Lexington, Ky. – The first national champions have been crowned at the 2024 USEF Pony Finals presented by Marshall & Sterling. The Medium Regular and Small Green sections concluded their championships with Wednesday’s over fences rounds, and the Small Regular section got started with model and under saddle phases.
Pony Tail Bows/USEF Medium Regular Pony Hunter National Championship
The Pony Tail Bows/USEF Medium Regular Pony Hunters wrapped up on Wednesday with more than 130 entries contesting the over fences phase. Sienna Rossano (Fishers, Ind.) and High Tops (*Telynau Royal Anthem x Claire), a 2009 Half Welsh Pony gelding owned by Cumberland Acres, had the top round, propelling them from sixth place overnight to overall champion.
Rossano has been riding “Cosmo” for two years and says it has taken some time for their partnership to reach the level of success they have reached. The athletic pony has impressive gaits, which Rossano says can make him feel “like a pogo stick sometimes” when he gets himself too collected. Back at the barn, “he likes to eat people.”
Even with his outwardly challenging characteristics, Cosmo has proven himself to be a show-ring superstar thanks to Rossano’s skilled riding under the direction of her trainers, Stephen Long and Cara Cheska.
“Stephen and I have figured out his exact program,” said Cheska. “Every jump has to be calculated, every single turn has to be calculated, every ride has to be calculated, and then you can go and win at Pony Finals. He is definitely the fanciest, but it takes a lot from everyone involved. Sienna has to put the jumps together perfectly, and she does a great job with that.”
Rossano is a veteran Pony Finals competitor now in her fourth year at the show.
“At my first Pony Finals, I got third overall on both my ponies. My favorite part of Pony Finals is riding in the Rolex Stadium. My other favorite thing is the golf cart parade,” she said, adding that her barn has a Taylor Swift Eras Tour-themed golf cart planned for Thursday evening’s big event.
Rossano’s victory with her superstar pony is a milestone that happened to take place the day before their two-year anniversary as a partnership. It was at the 2022 Pony Finals that Cosmo came into her life.
Overnight leaders Currie Cooper (Point Clear, Ala.) and Paris Charm (Halifax x Telynau Dawn Chorus), added an excellent over fences round to their model and under saddle scores, placing second in the over fences and reserve champion overall for their section. Cooper and the 2008 Welsh Pony mare owned by JJ Torano have been a partnership for about a year under the direction of trainer Richard Cunkle.
Cooper said that she wasn’t nervous for her ride today, despite the pressure of coming in at the top of the class. Now in her fourth Pony Finals, she said that her trainer’s last piece of advice to her before she entered the ring with “Paris” was to “have fun.” It was advice she successfully employed.
“My favorite part of Pony Finals is seeing all my friends and having fun,” she said.
“Paris is pretty easy to ride,” Cooper said. “Sometimes she takes a lot of leg. Sometimes you have to remind her to keep going when she’s quiet.”
In the ring, Paris is a total professional who rarely puts a foot out of place. In the barn, she can be a bit of a diva. But that part of Cooper and Paris’s partnership has improved over their year together.
“You can hug her now,” said Cunkle. “You couldn’t hug her before!”
“I got a photo last week of me hugging her, and she lets me pet her while I’m on her now,” Cooper added.
Emi Richard (Middlefield, Conn.) and Play Date (Holyoake Czar x Goldengrove Petals), a 2015 Welsh Pony cross gelding owned by El Manto LLC, finished the large and competitive division in third place.
USEF Small Green Pony Hunter National Championship
A beautiful performance in the over fences phase secured Lilly Herzog and Boca’s Entourage the top spot in a field of 56 combinations in the USEF Small Green Pony Hunter National Championship. Herzog (Pepper Pike, Ohio) and the 2016 Welsh cross gelding (EMC Entourage x Raquel) owned by Ponies and Palms Show Stables earned a score of 510.70 in the over fences along with scores of 246.21 in the model phase and 269.85 in the under saddle phase. Their overall score of 1026.76 clinched Boca’s Entourage’s first Pony Finals title.
“It's a fun feeling – definitely an unmatched emotion,” expressed Herzog after her win. “I was pretty nervous today, but I knew that my team behind me has him and me so well prepared that there really was nothing to worry about. I was thinking about how great of an experience it is for him, and that even though it may be my last time showing him, he's going to come back here and have another great experience.”
Danielle Menker trains Boca’s Entourage for the Butzer Family, who own Ponies and Palms Show Stables in Boca Raton, FL. Herzog, who rides with Amanda Lyerly, began showing the talented pony in December during the Winter Equestrian Festival, before reconnecting with him during the Kentucky Horse Shows for this year’s championship. Menker chose Herzog to show the pony because of her calm demeanor and ability to bring out the best in all her mounts, and Herzog has enjoyed getting to know Boca’s Entourage.
“He likes a confident ride,” noted Herzog. “He's confident as it is, so he likes you to match his confidence.”
This marks Herzog's fourth year at Pony Finals, and she loves all that the week offers to competitors.
“I like the whole atmosphere,” she concluded. “It's a reconnection point for everyone all across the country. It's really fun to see some faces that I don't get to see throughout the entire year. Being in the Rolex is such a grand feeling too, it's unmatched to the rest of the shows.”
Reserve champion honors went to Chandler Wilks (Canton, Ga.) and Love Note (Mapleside Mr. Magic x Farnley), a 2014 Welsh Pony mare owned by Kristin Reid. Cisy Zhou (New York, N.Y.) rode Simply Blue (Blue Fox x Canadian Ridge), a 2014 Welsh Pony gelding, to a win in the over fences and third-place honors in the overall championship for owner Epic Equine LLC.
Kickapoo Ponies/USEF Small Regular Pony Hunter
The 121 entries in the Kickapoo Ponies/USEF Small Regular Pony Hunters got their first go in front of the judges on Wednesday with the model and under saddle phases starting off the day.
Camille Badler (St. Louis, Mo.) showed her own 2015 Welsh Pony gelding Royal Legacy (Cadlanvalley Rio x Telynau Royal Gala) to a first-place finish in the model. Reilly Robertson earned the second-place score with Clovermeade Heartthrob (Clovercrofts Hero of the Heart x Currituck Glory Be), a 2016 Welsh Pony cross mare owned by Robertson Family LLC. Caitlyn Calijan (St. Louis, Mo.) took the third-place ribbon with Lemoncello (Lemonshill Royal Flight x New Challenge Grace), Christina Tenhunfeld’s 2009 Welsh Pony gelding.
In the under saddle, Lilly Ward (Brewster, N.Y.) clinched the blue ribbon riding Celebration (Cadlan Valley Imperial x Bronheulog Sun Shimmer), a 2011 Welsh Pony gelding owned by her dad, McLain Ward. Brynn Garrett (Linden, N.C.) showed Molly Alderman’s Blue Monday, a 2006 Welsh cross gelding, to the second-place finish. Kenzie Smith (Shoreham, N.Y.) took third with Erin Stewart’s Confidentially, a 2015 Welsh Pony gelding.
Current Standings:
- Celebration and Lilly Ward
- Clovermeade Heartthrob and Reilly Robertson
- Confidentially and Kenzie Smith
Competition Information
Schedule and Results | USEF Pony Finals Event Page
2024 Pony Finals Livestream
This year’s Pony Finals will be streamed live on USEF Network brought to you by Marshall & Sterling. The livestream is available to all US Equestrian members, subscribers, and fans. Not a member? Sign up for a free fan account today and activate your ClipMyHorse.TV account. Learn more here.
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