Inaugural USHJA Young Hunter Pony Championships Highlight Pony Breeders and Up-and-Coming Ponies

 

Wilmington, Ohio—Oct. 1, 2018—In its inaugural year, the USHJA Young Hunter Pony Championships paid out $18,500 in prize money and crowned six overall winners across sections divided by age and height. Ponies from across nine states were represented at the Championships, which were held in Wilmington, Ohio, on September 30.

The Championships kicked off bright and early in the World Equestrian Center's Roberts Ring, which was beautifully decorated with courses designed by Brandon Saxton and Bobby Murphy, with the youngest and greenest competitors-ponies five years old and younger. A total of $18,500 was paid out to competitors in the Championships, and each Champion received a ribbon, cooler, picture frame and Essex Classics show shirt.

"We were very excited for these Championships, and we are very pleased with [how they turned out]," said Hetty Mackay-Smith Abeles, owner and operator of Farnley Farm, which sponsored the 4 & 5 Year Old sections. "[The Championship] really reaches out to new members because young ponies make young members, so this is really important not just to breeders but to everyone."

The $1,000 Farnley Farm/Marsh Run USHJA Young Hunter Pony 5 Years & Younger Under Saddle offered ponies a standalone under saddle in which to earn prize money and showcase their talent without having to participate in an over fences class. The dark bay 5-year-old Welsh stallion Monarch Bay (Markus/Perfect Choice), owned by Harmony Sporthorses, earned the top placing with Courtney Morton riding. Buzz Whiteyear (Glenmore Scotch Broom/Glenmore Paper Moon), a 3-year-old grey stallion, bred by Meg Miranda, owned by Training Wheels, LLC, and ridden by Signe Dixon, earned a second-placed finish.

Monarch Bay, owned by Harmony Sporthorses and ridden by Courtney Morton, earned first place in the 5 & Younger Under Saddle. Credit: Megan Lacy/USHJA

Buzz Whiteyear, owned by Training Wheels, LLC, and ridden by Signe Dixon, earned first place in the 5 & Younger Under Saddle. Credit: Megan Lacy/USHJA

 

After the standalone under saddle, 4 and 5 year olds that were ready to compete over fences at 2' stepped into the ring. After winning the model and two over fences and earning second in the under saddle, Vanessa Mazzoli and her own Crown Ridge Footloose (Downland Whimsical/Morton's Fairy Tales 'n Poems), bred by Crown Ridge, earned overall Champion in the Farnley Farm/Marsh Run USHJA Young Hunter Pony 4 & 5 Year Old 2' Championship. Dressed N Dapper (Rosmel's Dressed In Scarlet/Rosewalk Moxie), a bay 5-year-old gelding owned by Emily Elek-Burtard of Stonewall Farm, was ridden by Alexandra Miller to Reserve Champion.

 

Crown Ridge Footloose, owned and ridden by Vanessa Mazzoli, earned Champion in the 4-5 Year Old 2' Championship. Credit: Megan Lacy/USHJA

Dressed N Dapper, owned by Emily Elek-Burtard and ridden by Alexandra Miller, earned Reserve Champion in the 4-5 Year Old 2' Section. Credit: Megan Lacy/USHJA

 

As the fence heights moved up to 2'3", Mazzoli continued her winning ways, this time aboard Partly Cloudy (by Rollingwoods Rasin Ruckus) in the 4 & 5 Year Old 2'3" Championship. The pair won the Virginia Pony Breeders Association Model and over fences, as well as the Kickapoo Ponies Over Fences and finished second in the under saddle. Mazzoli was also awarded the Style Award, which included a Charles Owen helmet, a pair of Parlanti paddock boots, and an Essex Classics show shirt, at the conclusion of the Championships.

"I got [Crown Ridge Footloose] when he was three and he was just broke, so we brought him along," said Mazzoli, 17, of Rockford, Michigan, after her two wins. "He has quite a personality; even though he's the smallest one there, he rules the barn. He loves going in the field, and he's best friends with [Partly Cloudy]. I'm so proud of my ponies."

Just behind Mazzoli was Ryan Lindimore riding Jamie Mills' 4-year-old bay Welsh Pony Lapinwood Magic Show (Telynau Jaobite/Mapleside Demitasse), earning Reserve Champion in the 2'3" Championship.

 

Partly Cloudy, owned and ridden by Vanessa Mazzoli, earned Champion in the 4-5 Year Old 2'3" Championship. Credit: Megan Lacy/USHJA

Lapinwood Magic Show, owned by Jamie Mills and ridden by Ryan Lindimore, earned Reserve Champion in the 4-5 Year Old 2'3" Championship. Credit: Megan Lacy/USHJA

 

Devin Vega, 17, of Elkton, Maryland, added a USHJA Young Hunter Pony Championship title to her accolades in her final year competing as a Junior aboard Jessica Zandri's So Charming (Brookside Zig Zag/Champlain Dreamaker) in the USHJA Young Hunter Pony 6-7 Year Old 2' Championship. Their win was close with Stonewall Brightside (Land's End Adagio/Hillcrest's Silver Lining), a 6-year-old Welsh grey gelding, owned and bred by Emily Elek-Burtard of Stonewall Farm and ridden by Alexandra Miller, finishing just behind them.

"He's a good boy. I love him," said Vega of So Charming, a pony she rode for the first time the day prior on behalf of Zandri. "It's great [to win]! [The Championships are] a great idea. I like it a lot for the young ones to have their chance to do something like this."

 

So Charming, owned by Jessica Zandri and ridden by Devin Vega, earned Champion in the 6-7 Year Old 2' Championship. Credit: Megan Lacy/USHJA

Stonewall Brightside, owned by Emily Elek-Burtard and ridden by Alexandra Miller, earned Reserve Champion in the 6-7 Year Old 2' Championship. Credit: Megan Lacy/USHJA

 

As the jumps increased in size again for the age group, so did the level of effort from the ponies. In the USHJA Young Hunter Pony 6-7 Year Old 2'3" Championship, Hopscotch (Stockham Commander/Gigi), bred by Caroline Thomas, and owned and ridden by Amy Krebs, 9, of Franklin, Tennessee, took the top spot. Krebs went on to earn another Champion with Penten's Pixie (Kaviford Infinity/Allegra), a 6-year-old chestnut, Welsh mare owned by Mary Mielenz and bred by Mielenz and Kate Goldenberg, in the USHJA Young Hunter Pony 6-7 Year Old 2'6" Championship. Penten's Pixie's talent demonstrated at the Championships was recognized early on when she won the PA-Bred Weanling Futurity years prior.

"I've never really had something this great," said Krebs with a smile after her second win, holding both ponies. "I've won a couple of other things but never on two ponies like this."

 

Hopscotch, owned and ridden by Amy Krebs, earned Champion in the 6-7 Year Old 2'3" Championship. Credit: Megan Lacy/USHJA

Penten's Pixie, owned by Mary Mielenz and ridden by Amy Krebs, earned Champion in the 6-7 Year Old 2'6" Championship. Credit: Megan Lacy/USHJA

 

Sugarbrook Blue Sasafras (Blue Who/Theodora II), a 7-year-old grey Welsh cross bred by Sandy Holbrook, was ridden by owner Sarah Stary, 10, of Oswego, Illinois, to Reserve Champion in the 6-7 Year Old 2'3" Championship. Biscotti (Meadowbrook's Special Edition/All Dolled Up), a 7-year-old dark bay mare, bred by Lorraine Wilcox, and owned and ridden by Signe Dixon, 11, of Hailey, Idaho, earned the Reserve Champion title in the 6-7 Year Old 2'6" Championship.

 

Sugarbrook Blue Sasafras, owned and ridden by Sarah Stary, earned Reserve Champion in the 6-7 Year Old 2'3" Championship. Credit: Megan Lacy/USHJA

Biscotti, owned and ridden by Signe Dixon, earned Reserve Champion in the 6-7 Year Old 2'6" Championship. Credit: Megan Lacy/USHJA

 

John McQueen, of Calhoun, Louisiana, and Kelley Corrigan, of Lexington, Kentucky, adjudicated the Championships.

"[The Championships are] a great venue to be able to showcase some of our young ponies that aren't ready to go out and do the real deal, and they are too young to go too fast," said Alicia (Lisa) Kline, president of the Virginia Pony Breeders Association. "There was just nothing like this out there that we could present our ponies at other than maybe local association-type shows, which is fine, but this was a good opportunity to invest in and pursue."

The USHJA extends special thanks to the Roberts family, Brandon Saxton and the entire World Equestrian Center team for hosting the Championships. The USHJA thanks the following donors to the event: Farnley Farm/Marsh Run, Virginia Pony Breeders Association, Kickapoo Ponies, Leighton-Oare Foundation, Sally Cook/Qualen's Gangrels Farm, and Foxlore Farm/Hunter's Haven Farm. The USHJA also thanks official sponsors Charles Owen, CWD, Parlanti, Professional's Choice, and Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, as well as awards sponsor Essex Classics.

"The Championships were excellent; the facility is great. The jumps, the course, everything was wonderful and inviting, which is what you want for young ponies," said Oliver Brown, chair of the Young Hunter Pony Championship Task Force. "I was really pleased with [the quality of ponies]. We hope to see more entries in the future, and we've gotten really positive feedback from everyone here so I expect next year we will see many more."

Brown noted that next year the Task Force is planning to pair the USHJA Young Hunter Pony Championships with the Sallie B. Wheeler/USEF Hunter Breeding Championships at the Virginia Horse Center at the end of August.

For more information about the USHJA Young Hunter Pony Championship, visit ushja.org. View individual class results here.

 

$1,000 Farnley Farm/Marsh Run USHJA 5 Year Old and Younger Under Saddle

 

Placing	Pony	Owner	Owner City, State	Breeding	Rider
Champion	Monarch Bay	Harmony Sporthorses	Kiowa, Colo.	Markus/Perfect Choice	Courtney Morton
Reserve	Buzz Whiteyear	Training Wheels, LLC	Perrysburg, Ohio	Glenmore Scotch Broom/Glenmore Paper Moon	Signe Dixon

 

Harmony Sporthorses' Monarch Bay and Courtney Morton. Credit: Megan Lacy/USHJA

$3,500 Farnley Farm/Marsh Run USHJA Young Hunter Pony 4 & 5 Year Old 2' Championship

 

Placing	Pony	Owner	Owner City, State	Breeding	Rider
Champion	Crown Ridge Footloose	Vanessa Mazzoli	Rockford, Mich.	Downland Whimsical/Morton's Fairy Tales 'n Poems	Vanessa Mazzoli
Reserve	Dressed N Dapper	Emily Elek-Burtard	Ixonia, Wisc.	Rosmel's Dressed In Scarlet/Rosewalk Moxie	Alexandra Miller

 

Crown Ridge Footloose, owned and ridden by Vanessa Mazzoli. Credit: Christina Fox Photography

 

$3,500 USHJA Young Hunter Pony 4 & 5 Year Old 2'3" Championship

 

Placing	Pony	Owner	Owner City, State	Breeding	Rider
Champion	Partly Cloudy	Vanessa Mazzoli	Rockford, Mich.	Rollingwoods Rasin Ruckus	Vanessa Mazzoli
Reserve	Lapinwood Magic Show	Jamie Mills	Columbus, Ohio	Telynau Jaobite/Mapleside Demitasse	Ryan Lindimore

 

Partly Cloudy, owned and ridden by Vanessa Mazzoli. Credit: Christina Fox Photography

 

$3,500 USHJA Young Hunter Pony 6 & 7 Year Old 2' Championship

 

Placing	Pony	Owner	Owner City, State	Breeding	Rider
Champion	So Charming	Jessica Zandri	Rockford, Ill.	Brookside Zig Zag/ Champlain Dreamaker	Devin Vega
Reserve	Stonewall Brightside	Emily Elek-Burtard	Ixonia, Wisc.	Land's End Adagio/Hillcrest's Silver Lining	Alexandra Miller

 

Jessica Zandri's So Charming and Devin Vega. Credit: Christina Fox Photography

 

$3,500 USHJA Young Hunter Pony 6 & 7 Year Old 2'3" Championship

 

Placing	Pony	Owner	Owner City, State	Breeding	Rider
Champion	Hopscotch	Amy Krebs	Franklin, Tenn.	Stockham Commander/Gigi	Amy Krebs
Reserve	Sugarbrook Blue Sasafras	Sarah Stary	Oswego, Ill.	Blue Who/Theodora II	Sarah Stary

 

Hopscotch, owned and ridden Amy Krebs. Credit: Christina Fox Photography

 

$3,500 USHJA Young Hunter Pony 6 & 7 Year Old 2'6" Championship

 

Placing	Pony	Owner	Owner City, State	Breeding	Rider
Champion	Penten's Pixie	Mary Mielenz	Collierville, Tenn.	Kaviford Infinity/Allegra	Amy Krebs
Reserve	Biscotti	Signe Dixon	Hailey, Idaho	Meadowbrook's Special Edition/All Dolled Up	Signe Dixon

 

Penten's Pixie, owned by Mary Mielenz and ridden by Amy Krebs. Credit: Christina Fox Photography

 

About the World Equestrian Center

Located in Wilmington, Ohio, the World Equestrian Center features more than 200,000 square feet of climate-controlled riding space, making it one of the largest indoor/outdoor equestrian sport venues in the world. The state of the art facility features premium footing, permanent stabling and onsite accommodations as well as more than 26 weeks of USEF rated Hunter / Jumper competition.

Dedicated to offering great sport and good fun in a family friendly environment, the World Equestrian Center promises their exhibitors an experience built on three core values: Quality. Class. Distinction.

In 2020, the World Equestrian Center will debut a brand new location, providing world-class equestrian competition and equestrian-inspired country club living, all adjacent to the fabulous Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club in Ocala, Florida.

 

Media Contact:

Megan Lacy

mlacy@ushja.org

(859) 225-6723