Lexington, Ky. - The first day of the 2016 US Pony Finals presented by Collecting Gaits Farm kicked off with the Model and Under Saddle phases of the Large Regular Hunter Pony and the Small Green Hunter Pony competition. Mimi Gochman and Storyteller hold the lead in the Large Regular Hunter Pony Championship, and Caroline Passarelli and So Enchanted sit in first in the Small Green Hunter Pony Championship.

National titles are determined in the US Hunter Pony Championship presented by Sallee Horse Vans following three phases of competition, with Model and Under Saddle phases each counting towards 25% of the overall score, and the remaining 50% being determined by the Over Fences phase. The Over Fences phase for the Large Regular and Small Green sections will be held Wednesday, with the champions being crowned.

Gochman (Wellington, Fla.) and Fair Play Farm’s Storyteller, a 13-year-old German Sport Pony gelding, earned scores of 259.76 and 262.04 in the Model and Under Saddle phases, respectively. The pair completed Tuesday’s competition with an overall total of 521.80 to take the lead in the Large Regular Hunter Pony Championship. Devin Seek (Ocala, Fla.) and Ashley Vail Aycox’s eight-year-old Dutch Riding Pony gelding, Garavani, are in second with an overall score of 509.85. Dakota Champey (Far Hills, N.J.) and MDHT Equestrian, LLC’s Tantallon Co-Captain, a 13-year-old Half Welsh gelding, are in third place with an overall total of 506.90.

In the Small Green Hunter Pony competition, Passarelli (High Falls, N.Y.) and Jessica and Michaila Catherine Yarr Zandri’s 8-year-old Welsh Pony Cross mare, So Enchanted, captured the early lead with a score of 260.13 in the Model phase and 258.33 in the Under Saddle Phase. The pair finished the day with an overall total of 518.46. Lauren Reid (Nazareth, Pa.) and Ramble On Farm’s Starstone, an eight-year-old Welsh Pony mare, sit in second with a total of 497.67, while Luke Jensen (Denton, Texas) and Mustachio, a 10-year-old Welsh gelding owned by Bill Schaub, are in third with 492.59.

The live stream on the USEF Network is presented by the USHJA Foundation and will cover all of the competition from the Walnut and Alltech Arenas. Check out the USEF Network for a complete schedule.

For live scoring, results, schedule, and competitor and hospitality information go to www.usefconnect.com/ponyfinals.

Find out more information about the US Pony Finals presented by Collecting Gaits Farm at www.ponyfinals.org.