News

Annual General Meeting
October 23, 2010
Elgin, Quebec

This year, the AGM with be hosted by the Central Region. It has been set for Oct. 23, 2010 in Quebec. The location will be at Chris Carey's, Caraway Farm, Elgin, Qubec.

There will be an Inspection Tour held in conjuction with the AGM if enough ponies are nominated. Anyone with eligable ponies in the Eastern Ontario/Quebec area please contact Heather Sherratt. elphin@superaje.com

Lus na bPog/Sean MacLochlainn Foundation Broodmare Award

Donated by Tom and Maire MacLochlainn of the Ashbrook Stud, Co. Galway, and Doris Jacobi of Avilion Gleann Farm, Alberta, this is a lifetime award to honour a broodmare that has contributed to the Connemara breed in Canada through her purebred offspring. Tom’s father, Sean MacLochlainn, a well-known Connemara breeder in Ireland, owned the broodmare Lus na bPog. One of her daughters, Ciotog, was exported to Montana in 1966, and it was her daughter by Ruta Raitna, Avenns Golden Ruby, who was imported to Canada by Doris Jacobi as one of her foundation mares. This award is to be given to honour broodmares who carry on the tradition of these original imports to Canada who not only had many generations of offspring but competed and promoted the breed as well.

Criteria for the award state that the mare should:

• Be registered with the CCPS, ACPS or other recognized Connemara society
• Be over the age of 20 or deceased
• Have produced at least five purebred registered foals, some of which are breeding stock
• Have second and perhaps third generation registered offspring to be considered
• Have been resident in Canada for at least some of her productive years

Criteria for nomination include:

• Mare may be nominated by her owner or by another society member with the agreement of the owner
• Nominator must be a member of the CCPS
• Mare owner, if still alive, should be or have been a member of the CCPS or ACPS

Guidelines
The mare should have spent some time in Canada and bred at least one foal while in Canada. Her foals and second and third generation offspring born in and resident of any country with a recognized Connemara pony society can be included in the nomination and taken into consideration.

There will be no requirement for the mare to have been inspected as this was not available or mandatory in earlier years. Records of progeny should include their inspected status where applicable.

The award is designed to reward broodmares that have contributed to the breed by producing offspring of quality rather than merely quantity. The performance record of the offspring will also be considered as well as their breeding record. This will reflect the aim of the society to encourage the breeding of good quality saleable performance ponies as well as high-quality breeding stock.

Nominations should be accompanied by a good photo of the mare, a conformation shot if possible, a performance photo if applicable, and photos of at least three of her offspring.

The award does not have to be presented every year but only when a mare is considered to be a truly foundation mare. It is not just the mare but her legacy that the award is honouring.

For further information, contact Chris Carey, (450) 264-4567 or carawayfinn@hotmail.com

Broodmare Award Form

Equine Canada: Breeds and Industry Division
AGM 2010

In February, Chris Carey attended the Breeds and Industry Division meeting of Equine Canada 2010 AGM held in Montreal. The CCPS has agreed that the society should become a member of Equine Canada to participate in discussions relevant to breed societies in Canada and have access to their programs. The society should try to send a representative to these meetings which are held in Ottawa every other year and different cities the alternate years.

Chris reported back on the highlights that are of interest to the society. A reform process is underway at EC and Breeds and Industry, which has been underserved in past, should have a stronger voice on the board. EC is trying to come up with a harmonized membership so provincial memberships would include an EC membership. This is still a work in progress.

EC has as a priority the elimination of GST on horse-related items and is working to achieve this.

Of more direct interest to breed societies was the talk on Genetics and Reproduction. Gencor is available to collect and freeze stallion semen and aid in importing equine semen from Europe. They are using a new extender which is making the use of frozen semen more successful.

There was also a report from Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) on EP (Equine Piroplasmosis) and CEM (Contagious Equine Metritis), which is of interest to anyone importing horses or semen into Canada from the States or Europe.

EP is a tick-borne disease which so far is not present in Canada. It can be transmitted by syringes and animals can be carriers for a long time. It was found in Texas and New Mexico in 2008 and there are now rules for horses traveling from these states to Canada. Semen is not affected.

CEM is a venereal disease which is highly contagious. There was an outbreak in the US in Dec. 2008 which is still not 100 per cent resolved. As of 2009, additional certification is required for horses or semen traveling into Canada. There are no known cases in Canada and it is important to keep it this way as an outbreak could cause difficulties for export. Equine ID (CanEQUID) The topic of a unique identification number has been under discussion for several years. Agriculture and Agro-Foods Canada has been working with the horse industry to come up with an acceptable and workable system. An internationally recognized equine traceability program must now be in place in Canada within three years. EC is setting up a pilot project to look into the best ways to organize this. Each animal will need a unique lifetime identification number. Our purebreds already have registration papers that include a description and photograph. Some breeds include mandatory microchip, tattoo or brand in their registration. However, non-purebred animals also need some form of identification.

Long-Term Horse Development (LTHD)
EC is developing a program for riders, trainers and parents to determine how to develop horses as athletes from grass roots to the top. The objective is to determine broad stages of training horses, what they need to learn and what practices are best for different disciplines. This needs to be put together by coaches from across the country.

We would like to thank Chris for attending this event and reporting back to the society. It is important for us to be up to date on information about the breeding industry in Canada and worldwide. As members of EC we can also access their new program in partnership with Ag Canada to assist in the export and promotion of horses to the States and Europe. More details of these programs can be found on EC website.

Equine Canada Export Market Development Funding Proposal

This January, we learned that Equine Canada, Breeds and Industry Division have partnered with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in a program to fund initiatives to promote the development of the export market for horses. With the deadline looming, I pulled an all-nighter and, using the template kindly provided by the Irish Draught society, got an application into EC just in time. In this program, funding is available for society activities that promote the breed to the export market. This can include promotional material, travel costs for international visitors, travel costs to international meetings, exhibits outside of Canada and so on. Societies can receive 35 percent refund on approved activities with the appropriate receipts.