Saddle Lake Equestrian Center and Missy Jo Hollingsworth Continue Support of USHJA Young Hunter Pony Championships

Lexington, Ky.—May 18, 2026—The U.S. Hunter Jumper Association is pleased to announce Saddle Lake Equestrian Center and Missy Jo Hollingsworth's continued support as Presenting Sponsor of the USHJA Young Hunter Pony Championships.

"We are grateful to Missy Jo Hollingsworth for her ongoing support of the Young Hunter Pony Championships," said USHJA Executive Director Whitney Allen. "We value her commitment to the program, which reflects our shared dedication to the breeding and development of Hunter ponies."

The 2026 USHJA Young Hunter Pony Championships will take place during the Virginia Young Horse Festival on August 23, 2026, at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, Virginia. The Championships features a variety of divisions for developing ponies, including sections for 4- through 7-year-olds and an Adults on Ponies division open to both Professional and Amateur riders.

"Quite simply, the more young people we teach to train young horses and ponies, the better our sport will become. To me, the USHJA Young Pony Championships are an invaluable teaching tool to measure how our training of ponies, our teaching of riders, and our preparation for the show ring are going at every stage in a young pony's career," said Hollingsworth. "This program is invaluable to all involved because it is competition and age-appropriate top sport, it is education, and it keeps sponsors and investors recognizing and supporting the pipeline of up-and-coming top ponies and up-and-coming top rider talent."

Learn more about the USHJA Young Hunter Pony Championships, Presented by Saddle Lake Equestrian Center & Missy Jo Hollingsworth, at ushja.org/YHPC.

About Saddle Lake Equestrian Center and Missy Jo Hollingsworth

Missy Jo Hollingsworth is one of the most respected and multifaceted figures in American Hunter Jumper sport as a trainer, breeder, and educator whose career spans decades and disciplines with remarkable breadth. She founded Saddle Lake Equestrian Center in April of 1996, and in January of 2023, expanded the operation by opening a second facility, Saddle Lake Ocala, alongside her husband, Mark Clark. From her bases in Kentucky and Ocala, Missy Jo was named Leading Trainer at the USHJA Young Pony Championships in 2021 and 2023.