USEF National Pony Jumper Individual Championship

With Tricia Booker on location

No one could match Krome and Kevin Ferguson in the USEF National Pony Jumper Individual Championship, Friday Aug. 6, at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, Va. The pair performed the only double-clear of the evening (0-0/31.92) to take the gold over silver medallist Stephanie Fialco riding Hot Fudge (0-4/33.44) and bronze medallist Jennifer Waxman aboard her Just Have Fun (0-4/34.13). Tonight’s pony jumper class, the phase III individual final competition, had 34 starters take course designer Anthony D’Ambrosio’s level-3 challenge, with fences set at 3’6″. Three competitors finished with perfect scores over the three rounds–the phase I welcome class, the phase II team competition and phase III–to qualify for the jump-off.

Fialco, 17, Old Lyme, Conn., went first and had a rail at 11B, the second-to-last fence on course but with a speedy ride.

Ferguson, 13, of Jupiter, Fla., went next looking for a fast clear. He took every inside turn in the eight-effort jump-off, and his turns were so efficient that his right leg rubbed the standard as he turned down the final line. He took over the lead with a ride that was exactly to plan.

Waxman, 12, Chagrin Falls, Ohio, began the jump-off with a strong pace, but a rail at the third fence, a liverpool oxer, left her to gallop the remaining fences for the silver. She fell just short, however, and earned the bronze. But Waxman’s talent was evident over the course of the competition–she’d earned the team gold medal for Zone 5 the previous evening–and she was presented the jumper rider style award.

“It was a blast,” said Ferguson, who also rode on the silver-medal Zone 4 team. “The whole team experience was just great, and you don’t experience that at many other shows or classes.”

Ferguson rode Krome, an 11-year-old Colombian-bred gelding, and the pair is trained by Alan Korotkin.

Zone 5 (Liseter Fun N Stuff/Alison Terry, Country Girl/Taylor McMurtry, Super Sonic/Lina Kavaliunas, Just Have Fun/Waxman) took the team championship last night over Zone 4 (Indigo/Juliana Fischer, Longacre Lavender/Caroline Woods, Krome/Ferguson, Tishomingo/Ann Marie Tucker) and the U.S. Pony Club team (He Likes It/Emily Smith, Prince Charming/Alexa Bessette, Exhilaration/Wilhelmina Horzepa, Indiana Jones/Kristi Edwards).

In today’s regular pony hunter sections, the model and the under saddle classes were contested with 89 large ponies, 90 medium ponies and 62 small ponies on the start list. Judges Kim Dorfman, Camden, S.C., Joe Darby, Southern Pines, N.C., and Scott Fitton, Ithaca, N.Y., spent about eight hours scoring the ponies.

In the large section, American Dreams and Waxman lead the way with 536 points. American Dreams, a flashy chestnut, placed second in both the model and under saddle. Just 3 points behind are Sunlight and Kaitlin Campbell, Doylestown, Pa., with 533 points. Campbell, who won the grand green pony championship on Wednesday with Absolut Snap, took the win with Sunlight in the model. Cherrybrook Blue Suede Shoes and Vanessa Mavec stand third with 532 points after winning the under saddle phase.

In the medium section, Woodland’s Love N’ Happiness leads the way with yesterday’s Pony Medal champion Victoria Birdsall of Topsfield, Mass. They won the model and have 539 points going into tomorrow’s over fences phase. All About Me and Heather Hooker, Wellington, Fla., are second with 531 points, the same score as Make My Day and Ande Farish of Versailles, Ky.

The two “Dream” ponies lead the way in the small section. After winning the model, Dreamworks and Mackenzie Baird of Cincinnati, Ohio, hold the overall lead with 549.25 points over Dreamboy and Devon Walther with 541.5 points. Dreamboy was last year’s grand green pony champion with Alex Arute. This year Walther, who turned 10 yesterday, guided him to second in the under saddle and third in the model. Just A Minute and Chelsey Zulia, Cincinnati, Ohio, are third overall with 540 points after placing second in the model.

The over fences phase will take place tomorrow, and the overall champions will be awarded.