Lexington, Ky.—August 12

Just down the driveway from the pony hunter ring at U.S. Pony Finals there is another world of pony sport taking place: pony jumpers. No slow winding tracks over brush filled fences here—you can hear the pitter-pat of small pony hooves flying across the footing, their jocks calling out series of ‘whoahs’ and clucks, and the jumps are wider and taller than most of the ponies.

Friday marked the pony jumper team competition day, and over a challenging track that posed many problems to riders, the team from Zone 5/6 emerged victorious. Maya Lovdal riding Miracles Happen, Isiah Wiseman riding Midnight Heart, Anna Spitzer riding Silver Charm and Natalie Hinz riding Rumor Has It captured the gold medals on their final score of 20 faults in the Nations Cup style two-round jumper class.

“This isn’t even real,” Lovdal, 17, said with a grin, shaking her head at the celebratory scene she has found herself in. Her pony decked out in a navy blue and red piped championship cooler, parents and friends snapping pictures, press agents holding recorders to catch her quotes.

Maya Lovdal takes a victory lap around the Alltech Arena aboard Miracles Happen. Photo by Ann Glavan.

It is in this ring of striped rails and high speeds that Lovdal’s pony, Miracles Happen, thrives. Miracles Happen measures as a medium, unusual for a pony jumper where height can be a significant advantage, but this is the ring for him no doubt.

“We tried to make him a hunter and it just didn’t work. Epic fail,” Lovdall laughed. “He wanted to go fast, so we figured out this was maybe what he wanted to do. We tried one year, and it wasn’t quite right yet, so we waited another year and took him again and he was fantastic.”

Maya Lovdal and Miracles Happen. Photo by Ann Glavan.

2016 marks Lovdal’s third year competing in the pony jumpers at U.S. Pony Finals (she’s been to the finals five times total including her appearances in the hunter ring). She has complete faith in Miracles Happen’s ability to skip over the large jumper fences despite his height thanks to his attitude—his pony-tude, if you will.

“He’s cocky and he knows his job; he knows what he’s going to do,” Lovdal said. “So the only thing we sometimes have a problem with is the oxers, because he is so little he really has to stretch over them, but normally he gets it done.”

Isaiah Wiseman and Midnight Heart. Photo by Ann Glavan.

Lovdal and Miracles Happen were the highest placing pair on their Zone team 5/6, dropping one rail in the first round before delivering a clear go the second time out. This is good news for Lovdal as she heads into the final round of individual competition on Saturday, where riders carry forward their faults from the opening speed round and the team competition.

While Lovdal’s pony turned heads with his diminutive size and snappy knees, teammate Isaiah Wiseman’s ride caught your attention with his unusual ring entrance style. Wiseman’s pony Midnight Heart is all kinds of feisty and has to be backed into the ring by two helpers before throwing Wiseman aboard, and when his attendees let go of the pony’s bridle, he pops up and down like a little bouncey ball before bounding out on course.

Isaiah Wiseman sits chilly aboard Midnight Heart while the pony revs up for their round. Photo by Ann Glavan.

“I’ve had him for three years, and he was just really hard to figure out as you can tell,” Wiseman, 16, said with a chuckle. “At home he’s actually really calm, he’s like the perfect pony. My little brother has been riding him all summer for me, so I’ve only had three weeks to work with him before this.”

Wiseman has been spending his summer as a working student at Derek Braun’s Split Rock Farm (Ky.).

“I was hoping I could get him tuned up in time for this; it went alright,” Wiseman said. He and Midnight Heart had an four-fault effort in the first round followed by an eight-fault second effort.

Lexington is now home to two different champion horses by the name Silver Charm—while the 1998 Kentucky Derby champion Thoroughbred lives out his retirement down the road from the Kentucky Horse Park, Anna Spitzer’s pony is still very much in the game. Spitzer rode Silver Charm to a clear first round and pulled just one rail in the second round for a four-fault finish.

Anna Spitzer and Silver Charm. Photo by Ann Glavan.

Spitzer trains with event rider Melissa Schielein out of Rosefield Farm Sport Horses (Brimfield, Ill.), and said her dressage lessons with Schielein have helped turn Silver Charm into the winning pony he is today. 2016 was Spitzer’s very first time going to pony finals, and she was thrilled to come away with a championship.

“I was super nervous, the first day especially, but [Silver Charm] loves the [Alltech] Arena,” Spitzer said. “He’s been so good and so willing, so I haven’t been near as nervous. It just makes it so fun.”

Natalie Hinz and Rumor Has It. Photo by Ann Glavan.

After a tie for second in the team comeptition, a jump off was used to determine the winners of the silver and bronze medals. The silver medal went to the riders from team from Zone 4/9: Isabella Durnell, Rachel Long, Kayla Long and Nadia Rosenbaum. 

The bronze medal went to the team from Zone 1: Riley Kram, Sydney Berube, Elize Albertini and Bobby Bolger. 

The medal winning pony jumper teams take the podium in the Alltech Arena. Photo by Ann Glavan.

See full results of the class here.

Stay tuned to www.coth.com for all the news from U.S. Pony Finals. Read all about Baylee McKeever who has some big fans watch from Rio, Riley Hogan who made her way to Kentucky via the hunt field and the division winners.