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.

Life has never been easy for our breed.

Our forefathers were a motley blend of many breeds that congregated in western Ireland. Some scrambled to the shores of Ireland following shipwrecks.

Our breed survived a harsh landscape, famine and poverty and gave much to Irish farmers in return for little.

We came to America seeking the same opportunity for a better life as your European relatives.

We did not expect a free ride, and we eagerly accepted jobs at your farms.

We worked hard for food and lodging and watched over your family with care as it grew.

When you had babies, we baby-sat them, ensuring their safety.

As your children grew, we galloped them around cross country courses, bringing them home healthy, happy and under the time limit.

As your teenagers went off to college and you became our riders, we memorized your dressage tests and executed them flawlessly, even when you forgot them.

As your knees gave out and your balance faded, we kept a slow and steady pace under you to keep you from falling off.

We gave you respect in the horse world by bringing home big ribbons, and we let you shamelessly advertise our accomplishments to feel fulfilled.

We rose to every occasion, and we proved sure-footed, intelligent and braver than horses twice as tall.

We have been your friend, your confidant and your shoulder to cry on in the best and worst of times.

So you’ll have to pardon our confusion over you now choosing to reject some of us based on how we look.

What have we done to deserve such punishment?

At this renewed time of poverty for our breed, when thousands of our relatives in Ireland are being neglected and slaughtered, turn not your backs on us in this dire hour, particularly over a reason so irrelevant as appearance.

Put down your inspection clipboards and cast aside such bigoted judgments.

See the beauty of our spirit, the strength of our soul, and the content of our character, not the flaws of our physical evolution.

We have proven our worth.

Sincerely,

Connemaras United for These Inspections to End, or CUTIES