Veteran competitor Kaitlin Campbell, 14, guided Rachel Degabrielle’s Rockette to a clutch over fences victory in the medium pony hunters to earn the division’s championship as well as grand pony hunter honors at the Wild Horsefeathers/USEF Pony Hunter Finals, held at Lexington’s Kentucky Horse Park, Aug. 9-13.

Rockette, a 13.2-hand, 7-year-old bay mare, earned scores of straight 85s from judges Ralph Caristo, Robert Crandall and Julie Winkel to move from fourth place overall after the model, in which she took second, and the under saddle, where she didn’t ribbon.

Rockette, a Welsh-Thoroughbred (JLA Sir William–Windair) was bred in Maryland by Jeanne Gelber and Eileen Listrani. She showed on the line under the name of Highlands Little Nell.

Campbell, Upper Black Eddy, Pa., combined her show ring savvy with jumper instincts to approach the course.

“There were a lot of bending lines, so it was really off your eye. There weren’t that many set distances–only about two lines were set,” she explained. “I do the jumpers a lot, so I’m used to doing what I see.”

Topping the enormous division of more than 120 competitors with 1,002 points was an even bigger accomplishment than it appeared, considering this was the first week that Campbell had ridden the mare.

Degabrielle, 13, Palm City, Fla., had chosen to ride her more experienced medium pony, Touch Of Silver, because it was the girl’s first trip to Pony Finals, and Rockette had only competed there the year before. Her decision to ask Campbell to take over the reins worked out well for everyone, as she also put forth a great maiden showing, ranking 11th with “Silvey” at the division’s end.

“Kaitlin rode some other ponies for our farm, and she’s a really awesome rider,” said Degabrielle.

“I really like doing catch rides, especially when they end up like this,” said Campbell. “She was really good in there. She didn’t look at anything or spook at anything. I’m used to my green ones that I have now, so she was pretty easy.”

Campbell also showcased her special touch with the “green ones” earlier in the week, earning the large green pony hunter championship with Patty Miller’s Dawned On Me after winning that division’s over fences class as well. Reserve by a mere 1.5 points was Samantha Schaefer with Robin Greenwood and Grand Central Inc.’s Emerson.

Staying On Top
Schaefer Raposa and Super Trooper, also owned by Greenwood, were right on Campbell’s heels for the grand pony hunter championship with an even 1,000 points amassed on the way to the small pony hunter championship. Raposa, Wellington, Fla., was last year’s reserve grand champion, as well, with Orlando.

The 12-year-old kept her cool going into Sunday’s over fences class, although all eyes were on her as she went last in the order thanks to a first place in the model and second under saddle from the day before. A red ribbon and scores of 83, 83 and 83.5 kept her comfortably ahead of reserve champion, Strike A Pose and Ande Farish.

“I went in a little nervous, but after the first jump, I knew he was going to be good,” she said. “I thought the course was a little tough, starting out with a bending line, but it actually worked out really well for him. He likes his left lead and there were three lines off the left.”

Despite their fine performance, Raposa, Wellington, Fla., admitted that she misses the second trip in the all-or-nothing, one-over-fences-class format at Pony Finals. “You have to have it all,” she said. “You can’t go in there again and fix what you did wrong.

Raposa, who trains with Patricia Griffith of Heritage Farm, first got the opportunity to ride the 8-year-old, 12.2-hand Welsh gelding this past May at Old Salem (N.Y.).

“He was sent to Sam Schaefer, and then she got really tall, so he went back to Robin and I ended up showing him,” she said. “He has a really big stride and jumps really well from any distance. He tries really hard and doesn’t want to let you down.”

“Trooper” (Lechlade Quince–Culross First Love) was bred by Dorothy Cope in England. Greenwood purchased him soon after he was imported by Ashmont Farm as a 6-year-old.

“I like the English ponies a lot, but they’re not typically bred to jump in the American style. Most English ponies that can jump are jumpers, not hunter types,” said Greenwood, who has since bought a 2-year-old full sister to Trooper. “Quince’s offspring tend to be good jumpers and can jump out of stride.”

The gelding hadn’t yet been tried over fences when Greenwood got him, but he was a quick study, despite a few minor setbacks, including a back injury that forced some time off. Pony Finals was only his 11th show this year, but he’s still managed to qualify for the fall indoor shows.

Greenwood, North Salem, N.Y., wasn’t able to see Trooper and Emerson perform in person, but she stayed on top of things with online updates.

“I called Mrs. Cope as soon as I could–I think it was 10 or 11 at night her time–and she was so excited,” she said.

Thanking Greenwood, Griffith and her parents for their help and support, Raposa seemed most pleased with the win on Trooper’s behalf. “I haven’t shown him that much and he just started back showing re-cently, so it was a really good experience for him to go out there in that big field and do so well,” she said.

Jennifer Waxman, 15, was also faced with the coveted, yet pressure-laden, honor of leading the overall standings going into the final day with Paulexi LLC’s large pony Cherrybrook Blue Suede Shoes. Having already amassed two second places in the division, the duo had the last ride of this year’s Pony Finals, finishing the class around 7 p.m.

Despite the problems some riders had with the course throughout the day, she was confident going into the ring. “I’ve had a lot of experience, and he’s a really nice pony to ride. He knows he’s the best,” she said. “It’s nice going in knowing that he’s going to be good. Then it’s just up to you, although that can put a lot of pressure on you to ride well.”

Waxman, who trains with Ken and Emily Smith of Ashland Farms, handled that pressure like a pro, producing their third second place of the weekend to secure the championship. The Pony Finals title builds upon an already impressive history for the duo, having earned the grand pony hunter championship at last year’s Capital Challenge (Md.).

Since the Johnson family purchased “Elvis” from Alexandra Thornton, the 14.2-hand, 10-year-old Welsh-Thoroughbred has been shown by Paulena Johnson until younger sister, Lexi, starts doing the three-foot. Not able to attend Pony Finals this year, Paulena, who also rides with Ashland, asked an appreciative Waxman to take over again. She was thrilled to hear news of the win, which arrived right on time for her 14th birthday that day.

Another Smith trainee, Paige Bellissimo, 14, took home the medium green pony hunter title with Godiva, topping reserve True Blue and Taylor Ann Adams by only 3 points.

Like Father, Like Daughter
Having just sold her two top small hunter ponies, Cardiff Mardi Gras and Helicon Take Notice, Reed Kessler, 12, found herself without a ride at Pony Finals despite her fantastic year, which featured a one-two lock on the small pony hunter division at Devon (Pa.).

Although she nor-mally trains with Heritage, a couple of weeks before everyone was set to hit the road for Kentucky, family friend and Quiet Hill trainer Christina Schlusemeyer said she might have a green pony for Kessler to ride. Owned by Betsy Borns and trained by Rosey Reed, Claim To Fame, a 12.1-hand, 6-year-old Welsh mare, arrived at the Horse Park a totally unknown entity to Kessler, of Bedford Corners, N.Y.

“I’d never seen her, never heard of her before,” she said. “I did her in the model and then got on her for the flat and thought, ‘This feels familiar.’ We asked Rosey and Betsy who she was by, and they said, ‘Some pony named Mardi Gras.’ “

Kessler realized she had serendipitously found herself on a pony sired by the beloved pony she had just parted with a month before. She discovered Claim To Fame was bred at Summit View Farms in Colorado, where Mardi Gras stood before starting his career as a pony hunter.

“I had never won an over fences class here before, and this might be my last Pony Finals,” she said. “Finding out she was Mardi’s daughter gave me a huge boost of confidence going in. I thought, ‘If this is Mardi’s baby, I can definitely win.’ “

And win they did. Earning the blue ribbon in the class also secured the division cham-pionship, which later resulted in the grand green pony hunter championship.

“They’d been giving out some low scores, and when I came out of the ring, I turned around to see what I’d gotten, and Christina told me, ‘No score could change how good you were,’ ” recalled Kessler. “That was the best thing I’ve ever had a trainer say to me.”

Needless to say, she received top scores.

Kessler’s preparation in the ticketed warm-up no doubt helped with her and “Denim’s” round. “The course was tough. As is usual there, they start with a rollback to the first jump. That typically freaks a lot of people out–even experienced riders have problems with it,” she said. “We practiced some rollbacks in the warm-up.”

Kessler expressed her deep gratitude to everyone involved with giving her such a special, albeit somewhat unintended, opportunity. Having sold her ponies, she’s now turning her attention to her new horse, Bacardi, a 5-year-old Dutch Warmblood she’s planning to start showing in the children’s hunters at Fairfield (Conn.).

Although she misses her ponies, she’s excited about her new mount. “I love him. He’s perfect,” she said. “It’s tough letting all of them go. They live at home with us. It’s not like some people who might visit their pony a few times a week. It’s like your sister leaving for college!

“I’m just so grateful to Christina, Betsy and Rosey Reed for giving me the opportunity to ride Denim, this fabulous pony. There’s no trick to her,” said Kessler, who thought she’s for sale. “Whoever gets her is a lucky, lucky person.”

Good Call For Schaefer Results In USEF Pony Medal Win
Samantha Schaefer, 13, and trainer Kim Stewart made a last-minute decision to use green pony Rockport for the USEF Pony Medal Finals, held Aug. 11 at the Kentucky Horse Park. The previous evening’s torrential rains and forecasted showers throughout the day had resulted in the class being moved indoors, and they wanted to give the 7-year-old German Riding Pony a little experience.

“This is his first year, and it’ll be his first time at indoors, so we decided to use him,” said Schaefer, of Westminster, Md. “I thought he’d be a little green, but he was good.”

Schaefer, who placed third in the finals once before, was called back third out of the 25 winnowed from the approximately 200 riders. The switch indoors didn’t seem welcomed by many of the ponies, and there were a surprising number of disobediences on Richard Jeffery’s course, particularly in the larges.

“The courses were testing but not impossible; they were definitely doable,” said Stewart, noting that Rockport isn’t the ideal equitation mount because he jumps hard. Schaefer also rode him to third place overall in the medium pony hunter division.

“You didn’t have to be brilliant to win because people were having so many problems,” said Schaefer. “The hardest thing for me is working on my position because I like to gallop and my leg slides back.”

After Round 1, which included a trot fence and a hand gallop to the final jump, Hannah Elizabeth Bedwell, riding Comedy Hour, was called back on top, but they had a rough second round and fell out of the running. Olivia Jack, 13, stood in second with the large blue roan pony, Junior Mint.

The second round started with a rollback, followed by a bending line to a two-stride combination, around to an oxer, across the ring to the in-and-out, a left to a bending seven stride to a six (ridden in the reverse direction as the first round), finishing with a rollback to a vertical.

With Schaefer and Jack both performing well, Judges Scott Hoffstetter and Frank Madden weren’t done with the girls yet, calling them back sans stirrups and martingales for a ride-off on the flat.

“I did not like the flat ride-off because I don’t really do the no-stirrups thing at all!” admitted Schaefer, laughing. “And he has a bouncy trot.”

Coming off of two reserve championships in the small and large green pony divisions with Diamonds N’ Rust and Emerson, respectively, Schaefer appreciated the huge victory. “One pony I’d never shown before and the other had been off for a while, so it was good,” she said. “This pony I know a lot better, but this was definitely harder!”

The Waterboy Makes A Big Hometown Splash
Hailing from nearby Versailles, Ky., Amber Siegelman and her 9-year-old Dutch Warmblood-Welsh were clearly the local favorites in the jumper competition at Wild Horsefeathers/USEF Pony Finals, held Aug. 9-13 at the Kentucky Horse Park.

Siegelman didn’t disappoint her hooting, hollering fans, as she and the gelding produced the only perfect performance of the three-phase Adequan/USEF Pony Jumper National Championships to take home the title. She didn’t merely keep the rails up, though; she did it with style and grace, earning the USEF pony jumper style award and the Buttons & Bows sportsmanship trophy in the process.

Thirteen ponies entered the third round of competition Saturday night with fault-free rounds, but the evening’s course, with fences raised to Level 3 for this first time, didn’t allow many to remain unscathed. Only five riders were able to negotiate Richard Jeffery’s test without error, and all of them were members of the original clean 13 and progressed to the second round.

Marshall Shear, 13, Aspen, Colo., went first and lowered the first fence but pushed through the rest of the course, negotiating a tight inside turn to the second-last fence, the old No. 6, to finish in 36.99 seconds. Two ponies later, Salsa and Claudia Billups had a clean start with conservative turns, but a somewhat awkward inside turn to Fence 6 resulted in a rail in 40.90 seconds.

As last to go, with no clear rounds ahead of her, Siegelman, who placed third in last year’s individual competition thanks to a rail at the last fence of the jump-off, wasn’t taking anything for granted. She rode smart and fast, taking advantage of The Waterboy’s speed in between fences and making tight turns.

Siegelman, 15, was the only one in the jump-off to take an outside track to 4C, a vertical along the rail set at maximum height, but she made up for that caution with a hairpin turn afterward to Fence 6, eliciting a strong reaction from the crowd. “I didn’t want to go inside to that big vertical because he’s so fussy in the bridle,” she explained. “I wanted to go inside to [6]. I got deep in and was trying to balance him, and I could hear everyone clucking. My dad gets carried away sometimes!”

To the spectators’ delight, Siegelman, whose dad is the mayor of Versailles, and the 14.1-hand pony galloped across the finish line with a perfect round in 36.80 seconds, fast enough to win even if she had dropped a rail.

“Although she went last, she couldn’t really be conservative because she could have had a rail at the end,” said trainer Elaine Schott of River Mountain Farm.

“This is especially exciting for me to see this happen for someone who works as hard as she works. Day in, day out, 365 days a year, she never sleeps in–she’s probably one of the hardest working kids here,” said Schott, who employs Siegelman as a working student. “To see her take a pony she brought along herself and win here… words cannot describe how good it feels.”

The Waterboy basically showed up at River Mountain Farm one day with nary a phone call, after Robin Lawrence had mentioned that she had a pony they might like. “It really was a match made in heaven. We like to say that he’s a freak show and so is Amber!” said Schott, laughing.

Siegelman thanked sponsor Adequan and the Kentucky Horse Park, noting that she shows there “almost every weekend.” Her competitive efforts are now starting to shift toward the junior jumpers, so The Waterboy is for sale.

“He’s taught me so much,” she said. “He has the best personality. He’s always ready to go–he’s wild, but he loves his job so much.”

The pair also helped earned the team bronze medal the night before as part of the Zone 5 team. They placed behind the Zone 3 silver medalists and the Zone 10 competitors, who traveled from California to earn the gold.

Zone 10’s victory in the Adequan/USEF team championship was an exercise in perfection, as they started the competition at an extreme disadvantage with only three members and, therefore, no drop score. Rising to the challenge, the team, composed of Pony Finals first timers, was the only one to finish with 0 faults.

Those half-dozen bagels were posted by: Jocelyn Neff, 13, of Newport Beach, Calif., with Cinnamon Twist, 13, a Welsh cross mare; MacKenzie Rosman, 16, of Saugus, Calif., on Mentos Junior, 14, a warmblood pony gelding; and Madeline Burkhartsmeier, 13, of Camarillo, Calif., on Hocus Pocus, 13, an Arabian-Appaloosa cross.

Stacey Reap