Upper Marlboro, Md.—Oct. 3
Coming out of the ring after her victory gallop, Farah Rizvi was all smiles, pleased with her pony’s winning result in the World Champion Hunter Rider Pony Challenge. Rizvi rode Trillville, owned by her family’s Peacock Ridge LLC to the top, followed by Kathryn McCarthy aboard Prince Charming in second, and Adam Edgar and One More Time in third.
“Trill” is an experienced pony, with Ashton Alexander and Meredith Darst having ridden him in previous years.
“It feels really good; it’s cool,” said Rizvi. “I think [my round] was really good, and I’m happy with it. I think it was fun to come down the last line and be like, ‘Oh yay, I had a good round!”
This division might cater to some of the youngest riders at Capital Challenge, but the course expected them to be on their toes. It included a four-stride to a two-stride combination that mimicked a line set in last night’s WCHR Pro Finals.
Rizvi says Trill is a great pony, both on the ground and in the ring, but he can have a sassy side when he wants to.
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“He’s a really good boy; he likes jumping. In the jog, he tries to bite me, but I know that he doesn’t really want to bite me,” jokes Rizvi.
Rizvi has competed in this class a couple of times before, but this year, she made the WCHR Pony Challenge was a goal, especially since she took a break from ponies in 2014 to focus on her children’s hunter and children’s jumper horses.
“I did [make this a goal]; I like classic kind of things,” explained Rizvi. “They’re fun, you know, you get to wear your shadbelly.”
This is one of the 12-year-old’s biggest victories in her career so far, and she looks forward to carrying this momentum forward to the Pennsylvania National and the Washington International (D.C.) horse shows coming up.
Want more from Capital Challenge? The Chronicle is here in Upper Marlboro, Md. covering all the action from the WCHR Challenges and the equitation. To read in-depth coverage pick up the October 19th issue.
See full results here.
