Page 13 - IDHSNA 2016 Annual Blarney

rather than, “thanks for asking, but not today, thank you very beginning of the end of a tradition, or if I was seeing an ongoing
much.” tradition. I just don’t know.
I want generosity of spirit. I want plucky. I want steady courage,
not “whacko” unthinking courage. every one of those is a trait What I absolutely do believe is that if the Irish breeders
that I have long associated with the Irish rID/thoroughbred or are being “seduced” away from the rID as the un-
connemara crosses, and I see no reason to abandon that convic- derpinning of the Irish sport horse, it becomes more
tion. I am a great proponent of that concept, “If it ain’t broken, necessary than ever to preserve and protect the legacy. and if
don’t fix it.” that means that american breeders get put in the line of fire to
I saw plenty of these horses this summer at the Dublin horse do so, well, that is an honorable mission.
show, but in all honesty, I did not know whether I was seeing the
losINg the rID Is Not aN oPtIoN!

IrIsh Draught horse socIety of North amerIca | 2016 aNNual BlarNey eDItIoN 11