SAUGERTIES, NY (August 8, 2012) – The inaugural HITS Children’s Hunter Pony Final at HITS-on-the-Hudson was a resounding success and great addition to the thriving summer series. Lena Rae Reeb of Weston, Connecticut and Leslie Kogos’ large pony Patriot were crowned the overall champions of the two-day spectacular.
Reeb showed as part of a tremendous performance by riders and ponies of all sizes to earn this impressive victory. On Saturday, Reeb and Patriot received the seventh-place ribbon in the Model Phase and the twelfth-place ribbon in the Under-Saddle Phase. Then on Sunday, their blue ribbon in the Over Fences sky-rocketed them to the Championship of the Large section and the Overall Championship of the Final.
The Children’s Hunter Pony Final was designed to give children’s pony riders an unprecedented opportunity to compete, prepare and gain experience in a true Pony Finals platform. The two-day, three-phase event included a Model and Under Saddle phase on Saturday, with the scores counting 20% and 30% towards the overall respectively. The second day featured an Over Fences phase with scores counting 50% of the overall score. A panel of three judges was selected to determine the ribbons amongst a pool of over 60 talented pony-rider combinations.