Where speed is the name of the game, and model points don't matter. The pony jumper team competition wrapped up yesterday evening and Zone 4 emerged victorious.
Welcome to the land of teeny tiny shadbellies on teeny tiny riders with teeny tiny ponies! Who are these adorable riders? We caught up with four Pony Finals competitors enjoying their first trip to Pony Finals.
Madison Gentry is taking riding an “American-bred” pony to the next level—she’s competing a 6-year-old Mustang, Mr. Popper, in the large green division at U.S. Equestrian Federation Pony Finals.
"Heels down, eyes up" was the mantra of Taylor St. Jacques as she headed into the Pony Medal Final on the last day of the U.S. Equestrian Federation Pony Finals, held Aug. 4-10. She concentrated on the basics and was rewarded with a victory, which she celebrated with her friend, second-placed Alexandra Pielet. The two were beside themselves with excitement as they celebrated each other's success.
When Genevieve Munson learned that the youngest person to have won the U.S. Pony Jumper Individual Championship was 12 years old, she took that as a personal challenge to set a new record. And the 10-year-old followed through on that goal with the blue roan mare Bluebelle at the U.S. Equestrian Federation Pony Finals, Aug. 4-10, competition.
As the last class and biggest class of the hunter divisions at the U.S. Equestrian Federation Pony Finals began on Saturday, the skies opened up and riders were straining to find their distances through the driving rain. But less-than-ideal weather couldn’t stop popular catch-rider Taylor St. Jacques from putting in a smooth, consistent round atop Finders-Keepers to claim the top spot in the medium pony championships.
