News In The Nation
American Shetland Pony Congress Celebrates 65th Year at Iowa state FaIrgrounds bY lIsa Caldwell/the amerICan shetland PonY Club
Quinn Smith and Maddie Clark driving RFP River of Time.
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horse me n’ s Y a nkee Ped l ar
september 2011
Amy H. roberts
terry young
T
he American Shet- Hal and Deb Bryant land Pony Club with their patriotic (ASPC), Inc.’s, two-pony hitch in the National Cong- opening ceremonies. ress celebrated its 65th observance in July by returning to its original home in Iowa and posting a stunningly successful competition. The 2011 American Shetland and American Show Pony National Congress was held July 12–16, 2011, at the beautiful Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa. More than 500 ponies from across the United States and Canada competed for 364 national occurred in several different locations across the country. However, the recent opening championship titles. The event’s return to Des Moines was historic. of the Richard O. Jacobson Exhibition The first American Shetland Pony Congress was Center on the fairgrounds and the historic held in 1947 at the Iowa State Fair’s National 65th Shetland Congress provided the perfect Horse Show. The event remained there until opportunity for the ASPC/ASPR Congress 1970. Since then, the ASPC Congress has to return to its roots. Ponies and exhibitors came from at least 20 states spanning the entire country. With 505 ponies accounting for more than 1,700 entries, participation in this year’s national championship was up nearly 25% over last year’s Congress. Competitors won premium paybacks, incentives, jackpots, and breeders’ Futurity winnings of between $53,000 to $55,000. A beautiful opening ceremony in
the original show pavilion featured a parade of past champions and comments by one of the competition’s original ring men from 60 years ago. Six long-term exhibitors’ families who have been supporting the Congress for decades and across generations were also honored during this ceremony. ASPC President Pat Sanders noted that, with the success of this year’s Congress and an increasingly positive financial picture for the event, the ASPC hopes to find a permanent home for this long-running event. “We have so many options for sponsorships when we put our Congress in a nice facility like we experienced in Des Moines this year. Truly, the sky’s the limit,” said Sanders. With 60-plus years of history to build on, increasing entries for the show and growing interest in American Shetland Ponies and American Show Ponies, the future for this historic event may, indeed, be limitless. For more information about the ASPC/ ASPR National Congress, the American Shetland Pony Club or other programs involving American Shetland Ponies, visit www.shetlandminiature.com.
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third to secure the bronze with a score of 233.2. In the Junior division, Alyssa Phillips and Sundance Bay (USA) had a brilliant and quick stadium round to finish on the score of 52.7, which was enough to clinch the individual gold. Overnight leaders Sable Geisler and Evil Munchkin (CAN) pulled the first rail of a double combination on course, bringing her total to 56.3 and dropping her to the silver medal position. Edging up into bronze medal position with a speedy clear round were Brook Peckering and Abby Rhode (CAN). In team competition, Area V led from start to finish and ended the competition with a score of 184.4 to clinch the gold. Holding onto second was the team from Area VI, finishing with a score of 205.2 to take home the silver. Rounding out the top three, the bronze medal was presented to the team from Ontario with a total of 219.8 points.
Vaulting and Para-Dressage
Non-championship events also took place in the form of a vaulting demonstration during the Opening Ceremonies and a pair of para-dressage freestyles prior to the dressage freestyle championships.