"What if she isn't really a Connemara and we have been living a lie???"
As some of my friends know, I have been brain-storming tattoo ideas- something that will be meaningful and incorporate my partner in crime (without the usual 'horse' template tattoo). The easiest would to be look at things that are associated with the Connemara breed- like Celtic lore/knots.
Ruby was sold to me as a Connemara, but there were no papers or registration, so it was more of a 'well what do we think she is?' decision on the dotted line. If you Google search 'buckskin Connemara,' she looks pretty darn close. In these past 9 years, I have gotten into the habit of telling people she was a Connemara cross (likely QH), but I don't actually know what she is.
Wouldn't it be neat to know for sure?
I found that Texas A&M has a genetics laboratory, which includes horse breed DNA testing.
Here is the catch: like dog breeds, there are very few 'unique' horse breeds- they are just different mixtures of the same breeds. After speaking with Dr. Cothran, my understanding is that the lab takes your horse's DNA (through skin bulb samples attached to hair pieces) and runs a DNA comparison against 50 different horse breeds. Of these, Connemara is not one; however, Dr. Cothran did say he could add the Connemara genetic comparison to the 50. The trouble is, if Ruby were to have any Connemara in her, it would not say "Connemara," but would show the top 2 breeds used in Connemara breeding- could be Morgan, Arab, or any number of breeds that make up what we now call the 'Connemara Pony."
For only $20, I say why not? Even if the test is not conclusive, does it really matter? Maybe my perception of her (Ruby's own 'personal branding') is good enough for me!
Maybe...
