Lexington, KY—The 2007 USEF Pony Finals National Championships will be held at the Kentucky Horse Park from August 15-19, 2007. The five-day format, which was begun in 2006, will continue in 2007. The championships include the USEF National Pony Jumper Championship Individual, the USEF National Pony Jumper Championship Team, USEF Pony Medal Final, USEF National Green Hunter Pony Championships, and the USEF National Hunter Pony Championships.

Today, the USEF Pony Finals National Championships is the most prestigious and celebrated event of its kind in the United States, and attendees will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2007 at the renowned Kentucky Horse Park. The championship event hosts more than 300 riders and their talented ponies, as well as interested spectators and families.

In 1967, the Pony Finals was created as a national event, open to all members who met the qualifying criteria. The current criteria for the hunter championships demand that a USEF-recorded pony win a championship or reserve championship in a “AA”-rated Regular Hunter Pony section, a championship in an “A”-rated Regular Hunter Pony section, or a championship or reserve championship in an “A”- or “AA”-rated Green Hunter Pony section. The USEF National Hunter Pony Championships are three-phase competitions judging the pony’s conformation, way of moving under saddle and jumping ability.

Since 1984, the Finals have included the popular Pony Medal Finals. To qualify for this championship, a rider must accumulate 30 points in a USEF Pony Medal qualifying class. The Pony Medal Final, tests young riders in head-to-head competition, judging both their equitation and their ability to compete over a technical course of fences.

In 2001, the USEF Pony Finals added the USEF National Pony Jumper Championships. Ponies and riders qualify by their placement as one of the top four pony/rider combinations in their zone standings.

Sponsorship opportunities are available. Contact Scott Carling, Assistant Executive Director of Marketing, at (859) 225-6928 or e-mail [email protected].

For further information on the event, contact Marion Maybank, Director of Hunter Disciplines, at (859) 225-2033 or via e-mail at [email protected]; or Jennifer Haydon, Director of Show Jumping, National Programs, at (859) 225-6911 or via e-mail at [email protected].

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