Kameron Berry has never been afraid of a little hard work.

“He is at the barn all the time,” said trainer Kathy Slack of Bee Cave Riding Center in Austin, Texas. “He’s the most agreeable young person. There’s never a pouty moment. It’s always a ‘yes’ or a ‘yes ma’am.’ If I say, ‘Can you please catch ponies?’ he’s literally running up the hill.”   

That can-do attitude helped impress the team evaluating applicants for the USHJA Gochman Grant for USEF Pony Finals, who selected Berry, 13, as well as Regan Capone and Drue Fellona for the grant. The grant is awarded to three different pony riders each year, allowing them to compete at USEF Pony Finals, which begin Tuesday at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.

Berry’s enthusiasm for the sport preceded his time in the saddle. Before he began riding in 2020, Berry, of Lakeway, Texas, would often go to the barn with his best friend, whose older sister was taking lessons at the time. He was always curious about the horses and would do whatever it took to learn more about them. He made a deal with his mother: If she ever met Slack, the barn owner and trainer, then he could have one single lesson. 

When the day finally came that Berry orchestrated a meeting between his mother and Slack, he was ecstatic. He could not wait to get his end of the deal: Berry had his first riding lesson the very next day. Seeing his undeniable passion for horses, Slack immediately offered a scholarship to then 10-year-old Berry’s family, allowing him to continue riding as a working student.

“His enthusiasm, his passion, his absolute politeness and gratitude, it just shined in that one lesson,” Slack said.

From that day on, Berry has spent countless hours at the barn and has not wavered in his passion and willingness to work. Berry rides about four of Slack’s horses a day, and in exchange for riding time, he grooms and cares for the horses and also helps other students at the barn get their horses ready for lessons. Berry said he likes any chore in the barn that allows him to “be around [the horses] longer.”

“I’ve learned that a lot of work is what you need to be able to do in this sport,” he said. “You have to be OK that you’re going to have to work. Not everything’s just going to be handed to you. You need to know how to do the stuff around the barn if you want to have a future in horses.”

Berry now rides one of Slack’s homebred ponies named Slackberry Bedrock. They competed at the 2023 Las Vegas National Horse Show for the Marshall & Sterling/USHJA National Championships, where they earned the reserve championship in the 0.70-meter affiliate children’s jumper division. That show produced his favorite horse show memory: the victory gallop after receiving his tricolor.

Slack calls the pair “inseparably talented.” Much of Berry’s success, she said, comes from the fact that he is “all about the pony or horse,” always putting his equine partner first.

“He developed, and each step of the way then, not only did his riding commitment stay strong, but he got it. He knew that if he was going to continue on in his dream, that he would have to step up and show that his intention was to be helpful,” Slack said. “His skills, they advanced so fast, more than I’ve ever seen.”

Berry will soon find out the pony and division he will ride in at this year’s USEF Pony Finals. As he and his trainer continue to practice flat work and hunter courses at home, he feels confident and prepared going into Pony Finals.

“This opportunity means so much to me for so many reasons,” he said. “Every time I go back home or tell people that I am a show jumper, they look shocked. Only about 0.5% of registered equestrians are African American. I am grateful that I get to be one of the few. So many people have told me that ‘Black people don’t ride.’ I am excited to show that we do ride, and we are good at it. We just haven’t been exposed to this sport in our communities.”

Berry’s riding goals include competing in the big equitation finals one day, ride on an equestrian team during college, where he plans to study veterinary medicine specializing in horses, and possibly become a grand prix show jumper.

Berry got the call announcing he’d received the Gochman Grant shortly after submitting his application, which consisted of details about his riding experiences, complete with videos; a personal essay; and three letters of recommendation.

“I was very excited, because I have always wanted to go to Pony Finals, but I’ve never had a hunter pony to do it with,” he said. “When I got the call, I was through the roof.”

At the end of the day, Berry is grateful for any chance he gets to enter the show ring.

“I love jumpers, but I also love hunters and equitation,” he said. “It’s honestly just whatever horse I go in the ring on, I’m happy to be in the class.”

USEF Pony Finals takes place Aug. 6-11 and will be livestreamed on USEF Network.