A Last-Minute Partnership Gets Baras Pony Finals Blue

PUBLISHED

August 7, 2025
8:56 pm

WORDS BY

Mollie Bailey

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.”

Despite only pairing up a few days before the competition, Logan Baras piloted This Time to the small pony hunter championship for Eliza St. George. Mollie Bailey Photos

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 19^th.

“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.

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.

A first place ribbon over fences boosted This Time and Logan Baras to the small pony hunter championship.

“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.”

Spring Fling and Annie Cooper stayed consistent all week to earn the small pony hunter reserve title.

A red ribbon over fences helped Lucca Rossano and Reidell Day Dream skyrocket up the standings to third.

Glitterati and Lacey Power claimed overall fourth in the small pony hunter division.

Eliza St. George and Dream Big jumped to overall fifth in the small pony hunter division.

Find full results here.

Want more USEF Pony Finals? Get all the Chronicle’s coverage here. Make sure you’re following along with the Chronicle on Facebook and Instagram @chronofhorse. You can get more Pony Finals in the September issue of the Chronicle.