Lexington, Ky.—Aug. 7
Logan Baras didn’t have much time to get to know This Time before they led the small pony victory gallop at USEF Pony Finals. In fact, the 11-year-old rider first sat on This Time on the Monday of Pony Finals week.
Baras, who rides with Michael DelFiandra, Vanessa Roman and the Grafton Ridge team, had been planning on showing a different pony in Ali Sweetnam’s barn. But when a final school didn’t go to plan, Baras’ friend Eliza St. George stepped up to lend Baras “Knox.”
Baras, Greenwich, Connecticut, and the 12-year-old Welsh Pony (Boston Bonaparte—Rondo’s Celine) headed into the over fences portion of the competition (which counts for 50% of the total score) ranked 19th.
“That definitely took some of the pressure off, because you could just go in there and really have fun,” said Baras, 11.
“[Coming to the last line] I was really excited and just thinking about not messing up the last jump,” she added.
She nailed that last jump to win the over fences class and the division title over Spring Fling, owned by her sister Finley Baras and ridden by Annie Cooper.
“I think this is my fifth year at Pony Finals, and it’s always so fun seeing all my friends and just showing here,” said Logan.
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Knox has only been in Sweetnam’s stable a short time, but she and fellow Sweet Oak trainer Danny Arendt were thrilled that he went so well.
“He was such a good boy out there,” said Sweetnam. “So he really made us proud, and he’s been nothing but perfect, honestly, for us since we’ve had him. So it’s been great. We were hoping this could happen, and now we’re really happy that it did.
“[Logan] said she’s been second three times over the jumps and reserve champion once,” Sweetnam added. “She’s so happy, she is finally champion. It was unexpected, and so she’s super happy. She’s lucky. Her parents are so supportive.”
Logan has been riding with the Grafton Ridge squad for two years, and she makes it to the barn three days a week to practice.
“She’s a good student,” said DelFiandra. “She tries hard and she wants this so much. She’s the type where when you say ‘Logan, you’ve got to drop your stirrups every day,’ she’s like, ‘OK’ and she does it. She cares about this a lot.”
Find full results here.
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