A National Pony Rider Dressage Championship is planned for the Collecting Gaits Farm/U.S. Equestrian Federation Festival of Champions in 2011. The plan still needs approval from the USEF Board of Directors according to Dressage-News.com.

Lendon Gray has long been a champion of youth and pony dressage events. She herself showed a pony, Seldom Seen, to Grand Prix levels.  She created the Youth Dressage Festival and the East Coast Dressage Pony Cup. She hopes including the dressage pony finals at the Festival of Champions will promote growth of the industry.

To promote next year’s pony championship, publicity and demonstration rides will be featured at this year’s Festival of Champions in Gladstone, N.J., in August.