Lexington, Ky. – The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is pleased to announce that Collecting Gaits Farm is now the presenting sponsor of the US Pony Finals. For seven consecutive years, Collecting Gaits Farm supported the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions, and has returned to continue its support of the USEF.
The US Pony Finals presented by Collecting Gaits Farm is set to return to the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky., August 9-14. This prominent event will showcase the nation’s best Green Pony Hunters, Regular Pony Hunters, and Pony Jumpers.
“We are excited to bring back Collecting Gaits Farm as a supporter of the USEF,” said the USEF CEO Chris Welton. “Having already built a great relationship as a former sponsor of the Festival of Champions, we look forward to Collecting Gaits Farm’s continued patronage.”
Collecting Gaits Farm, owned by Jeff and Shereen Fuqua, and located in Milton, Ga., has provided an unparalleled devotion to the USEF. Its partnership with the Federation has aided in producing some of the country’s finest dressage riders.
“We are thrilled to be the Presenting Sponsor of the US Pony Finals,” said Shereen Fuqua. “The late Mindy Darst, former USEF National Hunter Committee Chair, influenced us to support the USEF. Mindy’s vision helped to transform the US Pony Finals from an event with 400 riders to one with over 700. This event instills enthusiasm, pride, and excitement that is contagious. While this is our grass roots of developing the next equestrian champions in many years to come, the US Pony Finals also help to develop life skills and experiences the athletes will have forever. To support this and carry on Mindy’s passion is truly an honor for which we are grateful to the USEF.”
For more information on the US Pony Finals, please visit www.ponyfinals.org.
Lexington, Ky. – A week of competition at the 2015 US Pony Finals came to a close Sunday with the most coveted award of the championship. The Marshall & Sterling/US Pony Medal Finals took place in the Alltech Arena with 165 riders vying for top honors in front of judges Frank Madden and Ken Smith. After an especially beautiful first round, Sophie Gochman earned the Marshall & Sterling/US Pony Medal Finals Championship title.
In round one the riders were tested over a demanding course designed by Marc Donovan and Bobby Murphy. Twenty-five riders were called back for round two over a more difficult track to test their equitation skills. After round two, five riders, two from the Small section and three from the Medium section, returned to the ring to be tested on the flat. Gochman, Grace Debney, Jenna Drago, Ellia Giuliani, and Natalie Jayne entered the Alltech Arena to determine the top placings of the Marshall & Sterling/US Pony Medal Finals. In the test, riders were first asked to show walk, posting trot, sitting trot, and canter before reversing direction.
Twelve-year-old Gochman (New York, N.Y.) displayed her proficient equitation to be named the winner and receive the Gold medal in the 2015 Marshall & Sterling/US Pony Medal Finals.
“I’m so excited,” said Gochman. “I came in here thinking it would be great if I was in the Top 10, because last year I was in the Top 25. So my goal this year was to be in the Top 10. I never expected to win and I did. I’m so pumped!”
Gochman noted that the courses were well-designed and brought out the best in her riding.
“I thought that they were challenging, especially the long four and several of the rollbacks. The second course had a lot of rollbacks, so we had to be very careful landing leads and getting lead changes. I found that a bit challenging.”
Eleven-year-old Jayne (Elgin, Ill.) received the Silver medal. The Bronze medal went to 11-year-old Debney (Hampden, Ma.). Thirteen-year-old Giuliani (Middleburg, Va.), the oldest rider in the final field of five, earned fourth place, while 12-year-old Janna Drago (Aurora, Ohio) came in fifth.
The following riders rounded out the top 10 placings:
Sixth – Jennifer Staniloff
Seventh – Augusta Iwasaki
Eighth – Courtney Morton
Ninth – Vanessa Mazzoli
10th – Madeline Flocks
On-demand video highlights, as well as competition recaps, are available at www.usefnetwork.com.
Stephanie Don, Elizabeth McDougald, and Sarah Davis (l to r) (Shawn McMillen Photography)
Lexington, Ky. – The 2015 US National Pony Jumper Championship, held as part of the US Pony Finals, came to an exciting conclusion on Saturday night with Individual titles up for grabs. Fifteen competitors came back to jump a fourth round over Marc Donovan’s challenging course, with combinations producing their best performances of the week.
Stephanie Don and Elizabeth McDougald entered the Alltech Arena on Saturday tied with zero faults coming forward into the final phase of competition. They both finished with four faults, resulting in a jump-off. McDougald (Lawton, Okla.) of Zone 7/8, riding her own 10-year-old Pony of the Americas gelding, Knock My Sox Off, produced a beautiful clear round in 49.627 seconds, making easy work of the track. The effort earned her the Gold medal as Don finished the jump-off with four faults.
“That was amazing. I was not expecting to go in there and do that well. It made my day,” 18-year-old McDougald said. “This is my third year (at the US Pony Finals) and this is my best result. It’s always been on him, and we’ve never done that well, so it’s amazing.”
Don (San Marino, Calif.) of Zone 9/10, riding Avery Kim’s German Riding Pony gelding, Joel, completed the jump-off with one rail down in 41.267 seconds, putting her in the Silver medal position.
A jump-off for Bronze saw four competitors come back who ended the third round on an overall total of four faults.
The second rider in the jump-off, Sarah Davis (Union, Ky.) of Zone 5, and her own National Treasure, a Welsh Pony Cross mare, was the only pair to finish with zero faults and posted the fastest time of 41.827 seconds to clinch the Individual Bronze medal.
The evening concluded with Charles Smith (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) of Zone 4 being awarded the US Pony Jumper Style Award as the competitor that the judges believed to display the best jumping style of riding throughout the week.
Earlier in the day, Catherine Wilson (Hampton, N.J.) of Zone 2, riding Ponies Unlimited, LLC’s EZ to Spot, a 14-year-old Pony of the Americas gelding, came out on top in the farewell competition.
The US Pony Finals will conclude Sunday with the Marshall & Sterling/US Pony Medal Finals on Sunday at 7:00 a.m. ET in Alltech Arena. The USEF Network will live stream the coveted championship, courtesy of the USHJA Foundation.
For live scoring, results, schedule, and competitor and hospitality information, go to www.usefconnect.com.
Augusta Iwasaki and Bit of Laughter (Shawn McMillen Photography)
Woodlands Stevie Ray Collects Medium Regular Hunter Pony Champion Honors
Lexington, Ky. – The US Hunter Pony Championships presented by Sallee Horse Vans came to a close on Saturday at the Kentucky Horse Park. Medium Regular Hunter Ponies went to task in the Walnut Arena in their Over Fences phase to determine the 2015 Champion. Alexa Aureliano and Woodlands Stevie Ray emerged victorious on Saturday afternoon, but it was Thursday’s champion, Bit of Laughter, that proved unbeatable as he was named the 2015 Grand Champion Hunter Pony.
National titles are determined in the hunter championship following three phases of competition, with Model and Under Saddle phases each counting towards 25% of the overall score, and the remaining 50% being determined by the Over Fences phase.
Augusta Iwasaki (Calabasas, Calif.) and Chris Iwasaki, Elizabeth Reilly, and her own Bit of Laughter, earned an impressive score of 1033.29 to win the Small Regular Hunter Pony Championship on Thursday. As the highest scoring Regular Hunter pony, she and the 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding claimed the Grand Champion Hunter Pony title. This marked Iwasaki’s second Grand Champion title after winning Grand Champion Green Hunter Pony honors with Kingston on Saturday.
Taylor St. Jacques (Glen Allen, Va.) and Glynhafan Red Kestral, Peacock Ridge LLC’s 10-year-old Half Welsh gelding, received a score of the 1025.39 to claim top honors in the Large Regular Hunter Pony Championship, thus earning them the Reserve Grand Champion Hunter Pony title.
Medium Regular Hunter Pony Championship
Aureliano (Old Brookville, N.Y.) and Hannah Bernstein’s Woodlands Stevie Ray scored the National title with an overall score of 1000.34. After earning 238.32 in the Model phase and 255.78 in the Under Saddle phase, she and the 11-year-old Welsh Pony Cross gelding climbed from 10th place to the top of the leaderboard with a score of 253.12 in the Over Fences phase.
Alexa Aureliano and Woodlands Stevie Ray (Shawn McMillen Photography)
“It feels amazing,” Aureliano said of winning the Championship, her first title in the four years she has been attending the US Pony Finals. After fine tuning their partnership through the summer, the pair peaked at the right time. Commenting on today’s course, Aureliano explained that “it was really, really fun. It’s really nice and smooth; it’s just right out of stride.”
The Reserve Champion title went to Devin Seek (Ocala, Fla.) and Heaven’s Sake with an overall score of 992.07. She and Bibby Hill’s 12-year-old Warmblood gelding received scores of 252.48 and 253.19 in the Model and Under Saddle phases, respectively. The pair’s Over Fences phase garnered a score of 243.20 on Saturday.
Mia Wayne (Clarkston, Mich.) and her own Oliver Twist finished third in the Medium Regular Hunter Pony Championship with an overall score of 987.95. On Friday, she and the eight-year-old German Riding Pony gelding scored 241.89 in the Model phase and 235.54 in the Under Saddle phase. The pair climbed an impressive 50 places on the strength of their Over Fences performance, which scored 255.26 and earned them first place in the phase. The pair also claimed the Champion Owner/Rider title for the division.
The Best Turned Out Pony in the Medium Regular section was Vermont Ruby Fox, ridden by Jenna Drago. The Best Presented Model Pony was awarded to Woodlands Love Story, ridden by Brittany Bardwell.
The US Pony Finals will conclude Sunday with the Marshall & Sterling/US Pony Medal Finals on Sunday at 7:00 a.m. ET in Alltech Arena. The USEF Network will live stream the coveted championship, courtesy of the USHJA Foundation.
For live scoring, results, schedule, and competitor and hospitality information, go to www.usefconnect.com.
CORRECTION: Augusta Iwasaki and Kingston had an overall score of 1046.80 in Friday’s Large Green Hunter Pony Championship. Iwasaki and Small Suggestion had an overall score of 1017.79 in the Medium Green Hunter Pony Championship.
Team Gold medalists from Zone 4 (Shawn McMillen Photography)
Lexington, Ky. – The Team Championship of the US National Pony Jumper Championships took place Friday evening in the Alltech Arena as teams competed in the two-round Nations Cup format. Following the first round, the top teams came back to jump the same Marc Donovan-designed course in round two, with a total of 31 combinations jumping for individual classification. Zone 4 won the Team Championship for fifth time since the championship became part of the US Pony Finals in 2001. The team, comprised of Charles Smith and Venice, Chloe Farnham and Cookies & Cream, Hallie Rush and Sky Miles, and Anna Reising and Blue Me Away, finished with a total of 20 faults to claim the Team Gold medal.
The first round for Zone 4 began with Smith (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) and Wendy Arndt’s seven-year-old Welsh Pony Cross mare having an eight-fault round with rails at 8B and nine, followed by an unfortunate elimination for Farnham (Atlanta, Ga.) and Wendy Ritter Peralta’s 13-year-old Paint mare. Rush (Eads, Tenn.) and her own 16-year-old Connemara mare laid down the team’s first clear round. Reising (Fort Mill, S.C.) and Carolina Country Acres 11-year-old Welsh/Warmblood Cross gelding tallied 12 faults, totaling 20 faults for the team’s first round.
The team came back strong in round two, starting off with Smith and Venice have a clear round. Farnham and Cookies & Cream came back from their first round to have a masterful clear. Rush and Sky Miles knocked a rail at six for four faults, followed by Reising and Blue Me Away finishing with a fault-free round. Zone 4 jumped to the top of the leaderboard by adding nothing to their round one score to earn the Gold medal.
“What a big opportunity to do this and have an awesome team to go through this with, and it’s just really amazing,” Rush said.
Reising added, “It’s a team thing so it’s even harder because all four of us have to put in the ride instead of just one, so that makes it a lot more special.”
The team had high praise for the Zone 4 Chef d’Equipe Katie Maxwell, who provided them with guidance and encouragement throughout the week. She returned the praise, saying, “Every single one of them participated equally to this championship and I watch them grow as riders from each round. It was just phenomenal to watch them learn, explore the process, and achieve what they did.”
A jump-off was required to determine the Silver medal with both the Zone 9/10 and Zone 2 teams finishing on 28 faults. Zone 2’s Claire Zone and Proven Theory went first, having an unlucky rail at fence five, while Stephanie Don and Joel from the Zone 9/10 jumped clear to clinch the Team Silver medal for teammates Kayla Long and Khall Me Luna and Rachel Long and Payette. The Bronze medal went to the Zone 2 team consisting of Melinda Hartman and Happy Feet, Jones and Proven Theory, Cameron Tague and My Sundae Best, and Catherine Wilson and Ez to Spot.
Only two combinations, Don and Joel from the Zone 9/10 and Elizabeth McDougald and Knock My Sox Off from Zone 7/8, were double-clear in the Team Championship and they go forward to Saturday’s Individual Final tied for the top spot with zero faults.
Competition continues tomorrow with the Individual Final at 6:30 p.m. ET. The USEF Network will live stream the Individual Final, courtesy of the USHJA Foundation.
For live scoring, results, schedule, and competitor and hospitality information, go to www.usefconnect.com.
Emma Kurtz and Truly Yours (Shawn McMillen Photography)
Lexington, Ky. – Another day of competition at the US Hunter Pony Championship presented by Sallee Horse Vans saw two more championship titles decided on Friday. Emma Kurtz and Truly Yours collected Medium Green Hunter Pony honors, while Augusta Iwasaki and Kingston were named the Large Green Hunter Pony Champions. Both championship divisions completed the Over Fences phase on Friday, earning the final 50% for their overall score, after receiving 25% from both the Model and Under Saddle phases on Thursday. Following the completion of the Green Pony divisions, Kingston was named Overall Green Hunter Pony Grand Champion, while Truly Yours was the Reserve Grand Champion.
Medium Green Hunter Pony Championship
Kurtz (Hudson, Ohio) and Truly Yours, an eight-year-old Welsh Pony mare owned by Dr. Betsee Parker, were in third place heading into the final phase after earning 249.20 in the Model phase and 253.20 in the Under Saddle phase. A strong performance in the Over Fences phase gave the pair a score of 263.00 to finish the phase in first place and propelled them to the Medium Green Hunter Pony Champion title with an overall score of 1028.40.
“It was a nice course because it was set in-stride,” Kurtz, a US Pony Finals veteran, said of the Over Fences course. “She peeked down a little bit at the one jump, but the rest was perfect. She was so brave.”
Dr. Parker was extremely complimentary of Kurtz. “It’s a pleasure to support youth like Emma,” she said. “Emma tries so hard; she rides all the time. She rides many horses and is a very serious student.”
Augusta Iwasaki (Calabasas, Calif.) rode Small Suggestion to Reserve Champion honors with an overall score of 1046.80. She and the seven-year-old gelding of unknown breeding owned by Iwasaki and Elizabeth Reilly scored 247.27, 248.52, and 261.00 in the Model, Under Saddle, and Over Fences phases, respectively, to come in second in the championship division. The pair also added the Champion Owner/Rider title to their accolades.
The third-place ribbon in the Medium Green Hunter Pony Championship went to Samantha Palermo (Merritt Island, Fla.) and Vienna. She and her own eight-year-Welsh Pony mare received 236.60 in the Model phase, 260.46 in the Under Saddle phase, and 258.50 in the Over Fences phase for a final total of 1014.06.
The Best Turned Out Pony in the Medium Green section was Serafina’s Millenium, ridden by Hana Bieling. The Best Presented Model Pony was awarded to Two for the Bunny, ridden by Alexis Bauman.
Large Green Hunter Pony Championship
Iwasaki rode Ava Peck’s Kingston to top honors in the Large Green Hunter Pony Championship, finishing on a score of 992.77. She and the 12-year-old German Riding Pony gelding garnered scores of 251.65 in the Model phase and 261.67 in the Under Saddle phase on Thursday. The pair sealed the deal Friday evening by earning 266.74 in the Over Fences phase, winning the title by an impressive margin of over 34 points. To top off their performance, Kingston was also named Overall Green Hunter Pony Grand Champion.
“I’m very excited and very lucky to get to ride him,” Iwasaki said. “He is always very sweet; he’s just perfect always; he never takes a foot out of line.”
Ellia Giuliani (Middleburg, Va.) and Brighton Decidedly received the Reserve Champion Large Green Hunter Pony title with a score of 1012.45. She and Kelly Tellier’s seven-year-old Welsh/Thoroughbred gelding had scores of 237.30, 250.03, and 262.56 in the Model, Under Saddle, and Over Fences phases, respectively.
Emma Seving (Newtown Square, Pa.) and her own Captivating came in third in the Large Green Hunter Pony Championship with an overall score of 998.96. Seving and the seven-year-old Welsh Pony Cross gelding scored 248.70, 250.00, and 250.13 in the Model, Under Saddle, and Over Fences phases, respectively. The pair also claimed the Champion Owner/Rider title for the division.
The Best Turned Out Pony in the Large Green section was O’Henry, ridden by Darian Topolski. The Best Presented Model Pony was awarded to Miss Penny Lane, ridden by Sydney Flashman.
Vanessa Mazzoli and Find the Love (Shawn McMillen Photography)
Medium Regular Hunter Pony Championship
After two phases of competition, Vanessa Mazzoli and Find the Love have taken the lead in the Medium Regular Hunter Pony Championship. Mazzoli (Rockford, Mich.) and her own 11-year-old German Riding Pony gelding captured first place with a score of 257.88 in the Model phase and 254.91 in the Under Saddle Phase for a total of 512.79. Claire Campbell (Cochranville, Pa.) and Madeline Schaefer’s Leon, a nine-year-old Welsh Pony gelding, sit in second with a total of 505.91, while Devin Seek (Ocala, Fla.) and Heaven’s Sake, a 12-year-old Warmblood gelding owned by Bibby Hill, are in third with 505.67.
The US Hunter Pony Championships presented by Sallee Horse Vans continue Saturday with ponies in the Medium Regular Hunter Pony Championship completing their Over Fences phase to determine who will receive the National title.
The USEF Network presented by SmartPak will live stream competition from the Walnut and Alltech Arenas, courtesy of the USHJA Foundation. Tune in to the USEF Network for a complete schedule.
For live scoring, results, schedule, and competitor and hospitality information, go to www.usefconnect.com.
Taylor St. Jacques, winner of the 2014 Marshall & Sterling/US Pony Medal Finals (Shawn McMillen Photography)
Lexington, Ky. – A week of competition at the 2014 US Pony Finals came to a close Sunday with the most coveted award of the championship. The Marshall & Sterling/US Pony Medal Finals took place in the Alltech Arena with 159 riders vying for top honors in front of judges Karen Healey and Stacia Madden. After riding Finders-Keepers to the Regular Medium Hunter Pony Championship title the day before, Taylor St. Jacques earned a Championship title of her own on Sunday.
In round one the riders were tested over a demanding course designed by Richard Jeffery and Bobby Murphy, including a bending line, a line where riders had to trot and pick up the counter lead between fences and a two-stride combination. Twenty riders were called back for round two over a more difficult track to test their equitation skills. Fences taken at the hand gallop and trot as well as a one-stride in and out were part of round two course. After round two, four riders, two from the Small section and two from the Medium section, returned to the ring to be tested on the flat. St. Jacques, Alexandra Pielet, Ericka Koscinski, and Camryn Halley entered the Alltech Arena to determine the top placings of the Marshall & Sterling/US Pony Medal Finals.
In the test, riders were first asked to show walk, posting trot, sitting trot, and canter before reversing direction. Without their stirrups, the field of four then demonstrated canter, posting trot, and a halt followed by four steps of reinback to complete the test on the flat.
In her second appearance in the Pony Medal championship, 15-year-old St. Jacques (Glen Allen, Va.) displayed her proficient equitation to be named the winner and receive the Gold medal in the 2014 Marshall & Sterling/US Pony Medal Finals.
“I’m really happy and excited,” St, Jacques said. “This is my second year doing the Pony Medal Finals and it means a lot to me.”
St. Jacques noted that riding without stirrups frequently helped her in the final test. She also expressed thanks to Lily Ezrow, who lent her Happy Feet to be her mount in the Finals, and her trainers Bill Schaub and Molly Sewell for their guidance.
“We really emphasize keeping the basics strong and working on exercises and it all makes everything kind of fit together,” Schaub explained of coaching St. Jacques, his first rider to win the Gold medal. “Pony Finals isn’t really something you can practice for. You have got to learn all your skills so when you are thrown out there you can do whatever task they ask of you.”
Though she felt confident throughout the competition, St. Jacques admits that she does get nervous. Even though she had the added pressure of being at the top of the judges’ leaderboard heading into round two, St. Jacques tried to not overthink things and keep it all in perspective.
“There are a few minutes of when I get really nervous because it is just like kind of a lot going on at once, but then after I realize it is just another trip at another show then I’m like ‘Okay, I’m fine,'” St. Jacques explained.
Thirteen-year-old Pielet (Highland Park, Ill.) came in second place, improving from her sixth-place finish in 2013, to receive the Silver medal. Earlier in the week, she also showed her adept riding abilities, riding Love and Logic to the win in the Large Regular Pony Hunter Under Saddle phase. The Bronze medal went to 15-year-old Koscinski (Center Morchies, N.Y.), who finished sixth in the Medium Regular Pony Hunter Championship with Dream Girl on Saturday. Twelve-year-old Halley (Oviedo, Fla.), the youngest rider in the final field of four, earned fourth place.
The following riders rounded out the top 10 placings:
Fifth – Annalise Reed
Sixth – Vanessa Mazzoli
Seventh – Sophia Calamari
Eighth – Chloe White
Ninth – Devin Seek
10th – Bianca Jenkins
On-demand video highlights as well as competition recaps are available at www.usefnetwork.com.
Genevieve Munson and Bluebelle (Shawn McMillen Photography)
Lexington, Ky. – The 2014 US National Pony Jumper Championship, held as part of the US Pony Finals, came to an exciting conclusion on Saturday night with Individual titles up for grabs. Nineteen competitors came back to jump a fourth round over Richard Jeffery’s challenging course, with combinations producing their best performances of the week. A single rail separated the top 6 riders heading into Saturday’s final round.
Cecily Coors and Genevieve Munson entered the Alltech Arena on Saturday tied with zero faults coming forward into the final phase of competition. Munson (Rogers, Ark.) riding the 14-year-old mare, Bluebelle, owned by Carlie Beisel put the pressure on as she produced a beautiful clear round making easy work of the track. This effort would earn her the Gold medal as the only rider to finish with zero faults after the fourth round of competition.
“I knew I just had to go in and trust her; we have a good relationship and she is such a good jumper, I can’t even tell you how happy I am tonight,” 10-year-old Munson noted. In preparing for the evenings Individual final she had confidence in the mare and stated, “I was pretty nervous and just tried to focus on riding like I’ve been practicing. I know she won’t stop at one of the jumps; she just loves it.” The Gold medal was the second for Munson this week as she was part of the winning United States Pony Club Team Championship effort last night.
Coors (Denver, Colo.) riding KC Sports LLC’s Thoroughbred/Welsh Cross gelding Monstarz Superfly was the final competitor to tackle the 13-jump course. Finishing with zero jumping faults, wide turns left her in the Silver medal position as she gained three-time faults towards her final score.
Although she wished that she had ridden a little bit quicker, Coors said, “I just wanted to do the best I could for my pony. It really is a team effort. It was really fun and the course designer did a great job making lots of questions that ended up being a big part of how you finished in the end.” Reflecting on her entire week at the US Pony Finals, she said, “It all was an amazing experience; I have had such a fun time.”
A jump-off for Bronze saw two competitors come back who ended the fourth round on an overall total of four faults.
As the first rider in the jump off, Carson Ruff (Maple Park, Ill.) knew that if she could leave all the rails in the cups and post a competitive time with Jet Pilot owned by Sarah Ruff, she would have a shot at the final medal. The pair did just that, jumping faultlessly and stopping the timers at 37.792 seconds to clinch the Individual Bronze medal.
Catalina Peralta (Geneva, Fla.) riding Cookies & Cream owned by Wendy Ritter Peralta finished with four faults in the jump-off with a time of 40.587 to earn fourth-place honors.
The evening concluded with Julianna Empie (Chester Springs, Pa.) being awarded the US Pony Jumper Style Award as the competitor that the judges believed to display the best jumping style of riding throughout the week.
Earlier in the day, Charlie Orona (Manhattan, Kan.), riding Fox Creek’s Curious George, owned by Diana Orona, came out on top in the farewell competition.
To follow all the action from the US National Pony Jumper Championship and the 2014 US Pony Finals, visit http://usefconnect.com/ponyfinals/.
Chef D’Equipe Richard Lamb and riders (l to r) Lizzy Simonian, Genevieve Muson, Magdalene Mann, and Julianna Empie (Shawn McMillen Photography)
Lexington, Ky. – Team Championship in the US National Pony Jumper Championship was at stake Friday evening as teams competed in the two-round Nations Cup format. Following the first round, the top teams came back to jump the same course in round two, with a total of 36 combinations jumping for individual classification.
The team from the U.S. Pony Club proved unbeatable as they cruised to the 2014 Team Championship on a score of eight faults. The team comprised of pairs from all over the United States, including Julianna Empie (Chester Springs, Pa.) and Northwind’s Opus, Magdalene Mann (Buzzards Bay, Mass.) and Diego, Genevieve Munson (Rogers, Ark.) and Bluebelle, and Lizzy Simonian (Humble, Texas) and Blues Traveler.
In the first round of the evening, Munson finished with a clear round, while Empie and Simonian each had four faults, and Mann finished with 21. Empie, Munson, and Simonian all went clear in round two, while Mann was unfortunately eliminated. Ten-year-old Munson was one of just four riders to finish the night double clear.
Munson felt there were a few basic keys to overcoming the course that proved very challenging for many riders.
“You just have to take it one jump at a time,” Munson said. “For me it’s just sit back, look up, and know your horse.”
U.S. Pony Club Chef d’Equipe Richard Lamb believes his team did have one small advantage over the others.
“The main difference, I think, for all of them is I’ve worked with all of them before, except Maggie, and three of them were able to come last week,” Lamb said. “They showed at the horse show here and that’s what really set us up for this week. A lot of times I don’t see the kids until this week, so they come on Monday and we school a little bit, but I thought we were better prepared.”
Simonian added that her team had another advantage Lamb didn’t mention.
“I want to say a big thank you to Richard,” Simonian noted. “He has been the best coach I could have ever imagined. I think he’s the only coach that has managed my anxiety so well. It’s only for showing; I just turn into this big stress monster. He helps everyone; I don’t think we’d do as well without him. I’m so happy that we have him.”
A total of four combinations jumped double clear on Thursday night, including the U.S. Pony Club’s Munson and Bluebell, along with Zone 8’s Cecily Coors (Denver, Colo.) and Monstarz Superfly, Zone 1’s Hannah Robbins (Chester, N.H.) and As it Fits, and Zone 5’s Carson Ruff (Maple Park, Ill.) with Jet Pilot.
In Individual standings, Coors and Munson lead on a three-round total of zero faults.
The Individual Champion for the 2014 US National Pony Jumper Championship will be crowned following the conclusion of Saturday’s Individual Final.
To follow all the action from the US National Pony Jumper Championship and the 2014 US Pony Finals, visit http://usefconnect.com/ponyfinals/.
Natalie Jayne and Blueberry Hill (Shawn McMillen Photography)
Lexington, Ky. – The third day of the US Hunter Pony Championships presented by Sallee Horse Vans at the 2014 US Pony Finals came to a conclusion Thursday evening with Natalie Jayne and Blueberry Hill claiming top honors in the Small Regular Hunter Pony Championship. In 2013, Blueberry Hill collected a fourth-place finish but this year the mare climbed three placings to earn the 2014 National Title on a score of 1007.92.
National titles are determined in the hunter championship following three phases of competition, with Model and Under Saddle phases each counting towards 25% of the overall score, and the remaining 50% being determined by the Over Fences phase.
Jayne (Elgin, Ill.) and her own 13-year-old Welsh Cross mare entered the final Over Fences phase in 15th place, after scoring 233.35 in the Model phase and 250.05 in the Under Saddle, but climbed the ranks on the strength of their final performance. The pair was the winners of Over Fences after earning a score of 262.26 that sent them straight to the top of the overall standings.
Jayne credits the pony’s temperament and naturally open stride in her Over Fences and Overall win.
“She has a huge stride, and she’s pretty easy to find the jumps on. She’s not spooky either.”
Earning Reserve Champion honors on Thursday was Madeline Schaefer (Westminster, Md.) and Pretty Penny Farm’s 10-year-old Welsh Pony gelding, Armani, with an overall score of 988.34. In the Model, the pair earned 251.00, added a further 256.56 in the Under Saddle phase, and garnered 240.39 in the Over Fences portion of competition.
Sophie Gochman (New York, N.Y.) and David Gochman’s 10-year-old Welsh Pony mare, Love Me Tender, finished on a score of 981.58 after earning 244.50, 267.00, and 235.04 in the Model, Under Saddle and Over Fences, respectively, to earn third-place honors.
The US Hunter Pony Championships presented by Sallee Horse Vans continue Friday with champions crowned in the Medium Green Hunter Pony Championship and the Large Green Hunter Pony Championship.
