It’s not often that you’ll find ponies in the main stadium at the Tryon International Equestrian Center, in Mill Spring, North Carolina, but on July 10 there was a pony invasion as 36 pairs turned out for the $10,000 USHJA Pony Derby.
At the end of two rounds, Evana Somareddy and Goldrush, a 13-year-old Welsh Pony cross, emerged victorious with a score of 170. Elle Boyd locked up the rest of the top 3 with Sugarbrook Pink-N-Blue and Baby Blue.
“I kind of was just going around saying, ‘OK! We’re doing this! First line is done. I love this!’ ” Somareddy said. “And before I knew it, it was at the end, and we were jumping through the two-stride! And I was just like, ‘Good boy!’ ”
Somareddy walked in the ring with a mix of jitters and confidence.
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“I was kind of nervous because I’ve never shown in a big stadium before,” she said. “But ‘Monty’ just came in for me, and he was amazing. Also, I just want to give my thanks to Schuler Dayner for helping me prep Monty and making him perfect. It was really so much fun! I couldn’t have done it better.”
Watch Somareddy’s winning rounds, courtesy of TIEC:
Classic Round
Handy Round
