10 Things to Know: 2021 USEF Pony Finals presented by Honor Hill Farms

Pony riders and their parents have something to celebrate this summer: the welcome return of USEF Pony Finals presented by Honor Hill Farms Aug. 9-15.

USEF Pony Finals is the national championship event for pony hunters, pony jumpers, and Marshall & Sterling/USEF Pony Medal riders competing in hunter seat equita-tion. It’s also one of the nation’s largest annual gatherings of ponies and their riders, typically drawing more than 600 ponies to the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky., each August. The week-long competition includes sections for small, medium, and large regular pony hunters; small, medium, and large green pony hunters; pony jumpers; and Marshall & Sterling/USEF Pony Medal competitors.

The Regular Pony Hunter and Green Pony Hunter National Championships are a three-phase competition judging the pony’s conformation, way of moving, and jumping ability. The Marshall & Sterling/USEF Pony Medal Final tests young riders, judging their ability to compete over a technical and demanding course of fences. The USEF Pony Jumper National Championship was designed as a steppingstone for junior riders who desire to move into the Grand Prix ring one day.

After the cancellation of the 2020 Pony Finals due to the COVID-19 pandemic, USEF’s and Kentucky’s state COVID-19 restrictions are beginning to relax. The 2021 edition of Pony Finals will have a different feel from previous years as the equestrian world adapts to today’s “new normal.” Some COVID-19 protection measures will still be in place. Check USEF’s COVID-19 Action Plan on usef.org and watch pony-finals.org for the most current recommendations around masking and social distancing, as well as updated schedules.

If they can’t make it to the Kentucky Horse Park, your friends and family back home can always tune in to USEF Network’s Pony Finals live stream at usef.org/network.

Even in the lingering pandemic era, this year’s event remains true to Pony Finals’ long and honorable tradition as a rite of passage for young hunter jumper riders—and an unparalleled opportunity to connect with and learn from the best in hunter jumper pony sport. The 2021 Pony Finals will still offer plenty of serious competition, lots of fun activities, and a healthy slate of educational clinics, both virtual and on site.

Keep up to date with important event information—including updated 2021 Pony Finals schedules and COVID-19information—by bookmarking ponyfinals.org and @USEFPonyFinals on Facebook (facebook.com/USEF-PonyFinals/). Learn more about Pony Finals, its history, the qualification process, and the answers to many event-related FAQs at ponyfinals.org.

And in the lead up to the event’s Aug. 9 kickoff, read on to enjoy our top 10 things to know about the 2021 USEF Pony Finals presented by Honor Hill Farms.

USEF members can stream Pony Finals classes live on USEF Network at usef.org/network. Not a member? Sign up for a free fan membership using the promo code PONYFINALS21 to access the Pony Finals live stream. That’s not the only way to keep up with all things Pony Finals. Check out @USEFPonyFinals on Facebook for daily wrap-ups, photo galleries, and video clips, too.

In 1959, the British National Pony Society and the British Show Pony Society challenged American pony riders to an international Pony Hunter Competition. First held at the National Horse Show in New York City, the competition drew the best U.S. and British ponies and riders and emphasized conformation and under-saddle performance, with jumping ability tested over two fences. The British riders narrowly won, 10 to 9. Two years later, the British National Pony Society hosted the competition. The American riders prepared by spending a rigorous two weeks at the famed Olympic Training Center in Gladstone, N.J. This time, the U.S. won the trophy with a score of 13 to Britain’s 9.

In 1967, the American Horse Shows Association crehave included the popular Pony Medal Championship, an equitation competition. In 1999, the Green Hunter Pony Championship was added. Today, the USEF Pony Finals presented by Honor Hill Farms is the most prestigious and celebrated event of its kind in the United States.

The United States Hunter Jumper Association traditionally holds a series of educational sessions and clinics during Pony Finals, and this year is no exception. Even better, this year’s free series includes some virtual opportunities, such as Mental Skills Coaching with Tonya Johnston on Aug. 11 from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m . ET and Pony Trivia on Aug. 11 from 2-3 p.m.

Other opportunities include multiple model clinics, two pony yoga sessions, a course walk, and a sessions called Judge’s Perspective with Robin Rost Brown and Otis Brown. All sessions are free to attend. Due to COVID-19 safety protocols, in-person clin-ics might have restrictions. Be sure to check the Pony Finals website at ponyfinals.org for the most up-to-date information about the clinics.

For more information about the educational sessions, email education@ushja.org.

One notable change is that all hunter competition will relocate this year from the Walnut Ring to the historic Rolex Stadium nearby. The stadium, a Kentucky Horse Park landmark and the scene of numerous top-level sporting competitions, boasts a Grand Prix-size show ring and great views from every seat—as well as ample speed and athleticism of jumper classes, including the Pony Jumper Team Championship.

Competing with their Zone teams gives young pony jumper riders a taste of what their international Grand Prix counterparts feel—and can prove to be one steppingstone toward an equestrian career. The team championship awards gold, silver, and bronze medals, complete with a podium presentation. The Pony Jumpers section also awards individual medals and the Short Stop Perpetual Trophy to honor the most stylish young pony jumper rider.

“Although COVID-19 restrictions are lifting, using the Rolex arena will provide participants and spectators more space to spread out in the competition areas, preparation areas, and viewing areas,” said Kelsey Shanley, US Equestrian’s national breeds and disciplines program manager. “We want to be sure everybody is able to follow the CDC recommendations regarding social distancing, and the added space in the Rolex Stadium allows more opportunity for that to happen.”

In light of Pony Finals’ cancellation in 2020, last December the USEF board’s Ad Hoc Selections Group approved adding a 2020 Green Pony Hunter section, including Overall Green Pony Hunter Champion and Reserve Champion awards. To enter, ponies must have been eligible for the Green Pony Hunter section as of Aug. 3, 2020, and must not have received a green pony reinstatement or waiver for the 2020 competition season. Ponies who qualified for the 2020 USEF Pony Finals and meet eligibility requirements are qualified for this section in 2021; ponies entering the 2020 Green Pony Hunter section at Pony Finals this year cannot also enter the Regular Pony Hunter or 2021 Green Pony Hunter sections. Eligible riders must be juniors. To see the complete list of requirements, visit ponyfinals.org. Under Additional Resources, find USEF Pony Finals presented by Honor Hill Farms Specifications and click on the ’21 Hunter Download to the right of the page.

The Pony Jumpers section is a highlight of the week, as action moves from the grace of the hunter ring to the speed and athleticism of jumper classes, including the Pony Jumper Team Championship. Competing with their Zone teams gives young pony jumper riders a taste of what their international Grand Prix counterparts feel—and can prove to be one steppingstone toward an equestrian career. The team championship awards gold, silver, and bronze medals, complete with a podium presentation. The Pony Jumpers section also awards individual medals and the Short Stop Perpetual Trophy to honor the most stylish young pony jumper rider.

Pony Finals is also about having fun. The famous Pony Finals scavenger hunt is on again in 2021. And don’t forget to collect a colored bracelet for each Pony Finals activity you participate in as part of the popular Bracelet Game. Cheering for Pony Jumpers? Pick up your red bracelet. Attending a USHJA clinic? You’ve just earned a multicolored bracelet.

Collect all the available bracelets to earn a special bracelet at the end. Collect your official Pony Finals gear, too. Our ShopUSEF merchandise booth in the vendor area will be packed with Pony Finals logo wear, gifts, and more, in both kid and parent sizes.

Made possible by Becky and David Gochman and their family, the USHJA Foundation’s annual Gochman Grant for USEF Pony Finals offer three young riders the opportunity to compete at this storied event. This year, there will be a total of six Gochman Grant recipients: 2020 grantees Lulu Carney (North Sutton, N.H.), Jocelyn Flannery (Barbours-ville, Va.), and Eleanor Pieters (Chepachet, R.I.), and 2021 recipients Kelly Finn (Port Jervis, N.Y.), Adison Stark (Bend, Ore.), and Janie Wilder (Clinton, Miss.).

Each grant includes access to professionals for training, plus other educational opportu-nities. The Gochman Grant is open to riders who haven’t competed at Pony Finals before and have jumping experience at a minimum height of 2’3”. For full eligibility requirements and more details about the grant, visit ushja.org’s Grants & Scholarships page at ushja.org/donors-grants/grants-scholarships.

One of the week’s hottest competitions isn’t in the show ring at all. It’s the two-part competition for the $500 Emerson Burr Horsemanship Grant. The grant is open to USEF members 17 and under who are competing at the 2021 USEF Pony Finals presented by Honor Hill Farms. Participants compete against others in their age group in a two-phase test, consisting of a multiple-choice test and a hands-on horsemanship test. The four highest-scoring participants on the written test qualify for the final hands-on phase, from which a winner will be chosen from each age group, based on their horsemanship skills and knowledge. The Emerson Burr grant winners receive $500 to be used toward education-related expenses. Find out more about the Emerson Burr Horsemanship Grant and other USEF grants and scholarships at usef.org/learning-center/youth-programs/grants-scholarships.

In addition to the trophies and ribbons riders and ponies can win for equitation and over-fences or under-saddle performance, there are also other ways to achieve Pony Finals accolades. Among others, the Buttons and Bows Sportsmanship Trophy recognizes the junior rider who “best personifies the high standards and virtues of integrity, sportsmanship, honor, courage, good temper, and unselfishness during Pony Finals.” The Helicon Farms Perpetual Trophy goes each year to the high-scoring Welsh pony. The event’s Volunteer of the Year earns the Edna Lytle Perpetual Trophy, and there’s also an award for Outstand-ing Parent. The best turned-out pony in the hunter sections receives the Betsy Fishback Memorial Trophy, and the the Short Stop Perpetual Trophy honors the most stylish young pony jumper rider. Not all are about recent past performances: the Mindy Darst Perpetual Trophy goes to the equestrian athlete best representing the future of excellence in riding.

You can find a complete awards list in the show program for the 2021 USEF Pony Finals