren’t to their liking and exclude them has always felt to me like the breed society was turned over to a bunch of adolescents. As it turns out, that comparison is more accurate than I thought.
Current property laws make exploitation of Connemaras, other animals possible
One cannot debate whether breed standards for horses and dogs are ethical without looking at the bigger picture of how animals fit into society.
Connemaras would be better off in Obama’s America
The Connemara society reminds me of the Republican party: completely blind to the fact that its future base will be a diverse population that doesn’t take kindly to discrimination.
Connemara inspectors could learn something from ‘Sing for the Silent’
I find myself quoting people under the age of 20 more often than not when it comes to bullying.
How long will we have to wait for an apology over breed inspections?
I believe in my lifetime that breed standards and inspections will be banned, because courts will outlaw the practice of forcing breeders to create animals that match a set of criteria written on paper by people who basically are just being bullies.
Connemara inspections are the worst business strategy possible
Did Steve Jobs let Bill Gates tell him how to run his business?
Let’s see Connemara inspections for what they are: bullying
By now, anyone who follows the news has heard Wisconsin anchor Jennifer Livingston turn the tables on the viewer who called her fat in an email.
If Connemaras could talk, what would they say about inspections?
A “Huffington Post” article captured the frustration of US gymnast Gabby Douglas hours after she won the individual gold medal in London in August 2012.
Connemara inspectors’ herds are full of Thoroughbred bloodlines, too
Allbreedpedigree.com shows that inspectors who repeatedly fail horses that “remind then of Thoroughbreds” are hypocrites.
Forum posts portray Connemara society as polarized over Little Heaven
“If you want to see a bunch of Connemara breeders almost come to blows, start a discussion about whether Little Heaven and Texas Hope were good or bad for the breed.”
Connemara breed hypocritical in rejecting Thoroughbred traits at inspections
A British study of Thoroughbred foundation mares suggests that they descend from native Irish mares, including Connemaras and Irish Draught mares, and mares native to the British Isles, more than horses from the Middle East and Asia, as originally thought.
When did rejection based on appearance become OK?
I haven’t been very shy about arguing that people should not put themselves above animals.
Stigmatizing animals through breed standards has no place in the United States
I keep seeing the word stigma in news reports, and I think it’s time to look at this word in relation to breed standards.
Inspections confirm age-old truism: You can’t judge a horse by its cover
Famed horse writer Walter Farley’s “Little Black, a Pony” delivers the not-so-subtle message that we shouldn’t prejudge something based on appearance.
Another battle brewing over breed standards and inspections
Frustration over breed standards appears to be building, based on feedback I’m getting from around the world, and I was sent an interesting article on the topic that was published in the June 2012 issue of Ireland’s Horse Review, a monthly sport horse newspaper.
Should Ireland be leading the Connemara horse world?
In December 2010, The New York Times did a sobering story on the plight of horses in Ireland today.
Breed standards motivated by pack mentality and need for esteem
A post on Psychology Today from December 2009 looks at human motivation. Author Robert Evans Wilson Jr. says humans are motivated by their status as a pack animal.
How much does peer pressure influence breed standards?
Peer pressure is a formidable force. It makes people agree to do things that they would not do on their own.
Wording for breed standards, bullying is the same
There is a pattern between the language on websites that decry the use of bullying and those that herald the use of breed standards.
Breed standards are based on flawed concept of ‘owning’ animals
The debate over whether breed societies can set breed standards for animals really is a larger debate about where humans and animals fall in the universal pecking order and whether humans should “own” animals.
Breed standards must evolve with beauty perceptions
America’s perception of the ideal beauty has changed from a white woman such as Christie Brinkley in 1991 to a mixed race or darker woman such as Angelina Jolie today.
Vet who failed dog breeds at Crufts talks about exaggerated conformation
Alison Skipper, one of the two vets who failed six of 15 Best of Breed winners at the Crufts dog show in Britain in March 2012, has aired her thoughts on the experience after coming under fire.
Dr. Fox takes on breed standards in latest column
The well-known veterinarian pulled no punches in attacking breed standards in a reply to a poor woman who just wanted to know why her sister’s Persian cats had constant tearing in their eyes.
Veterinarians target exaggerated conformation at British dog show
As victories go, this one is hollow. But, let’s not ignore any movement when it comes to breed standards.
Connemaras and women face same bigoted world
CNN is running a series on beauty, and one of the reports centers on a documentary called “Miss Representation.”
Where is the research that says certain cannon bone measurements make a better horse?
I continue to search for scientific evidence that a thicker, shorter cannon bone makes for a better horse, because, otherwise, it would seem odd or irresponsible that Connemara societies the world over would be requiring cannon bones of a certain width and length for a Connemara to pass an inspection.
Heavy cannon bones are detrimental to Connemara movement, science shows
Intentionally making horses carry around heavy cannon bones is the opposite of what nature intended, and research seems to refute the American Connemara Pony Society’s message that big cannon bones are better.
Canadian veterinary association asks vets to help fix breed standards
An article titled “A New Direction for Kennel Club Regulations and Breed Standards” published in 2007 in the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association addresses veterinarians’ role in the increasing “welfare predicament” of purebred dogs.
Australia RSPCA advocates eliminating breed standards based on appearance
Once again, another highly respected group has come out against breed standards based on appearance.
Law professor pushes for end to discrimination based on appearance
A Stanford law professor is finally laying the groundwork in the human world for what may lead to the end of appearance bias.
The ‘right’ breed standards are all in your head
I was researching whether there actually was more than one way to peel a banana to fact-check an article I was copy editing, and I came across this article by J. Howard Baker, an assistant professor of computer information systems and a guy who makes a lot of sense.
Bullying and breed standards are same thing
Bullying means “to affect by means of force or coercion,” according to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.
Breed standards exposed
If you haven’t seen the 2008 British documentary “Pedigree Dogs Exposed,” whether you’re a horse breeder, a dog breeder or just an animal lover in general, you should watch it.
Connemara breed standards and inspection requirements
If you want to pass an inspection by the American Connemara Pony Society, you will need to add at least an inch to the cannon bone circumference standard of 7 to 8 inches. The ACPS chooses to ignore that breed standard and is giving premium and approved status to Connemaras of pony height with 9- to 10-inch cannon bones.
David O’Connor embraces horse emotions at USEF meeting, while ACPS expands bigoted Connemara inspections
In one room at USEF’s 2024 annual meeting, USEF Chief of Sport David O’Connor discussed weighty topics such as whether there should be horse sport at all and if horses enjoyed taking part in such activity. In another room, Connemara officials expanded their bigoted inspections to a bigger pool of Connemaras (halfbreds). The differences couldn’t be more stark.
Bigger cannon bone adds significant weight to Connemara pony, experiment shows
I have asked for two decades, “Where is the research that shows the effects of the American Connemara Pony Society forcing Connemaras to have thick legs?” The silence has been deafening. In early 2024, I decided to do my own research.
ACPS inspectors alter Connemara breed standard for cannon bone, benefiting their own stallions
Dear US Equestrian, I am deeply disappointed that you have not followed your own directive to affiliates to do the right thing. You have allowed inspectors in the American Connemara Pony Society to alter the Connemara breed standard when they use it in inspections, employing a word trick, so they can approve or give premium status to stallions, including their own, that otherwise would fail an inspection based on the real breed standard.
ACPS membership plunge of 38 percent coincides with inspections; new code of conduct may prevent criticism
A steep drop in ACPS membership reflects the failed direction taken by top officials over a 20-year period. For perspective, compare the ACPS numbers to American Morgan Horse Association membership.
Pony featured on ACPS logo would fail Connemara inspections
The longtime logo for the American Connemara Pony Society has appeared on ACPS official literature since at least 1966. But the Connemara in the logo looks exactly like the refined ponies – show hunter-quality ponies – that are now shunned by the breed organization.
Connemara inspections are producing ponies that can’t jump, Irish breeder says in blunt book
Enough with the lies about the Connemara pony being a distinct breed of coarse white ponies that roamed the mountains of Ireland for centuries and were jumping machines. Irish author and horseman Nicholas O’Hare laid bare the lies in his 2002 book, “The Modern Connemara: The Search for Performance.”
Who saved the Connemara pony and what did he want to save?
Irish horseman Michael J. O’Malley is credited with saving the Connemara pony as a distinct breed in the early 1900s. In a little more than a century, his story has been falsely rewritten from a Connemara lover fighting for what was on the inside of the pony (spirit) to someone fighting for what was on the outside (coarseness).
Denny Emerson urges American Connemara Pony Society to choose new strategy
Legendary U.S. equestrian Denny Emerson, 76, posted advice to struggling breed societies, particularly Connemara and Morgan groups, on his Facebook page Sept. 29, 2017, suggesting time is of the essence to preserve the breeds.
Connemara society should make ‘profound shift’ in way it regards animals
A new site dedicated to animals should serve notice to the American Connemara Pony Society that bullying behavior in the form of inspections to force horses to look a certain way will not stand the test of time.
Breed standards encourage Connemaras that miss the mark to be treated as waste
In a CBS television show called “Lucky Dog,” dog trainer Brandon McMillan tries to find a new home for shelter dogs by taking in one dog per week, working with it at his Lucky Dog Ranch and placing it in a home where it will do well.
Annual meeting is time for Connemara society to embrace USEF mission
USEF has asked its affiliates to examine their practices to ensure they are in line with a world in which there is no hiding from public scrutiny; affiliates should proceed as if their actions are being recorded by an NBC camera crew 24/7 with no editing.
Let’s stream Connemara inspections live so everyone can watch!
It’s only a matter of time until the courts strike down Connemara breed inspections for the same reason that a federal jury ruled against a cloning ban in the American Quarter Horse Association: It’s an illegal, monopolistic practice.
Connemara inspections would not pass USEF’s Central Park test
Of all the posts I’ve written about Connemara inspections, this is the most important, because it looks at the practices of the American Connemara Pony Society against the backdrop of its national federation, the United States Equestrian Federation.
Connemara inspections require nothing but give the appearance of accomplishing something
I was discussing Connemara inspections with a family member recently, and we both wondered why Connemara inspections have become the No. item on the agenda of the American Connemara Pony Society when so many other activities seem more productive.
An invitation to Connemara officials to do some soul-searching
I often wonder how long it will be before Connemara officials in America are willing to admit they were wrong to create inspections that intentionally discriminate against horses that are Connemaras by blood and have every right to equal treatment and inclusion in the society?
Discrimination seen in Connemara world has roots in baby biases
Allowing so-called inspectors to fail horses that weren’t to their liking and exclude them has always felt to me like the breed society was turned over to a bunch of adolescents. As it turns out, that comparison is more accurate than I thought.
How long will we have to wait for an apology over breed inspections?
I believe in my lifetime that breed standards and inspections will be banned, because courts will outlaw the practice of forcing breeders to create animals that match a set of criteria written on paper by people who basically are just being bullies.
Connemara breed hypocritical in rejecting Thoroughbred traits at inspections
A British study of Thoroughbred foundation mares suggests that they descend from native Irish mares, including Connemaras and Irish Draught mares, and mares native to the British Isles, more than horses from the Middle East and Asia, as originally thought.
Another battle brewing over breed standards and inspections
Frustration over breed standards appears to be building, based on feedback I’m getting from around the world, and I was sent an interesting article on the topic that was published in the June 2012 issue of Ireland’s Horse Review, a monthly sport horse newspaper.
Where is the research that says certain cannon bone measurements make a better horse?
I continue to search for scientific evidence that a thicker, shorter cannon bone makes for a better horse, because, otherwise, it would seem odd or irresponsible that Connemara societies the world over would be requiring cannon bones of a certain width and length for a Connemara to pass an inspection.
Canadian veterinary association asks vets to help fix breed standards
An article titled “A New Direction for Kennel Club Regulations and Breed Standards” published in 2007 in the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association addresses veterinarians’ role in the increasing “welfare predicament” of purebred dogs.
The ‘right’ breed standards are all in your head
I was researching whether there actually was more than one way to peel a banana to fact-check an article I was copy editing, and I came across this article by J. Howard Baker, an assistant professor of computer information systems and a guy who makes a lot of sense.
Connemara breed standards and inspection requirements
If you want to pass an inspection by the American Connemara Pony Society, you will need to add at least an inch to the cannon bone circumference standard of 7 to 8 inches. The ACPS chooses to ignore that breed standard and is giving premium and approved status to Connemaras of pony height with 9- to 10-inch cannon bones.
David O’Connor embraces horse emotions at USEF meeting, while ACPS expands bigoted Connemara inspections
In one room at USEF’s 2024 annual meeting, USEF Chief of Sport David O’Connor discussed weighty topics such as whether there should be horse sport at all and if horses enjoyed taking part in such activity. In another room, Connemara officials expanded their bigoted inspections to a bigger pool of Connemaras (halfbreds). The differences couldn’t be more stark.
Bigger cannon bone adds significant weight to Connemara pony, experiment shows
I have asked for two decades, “Where is the research that shows the effects of the American Connemara Pony Society forcing Connemaras to have thick legs?” The silence has been deafening. In early 2024, I decided to do my own research.
ACPS inspectors alter Connemara breed standard for cannon bone, benefiting their own stallions
Dear US Equestrian, I am deeply disappointed that you have not followed your own directive to affiliates to do the right thing. You have allowed inspectors in the American Connemara Pony Society to alter the Connemara breed standard when they use it in inspections, employing a word trick, so they can approve or give premium status to stallions, including their own, that otherwise would fail an inspection based on the real breed standard.
Could honesty about worthlessness of Connemara inspections bring ACPS thousands of new members?
What if it told the world that there’s no way one can anoint a Connemara as premium by watching it mostly stand still for 12 minutes with a brief walk and trot?
ACPS membership plunge of 38 percent coincides with inspections; new code of conduct may prevent criticism
A steep drop in ACPS membership reflects the failed direction taken by top officials over a 20-year period. For perspective, compare the ACPS numbers to American Morgan Horse Association membership.
Pony featured on ACPS logo would fail Connemara inspections
The longtime logo for the American Connemara Pony Society has appeared on ACPS official literature since at least 1966. But the Connemara in the logo looks exactly like the refined ponies – show hunter-quality ponies – that are now shunned by the breed organization.
Early History of ACPS Shows Focus was on Connemara Performance
Kerrymor Farm has put together a history of the early years of the American Connemara Pony Society that readers of this website should find interesting.
Bad ‘approved’ Connemaras are not an accident
The current list of ACPS-approved Connemaras in America includes many bad ponies, some dangerous, in my opinion. The list also contains some nice ponies, but there’s no way for someone to trust the list, given the bad ones.
Connemara inspections are producing ponies that can’t jump, Irish breeder says in blunt book
Enough with the lies about the Connemara pony being a distinct breed of coarse white ponies that roamed the mountains of Ireland for centuries and were jumping machines. Irish author and horseman Nicholas O’Hare laid bare the lies in his 2002 book, “The Modern Connemara: The Search for Performance.”
Who saved the Connemara pony and what did he want to save?
Irish horseman Michael J. O’Malley is credited with saving the Connemara pony as a distinct breed in the early 1900s. In a little more than a century, his story has been falsely rewritten from a Connemara lover fighting for what was on the inside of the pony (spirit) to someone fighting for what was on the outside (coarseness).
Connemara breed standards promote cresty neck linked to laminitis
If the ACPS wants to foster healthy and so-called premium Connemaras, it should encourage and reward Connemaras that have no neck definition and show some rib.
Connemaras need to evolve to avoid extinction
Where will climate change leave the American Connemara in 2050, three decades from now? How will climate change affect horses in general?
Five reasons to eliminate Connemara inspections
For starters, this is your chance to decide how history will judge you.
Denny Emerson urges American Connemara Pony Society to choose new strategy
Legendary U.S. equestrian Denny Emerson, 76, posted advice to struggling breed societies, particularly Connemara and Morgan groups, on his Facebook page Sept. 29, 2017, suggesting time is of the essence to preserve the breeds.
Blue-eyed cream Connemara stallions now OK because Irish say so
Irish Connemara officials have lifted the ban on registering blue-eyed cream stallions in Ireland, so the United States has followed suit, according to a post Jan. 22, 2016, by the American Connemara Pony Society.
Beware of the ‘premium’ label given to inspected Connemaras
The banner across the top of the American Connemara Pony Society website says: “Connemaras do it all!”
Latest Connemara inspections measure thickness of leg, not quality of horse
On July 19, 2015, I watched several Connemara inspections in St. Louis, Mo., by the American Connemara Pony Society.
Pretty Connemara lives matter
Once again, I return to the topic of hatred and bias, as the world continues to evolve quickly in accepting diversity, but the American Connemara Pony Society not so much. More
Horse therapy program opens hearts; Connemara inspections close them
I received a letter in May 2015 from an organization that helps troubled youth through its horse program.
Ireland welcomes gay marriage; how about pretty Connemaras?
Ireland’s overwhelming approval of gay marriage on May 23, 2015, seems a bit out of character for a country known for its rejection of diversity.
America’s race issue is the same as the Connemara type issue
America still has a pigmentation issue, according to Tom Brokaw on Meet the Press on May 3, 2015.
Watch video clips of Dundrum, famous son of Little Heaven
Two video clips of Dundrum are a treat to watch.
A test for prospective Connemara owners
So you want to buy a Connemara, and you’re asking yourself if you should pay attention to the inspections program?
Are inspections saving the Connemara?
Officials in the American Connemara Pony Society make many claims about their inspections program, but the only question that matters is: Is the program saving the Connemara?
Breed standards force Connemaras to have undesirable conformation
Many people look at breeds as if they have always existed.
Little Heaven may have contributed the famous big heart to Connemaras
Someone recently suggested that I use the term “grinch” to refer to Connemara inspectors who hate the Connemaras that look like Little Heaven.
Can 4,539 words justify Connemara inspections? No
The American Connemara Pony Society’s web page on inspections tries to justify the program with 4,539 words.
It’s time for Connemara discrimination to be ancient history
All indications are that horse discrimination based on appearance will die with the elderly generation that has tried so hard to keep diversity at bay.
Connemara society should make ‘profound shift’ in way it regards animals
A new site dedicated to animals should serve notice to the American Connemara Pony Society that bullying behavior in the form of inspections to force horses to look a certain way will not stand the test of time.
Connemara society should survey remaining members about inspections
Surveys appears to be gaining ground in the horse world, at least in many circles. Horse groups are ramping up their efforts to get feedback to improve and survive.
Connemara breed standards encourage exaggerated conformation
Breed standards encourage exaggerated conformation, according to Wayne Cavanaugh, president of the United Kennel Club, who was interviewed by veterinarian Karen Becker on Aug. 5, 2013, for the website Healthy Pets.
If Santa Claus can evolve, how about the Connemara breed?
An Associated Press story published on Dec. 20, 2013, looked at the changing appearance of today’s Santa Claus.
Breed standards encourage Connemaras that miss the mark to be treated as waste
In a CBS television show called “Lucky Dog,” dog trainer Brandon McMillan tries to find a new home for shelter dogs by taking in one dog per week, working with it at his Lucky Dog Ranch and placing it in a home where it will do well.
What Connemara time period are breed officials trying to preserve?
The most overlooked factor in the argument over what constitutes a Connemara is time.
U.S. Connemara officials should not follow their Irish counterparts
The American Connemara Society is taking its lead on breed inspections from an Ireland that was, not the country that remains today.
Young John F. Kennedy would have been discarded as a Connemara
As we mark the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s assassination, let’s look at Ireland’s treatment of Connemaras against the backdrop of its treatment of its favorite son, the former U.S. president.
Invoking Redford and Kennedy: Time to pass the torch in the Connemara society
Robert Redford discussed the toxic environment in Washington in an interview with CNN on October 16, 2013, as he promoted a new movie.
Don’t fight for bullying in the Connemara society
I’m curious why officials in the American Connemara Pony Society are working so hard to keep breed inspections that have not proven to create better Connemaras or make the breed more popular.
Do Connemara inspections teach kindness to children? No
In yet another sobering look at the life of kids today, CNN published an article October 11, 2013, describing the onslaught of bullying that children face on social media sites.
Connemara society ignores USEF’s welfare instruction and continues with Connemara inspections
The 2013 meeting of the American Connemara Pony Society has come and gone, and nothing appears to have changed with inspections.
Connemara inspections teach kids the wrong lesson: bigotry
Horses have long provided a sanctuary for children at a fragile stage in life.
Annual meeting is time for Connemara society to embrace USEF mission
USEF has asked its affiliates to examine their practices to ensure they are in line with a world in which there is no hiding from public scrutiny; affiliates should proceed as if their actions are being recorded by an NBC camera crew 24/7 with no editing.
Connemara inspections appear to violate antitrust law
What should Connemara owners take away from the Texas cloning lawsuit, in which a jury ruled against a ban on cloned horses in the American Quarter Horse Association?
Let’s stream Connemara inspections live so everyone can watch!
It’s only a matter of time until the courts strike down Connemara breed inspections for the same reason that a federal jury ruled against a cloning ban in the American Quarter Horse Association: It’s an illegal, monopolistic practice.
Cloning ruling should signal end for Connemara inspections
A jury in a federal court in Texas has ruled that the American Quarter Horse Association violated state and federal antitrust laws by banning cloned horses from its registry.
Connemara inspections would not pass USEF’s Central Park test
Of all the posts I’ve written about Connemara inspections, this is the most important, because it looks at the practices of the American Connemara Pony Society against the backdrop of its national federation, the United States Equestrian Federation.
Kennedy’s words ring true for Connemaras being failed at inspections
The late President John F. Kennedy made his “Report to the American People on Civil Rights” on June 11, 1963.
Young voters who call GOP ‘closed-minded’ and ‘racist’ unlikely to approve of Connemara bullying
The New York Times posted an article on June 3, 2013, under the headline “Why young people don’t vote Republican.”
Is extinction the goal for Connemara society?
The Washington Post published an article June 1, 2013, on why the Boy Scouts of America finally voted to end its discrimination against gay scouts.
Connemara inspections may require short horses to carry fat people
A recent study on how much weight horses can carry comfortably has illustrated yet again why Connemaras should not be forced to remain 14-2 hands and under.
2013 commencement speeches decry divisiveness embraced by Connemara inspections
I listened to two college commencement speeches given on May 11, 2013 — one by former President Bill Clinton and another by former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw.
Breed officials are trying to stop evolution of Connemaras
Charles Darwin was a British scientist in the 19th century whose research led him to theorize that survival and reproduction were the prime motivations for all species.
Are breed standards immoral?
I wish Connemara inspectors could have been in the room in February 2013 when the chief scientist with the RSPCA in Australia asked a conference of horsemen if humans are justified in asking a horse to do something it doesn’t want to do.
Simple vote on voluntary Connemara inspections escalated into witch hunt
How did this inspections process go from a simple vote for voluntary inspections to a Hitler-like weeding out of conformation that is not a flaw?
Why do women condone Connemara inspections?
In 2005, a Connemara inspector made some comments to me about my horse that would have been considered racially biased and bigoted if she were speaking about a human.
Who will speak up for animals in opposing breed standards?
One of my many issues with breed inspections and breed standards has been the lack of people who have been willing to go public and say these practices are wrong.
Connemara inspections require nothing but give the appearance of accomplishing something
I was discussing Connemara inspections with a family member recently, and we both wondered why Connemara inspections have become the No. item on the agenda of the American Connemara Pony Society when so many other activities seem more productive.
Connemaras publish letter to American inspectors
To the inspectors of the American Connemara Pony Society: I am one of the many Connemaras you have failed at an inspection.
Fear might be driving bias against pretty horses in Connemara breed inspections
This discrimination is bizarre behavior in the 21st century, a time when bullying has become especially unacceptable and the diversity of the nation has changed along with its definition of beauty.
Can ‘Rudolph’ convince Connemara inspectors that discrimination is wrong?
CBS generously ran the classic Christmas special “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” twice in 2012, allowing me to do some much-needed fact-checking.
It’s time to revisit why America started Connemara inspections
In 2005, when I first raised huge concerns about how the Connemara inspections process was taking shape in America, ACPS board members pointed to Ireland as the reason for the creation of U.S. inspections.
Evolved thinkers or bigots? Connemara officials should decide
You can’t be a bigot and evolved in the same breath.
An invitation to Connemara officials to do some soul-searching
I often wonder how long it will be before Connemara officials in America are willing to admit they were wrong to create inspections that intentionally discriminate against horses that are Connemaras by blood and have every right to equal treatment and inclusion in the society?
Do Connemara members approve of their dues paying for bullying?
the American Connemara society pays for the expenses of people who have been deemed inspectors to travel to cities to bully horses.
Discrimination seen in Connemara world has roots in baby biases
Allowing so-called inspectors to fail horses that weren’t to their liking and exclude them has always felt to me like the breed society was turned over to a bunch of adolescents. As it turns out, that comparison is more accurate than I thought.
Current property laws make exploitation of Connemaras, other animals possible
One cannot debate whether breed standards for horses and dogs are ethical without looking at the bigger picture of how animals fit into society.
Connemaras would be better off in Obama’s America
The Connemara society reminds me of the Republican party: completely blind to the fact that its future base will be a diverse population that doesn’t take kindly to discrimination.
Connemara inspectors could learn something from ‘Sing for the Silent’
I find myself quoting people under the age of 20 more often than not when it comes to bullying.
How long will we have to wait for an apology over breed inspections?
I believe in my lifetime that breed standards and inspections will be banned, because courts will outlaw the practice of forcing breeders to create animals that match a set of criteria written on paper by people who basically are just being bullies.
Connemara inspections are the worst business strategy possible
Did Steve Jobs let Bill Gates tell him how to run his business?
Let’s see Connemara inspections for what they are: bullying
By now, anyone who follows the news has heard Wisconsin anchor Jennifer Livingston turn the tables on the viewer who called her fat in an email.
If Connemaras could talk, what would they say about inspections?
A “Huffington Post” article captured the frustration of US gymnast Gabby Douglas hours after she won the individual gold medal in London in August 2012.
Connemara inspectors’ herds are full of Thoroughbred bloodlines, too
Allbreedpedigree.com shows that inspectors who repeatedly fail horses that “remind then of Thoroughbreds” are hypocrites.
Forum posts portray Connemara society as polarized over Little Heaven
“If you want to see a bunch of Connemara breeders almost come to blows, start a discussion about whether Little Heaven and Texas Hope were good or bad for the breed.”
Connemara breed hypocritical in rejecting Thoroughbred traits at inspections
A British study of Thoroughbred foundation mares suggests that they descend from native Irish mares, including Connemaras and Irish Draught mares, and mares native to the British Isles, more than horses from the Middle East and Asia, as originally thought.
When did rejection based on appearance become OK?
I haven’t been very shy about arguing that people should not put themselves above animals.
Stigmatizing animals through breed standards has no place in the United States
I keep seeing the word stigma in news reports, and I think it’s time to look at this word in relation to breed standards.
Inspections confirm age-old truism: You can’t judge a horse by its cover
Famed horse writer Walter Farley’s “Little Black, a Pony” delivers the not-so-subtle message that we shouldn’t prejudge something based on appearance.
Another battle brewing over breed standards and inspections
Frustration over breed standards appears to be building, based on feedback I’m getting from around the world, and I was sent an interesting article on the topic that was published in the June 2012 issue of Ireland’s Horse Review, a monthly sport horse newspaper.
Should Ireland be leading the Connemara horse world?
In December 2010, The New York Times did a sobering story on the plight of horses in Ireland today.
Breed standards motivated by pack mentality and need for esteem
A post on Psychology Today from December 2009 looks at human motivation. Author Robert Evans Wilson Jr. says humans are motivated by their status as a pack animal.
How much does peer pressure influence breed standards?
Peer pressure is a formidable force. It makes people agree to do things that they would not do on their own.
Wording for breed standards, bullying is the same
There is a pattern between the language on websites that decry the use of bullying and those that herald the use of breed standards.
Breed standards are based on flawed concept of ‘owning’ animals
The debate over whether breed societies can set breed standards for animals really is a larger debate about where humans and animals fall in the universal pecking order and whether humans should “own” animals.
Breed standards must evolve with beauty perceptions
America’s perception of the ideal beauty has changed from a white woman such as Christie Brinkley in 1991 to a mixed race or darker woman such as Angelina Jolie today.
Vet who failed dog breeds at Crufts talks about exaggerated conformation
Alison Skipper, one of the two vets who failed six of 15 Best of Breed winners at the Crufts dog show in Britain in March 2012, has aired her thoughts on the experience after coming under fire.
Dr. Fox takes on breed standards in latest column
The well-known veterinarian pulled no punches in attacking breed standards in a reply to a poor woman who just wanted to know why her sister’s Persian cats had constant tearing in their eyes.
Veterinarians target exaggerated conformation at British dog show
As victories go, this one is hollow. But, let’s not ignore any movement when it comes to breed standards.
Connemaras and women face same bigoted world
CNN is running a series on beauty, and one of the reports centers on a documentary called “Miss Representation.”
Where is the research that says certain cannon bone measurements make a better horse?
I continue to search for scientific evidence that a thicker, shorter cannon bone makes for a better horse, because, otherwise, it would seem odd or irresponsible that Connemara societies the world over would be requiring cannon bones of a certain width and length for a Connemara to pass an inspection.
Heavy cannon bones are detrimental to Connemara movement, science shows
Intentionally making horses carry around heavy cannon bones is the opposite of what nature intended, and research seems to refute the American Connemara Pony Society’s message that big cannon bones are better.
Canadian veterinary association asks vets to help fix breed standards
An article titled “A New Direction for Kennel Club Regulations and Breed Standards” published in 2007 in the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association addresses veterinarians’ role in the increasing “welfare predicament” of purebred dogs.
Australia RSPCA advocates eliminating breed standards based on appearance
Once again, another highly respected group has come out against breed standards based on appearance.
Law professor pushes for end to discrimination based on appearance
A Stanford law professor is finally laying the groundwork in the human world for what may lead to the end of appearance bias.
The ‘right’ breed standards are all in your head
I was researching whether there actually was more than one way to peel a banana to fact-check an article I was copy editing, and I came across this article by J. Howard Baker, an assistant professor of computer information systems and a guy who makes a lot of sense.
Bullying and breed standards are same thing
Bullying means “to affect by means of force or coercion,” according to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.
Breed standards exposed
If you haven’t seen the 2008 British documentary “Pedigree Dogs Exposed,” whether you’re a horse breeder, a dog breeder or just an animal lover in general, you should watch it.
Connemara breed standards and inspection requirements
If you want to pass an inspection by the American Connemara Pony Society, you will need to add at least an inch to the cannon bone circumference standard of 7 to 8 inches. The ACPS chooses to ignore that breed standard and is giving premium and approved status to Connemaras of pony height with 9- to 10-inch cannon bones.
David O’Connor embraces horse emotions at USEF meeting, while ACPS expands bigoted Connemara inspections
In one room at USEF’s 2024 annual meeting, USEF Chief of Sport David O’Connor discussed weighty topics such as whether there should be horse sport at all and if horses enjoyed taking part in such activity. In another room, Connemara officials expanded their bigoted inspections to a bigger pool of Connemaras (halfbreds). The differences couldn’t be more stark.
Bigger cannon bone adds significant weight to Connemara pony, experiment shows
I have asked for two decades, “Where is the research that shows the effects of the American Connemara Pony Society forcing Connemaras to have thick legs?” The silence has been deafening. In early 2024, I decided to do my own research.
ACPS inspectors alter Connemara breed standard for cannon bone, benefiting their own stallions
Dear US Equestrian, I am deeply disappointed that you have not followed your own directive to affiliates to do the right thing. You have allowed inspectors in the American Connemara Pony Society to alter the Connemara breed standard when they use it in inspections, employing a word trick, so they can approve or give premium status to stallions, including their own, that otherwise would fail an inspection based on the real breed standard.
ACPS membership plunge of 38 percent coincides with inspections; new code of conduct may prevent criticism
A steep drop in ACPS membership reflects the failed direction taken by top officials over a 20-year period. For perspective, compare the ACPS numbers to American Morgan Horse Association membership.
Pony featured on ACPS logo would fail Connemara inspections
The longtime logo for the American Connemara Pony Society has appeared on ACPS official literature since at least 1966. But the Connemara in the logo looks exactly like the refined ponies – show hunter-quality ponies – that are now shunned by the breed organization.
Connemara inspections are producing ponies that can’t jump, Irish breeder says in blunt book
Enough with the lies about the Connemara pony being a distinct breed of coarse white ponies that roamed the mountains of Ireland for centuries and were jumping machines. Irish author and horseman Nicholas O’Hare laid bare the lies in his 2002 book, “The Modern Connemara: The Search for Performance.”
Who saved the Connemara pony and what did he want to save?
Irish horseman Michael J. O’Malley is credited with saving the Connemara pony as a distinct breed in the early 1900s. In a little more than a century, his story has been falsely rewritten from a Connemara lover fighting for what was on the inside of the pony (spirit) to someone fighting for what was on the outside (coarseness).
Denny Emerson urges American Connemara Pony Society to choose new strategy
Legendary U.S. equestrian Denny Emerson, 76, posted advice to struggling breed societies, particularly Connemara and Morgan groups, on his Facebook page Sept. 29, 2017, suggesting time is of the essence to preserve the breeds.
Connemara society should make ‘profound shift’ in way it regards animals
A new site dedicated to animals should serve notice to the American Connemara Pony Society that bullying behavior in the form of inspections to force horses to look a certain way will not stand the test of time.
Breed standards encourage Connemaras that miss the mark to be treated as waste
In a CBS television show called “Lucky Dog,” dog trainer Brandon McMillan tries to find a new home for shelter dogs by taking in one dog per week, working with it at his Lucky Dog Ranch and placing it in a home where it will do well.
Annual meeting is time for Connemara society to embrace USEF mission
USEF has asked its affiliates to examine their practices to ensure they are in line with a world in which there is no hiding from public scrutiny; affiliates should proceed as if their actions are being recorded by an NBC camera crew 24/7 with no editing.
Let’s stream Connemara inspections live so everyone can watch!
It’s only a matter of time until the courts strike down Connemara breed inspections for the same reason that a federal jury ruled against a cloning ban in the American Quarter Horse Association: It’s an illegal, monopolistic practice.
Connemara inspections would not pass USEF’s Central Park test
Of all the posts I’ve written about Connemara inspections, this is the most important, because it looks at the practices of the American Connemara Pony Society against the backdrop of its national federation, the United States Equestrian Federation.
Connemara inspections require nothing but give the appearance of accomplishing something
I was discussing Connemara inspections with a family member recently, and we both wondered why Connemara inspections have become the No. item on the agenda of the American Connemara Pony Society when so many other activities seem more productive.
An invitation to Connemara officials to do some soul-searching
I often wonder how long it will be before Connemara officials in America are willing to admit they were wrong to create inspections that intentionally discriminate against horses that are Connemaras by blood and have every right to equal treatment and inclusion in the society?
Discrimination seen in Connemara world has roots in baby biases
Allowing so-called inspectors to fail horses that weren’t to their liking and exclude them has always felt to me like the breed society was turned over to a bunch of adolescents. As it turns out, that comparison is more accurate than I thought.
How long will we have to wait for an apology over breed inspections?
I believe in my lifetime that breed standards and inspections will be banned, because courts will outlaw the practice of forcing breeders to create animals that match a set of criteria written on paper by people who basically are just being bullies.
Connemara breed hypocritical in rejecting Thoroughbred traits at inspections
A British study of Thoroughbred foundation mares suggests that they descend from native Irish mares, including Connemaras and Irish Draught mares, and mares native to the British Isles, more than horses from the Middle East and Asia, as originally thought.
Another battle brewing over breed standards and inspections
Frustration over breed standards appears to be building, based on feedback I’m getting from around the world, and I was sent an interesting article on the topic that was published in the June 2012 issue of Ireland’s Horse Review, a monthly sport horse newspaper.
Where is the research that says certain cannon bone measurements make a better horse?
I continue to search for scientific evidence that a thicker, shorter cannon bone makes for a better horse, because, otherwise, it would seem odd or irresponsible that Connemara societies the world over would be requiring cannon bones of a certain width and length for a Connemara to pass an inspection.
Canadian veterinary association asks vets to help fix breed standards
An article titled “A New Direction for Kennel Club Regulations and Breed Standards” published in 2007 in the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association addresses veterinarians’ role in the increasing “welfare predicament” of purebred dogs.
The ‘right’ breed standards are all in your head
I was researching whether there actually was more than one way to peel a banana to fact-check an article I was copy editing, and I came across this article by J. Howard Baker, an assistant professor of computer information systems and a guy who makes a lot of sense.
Connemara breed standards and inspection requirements
If you want to pass an inspection by the American Connemara Pony Society, you will need to add at least an inch to the cannon bone circumference standard of 7 to 8 inches. The ACPS chooses to ignore that breed standard and is giving premium and approved status to Connemaras of pony height with 9- to 10-inch cannon bones.
David O’Connor embraces horse emotions at USEF meeting, while ACPS expands bigoted Connemara inspections
In one room at USEF’s 2024 annual meeting, USEF Chief of Sport David O’Connor discussed weighty topics such as whether there should be horse sport at all and if horses enjoyed taking part in such activity. In another room, Connemara officials expanded their bigoted inspections to a bigger pool of Connemaras (halfbreds). The differences couldn’t be more stark.
Bigger cannon bone adds significant weight to Connemara pony, experiment shows
I have asked for two decades, “Where is the research that shows the effects of the American Connemara Pony Society forcing Connemaras to have thick legs?” The silence has been deafening. In early 2024, I decided to do my own research.
ACPS inspectors alter Connemara breed standard for cannon bone, benefiting their own stallions
Dear US Equestrian, I am deeply disappointed that you have not followed your own directive to affiliates to do the right thing. You have allowed inspectors in the American Connemara Pony Society to alter the Connemara breed standard when they use it in inspections, employing a word trick, so they can approve or give premium status to stallions, including their own, that otherwise would fail an inspection based on the real breed standard.
Could honesty about worthlessness of Connemara inspections bring ACPS thousands of new members?
What if it told the world that there’s no way one can anoint a Connemara as premium by watching it mostly stand still for 12 minutes with a brief walk and trot?
ACPS membership plunge of 38 percent coincides with inspections; new code of conduct may prevent criticism
A steep drop in ACPS membership reflects the failed direction taken by top officials over a 20-year period. For perspective, compare the ACPS numbers to American Morgan Horse Association membership.
Pony featured on ACPS logo would fail Connemara inspections
The longtime logo for the American Connemara Pony Society has appeared on ACPS official literature since at least 1966. But the Connemara in the logo looks exactly like the refined ponies – show hunter-quality ponies – that are now shunned by the breed organization.
Early History of ACPS Shows Focus was on Connemara Performance
Kerrymor Farm has put together a history of the early years of the American Connemara Pony Society that readers of this website should find interesting.
Bad ‘approved’ Connemaras are not an accident
The current list of ACPS-approved Connemaras in America includes many bad ponies, some dangerous, in my opinion. The list also contains some nice ponies, but there’s no way for someone to trust the list, given the bad ones.
Connemara inspections are producing ponies that can’t jump, Irish breeder says in blunt book
Enough with the lies about the Connemara pony being a distinct breed of coarse white ponies that roamed the mountains of Ireland for centuries and were jumping machines. Irish author and horseman Nicholas O’Hare laid bare the lies in his 2002 book, “The Modern Connemara: The Search for Performance.”
Who saved the Connemara pony and what did he want to save?
Irish horseman Michael J. O’Malley is credited with saving the Connemara pony as a distinct breed in the early 1900s. In a little more than a century, his story has been falsely rewritten from a Connemara lover fighting for what was on the inside of the pony (spirit) to someone fighting for what was on the outside (coarseness).
Connemara breed standards promote cresty neck linked to laminitis
If the ACPS wants to foster healthy and so-called premium Connemaras, it should encourage and reward Connemaras that have no neck definition and show some rib.
Connemaras need to evolve to avoid extinction
Where will climate change leave the American Connemara in 2050, three decades from now? How will climate change affect horses in general?
Five reasons to eliminate Connemara inspections
For starters, this is your chance to decide how history will judge you.
Denny Emerson urges American Connemara Pony Society to choose new strategy
Legendary U.S. equestrian Denny Emerson, 76, posted advice to struggling breed societies, particularly Connemara and Morgan groups, on his Facebook page Sept. 29, 2017, suggesting time is of the essence to preserve the breeds.
Blue-eyed cream Connemara stallions now OK because Irish say so
Irish Connemara officials have lifted the ban on registering blue-eyed cream stallions in Ireland, so the United States has followed suit, according to a post Jan. 22, 2016, by the American Connemara Pony Society.
Beware of the ‘premium’ label given to inspected Connemaras
The banner across the top of the American Connemara Pony Society website says: “Connemaras do it all!”
Latest Connemara inspections measure thickness of leg, not quality of horse
On July 19, 2015, I watched several Connemara inspections in St. Louis, Mo., by the American Connemara Pony Society.
Pretty Connemara lives matter
Once again, I return to the topic of hatred and bias, as the world continues to evolve quickly in accepting diversity, but the American Connemara Pony Society not so much. More
Horse therapy program opens hearts; Connemara inspections close them
I received a letter in May 2015 from an organization that helps troubled youth through its horse program.
Ireland welcomes gay marriage; how about pretty Connemaras?
Ireland’s overwhelming approval of gay marriage on May 23, 2015, seems a bit out of character for a country known for its rejection of diversity.
America’s race issue is the same as the Connemara type issue
America still has a pigmentation issue, according to Tom Brokaw on Meet the Press on May 3, 2015.
Watch video clips of Dundrum, famous son of Little Heaven
Two video clips of Dundrum are a treat to watch.
A test for prospective Connemara owners
So you want to buy a Connemara, and you’re asking yourself if you should pay attention to the inspections program?
Are inspections saving the Connemara?
Officials in the American Connemara Pony Society make many claims about their inspections program, but the only question that matters is: Is the program saving the Connemara?
Breed standards force Connemaras to have undesirable conformation
Many people look at breeds as if they have always existed.
Little Heaven may have contributed the famous big heart to Connemaras
Someone recently suggested that I use the term “grinch” to refer to Connemara inspectors who hate the Connemaras that look like Little Heaven.
Can 4,539 words justify Connemara inspections? No
The American Connemara Pony Society’s web page on inspections tries to justify the program with 4,539 words.
It’s time for Connemara discrimination to be ancient history
All indications are that horse discrimination based on appearance will die with the elderly generation that has tried so hard to keep diversity at bay.
Connemara society should make ‘profound shift’ in way it regards animals
A new site dedicated to animals should serve notice to the American Connemara Pony Society that bullying behavior in the form of inspections to force horses to look a certain way will not stand the test of time.
Connemara society should survey remaining members about inspections
Surveys appears to be gaining ground in the horse world, at least in many circles. Horse groups are ramping up their efforts to get feedback to improve and survive.
Connemara breed standards encourage exaggerated conformation
Breed standards encourage exaggerated conformation, according to Wayne Cavanaugh, president of the United Kennel Club, who was interviewed by veterinarian Karen Becker on Aug. 5, 2013, for the website Healthy Pets.
If Santa Claus can evolve, how about the Connemara breed?
An Associated Press story published on Dec. 20, 2013, looked at the changing appearance of today’s Santa Claus.
Breed standards encourage Connemaras that miss the mark to be treated as waste
In a CBS television show called “Lucky Dog,” dog trainer Brandon McMillan tries to find a new home for shelter dogs by taking in one dog per week, working with it at his Lucky Dog Ranch and placing it in a home where it will do well.
What Connemara time period are breed officials trying to preserve?
The most overlooked factor in the argument over what constitutes a Connemara is time.
U.S. Connemara officials should not follow their Irish counterparts
The American Connemara Society is taking its lead on breed inspections from an Ireland that was, not the country that remains today.
Young John F. Kennedy would have been discarded as a Connemara
As we mark the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s assassination, let’s look at Ireland’s treatment of Connemaras against the backdrop of its treatment of its favorite son, the former U.S. president.
Invoking Redford and Kennedy: Time to pass the torch in the Connemara society
Robert Redford discussed the toxic environment in Washington in an interview with CNN on October 16, 2013, as he promoted a new movie.
Don’t fight for bullying in the Connemara society
I’m curious why officials in the American Connemara Pony Society are working so hard to keep breed inspections that have not proven to create better Connemaras or make the breed more popular.
Do Connemara inspections teach kindness to children? No
In yet another sobering look at the life of kids today, CNN published an article October 11, 2013, describing the onslaught of bullying that children face on social media sites.
Connemara society ignores USEF’s welfare instruction and continues with Connemara inspections
The 2013 meeting of the American Connemara Pony Society has come and gone, and nothing appears to have changed with inspections.
Connemara inspections teach kids the wrong lesson: bigotry
Horses have long provided a sanctuary for children at a fragile stage in life.
Annual meeting is time for Connemara society to embrace USEF mission
USEF has asked its affiliates to examine their practices to ensure they are in line with a world in which there is no hiding from public scrutiny; affiliates should proceed as if their actions are being recorded by an NBC camera crew 24/7 with no editing.
Connemara inspections appear to violate antitrust law
What should Connemara owners take away from the Texas cloning lawsuit, in which a jury ruled against a ban on cloned horses in the American Quarter Horse Association?
Let’s stream Connemara inspections live so everyone can watch!
It’s only a matter of time until the courts strike down Connemara breed inspections for the same reason that a federal jury ruled against a cloning ban in the American Quarter Horse Association: It’s an illegal, monopolistic practice.
Cloning ruling should signal end for Connemara inspections
A jury in a federal court in Texas has ruled that the American Quarter Horse Association violated state and federal antitrust laws by banning cloned horses from its registry.
Connemara inspections would not pass USEF’s Central Park test
Of all the posts I’ve written about Connemara inspections, this is the most important, because it looks at the practices of the American Connemara Pony Society against the backdrop of its national federation, the United States Equestrian Federation.
Kennedy’s words ring true for Connemaras being failed at inspections
The late President John F. Kennedy made his “Report to the American People on Civil Rights” on June 11, 1963.
Young voters who call GOP ‘closed-minded’ and ‘racist’ unlikely to approve of Connemara bullying
The New York Times posted an article on June 3, 2013, under the headline “Why young people don’t vote Republican.”
Is extinction the goal for Connemara society?
The Washington Post published an article June 1, 2013, on why the Boy Scouts of America finally voted to end its discrimination against gay scouts.
Connemara inspections may require short horses to carry fat people
A recent study on how much weight horses can carry comfortably has illustrated yet again why Connemaras should not be forced to remain 14-2 hands and under.
2013 commencement speeches decry divisiveness embraced by Connemara inspections
I listened to two college commencement speeches given on May 11, 2013 — one by former President Bill Clinton and another by former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw.
Breed officials are trying to stop evolution of Connemaras
Charles Darwin was a British scientist in the 19th century whose research led him to theorize that survival and reproduction were the prime motivations for all species.
Are breed standards immoral?
I wish Connemara inspectors could have been in the room in February 2013 when the chief scientist with the RSPCA in Australia asked a conference of horsemen if humans are justified in asking a horse to do something it doesn’t want to do.
Simple vote on voluntary Connemara inspections escalated into witch hunt
How did this inspections process go from a simple vote for voluntary inspections to a Hitler-like weeding out of conformation that is not a flaw?
Why do women condone Connemara inspections?
In 2005, a Connemara inspector made some comments to me about my horse that would have been considered racially biased and bigoted if she were speaking about a human.
Who will speak up for animals in opposing breed standards?
One of my many issues with breed inspections and breed standards has been the lack of people who have been willing to go public and say these practices are wrong.
Connemara inspections require nothing but give the appearance of accomplishing something
I was discussing Connemara inspections with a family member recently, and we both wondered why Connemara inspections have become the No. item on the agenda of the American Connemara Pony Society when so many other activities seem more productive.
Connemaras publish letter to American inspectors
To the inspectors of the American Connemara Pony Society: I am one of the many Connemaras you have failed at an inspection.
Fear might be driving bias against pretty horses in Connemara breed inspections
This discrimination is bizarre behavior in the 21st century, a time when bullying has become especially unacceptable and the diversity of the nation has changed along with its definition of beauty.
Can ‘Rudolph’ convince Connemara inspectors that discrimination is wrong?
CBS generously ran the classic Christmas special “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” twice in 2012, allowing me to do some much-needed fact-checking.
It’s time to revisit why America started Connemara inspections
In 2005, when I first raised huge concerns about how the Connemara inspections process was taking shape in America, ACPS board members pointed to Ireland as the reason for the creation of U.S. inspections.
Evolved thinkers or bigots? Connemara officials should decide
You can’t be a bigot and evolved in the same breath.
An invitation to Connemara officials to do some soul-searching
I often wonder how long it will be before Connemara officials in America are willing to admit they were wrong to create inspections that intentionally discriminate against horses that are Connemaras by blood and have every right to equal treatment and inclusion in the society?
Do Connemara members approve of their dues paying for bullying?
the American Connemara society pays for the expenses of people who have been deemed inspectors to travel to cities to bully horses.
Discrimination seen in Connemara world has roots in baby biases
Allowing so-called inspectors to fail horses that weren’t to their liking and exclude them has always felt to me like the breed society was turned over to a bunch of adolescents. As it turns out, that comparison is more accurate than I thought.
Current property laws make exploitation of Connemaras, other animals possible
One cannot debate whether breed standards for horses and dogs are ethical without looking at the bigger picture of how animals fit into society.
Connemaras would be better off in Obama’s America
The Connemara society reminds me of the Republican party: completely blind to the fact that its future base will be a diverse population that doesn’t take kindly to discrimination.
Connemara inspectors could learn something from ‘Sing for the Silent’
I find myself quoting people under the age of 20 more often than not when it comes to bullying.
How long will we have to wait for an apology over breed inspections?
I believe in my lifetime that breed standards and inspections will be banned, because courts will outlaw the practice of forcing breeders to create animals that match a set of criteria written on paper by people who basically are just being bullies.
Connemara inspections are the worst business strategy possible
Did Steve Jobs let Bill Gates tell him how to run his business?
Let’s see Connemara inspections for what they are: bullying
By now, anyone who follows the news has heard Wisconsin anchor Jennifer Livingston turn the tables on the viewer who called her fat in an email.
If Connemaras could talk, what would they say about inspections?
A “Huffington Post” article captured the frustration of US gymnast Gabby Douglas hours after she won the individual gold medal in London in August 2012.
Connemara inspectors’ herds are full of Thoroughbred bloodlines, too
Allbreedpedigree.com shows that inspectors who repeatedly fail horses that “remind then of Thoroughbreds” are hypocrites.
Forum posts portray Connemara society as polarized over Little Heaven
“If you want to see a bunch of Connemara breeders almost come to blows, start a discussion about whether Little Heaven and Texas Hope were good or bad for the breed.”
Connemara breed hypocritical in rejecting Thoroughbred traits at inspections
A British study of Thoroughbred foundation mares suggests that they descend from native Irish mares, including Connemaras and Irish Draught mares, and mares native to the British Isles, more than horses from the Middle East and Asia, as originally thought.
When did rejection based on appearance become OK?
I haven’t been very shy about arguing that people should not put themselves above animals.
Stigmatizing animals through breed standards has no place in the United States
I keep seeing the word stigma in news reports, and I think it’s time to look at this word in relation to breed standards.
Inspections confirm age-old truism: You can’t judge a horse by its cover
Famed horse writer Walter Farley’s “Little Black, a Pony” delivers the not-so-subtle message that we shouldn’t prejudge something based on appearance.
Another battle brewing over breed standards and inspections
Frustration over breed standards appears to be building, based on feedback I’m getting from around the world, and I was sent an interesting article on the topic that was published in the June 2012 issue of Ireland’s Horse Review, a monthly sport horse newspaper.
Should Ireland be leading the Connemara horse world?
In December 2010, The New York Times did a sobering story on the plight of horses in Ireland today.
Breed standards motivated by pack mentality and need for esteem
A post on Psychology Today from December 2009 looks at human motivation. Author Robert Evans Wilson Jr. says humans are motivated by their status as a pack animal.
How much does peer pressure influence breed standards?
Peer pressure is a formidable force. It makes people agree to do things that they would not do on their own.
Wording for breed standards, bullying is the same
There is a pattern between the language on websites that decry the use of bullying and those that herald the use of breed standards.
Breed standards are based on flawed concept of ‘owning’ animals
The debate over whether breed societies can set breed standards for animals really is a larger debate about where humans and animals fall in the universal pecking order and whether humans should “own” animals.
Breed standards must evolve with beauty perceptions
America’s perception of the ideal beauty has changed from a white woman such as Christie Brinkley in 1991 to a mixed race or darker woman such as Angelina Jolie today.
Vet who failed dog breeds at Crufts talks about exaggerated conformation
Alison Skipper, one of the two vets who failed six of 15 Best of Breed winners at the Crufts dog show in Britain in March 2012, has aired her thoughts on the experience after coming under fire.
Dr. Fox takes on breed standards in latest column
The well-known veterinarian pulled no punches in attacking breed standards in a reply to a poor woman who just wanted to know why her sister’s Persian cats had constant tearing in their eyes.
Veterinarians target exaggerated conformation at British dog show
As victories go, this one is hollow. But, let’s not ignore any movement when it comes to breed standards.
Connemaras and women face same bigoted world
CNN is running a series on beauty, and one of the reports centers on a documentary called “Miss Representation.”
Where is the research that says certain cannon bone measurements make a better horse?
I continue to search for scientific evidence that a thicker, shorter cannon bone makes for a better horse, because, otherwise, it would seem odd or irresponsible that Connemara societies the world over would be requiring cannon bones of a certain width and length for a Connemara to pass an inspection.
Heavy cannon bones are detrimental to Connemara movement, science shows
Intentionally making horses carry around heavy cannon bones is the opposite of what nature intended, and research seems to refute the American Connemara Pony Society’s message that big cannon bones are better.
Canadian veterinary association asks vets to help fix breed standards
An article titled “A New Direction for Kennel Club Regulations and Breed Standards” published in 2007 in the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association addresses veterinarians’ role in the increasing “welfare predicament” of purebred dogs.
Australia RSPCA advocates eliminating breed standards based on appearance
Once again, another highly respected group has come out against breed standards based on appearance.
Law professor pushes for end to discrimination based on appearance
A Stanford law professor is finally laying the groundwork in the human world for what may lead to the end of appearance bias.
The ‘right’ breed standards are all in your head
I was researching whether there actually was more than one way to peel a banana to fact-check an article I was copy editing, and I came across this article by J. Howard Baker, an assistant professor of computer information systems and a guy who makes a lot of sense.
Bullying and breed standards are same thing
Bullying means “to affect by means of force or coercion,” according to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.
Breed standards exposed
If you haven’t seen the 2008 British documentary “Pedigree Dogs Exposed,” whether you’re a horse breeder, a dog breeder or just an animal lover in general, you should watch it.
Connemara breed standards and inspection requirements
If you want to pass an inspection by the American Connemara Pony Society, you will need to add at least an inch to the cannon bone circumference standard of 7 to 8 inches. The ACPS chooses to ignore that breed standard and is giving premium and approved status to Connemaras of pony height with 9- to 10-inch cannon bones.
David O’Connor embraces horse emotions at USEF meeting, while ACPS expands bigoted Connemara inspections
In one room at USEF’s 2024 annual meeting, USEF Chief of Sport David O’Connor discussed weighty topics such as whether there should be horse sport at all and if horses enjoyed taking part in such activity. In another room, Connemara officials expanded their bigoted inspections to a bigger pool of Connemaras (halfbreds). The differences couldn’t be more stark.
Bigger cannon bone adds significant weight to Connemara pony, experiment shows
I have asked for two decades, “Where is the research that shows the effects of the American Connemara Pony Society forcing Connemaras to have thick legs?” The silence has been deafening. In early 2024, I decided to do my own research.
ACPS inspectors alter Connemara breed standard for cannon bone, benefiting their own stallions
Dear US Equestrian, I am deeply disappointed that you have not followed your own directive to affiliates to do the right thing. You have allowed inspectors in the American Connemara Pony Society to alter the Connemara breed standard when they use it in inspections, employing a word trick, so they can approve or give premium status to stallions, including their own, that otherwise would fail an inspection based on the real breed standard.
ACPS membership plunge of 38 percent coincides with inspections; new code of conduct may prevent criticism
A steep drop in ACPS membership reflects the failed direction taken by top officials over a 20-year period. For perspective, compare the ACPS numbers to American Morgan Horse Association membership.
Pony featured on ACPS logo would fail Connemara inspections
The longtime logo for the American Connemara Pony Society has appeared on ACPS official literature since at least 1966. But the Connemara in the logo looks exactly like the refined ponies – show hunter-quality ponies – that are now shunned by the breed organization.
Connemara inspections are producing ponies that can’t jump, Irish breeder says in blunt book
Enough with the lies about the Connemara pony being a distinct breed of coarse white ponies that roamed the mountains of Ireland for centuries and were jumping machines. Irish author and horseman Nicholas O’Hare laid bare the lies in his 2002 book, “The Modern Connemara: The Search for Performance.”
Who saved the Connemara pony and what did he want to save?
Irish horseman Michael J. O’Malley is credited with saving the Connemara pony as a distinct breed in the early 1900s. In a little more than a century, his story has been falsely rewritten from a Connemara lover fighting for what was on the inside of the pony (spirit) to someone fighting for what was on the outside (coarseness).
Denny Emerson urges American Connemara Pony Society to choose new strategy
Legendary U.S. equestrian Denny Emerson, 76, posted advice to struggling breed societies, particularly Connemara and Morgan groups, on his Facebook page Sept. 29, 2017, suggesting time is of the essence to preserve the breeds.
Connemara society should make ‘profound shift’ in way it regards animals
A new site dedicated to animals should serve notice to the American Connemara Pony Society that bullying behavior in the form of inspections to force horses to look a certain way will not stand the test of time.
Breed standards encourage Connemaras that miss the mark to be treated as waste
In a CBS television show called “Lucky Dog,” dog trainer Brandon McMillan tries to find a new home for shelter dogs by taking in one dog per week, working with it at his Lucky Dog Ranch and placing it in a home where it will do well.
Annual meeting is time for Connemara society to embrace USEF mission
USEF has asked its affiliates to examine their practices to ensure they are in line with a world in which there is no hiding from public scrutiny; affiliates should proceed as if their actions are being recorded by an NBC camera crew 24/7 with no editing.
Let’s stream Connemara inspections live so everyone can watch!
It’s only a matter of time until the courts strike down Connemara breed inspections for the same reason that a federal jury ruled against a cloning ban in the American Quarter Horse Association: It’s an illegal, monopolistic practice.
Connemara inspections would not pass USEF’s Central Park test
Of all the posts I’ve written about Connemara inspections, this is the most important, because it looks at the practices of the American Connemara Pony Society against the backdrop of its national federation, the United States Equestrian Federation.
Connemara inspections require nothing but give the appearance of accomplishing something
I was discussing Connemara inspections with a family member recently, and we both wondered why Connemara inspections have become the No. item on the agenda of the American Connemara Pony Society when so many other activities seem more productive.
An invitation to Connemara officials to do some soul-searching
I often wonder how long it will be before Connemara officials in America are willing to admit they were wrong to create inspections that intentionally discriminate against horses that are Connemaras by blood and have every right to equal treatment and inclusion in the society?
Discrimination seen in Connemara world has roots in baby biases
Allowing so-called inspectors to fail horses that weren’t to their liking and exclude them has always felt to me like the breed society was turned over to a bunch of adolescents. As it turns out, that comparison is more accurate than I thought.
How long will we have to wait for an apology over breed inspections?
I believe in my lifetime that breed standards and inspections will be banned, because courts will outlaw the practice of forcing breeders to create animals that match a set of criteria written on paper by people who basically are just being bullies.
Connemara breed hypocritical in rejecting Thoroughbred traits at inspections
A British study of Thoroughbred foundation mares suggests that they descend from native Irish mares, including Connemaras and Irish Draught mares, and mares native to the British Isles, more than horses from the Middle East and Asia, as originally thought.
Another battle brewing over breed standards and inspections
Frustration over breed standards appears to be building, based on feedback I’m getting from around the world, and I was sent an interesting article on the topic that was published in the June 2012 issue of Ireland’s Horse Review, a monthly sport horse newspaper.
Where is the research that says certain cannon bone measurements make a better horse?
I continue to search for scientific evidence that a thicker, shorter cannon bone makes for a better horse, because, otherwise, it would seem odd or irresponsible that Connemara societies the world over would be requiring cannon bones of a certain width and length for a Connemara to pass an inspection.
Canadian veterinary association asks vets to help fix breed standards
An article titled “A New Direction for Kennel Club Regulations and Breed Standards” published in 2007 in the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association addresses veterinarians’ role in the increasing “welfare predicament” of purebred dogs.
The ‘right’ breed standards are all in your head
I was researching whether there actually was more than one way to peel a banana to fact-check an article I was copy editing, and I came across this article by J. Howard Baker, an assistant professor of computer information systems and a guy who makes a lot of sense.
Connemara breed standards and inspection requirements
If you want to pass an inspection by the American Connemara Pony Society, you will need to add at least an inch to the cannon bone circumference standard of 7 to 8 inches. The ACPS chooses to ignore that breed standard and is giving premium and approved status to Connemaras of pony height with 9- to 10-inch cannon bones.
David O’Connor embraces horse emotions at USEF meeting, while ACPS expands bigoted Connemara inspections
In one room at USEF’s 2024 annual meeting, USEF Chief of Sport David O’Connor discussed weighty topics such as whether there should be horse sport at all and if horses enjoyed taking part in such activity. In another room, Connemara officials expanded their bigoted inspections to a bigger pool of Connemaras (halfbreds). The differences couldn’t be more stark.
Bigger cannon bone adds significant weight to Connemara pony, experiment shows
I have asked for two decades, “Where is the research that shows the effects of the American Connemara Pony Society forcing Connemaras to have thick legs?” The silence has been deafening. In early 2024, I decided to do my own research.
ACPS inspectors alter Connemara breed standard for cannon bone, benefiting their own stallions
Dear US Equestrian, I am deeply disappointed that you have not followed your own directive to affiliates to do the right thing. You have allowed inspectors in the American Connemara Pony Society to alter the Connemara breed standard when they use it in inspections, employing a word trick, so they can approve or give premium status to stallions, including their own, that otherwise would fail an inspection based on the real breed standard.
Could honesty about worthlessness of Connemara inspections bring ACPS thousands of new members?
What if it told the world that there’s no way one can anoint a Connemara as premium by watching it mostly stand still for 12 minutes with a brief walk and trot?
ACPS membership plunge of 38 percent coincides with inspections; new code of conduct may prevent criticism
A steep drop in ACPS membership reflects the failed direction taken by top officials over a 20-year period. For perspective, compare the ACPS numbers to American Morgan Horse Association membership.
Pony featured on ACPS logo would fail Connemara inspections
The longtime logo for the American Connemara Pony Society has appeared on ACPS official literature since at least 1966. But the Connemara in the logo looks exactly like the refined ponies – show hunter-quality ponies – that are now shunned by the breed organization.
Early History of ACPS Shows Focus was on Connemara Performance
Kerrymor Farm has put together a history of the early years of the American Connemara Pony Society that readers of this website should find interesting.
Bad ‘approved’ Connemaras are not an accident
The current list of ACPS-approved Connemaras in America includes many bad ponies, some dangerous, in my opinion. The list also contains some nice ponies, but there’s no way for someone to trust the list, given the bad ones.
Connemara inspections are producing ponies that can’t jump, Irish breeder says in blunt book
Enough with the lies about the Connemara pony being a distinct breed of coarse white ponies that roamed the mountains of Ireland for centuries and were jumping machines. Irish author and horseman Nicholas O’Hare laid bare the lies in his 2002 book, “The Modern Connemara: The Search for Performance.”
Who saved the Connemara pony and what did he want to save?
Irish horseman Michael J. O’Malley is credited with saving the Connemara pony as a distinct breed in the early 1900s. In a little more than a century, his story has been falsely rewritten from a Connemara lover fighting for what was on the inside of the pony (spirit) to someone fighting for what was on the outside (coarseness).
Connemara breed standards promote cresty neck linked to laminitis
If the ACPS wants to foster healthy and so-called premium Connemaras, it should encourage and reward Connemaras that have no neck definition and show some rib.
Connemaras need to evolve to avoid extinction
Where will climate change leave the American Connemara in 2050, three decades from now? How will climate change affect horses in general?
Five reasons to eliminate Connemara inspections
For starters, this is your chance to decide how history will judge you.
Denny Emerson urges American Connemara Pony Society to choose new strategy
Legendary U.S. equestrian Denny Emerson, 76, posted advice to struggling breed societies, particularly Connemara and Morgan groups, on his Facebook page Sept. 29, 2017, suggesting time is of the essence to preserve the breeds.
Blue-eyed cream Connemara stallions now OK because Irish say so
Irish Connemara officials have lifted the ban on registering blue-eyed cream stallions in Ireland, so the United States has followed suit, according to a post Jan. 22, 2016, by the American Connemara Pony Society.
Beware of the ‘premium’ label given to inspected Connemaras
The banner across the top of the American Connemara Pony Society website says: “Connemaras do it all!”
Latest Connemara inspections measure thickness of leg, not quality of horse
On July 19, 2015, I watched several Connemara inspections in St. Louis, Mo., by the American Connemara Pony Society.
Pretty Connemara lives matter
Once again, I return to the topic of hatred and bias, as the world continues to evolve quickly in accepting diversity, but the American Connemara Pony Society not so much. More
Horse therapy program opens hearts; Connemara inspections close them
I received a letter in May 2015 from an organization that helps troubled youth through its horse program.
Ireland welcomes gay marriage; how about pretty Connemaras?
Ireland’s overwhelming approval of gay marriage on May 23, 2015, seems a bit out of character for a country known for its rejection of diversity.
America’s race issue is the same as the Connemara type issue
America still has a pigmentation issue, according to Tom Brokaw on Meet the Press on May 3, 2015.
Watch video clips of Dundrum, famous son of Little Heaven
Two video clips of Dundrum are a treat to watch.
A test for prospective Connemara owners
So you want to buy a Connemara, and you’re asking yourself if you should pay attention to the inspections program?
Are inspections saving the Connemara?
Officials in the American Connemara Pony Society make many claims about their inspections program, but the only question that matters is: Is the program saving the Connemara?
Breed standards force Connemaras to have undesirable conformation
Many people look at breeds as if they have always existed.
Little Heaven may have contributed the famous big heart to Connemaras
Someone recently suggested that I use the term “grinch” to refer to Connemara inspectors who hate the Connemaras that look like Little Heaven.
Can 4,539 words justify Connemara inspections? No
The American Connemara Pony Society’s web page on inspections tries to justify the program with 4,539 words.
It’s time for Connemara discrimination to be ancient history
All indications are that horse discrimination based on appearance will die with the elderly generation that has tried so hard to keep diversity at bay.
Connemara society should make ‘profound shift’ in way it regards animals
A new site dedicated to animals should serve notice to the American Connemara Pony Society that bullying behavior in the form of inspections to force horses to look a certain way will not stand the test of time.
Connemara society should survey remaining members about inspections
Surveys appears to be gaining ground in the horse world, at least in many circles. Horse groups are ramping up their efforts to get feedback to improve and survive.
Connemara breed standards encourage exaggerated conformation
Breed standards encourage exaggerated conformation, according to Wayne Cavanaugh, president of the United Kennel Club, who was interviewed by veterinarian Karen Becker on Aug. 5, 2013, for the website Healthy Pets.
If Santa Claus can evolve, how about the Connemara breed?
An Associated Press story published on Dec. 20, 2013, looked at the changing appearance of today’s Santa Claus.
Breed standards encourage Connemaras that miss the mark to be treated as waste
In a CBS television show called “Lucky Dog,” dog trainer Brandon McMillan tries to find a new home for shelter dogs by taking in one dog per week, working with it at his Lucky Dog Ranch and placing it in a home where it will do well.
What Connemara time period are breed officials trying to preserve?
The most overlooked factor in the argument over what constitutes a Connemara is time.
U.S. Connemara officials should not follow their Irish counterparts
The American Connemara Society is taking its lead on breed inspections from an Ireland that was, not the country that remains today.
Young John F. Kennedy would have been discarded as a Connemara
As we mark the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s assassination, let’s look at Ireland’s treatment of Connemaras against the backdrop of its treatment of its favorite son, the former U.S. president.
Invoking Redford and Kennedy: Time to pass the torch in the Connemara society
Robert Redford discussed the toxic environment in Washington in an interview with CNN on October 16, 2013, as he promoted a new movie.
Don’t fight for bullying in the Connemara society
I’m curious why officials in the American Connemara Pony Society are working so hard to keep breed inspections that have not proven to create better Connemaras or make the breed more popular.
Do Connemara inspections teach kindness to children? No
In yet another sobering look at the life of kids today, CNN published an article October 11, 2013, describing the onslaught of bullying that children face on social media sites.
Connemara society ignores USEF’s welfare instruction and continues with Connemara inspections
The 2013 meeting of the American Connemara Pony Society has come and gone, and nothing appears to have changed with inspections.
Connemara inspections teach kids the wrong lesson: bigotry
Horses have long provided a sanctuary for children at a fragile stage in life.
Annual meeting is time for Connemara society to embrace USEF mission
USEF has asked its affiliates to examine their practices to ensure they are in line with a world in which there is no hiding from public scrutiny; affiliates should proceed as if their actions are being recorded by an NBC camera crew 24/7 with no editing.
Connemara inspections appear to violate antitrust law
What should Connemara owners take away from the Texas cloning lawsuit, in which a jury ruled against a ban on cloned horses in the American Quarter Horse Association?
Let’s stream Connemara inspections live so everyone can watch!
It’s only a matter of time until the courts strike down Connemara breed inspections for the same reason that a federal jury ruled against a cloning ban in the American Quarter Horse Association: It’s an illegal, monopolistic practice.
Cloning ruling should signal end for Connemara inspections
A jury in a federal court in Texas has ruled that the American Quarter Horse Association violated state and federal antitrust laws by banning cloned horses from its registry.
Connemara inspections would not pass USEF’s Central Park test
Of all the posts I’ve written about Connemara inspections, this is the most important, because it looks at the practices of the American Connemara Pony Society against the backdrop of its national federation, the United States Equestrian Federation.
Kennedy’s words ring true for Connemaras being failed at inspections
The late President John F. Kennedy made his “Report to the American People on Civil Rights” on June 11, 1963.
Young voters who call GOP ‘closed-minded’ and ‘racist’ unlikely to approve of Connemara bullying
The New York Times posted an article on June 3, 2013, under the headline “Why young people don’t vote Republican.”
Is extinction the goal for Connemara society?
The Washington Post published an article June 1, 2013, on why the Boy Scouts of America finally voted to end its discrimination against gay scouts.
Connemara inspections may require short horses to carry fat people
A recent study on how much weight horses can carry comfortably has illustrated yet again why Connemaras should not be forced to remain 14-2 hands and under.
2013 commencement speeches decry divisiveness embraced by Connemara inspections
I listened to two college commencement speeches given on May 11, 2013 — one by former President Bill Clinton and another by former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw.
Breed officials are trying to stop evolution of Connemaras
Charles Darwin was a British scientist in the 19th century whose research led him to theorize that survival and reproduction were the prime motivations for all species.
Are breed standards immoral?
I wish Connemara inspectors could have been in the room in February 2013 when the chief scientist with the RSPCA in Australia asked a conference of horsemen if humans are justified in asking a horse to do something it doesn’t want to do.
Simple vote on voluntary Connemara inspections escalated into witch hunt
How did this inspections process go from a simple vote for voluntary inspections to a Hitler-like weeding out of conformation that is not a flaw?
Why do women condone Connemara inspections?
In 2005, a Connemara inspector made some comments to me about my horse that would have been considered racially biased and bigoted if she were speaking about a human.
Who will speak up for animals in opposing breed standards?
One of my many issues with breed inspections and breed standards has been the lack of people who have been willing to go public and say these practices are wrong.
Connemara inspections require nothing but give the appearance of accomplishing something
I was discussing Connemara inspections with a family member recently, and we both wondered why Connemara inspections have become the No. item on the agenda of the American Connemara Pony Society when so many other activities seem more productive.
Connemaras publish letter to American inspectors
To the inspectors of the American Connemara Pony Society: I am one of the many Connemaras you have failed at an inspection.
Fear might be driving bias against pretty horses in Connemara breed inspections
This discrimination is bizarre behavior in the 21st century, a time when bullying has become especially unacceptable and the diversity of the nation has changed along with its definition of beauty.
Can ‘Rudolph’ convince Connemara inspectors that discrimination is wrong?
CBS generously ran the classic Christmas special “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” twice in 2012, allowing me to do some much-needed fact-checking.
It’s time to revisit why America started Connemara inspections
In 2005, when I first raised huge concerns about how the Connemara inspections process was taking shape in America, ACPS board members pointed to Ireland as the reason for the creation of U.S. inspections.
Evolved thinkers or bigots? Connemara officials should decide
You can’t be a bigot and evolved in the same breath.
An invitation to Connemara officials to do some soul-searching
I often wonder how long it will be before Connemara officials in America are willing to admit they were wrong to create inspections that intentionally discriminate against horses that are Connemaras by blood and have every right to equal treatment and inclusion in the society?
Do Connemara members approve of their dues paying for bullying?
the American Connemara society pays for the expenses of people who have been deemed inspectors to travel to cities to bully horses.
Discrimination seen in Connemara world has roots in baby biases
Allowing so-called inspectors to fail horses that weren’t to their liking and exclude them has always felt to me like the breed society was turned over to a bunch of adolescents. As it turns out, that comparison is more accurate than I thought.
Current property laws make exploitation of Connemaras, other animals possible
One cannot debate whether breed standards for horses and dogs are ethical without looking at the bigger picture of how animals fit into society.
Connemaras would be better off in Obama’s America
The Connemara society reminds me of the Republican party: completely blind to the fact that its future base will be a diverse population that doesn’t take kindly to discrimination.
Connemara inspectors could learn something from ‘Sing for the Silent’
I find myself quoting people under the age of 20 more often than not when it comes to bullying.
How long will we have to wait for an apology over breed inspections?
I believe in my lifetime that breed standards and inspections will be banned, because courts will outlaw the practice of forcing breeders to create animals that match a set of criteria written on paper by people who basically are just being bullies.
Connemara inspections are the worst business strategy possible
Did Steve Jobs let Bill Gates tell him how to run his business?
Let’s see Connemara inspections for what they are: bullying
By now, anyone who follows the news has heard Wisconsin anchor Jennifer Livingston turn the tables on the viewer who called her fat in an email.
If Connemaras could talk, what would they say about inspections?
A “Huffington Post” article captured the frustration of US gymnast Gabby Douglas hours after she won the individual gold medal in London in August 2012.
Connemara inspectors’ herds are full of Thoroughbred bloodlines, too
Allbreedpedigree.com shows that inspectors who repeatedly fail horses that “remind then of Thoroughbreds” are hypocrites.
Forum posts portray Connemara society as polarized over Little Heaven
“If you want to see a bunch of Connemara breeders almost come to blows, start a discussion about whether Little Heaven and Texas Hope were good or bad for the breed.”
Connemara breed hypocritical in rejecting Thoroughbred traits at inspections
A British study of Thoroughbred foundation mares suggests that they descend from native Irish mares, including Connemaras and Irish Draught mares, and mares native to the British Isles, more than horses from the Middle East and Asia, as originally thought.
When did rejection based on appearance become OK?
I haven’t been very shy about arguing that people should not put themselves above animals.
Stigmatizing animals through breed standards has no place in the United States
I keep seeing the word stigma in news reports, and I think it’s time to look at this word in relation to breed standards.
Inspections confirm age-old truism: You can’t judge a horse by its cover
Famed horse writer Walter Farley’s “Little Black, a Pony” delivers the not-so-subtle message that we shouldn’t prejudge something based on appearance.
Another battle brewing over breed standards and inspections
Frustration over breed standards appears to be building, based on feedback I’m getting from around the world, and I was sent an interesting article on the topic that was published in the June 2012 issue of Ireland’s Horse Review, a monthly sport horse newspaper.
Should Ireland be leading the Connemara horse world?
In December 2010, The New York Times did a sobering story on the plight of horses in Ireland today.
Breed standards motivated by pack mentality and need for esteem
A post on Psychology Today from December 2009 looks at human motivation. Author Robert Evans Wilson Jr. says humans are motivated by their status as a pack animal.
How much does peer pressure influence breed standards?
Peer pressure is a formidable force. It makes people agree to do things that they would not do on their own.
Wording for breed standards, bullying is the same
There is a pattern between the language on websites that decry the use of bullying and those that herald the use of breed standards.
Breed standards are based on flawed concept of ‘owning’ animals
The debate over whether breed societies can set breed standards for animals really is a larger debate about where humans and animals fall in the universal pecking order and whether humans should “own” animals.
Breed standards must evolve with beauty perceptions
America’s perception of the ideal beauty has changed from a white woman such as Christie Brinkley in 1991 to a mixed race or darker woman such as Angelina Jolie today.
Vet who failed dog breeds at Crufts talks about exaggerated conformation
Alison Skipper, one of the two vets who failed six of 15 Best of Breed winners at the Crufts dog show in Britain in March 2012, has aired her thoughts on the experience after coming under fire.
Dr. Fox takes on breed standards in latest column
The well-known veterinarian pulled no punches in attacking breed standards in a reply to a poor woman who just wanted to know why her sister’s Persian cats had constant tearing in their eyes.
Veterinarians target exaggerated conformation at British dog show
As victories go, this one is hollow. But, let’s not ignore any movement when it comes to breed standards.
Connemaras and women face same bigoted world
CNN is running a series on beauty, and one of the reports centers on a documentary called “Miss Representation.”
Where is the research that says certain cannon bone measurements make a better horse?
I continue to search for scientific evidence that a thicker, shorter cannon bone makes for a better horse, because, otherwise, it would seem odd or irresponsible that Connemara societies the world over would be requiring cannon bones of a certain width and length for a Connemara to pass an inspection.
Heavy cannon bones are detrimental to Connemara movement, science shows
Intentionally making horses carry around heavy cannon bones is the opposite of what nature intended, and research seems to refute the American Connemara Pony Society’s message that big cannon bones are better.
Canadian veterinary association asks vets to help fix breed standards
An article titled “A New Direction for Kennel Club Regulations and Breed Standards” published in 2007 in the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association addresses veterinarians’ role in the increasing “welfare predicament” of purebred dogs.
Australia RSPCA advocates eliminating breed standards based on appearance
Once again, another highly respected group has come out against breed standards based on appearance.
Law professor pushes for end to discrimination based on appearance
A Stanford law professor is finally laying the groundwork in the human world for what may lead to the end of appearance bias.
The ‘right’ breed standards are all in your head
I was researching whether there actually was more than one way to peel a banana to fact-check an article I was copy editing, and I came across this article by J. Howard Baker, an assistant professor of computer information systems and a guy who makes a lot of sense.
Bullying and breed standards are same thing
Bullying means “to affect by means of force or coercion,” according to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.
Breed standards exposed
If you haven’t seen the 2008 British documentary “Pedigree Dogs Exposed,” whether you’re a horse breeder, a dog breeder or just an animal lover in general, you should watch it.
Connemara breed standards and inspection requirements
If you want to pass an inspection by the American Connemara Pony Society, you will need to add at least an inch to the cannon bone circumference standard of 7 to 8 inches. The ACPS chooses to ignore that breed standard and is giving premium and approved status to Connemaras of pony height with 9- to 10-inch cannon bones.
David O’Connor embraces horse emotions at USEF meeting, while ACPS expands bigoted Connemara inspections
In one room at USEF’s 2024 annual meeting, USEF Chief of Sport David O’Connor discussed weighty topics such as whether there should be horse sport at all and if horses enjoyed taking part in such activity. In another room, Connemara officials expanded their bigoted inspections to a bigger pool of Connemaras (halfbreds). The differences couldn’t be more stark.
Bigger cannon bone adds significant weight to Connemara pony, experiment shows
I have asked for two decades, “Where is the research that shows the effects of the American Connemara Pony Society forcing Connemaras to have thick legs?” The silence has been deafening. In early 2024, I decided to do my own research.
ACPS inspectors alter Connemara breed standard for cannon bone, benefiting their own stallions
Dear US Equestrian, I am deeply disappointed that you have not followed your own directive to affiliates to do the right thing. You have allowed inspectors in the American Connemara Pony Society to alter the Connemara breed standard when they use it in inspections, employing a word trick, so they can approve or give premium status to stallions, including their own, that otherwise would fail an inspection based on the real breed standard.
ACPS membership plunge of 38 percent coincides with inspections; new code of conduct may prevent criticism
A steep drop in ACPS membership reflects the failed direction taken by top officials over a 20-year period. For perspective, compare the ACPS numbers to American Morgan Horse Association membership.
Pony featured on ACPS logo would fail Connemara inspections
The longtime logo for the American Connemara Pony Society has appeared on ACPS official literature since at least 1966. But the Connemara in the logo looks exactly like the refined ponies – show hunter-quality ponies – that are now shunned by the breed organization.
Connemara inspections are producing ponies that can’t jump, Irish breeder says in blunt book
Enough with the lies about the Connemara pony being a distinct breed of coarse white ponies that roamed the mountains of Ireland for centuries and were jumping machines. Irish author and horseman Nicholas O’Hare laid bare the lies in his 2002 book, “The Modern Connemara: The Search for Performance.”
Who saved the Connemara pony and what did he want to save?
Irish horseman Michael J. O’Malley is credited with saving the Connemara pony as a distinct breed in the early 1900s. In a little more than a century, his story has been falsely rewritten from a Connemara lover fighting for what was on the inside of the pony (spirit) to someone fighting for what was on the outside (coarseness).
Denny Emerson urges American Connemara Pony Society to choose new strategy
Legendary U.S. equestrian Denny Emerson, 76, posted advice to struggling breed societies, particularly Connemara and Morgan groups, on his Facebook page Sept. 29, 2017, suggesting time is of the essence to preserve the breeds.
Connemara society should make ‘profound shift’ in way it regards animals
A new site dedicated to animals should serve notice to the American Connemara Pony Society that bullying behavior in the form of inspections to force horses to look a certain way will not stand the test of time.
Breed standards encourage Connemaras that miss the mark to be treated as waste
In a CBS television show called “Lucky Dog,” dog trainer Brandon McMillan tries to find a new home for shelter dogs by taking in one dog per week, working with it at his Lucky Dog Ranch and placing it in a home where it will do well.
Annual meeting is time for Connemara society to embrace USEF mission
USEF has asked its affiliates to examine their practices to ensure they are in line with a world in which there is no hiding from public scrutiny; affiliates should proceed as if their actions are being recorded by an NBC camera crew 24/7 with no editing.
Let’s stream Connemara inspections live so everyone can watch!
It’s only a matter of time until the courts strike down Connemara breed inspections for the same reason that a federal jury ruled against a cloning ban in the American Quarter Horse Association: It’s an illegal, monopolistic practice.
Connemara inspections would not pass USEF’s Central Park test
Of all the posts I’ve written about Connemara inspections, this is the most important, because it looks at the practices of the American Connemara Pony Society against the backdrop of its national federation, the United States Equestrian Federation.
Connemara inspections require nothing but give the appearance of accomplishing something
I was discussing Connemara inspections with a family member recently, and we both wondered why Connemara inspections have become the No. item on the agenda of the American Connemara Pony Society when so many other activities seem more productive.
An invitation to Connemara officials to do some soul-searching
I often wonder how long it will be before Connemara officials in America are willing to admit they were wrong to create inspections that intentionally discriminate against horses that are Connemaras by blood and have every right to equal treatment and inclusion in the society?
Discrimination seen in Connemara world has roots in baby biases
Allowing so-called inspectors to fail horses that weren’t to their liking and exclude them has always felt to me like the breed society was turned over to a bunch of adolescents. As it turns out, that comparison is more accurate than I thought.
How long will we have to wait for an apology over breed inspections?
I believe in my lifetime that breed standards and inspections will be banned, because courts will outlaw the practice of forcing breeders to create animals that match a set of criteria written on paper by people who basically are just being bullies.
Connemara breed hypocritical in rejecting Thoroughbred traits at inspections
A British study of Thoroughbred foundation mares suggests that they descend from native Irish mares, including Connemaras and Irish Draught mares, and mares native to the British Isles, more than horses from the Middle East and Asia, as originally thought.
Another battle brewing over breed standards and inspections
Frustration over breed standards appears to be building, based on feedback I’m getting from around the world, and I was sent an interesting article on the topic that was published in the June 2012 issue of Ireland’s Horse Review, a monthly sport horse newspaper.
Where is the research that says certain cannon bone measurements make a better horse?
I continue to search for scientific evidence that a thicker, shorter cannon bone makes for a better horse, because, otherwise, it would seem odd or irresponsible that Connemara societies the world over would be requiring cannon bones of a certain width and length for a Connemara to pass an inspection.
Canadian veterinary association asks vets to help fix breed standards
An article titled “A New Direction for Kennel Club Regulations and Breed Standards” published in 2007 in the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association addresses veterinarians’ role in the increasing “welfare predicament” of purebred dogs.
The ‘right’ breed standards are all in your head
I was researching whether there actually was more than one way to peel a banana to fact-check an article I was copy editing, and I came across this article by J. Howard Baker, an assistant professor of computer information systems and a guy who makes a lot of sense.
Connemara breed standards and inspection requirements
If you want to pass an inspection by the American Connemara Pony Society, you will need to add at least an inch to the cannon bone circumference standard of 7 to 8 inches. The ACPS chooses to ignore that breed standard and is giving premium and approved status to Connemaras of pony height with 9- to 10-inch cannon bones.
David O’Connor embraces horse emotions at USEF meeting, while ACPS expands bigoted Connemara inspections
In one room at USEF’s 2024 annual meeting, USEF Chief of Sport David O’Connor discussed weighty topics such as whether there should be horse sport at all and if horses enjoyed taking part in such activity. In another room, Connemara officials expanded their bigoted inspections to a bigger pool of Connemaras (halfbreds). The differences couldn’t be more stark.
Bigger cannon bone adds significant weight to Connemara pony, experiment shows
I have asked for two decades, “Where is the research that shows the effects of the American Connemara Pony Society forcing Connemaras to have thick legs?” The silence has been deafening. In early 2024, I decided to do my own research.
ACPS inspectors alter Connemara breed standard for cannon bone, benefiting their own stallions
Dear US Equestrian, I am deeply disappointed that you have not followed your own directive to affiliates to do the right thing. You have allowed inspectors in the American Connemara Pony Society to alter the Connemara breed standard when they use it in inspections, employing a word trick, so they can approve or give premium status to stallions, including their own, that otherwise would fail an inspection based on the real breed standard.
Could honesty about worthlessness of Connemara inspections bring ACPS thousands of new members?
What if it told the world that there’s no way one can anoint a Connemara as premium by watching it mostly stand still for 12 minutes with a brief walk and trot?
ACPS membership plunge of 38 percent coincides with inspections; new code of conduct may prevent criticism
A steep drop in ACPS membership reflects the failed direction taken by top officials over a 20-year period. For perspective, compare the ACPS numbers to American Morgan Horse Association membership.
Pony featured on ACPS logo would fail Connemara inspections
The longtime logo for the American Connemara Pony Society has appeared on ACPS official literature since at least 1966. But the Connemara in the logo looks exactly like the refined ponies – show hunter-quality ponies – that are now shunned by the breed organization.
Early History of ACPS Shows Focus was on Connemara Performance
Kerrymor Farm has put together a history of the early years of the American Connemara Pony Society that readers of this website should find interesting.
Bad ‘approved’ Connemaras are not an accident
The current list of ACPS-approved Connemaras in America includes many bad ponies, some dangerous, in my opinion. The list also contains some nice ponies, but there’s no way for someone to trust the list, given the bad ones.
Connemara inspections are producing ponies that can’t jump, Irish breeder says in blunt book
Enough with the lies about the Connemara pony being a distinct breed of coarse white ponies that roamed the mountains of Ireland for centuries and were jumping machines. Irish author and horseman Nicholas O’Hare laid bare the lies in his 2002 book, “The Modern Connemara: The Search for Performance.”
Who saved the Connemara pony and what did he want to save?
Irish horseman Michael J. O’Malley is credited with saving the Connemara pony as a distinct breed in the early 1900s. In a little more than a century, his story has been falsely rewritten from a Connemara lover fighting for what was on the inside of the pony (spirit) to someone fighting for what was on the outside (coarseness).
Connemara breed standards promote cresty neck linked to laminitis
If the ACPS wants to foster healthy and so-called premium Connemaras, it should encourage and reward Connemaras that have no neck definition and show some rib.
Connemaras need to evolve to avoid extinction
Where will climate change leave the American Connemara in 2050, three decades from now? How will climate change affect horses in general?
Five reasons to eliminate Connemara inspections
For starters, this is your chance to decide how history will judge you.
Denny Emerson urges American Connemara Pony Society to choose new strategy
Legendary U.S. equestrian Denny Emerson, 76, posted advice to struggling breed societies, particularly Connemara and Morgan groups, on his Facebook page Sept. 29, 2017, suggesting time is of the essence to preserve the breeds.
Blue-eyed cream Connemara stallions now OK because Irish say so
Irish Connemara officials have lifted the ban on registering blue-eyed cream stallions in Ireland, so the United States has followed suit, according to a post Jan. 22, 2016, by the American Connemara Pony Society.
Beware of the ‘premium’ label given to inspected Connemaras
The banner across the top of the American Connemara Pony Society website says: “Connemaras do it all!”
Latest Connemara inspections measure thickness of leg, not quality of horse
On July 19, 2015, I watched several Connemara inspections in St. Louis, Mo., by the American Connemara Pony Society.
Pretty Connemara lives matter
Once again, I return to the topic of hatred and bias, as the world continues to evolve quickly in accepting diversity, but the American Connemara Pony Society not so much. More
Horse therapy program opens hearts; Connemara inspections close them
I received a letter in May 2015 from an organization that helps troubled youth through its horse program.
Ireland welcomes gay marriage; how about pretty Connemaras?
Ireland’s overwhelming approval of gay marriage on May 23, 2015, seems a bit out of character for a country known for its rejection of diversity.
America’s race issue is the same as the Connemara type issue
America still has a pigmentation issue, according to Tom Brokaw on Meet the Press on May 3, 2015.
Watch video clips of Dundrum, famous son of Little Heaven
Two video clips of Dundrum are a treat to watch.
A test for prospective Connemara owners
So you want to buy a Connemara, and you’re asking yourself if you should pay attention to the inspections program?
Are inspections saving the Connemara?
Officials in the American Connemara Pony Society make many claims about their inspections program, but the only question that matters is: Is the program saving the Connemara?
Breed standards force Connemaras to have undesirable conformation
Many people look at breeds as if they have always existed.
Little Heaven may have contributed the famous big heart to Connemaras
Someone recently suggested that I use the term “grinch” to refer to Connemara inspectors who hate the Connemaras that look like Little Heaven.
Can 4,539 words justify Connemara inspections? No
The American Connemara Pony Society’s web page on inspections tries to justify the program with 4,539 words.
It’s time for Connemara discrimination to be ancient history
All indications are that horse discrimination based on appearance will die with the elderly generation that has tried so hard to keep diversity at bay.
Connemara society should make ‘profound shift’ in way it regards animals
A new site dedicated to animals should serve notice to the American Connemara Pony Society that bullying behavior in the form of inspections to force horses to look a certain way will not stand the test of time.
Connemara society should survey remaining members about inspections
Surveys appears to be gaining ground in the horse world, at least in many circles. Horse groups are ramping up their efforts to get feedback to improve and survive.
Connemara breed standards encourage exaggerated conformation
Breed standards encourage exaggerated conformation, according to Wayne Cavanaugh, president of the United Kennel Club, who was interviewed by veterinarian Karen Becker on Aug. 5, 2013, for the website Healthy Pets.
If Santa Claus can evolve, how about the Connemara breed?
An Associated Press story published on Dec. 20, 2013, looked at the changing appearance of today’s Santa Claus.
Breed standards encourage Connemaras that miss the mark to be treated as waste
In a CBS television show called “Lucky Dog,” dog trainer Brandon McMillan tries to find a new home for shelter dogs by taking in one dog per week, working with it at his Lucky Dog Ranch and placing it in a home where it will do well.
What Connemara time period are breed officials trying to preserve?
The most overlooked factor in the argument over what constitutes a Connemara is time.
U.S. Connemara officials should not follow their Irish counterparts
The American Connemara Society is taking its lead on breed inspections from an Ireland that was, not the country that remains today.
Young John F. Kennedy would have been discarded as a Connemara
As we mark the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s assassination, let’s look at Ireland’s treatment of Connemaras against the backdrop of its treatment of its favorite son, the former U.S. president.
Invoking Redford and Kennedy: Time to pass the torch in the Connemara society
Robert Redford discussed the toxic environment in Washington in an interview with CNN on October 16, 2013, as he promoted a new movie.
Don’t fight for bullying in the Connemara society
I’m curious why officials in the American Connemara Pony Society are working so hard to keep breed inspections that have not proven to create better Connemaras or make the breed more popular.
Do Connemara inspections teach kindness to children? No
In yet another sobering look at the life of kids today, CNN published an article October 11, 2013, describing the onslaught of bullying that children face on social media sites.
Connemara society ignores USEF’s welfare instruction and continues with Connemara inspections
The 2013 meeting of the American Connemara Pony Society has come and gone, and nothing appears to have changed with inspections.
Connemara inspections teach kids the wrong lesson: bigotry
Horses have long provided a sanctuary for children at a fragile stage in life.
Annual meeting is time for Connemara society to embrace USEF mission
USEF has asked its affiliates to examine their practices to ensure they are in line with a world in which there is no hiding from public scrutiny; affiliates should proceed as if their actions are being recorded by an NBC camera crew 24/7 with no editing.
Connemara inspections appear to violate antitrust law
What should Connemara owners take away from the Texas cloning lawsuit, in which a jury ruled against a ban on cloned horses in the American Quarter Horse Association?
Let’s stream Connemara inspections live so everyone can watch!
It’s only a matter of time until the courts strike down Connemara breed inspections for the same reason that a federal jury ruled against a cloning ban in the American Quarter Horse Association: It’s an illegal, monopolistic practice.
Cloning ruling should signal end for Connemara inspections
A jury in a federal court in Texas has ruled that the American Quarter Horse Association violated state and federal antitrust laws by banning cloned horses from its registry.
Connemara inspections would not pass USEF’s Central Park test
Of all the posts I’ve written about Connemara inspections, this is the most important, because it looks at the practices of the American Connemara Pony Society against the backdrop of its national federation, the United States Equestrian Federation.
Kennedy’s words ring true for Connemaras being failed at inspections
The late President John F. Kennedy made his “Report to the American People on Civil Rights” on June 11, 1963.
Young voters who call GOP ‘closed-minded’ and ‘racist’ unlikely to approve of Connemara bullying
The New York Times posted an article on June 3, 2013, under the headline “Why young people don’t vote Republican.”
Is extinction the goal for Connemara society?
The Washington Post published an article June 1, 2013, on why the Boy Scouts of America finally voted to end its discrimination against gay scouts.
Connemara inspections may require short horses to carry fat people
A recent study on how much weight horses can carry comfortably has illustrated yet again why Connemaras should not be forced to remain 14-2 hands and under.
2013 commencement speeches decry divisiveness embraced by Connemara inspections
I listened to two college commencement speeches given on May 11, 2013 — one by former President Bill Clinton and another by former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw.
Breed officials are trying to stop evolution of Connemaras
Charles Darwin was a British scientist in the 19th century whose research led him to theorize that survival and reproduction were the prime motivations for all species.
Are breed standards immoral?
I wish Connemara inspectors could have been in the room in February 2013 when the chief scientist with the RSPCA in Australia asked a conference of horsemen if humans are justified in asking a horse to do something it doesn’t want to do.
Simple vote on voluntary Connemara inspections escalated into witch hunt
How did this inspections process go from a simple vote for voluntary inspections to a Hitler-like weeding out of conformation that is not a flaw?
Why do women condone Connemara inspections?
In 2005, a Connemara inspector made some comments to me about my horse that would have been considered racially biased and bigoted if she were speaking about a human.
Who will speak up for animals in opposing breed standards?
One of my many issues with breed inspections and breed standards has been the lack of people who have been willing to go public and say these practices are wrong.
Connemara inspections require nothing but give the appearance of accomplishing something
I was discussing Connemara inspections with a family member recently, and we both wondered why Connemara inspections have become the No. item on the agenda of the American Connemara Pony Society when so many other activities seem more productive.
Connemaras publish letter to American inspectors
To the inspectors of the American Connemara Pony Society: I am one of the many Connemaras you have failed at an inspection.
Fear might be driving bias against pretty horses in Connemara breed inspections
This discrimination is bizarre behavior in the 21st century, a time when bullying has become especially unacceptable and the diversity of the nation has changed along with its definition of beauty.
Can ‘Rudolph’ convince Connemara inspectors that discrimination is wrong?
CBS generously ran the classic Christmas special “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” twice in 2012, allowing me to do some much-needed fact-checking.
It’s time to revisit why America started Connemara inspections
In 2005, when I first raised huge concerns about how the Connemara inspections process was taking shape in America, ACPS board members pointed to Ireland as the reason for the creation of U.S. inspections.
Evolved thinkers or bigots? Connemara officials should decide
You can’t be a bigot and evolved in the same breath.
An invitation to Connemara officials to do some soul-searching
I often wonder how long it will be before Connemara officials in America are willing to admit they were wrong to create inspections that intentionally discriminate against horses that are Connemaras by blood and have every right to equal treatment and inclusion in the society?
Do Connemara members approve of their dues paying for bullying?
the American Connemara society pays for the expenses of people who have been deemed inspectors to travel to cities to bully horses.
Discrimination seen in Connemara world has roots in baby biases
Allowing so-called inspectors to fail horses that weren’t to their liking and exclude them has always felt to me like the breed society was turned over to a bunch of adolescents. As it turns out, that comparison is more accurate than I thought.
Current property laws make exploitation of Connemaras, other animals possible
One cannot debate whether breed standards for horses and dogs are ethical without looking at the bigger picture of how animals fit into society.
Connemaras would be better off in Obama’s America
The Connemara society reminds me of the Republican party: completely blind to the fact that its future base will be a diverse population that doesn’t take kindly to discrimination.
Connemara inspectors could learn something from ‘Sing for the Silent’
I find myself quoting people under the age of 20 more often than not when it comes to bullying.
How long will we have to wait for an apology over breed inspections?
I believe in my lifetime that breed standards and inspections will be banned, because courts will outlaw the practice of forcing breeders to create animals that match a set of criteria written on paper by people who basically are just being bullies.
Connemara inspections are the worst business strategy possible
Did Steve Jobs let Bill Gates tell him how to run his business?
Let’s see Connemara inspections for what they are: bullying
By now, anyone who follows the news has heard Wisconsin anchor Jennifer Livingston turn the tables on the viewer who called her fat in an email.
If Connemaras could talk, what would they say about inspections?
A “Huffington Post” article captured the frustration of US gymnast Gabby Douglas hours after she won the individual gold medal in London in August 2012.
Connemara inspectors’ herds are full of Thoroughbred bloodlines, too
Allbreedpedigree.com shows that inspectors who repeatedly fail horses that “remind then of Thoroughbreds” are hypocrites.
Forum posts portray Connemara society as polarized over Little Heaven
“If you want to see a bunch of Connemara breeders almost come to blows, start a discussion about whether Little Heaven and Texas Hope were good or bad for the breed.”
Connemara breed hypocritical in rejecting Thoroughbred traits at inspections
A British study of Thoroughbred foundation mares suggests that they descend from native Irish mares, including Connemaras and Irish Draught mares, and mares native to the British Isles, more than horses from the Middle East and Asia, as originally thought.
When did rejection based on appearance become OK?
I haven’t been very shy about arguing that people should not put themselves above animals.
Stigmatizing animals through breed standards has no place in the United States
I keep seeing the word stigma in news reports, and I think it’s time to look at this word in relation to breed standards.
Inspections confirm age-old truism: You can’t judge a horse by its cover
Famed horse writer Walter Farley’s “Little Black, a Pony” delivers the not-so-subtle message that we shouldn’t prejudge something based on appearance.
Another battle brewing over breed standards and inspections
Frustration over breed standards appears to be building, based on feedback I’m getting from around the world, and I was sent an interesting article on the topic that was published in the June 2012 issue of Ireland’s Horse Review, a monthly sport horse newspaper.
Should Ireland be leading the Connemara horse world?
In December 2010, The New York Times did a sobering story on the plight of horses in Ireland today.
Breed standards motivated by pack mentality and need for esteem
A post on Psychology Today from December 2009 looks at human motivation. Author Robert Evans Wilson Jr. says humans are motivated by their status as a pack animal.
How much does peer pressure influence breed standards?
Peer pressure is a formidable force. It makes people agree to do things that they would not do on their own.
Wording for breed standards, bullying is the same
There is a pattern between the language on websites that decry the use of bullying and those that herald the use of breed standards.
Breed standards are based on flawed concept of ‘owning’ animals
The debate over whether breed societies can set breed standards for animals really is a larger debate about where humans and animals fall in the universal pecking order and whether humans should “own” animals.
Breed standards must evolve with beauty perceptions
America’s perception of the ideal beauty has changed from a white woman such as Christie Brinkley in 1991 to a mixed race or darker woman such as Angelina Jolie today.
Vet who failed dog breeds at Crufts talks about exaggerated conformation
Alison Skipper, one of the two vets who failed six of 15 Best of Breed winners at the Crufts dog show in Britain in March 2012, has aired her thoughts on the experience after coming under fire.
Dr. Fox takes on breed standards in latest column
The well-known veterinarian pulled no punches in attacking breed standards in a reply to a poor woman who just wanted to know why her sister’s Persian cats had constant tearing in their eyes.
Veterinarians target exaggerated conformation at British dog show
As victories go, this one is hollow. But, let’s not ignore any movement when it comes to breed standards.
Connemaras and women face same bigoted world
CNN is running a series on beauty, and one of the reports centers on a documentary called “Miss Representation.”
Where is the research that says certain cannon bone measurements make a better horse?
I continue to search for scientific evidence that a thicker, shorter cannon bone makes for a better horse, because, otherwise, it would seem odd or irresponsible that Connemara societies the world over would be requiring cannon bones of a certain width and length for a Connemara to pass an inspection.
Heavy cannon bones are detrimental to Connemara movement, science shows
Intentionally making horses carry around heavy cannon bones is the opposite of what nature intended, and research seems to refute the American Connemara Pony Society’s message that big cannon bones are better.
Canadian veterinary association asks vets to help fix breed standards
An article titled “A New Direction for Kennel Club Regulations and Breed Standards” published in 2007 in the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association addresses veterinarians’ role in the increasing “welfare predicament” of purebred dogs.
Australia RSPCA advocates eliminating breed standards based on appearance
Once again, another highly respected group has come out against breed standards based on appearance.
Law professor pushes for end to discrimination based on appearance
A Stanford law professor is finally laying the groundwork in the human world for what may lead to the end of appearance bias.
The ‘right’ breed standards are all in your head
I was researching whether there actually was more than one way to peel a banana to fact-check an article I was copy editing, and I came across this article by J. Howard Baker, an assistant professor of computer information systems and a guy who makes a lot of sense.
Bullying and breed standards are same thing
Bullying means “to affect by means of force or coercion,” according to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.
Breed standards exposed
If you haven’t seen the 2008 British documentary “Pedigree Dogs Exposed,” whether you’re a horse breeder, a dog breeder or just an animal lover in general, you should watch it.
Connemara breed standards and inspection requirements
If you want to pass an inspection by the American Connemara Pony Society, you will need to add at least an inch to the cannon bone circumference standard of 7 to 8 inches. The ACPS chooses to ignore that breed standard and is giving premium and approved status to Connemaras of pony height with 9- to 10-inch cannon bones.
David O’Connor embraces horse emotions at USEF meeting, while ACPS expands bigoted Connemara inspections
In one room at USEF’s 2024 annual meeting, USEF Chief of Sport David O’Connor discussed weighty topics such as whether there should be horse sport at all and if horses enjoyed taking part in such activity. In another room, Connemara officials expanded their bigoted inspections to a bigger pool of Connemaras (halfbreds). The differences couldn’t be more stark.
Bigger cannon bone adds significant weight to Connemara pony, experiment shows
I have asked for two decades, “Where is the research that shows the effects of the American Connemara Pony Society forcing Connemaras to have thick legs?” The silence has been deafening. In early 2024, I decided to do my own research.
ACPS inspectors alter Connemara breed standard for cannon bone, benefiting their own stallions
Dear US Equestrian, I am deeply disappointed that you have not followed your own directive to affiliates to do the right thing. You have allowed inspectors in the American Connemara Pony Society to alter the Connemara breed standard when they use it in inspections, employing a word trick, so they can approve or give premium status to stallions, including their own, that otherwise would fail an inspection based on the real breed standard.
ACPS membership plunge of 38 percent coincides with inspections; new code of conduct may prevent criticism
A steep drop in ACPS membership reflects the failed direction taken by top officials over a 20-year period. For perspective, compare the ACPS numbers to American Morgan Horse Association membership.
Pony featured on ACPS logo would fail Connemara inspections
The longtime logo for the American Connemara Pony Society has appeared on ACPS official literature since at least 1966. But the Connemara in the logo looks exactly like the refined ponies – show hunter-quality ponies – that are now shunned by the breed organization.
Connemara inspections are producing ponies that can’t jump, Irish breeder says in blunt book
Enough with the lies about the Connemara pony being a distinct breed of coarse white ponies that roamed the mountains of Ireland for centuries and were jumping machines. Irish author and horseman Nicholas O’Hare laid bare the lies in his 2002 book, “The Modern Connemara: The Search for Performance.”
Who saved the Connemara pony and what did he want to save?
Irish horseman Michael J. O’Malley is credited with saving the Connemara pony as a distinct breed in the early 1900s. In a little more than a century, his story has been falsely rewritten from a Connemara lover fighting for what was on the inside of the pony (spirit) to someone fighting for what was on the outside (coarseness).
Denny Emerson urges American Connemara Pony Society to choose new strategy
Legendary U.S. equestrian Denny Emerson, 76, posted advice to struggling breed societies, particularly Connemara and Morgan groups, on his Facebook page Sept. 29, 2017, suggesting time is of the essence to preserve the breeds.
Connemara society should make ‘profound shift’ in way it regards animals
A new site dedicated to animals should serve notice to the American Connemara Pony Society that bullying behavior in the form of inspections to force horses to look a certain way will not stand the test of time.
Breed standards encourage Connemaras that miss the mark to be treated as waste
In a CBS television show called “Lucky Dog,” dog trainer Brandon McMillan tries to find a new home for shelter dogs by taking in one dog per week, working with it at his Lucky Dog Ranch and placing it in a home where it will do well.
Annual meeting is time for Connemara society to embrace USEF mission
USEF has asked its affiliates to examine their practices to ensure they are in line with a world in which there is no hiding from public scrutiny; affiliates should proceed as if their actions are being recorded by an NBC camera crew 24/7 with no editing.
Let’s stream Connemara inspections live so everyone can watch!
It’s only a matter of time until the courts strike down Connemara breed inspections for the same reason that a federal jury ruled against a cloning ban in the American Quarter Horse Association: It’s an illegal, monopolistic practice.
Connemara inspections would not pass USEF’s Central Park test
Of all the posts I’ve written about Connemara inspections, this is the most important, because it looks at the practices of the American Connemara Pony Society against the backdrop of its national federation, the United States Equestrian Federation.
Connemara inspections require nothing but give the appearance of accomplishing something
I was discussing Connemara inspections with a family member recently, and we both wondered why Connemara inspections have become the No. item on the agenda of the American Connemara Pony Society when so many other activities seem more productive.
An invitation to Connemara officials to do some soul-searching
I often wonder how long it will be before Connemara officials in America are willing to admit they were wrong to create inspections that intentionally discriminate against horses that are Connemaras by blood and have every right to equal treatment and inclusion in the society?
Discrimination seen in Connemara world has roots in baby biases
Allowing so-called inspectors to fail horses that weren’t to their liking and exclude them has always felt to me like the breed society was turned over to a bunch of adolescents. As it turns out, that comparison is more accurate than I thought.
How long will we have to wait for an apology over breed inspections?
I believe in my lifetime that breed standards and inspections will be banned, because courts will outlaw the practice of forcing breeders to create animals that match a set of criteria written on paper by people who basically are just being bullies.
Connemara breed hypocritical in rejecting Thoroughbred traits at inspections
A British study of Thoroughbred foundation mares suggests that they descend from native Irish mares, including Connemaras and Irish Draught mares, and mares native to the British Isles, more than horses from the Middle East and Asia, as originally thought.
Another battle brewing over breed standards and inspections
Frustration over breed standards appears to be building, based on feedback I’m getting from around the world, and I was sent an interesting article on the topic that was published in the June 2012 issue of Ireland’s Horse Review, a monthly sport horse newspaper.
Where is the research that says certain cannon bone measurements make a better horse?
I continue to search for scientific evidence that a thicker, shorter cannon bone makes for a better horse, because, otherwise, it would seem odd or irresponsible that Connemara societies the world over would be requiring cannon bones of a certain width and length for a Connemara to pass an inspection.
Canadian veterinary association asks vets to help fix breed standards
An article titled “A New Direction for Kennel Club Regulations and Breed Standards” published in 2007 in the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association addresses veterinarians’ role in the increasing “welfare predicament” of purebred dogs.
The ‘right’ breed standards are all in your head
I was researching whether there actually was more than one way to peel a banana to fact-check an article I was copy editing, and I came across this article by J. Howard Baker, an assistant professor of computer information systems and a guy who makes a lot of sense.
Connemara breed standards and inspection requirements
If you want to pass an inspection by the American Connemara Pony Society, you will need to add at least an inch to the cannon bone circumference standard of 7 to 8 inches. The ACPS chooses to ignore that breed standard and is giving premium and approved status to Connemaras of pony height with 9- to 10-inch cannon bones.