Principles of the Connemara Pony Breeders Society
1. Objectives of the Society
The Connemara Pony Breeders Society, hereafter known as the society shall:
* Maintain the Studbook of Origin of the particulars of the pedigree, status and performance of registered Connemara Ponies hereafter know as the ‘ponies’.
* Promote the breeding of the Connemara Pony in order to safeguard the conservation of this native Irish breed.
2. Breeding Objective
The breeding objective of the Society is to promote the breeding of, and the improvement in, the performance and quality of the Connemara Breed.
3. Characteristics of the breed ( To be eligible for Class One of the Studbook)
Type: Compact, well balanced riding type with good depth and substance and good heart room, standing on short legs, covering a lot of ground. Good temperament, hardiness, staying power, intelligence, soundness, surefootedness, with jumping ability.
Height: 128cms to 148cms inclusive.
Colour: Grey, Black, Bay, Brown, Dun/may also be know as Buckskin, Palomino, Dark-Eyed Cream, with occasional Roans and Chestnuts.
Head: Well-balanced head of medium length with good width between large kindly eyes. Pony ears, well-defined cheekbone, jaw relatively deep but not coarse.
Front: Head well set onto neck. Crest should not be over-developed. Neck not set on too low. Good length of rein. Well-defined withers, good sloping shoulders.
Body: Body should be deep, with strong back, some length permissible, but should be well ribbed up with strong loins.
Limbs: Good length and strength in forearm, well-defined knees and short cannon with flat bone measuring 18cms to 21cms. Elbows should be free. Pasterns of medium length, fee well shaped, of medium size, hard and level.
Hind: Strong muscular with some length, well developed second thigh (gaskin) and strong low set hocks.
Movement: Free easy and true, without undue knee action, but active and covering the ground.
4. Conditions for entering the studbook, and division of studbook
i. The studbook is composed of a main section only.
To qualify for entry into the main section of the studbook a pony must:
* Be descended from parents entered in the main section of the studbook of the breed or any other EU approved studbook for the breed or CPBS approved studbook outside the EU.
* Have a pedigree established according to the rules of the studbook
* Be identified as a foal at foot according to the rules of the studbook
ii. The main section of the Stud book is divided into three classes:
Class 1
Class 1 contains stallions that are a minimum of three years of age, and geldings and mares that are a minimum of two years of age. These ponies must meet all of the following 5 criteria to qualify for Class 1:
* Both parents must be entered in Class one or Class two
* Measure 128cms to 148cms inclusive (without shoes)
* Stallions and Mares must pass a visual Inspection and achieve the minimum marking standard for Class one
* Pass a veterinary Inspection
Class 2
Class 2 contains stallions that are a minimum of three years of age, and geldings and mares that are a minimum of two years of age. These ponies must meet all of the following criteria to qualify for Class 2:
* Both parents must be entered in Class one or Class two
* Stallions and mares must pass a visual and achieve the minimum marking standard for Class 2 but do not achieve the minimum marking standard for Class one
* Pass a veterinary Inspection
In addition Class two also includes
* Blue Eyed Creams that meet the above criteria
* Ponies that measure under 128cms or over 148cms (without shoes), that also meet the necessary criteria for Class two.
Class 3
All foals when parentage tested are entered in Class 3. In order to move to a higher class ponies must be presented for Inspection at a minimum of three years of age for stallions and two years of age for mares subject to both parents having been presented for Inspection and both parents being in Class 1 or Class 2. Ponies that are not presented for Inspection will remain in Class 3 as will their progeny. Ponies that do not meet the minimum marking standard at the visual inspection for Class one or two will remain in Class three as will their progeny.
Please Note
a. The Inspection for Classification will take into account the individual merits of the pony on the day of Inspection.
b. All ponies in the Studbook are permitted to breed.
c. Ponies from other Connemara Pony Studbooks will be entered in the Class of the Studbook whose criteria it meets.
d. Geldings do not need to be presented for a visual inspection but must meet all other criteria.
e. The CPBS does not require compulsory performance testing. Societies for the Connemara Pony Breed may implement performance testing, if desired, however, this can have no impact on the classification of a pony. Additional stars or merits may be awarded, if desired.
f. Ponies presented for classification must be classified by at least two classifiers, who have been trained and/or approved by the Studbook of Origin in Ireland.
5. System of Registration
5.1 System of identifying ponies in the studbook
(i) Marking charts must be completed by a veterinary surgeon or other person authorised by the competent authority of the country in which the pony resides.
(ii) All ponies when registered are issued with a lifetime identification document.
(iii) Ponies are identified by a 2-character code to signify the sex and classification of the pony followed by a fifteen digit Universal Equine Life Number (UELN).
For example: S1 372004000004321
* 372 indicates that the pony is registered in Ireland i.e the country code.
* 004 indicates that the pony is registered in the Connemara Pony Breeders Society studbook
* 00 are gap digits.
* 0004321 represent the individual registration number of the pony in the studbook.
* S1 indicates the ponies classification S= stallion and 1= Class 1
(iv) The UELN number remains the unique identification number for the pony for its life. If the pony is registered in another Connemara daughter studbook, the UELN should be used to identify this pony in another studbook for the breed.
(v) The classification number at the end of the UELN number may change from foal to adult following classification. For example, a male foal when born will have a classification code S3 before his UELN number to indicate he is a male (stallion) foal registered in Class 3. If and when this males classification changes, e.g. to Class 1, then the code will change to S1 to indicate this pony is a stallion registered in Class 1.
The classification codes are as follows:
S Stallion
M Mare
G Gelding
1 Class 1
2 Class 2
3 Class 3
(vi) All ponies when registered are inserted with a microchip issued by the Connemara Pony Society or the Central Authorised Organisation. Microchips must only be inserted by a veterinary surgeon or other authorised person approved by the National Government.
(vii) All ponies are named when first registered as foals.
(viii) Ponies can be named using a breeder’s prefix or suffix. A prefix or suffix that is registered for use with one breeder may not be used by another breeder, without written consent from the prefix or suffix owner. A prefix or suffix is one word.
5.2 System of Recording Pedigrees
The following details are required in order to record the pedigree of a pony in the studbook:
(i) All ponies must have their parentage information verified by DNA. Samples of DNA or blood must be taken by and verified by a veterinary surgeon or other authorised person approved by the National Government at the time of marking the pony.
(ii) Ponies from non-EU approved studbooks for the Connemara Pony breed that have not had their pedigree information confirmed by DNA must be DNA typed before being registered in a studbook for the breed.