Connemaras: For all Disciplines – For all the Family

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Eve Dedrick, Connemara Girl

Eve Dedrick is a 14 year old French Immersion student at Brookswood Secondary School in Langley, BC. She is a D2 member of the Hazelmere Pony Club, and has ridden almost her whole life.

Eve's first pony was an old Quarter Horse/Welsh cross pony called Rocky that her family acquired when Eve was just six months old. Eve, her older sister Mary, and their two cousins shared the pony and learned how to ride on him when they would visit their Grannie's farm. When Eve was in grade 1, Rocky died and her family was able to lease a lovely little buckskin Section A Welsh pony mare called Sugarlane Almond Joy for the girls.

Sharing Joy, Eve and Mary both did their D and D1 Pony Club tests, attended Prince Philip Games, and took lessons. Mary outgrew Joy very quickly, as Joy is only 12 hands, at which point Eve took over the reins completely. When Eve was 10, her Prince Philip Games team won the 'C' (10 and under) BC Championships which featured Eve and Joy as the anchor riders.

All of Eve's hard work with Joy paid off; although Eve is now too big to ride Joy in most shows, she is squeezing one last year of Prince Philip Games out of her. Meanwhile, Joy has been working with a new young rider called Taylor, who won the Walk/Trot High Point at Rising Stars Youth Dressage Show in 2010, the year that show hosted the Canadian Dressage Championships.

That same year, Eve was able to borrow a Connemara mare called Honey from Margot Watson so that Eve could complete her D2 test in Pony Club. Shortly after that, Eve and family purchased a 4 year old, 14 hand high bay Connemara gelding called Devon Ridge Harris Hawk (by Irish stallion Fairy Hill Hawk and out of a Rory O’Sullivan mare)from Margot. During Harris's four year old year, Eve did a lot of ring schooling and trail riding. Harris went to Pony Club camp and hung out at the Canadian Pony Club National Rally Championships, just to get used to the hustle and bustle of horse shows. Together they spent a lot of time doing field work and popping over logs and other small fences on the cross country field at Campbell Valley Park and Maple Ridge. The pair attended their first schooling show, placing very well. That fall, they were division Kur Champion at the Pony Club Dressage Championships and were third overall at their level; they also participated in a Prince Philip Games demo at Thunderbird Show Park.

Harris's five year old year got off to a slower start due to a long bout of cold wet weather in the spring. Consequently, most of the first half of the year was spent playing catch-up, but later the pair won the Overall Kur Championship at the Pony Club Dressage Championships, competed in their first combined test day, and did extremely well in their hunter classes at the year-end show at M & M Connemaras, never placing worse than 2nd in any class.

This year Harris turns six, and Eve's training program for Harris continues. Fortunately, a very dry and mild winter has allowed for a lot of riding, schooling and showing so far this spring. As well, Harris has added MGA (Mounted Games Association) to his resume, having completed a clinic with Canadian team coach Bill Dunne in October; this March, a clinic with the German team coach is on the agenda.

Plans for the future for this pair include competing in the Pony Club Rally in the summer, and after that progressing to the C level in Pony Club. Long term plans for Eve and Harris include possibly representing Team Connemara at the Battle of the Breeds, maybe at the PNE this year, if possible.

Objectives of the Society

The Society will encourage, develop and regulate the Connemara pony in Canada by: