Lexington, Ky. – Thursday at the 2024 USEF Pony Finals presented by Marshall & Sterling brought another full day of pony hunter excellence and the exciting first round for pony jumpers along with the ever-popular Pony Finals golf cart parade.
Kickapoo Ponies/USEF Small Regular Pony Hunter National Championship
The small greens had their turn over jumps today, navigating a course that challenged the riders’ skill over a challenging course in the Rolex Stadium. After finishing in third place in the over fences, Lillian Thomas (Bellevue, Wash.) and Maureen Mooney’s 2014 Welsh Pony gelding Sun’s Up (Laithehill Oberon x Moelgardnned Rhiannon) took over the top spot to win the Kickapoo Ponies/USEF Small Regular Pony Hunter National Championship. Lillian made the trip to Kentucky from the West Coast with her mom/trainer, Nora Thomas.
“I was pretty nervous. I just wanted to have a good round,” said Lillian. “It was perfect. He was quiet in the schooling ring and had really good energy in the show ring.”
Lillian has been riding “Milo” for about a year, and describes him as “really sweet.” Maureen Mooney’s daughter, Calista Kingston, also shows him in the short stirrup, and Lillian keeps him tuned up in the small pony hunter classes.
“He’s so kind,” said Nora, explaining how Milo can go from short stirrup to the rated hunters and be successful at both. “He’s got a very kind heart. He’s just a really sweet guy.”
Carsyn Korotkin (Wellington, Fla.) won the over fences and earned the overall reserve champion title riding Lily Epstein’s 2014 Welsh Pony gelding, Pepsi (Goldhills Master Bronze x Silvandra’s Classy Chassis). Sienna Rossano (Fishers, Ind.) earned the third-place finish riding Sir Lukas (Stougjeshoeveeagle Eye x Bakkegaardens Natasja), a 2008 Welsh Pony gelding owned by Cumberland Acres.
USEF Medium Green Pony National Championship
The medium greens started off the day with their model and under saddle classes in the Rolex stadium. Sylvie Ruby currently holds the lead with her own 2016 Welsh Pony gelding, Puppy Love (Cadlanvalley Imperial x Chaseford Chantilly) thanks to their impressive second place in the model and eighth place in the under saddle out of 88 entries.
Samantha Smith (Montvale, N.J.) and Glenmore Rum (Glenmore Sneakers x Glenmore Chardonnay Pearl), a 2016 cross bred pony owned by Jana and Patrick Rodes, currently stand in second place position, and Sienna Rossano (Fishers, Ind.) and As It Was (Valerio x Korien), a 2013 Welsh Pony gelding owned by Cumberland Acres, hold third.
USEF Large Green Pony National Championship
A class of 68 large green ponies also had their 2024 Pony Finals competition debut on Thursday. Grace Stenbeck-Werner (North Salem, N.Y.) and Gentle Touch (Get Up x Westermoor Onella), a 2015 German Riding Pony owned by Rivers Edge and leased by Swede Ventures LLC, had a banner day with wins in the model and under saddle to take the top spot on the leaderboard headed into tomorrow’s over fences.
Currie Cooper (Point Clar, Ala.) and Victory, a 2015 German Riding Pony owned by Triple C Equestrian, LLC, moved into reserve position in the standings after a fifth-place finish in the model and second in the under saddle. Faith Schuttemeyer (Boynton Beach, Fla.) and Blue Tide (Toto x Toskana), a 2017 German Riding Pony owned by First Blue LLC, currently stand in third after placing second in the model and fourth under saddle.
USEF Pony Jumper National Championship
Over in the Claiborne Ring, the USEF Pony Jumper National Championship got underway with 13 entries completing the jog on Thursday morning. For many of these athletes, the Pony Jumper National Championship is their first experience completing a horse inspection, and they received guidance on the process from USEF jumping youth Chef d'Equipe DiAnne Langer. All 13 entries returned for the Individual Phase I 1.05m Welcome Class in the afternoon.
Four combinations turned in clear rounds, and the fastest of those was Elina Liebert (Elizabeth, Colo.) with her own Diarado Des Cibaudes (Ulmar Mail x Gipsy D’Audes), a 2013 French Saddle Pony gelding. Emerson Molinelli (La Canada Flintridge, Calif.) and Easy Des Iris (Silverlea Baywatch x Taquine Des Iris), her own French Saddle Pony mare, finished their fault-free round just one second slower. Piper Kulkin (Montecito, Calif.) was close behind with Fritella Della Monica, her 2012 Irish Sport Horse mare.
The jumper championship continues on Friday with the Team Championship & Individual Phase II, a two-round modified nations cup format with a course set at 1.10 meters. The final individual phase will conclude on Saturday.
Thursday Special Events
The Dalman Jump Co. Kid Grand Prix saw dozens of young athletes take on a challenging jumper course on foot. The challenging course of specially designed jumps sized for humans instead of horses was set up behind the Rolex Stadium and drew a crowd of enthusiastic participants and supporters. In the end, it was Rylen Swartley (Barto, Pa.) taking home the grand prize—the Dalman jump of her choice from the Kid Grand Prix. Swartley is also competing her large pony, Sahara, this week at Pony Finals.
Thursday closed out with the famous Pony Finals golf cart parade, where teams of barn friends and families exercise their creativity and ingenuity to create some truly impressive golf-cart parade floats. This year’s extravaganza filled the Rolex Stadium with themes ranging from fast food (Dunkin Donuts and KFC) to Pixar films (Inside Out and Toy Story) to aliens, pirates, and beyond.
Finalists were selected by the judging panel of Javan Dalman from Dalman Jump Co., Bonnie Ford from MARS Equestrian, and the Kentucky Horse Shows team. From those selections, the three winning entries were chosen by crowd applause to win prizes from YETI and Kentucky Horse Shows. The winning themes were:
First Place: Ice Cream Social
Second Place: Winnybago
Third Place: Taylor Swift Eras Tour
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.
For the most up-to-date information on the 2024 USEF Pony Finals presented by Marshall & Sterling, bookmark the Pony Finals page on USEF.org and Pony Finals on Facebook. Follow US Equestrian on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.