At the USEF Pony Finals, the youngest competitors usually spend their time in the small pony ring. But not Jessica Pyfer. This 10-year-old traveled all the way to the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington from Pasadena, Calif. to compete in the jumper arena, and outrode her teenage competitors on Sat., Aug. 16, to grab the gold in the Adequan/USEF Pony Jumper Individual Championship aboard Sosha.
By focusing on riding clear rounds rather than racing the clock, Pyfer rose to the top of the leaderboard.
“We have a very good relationship and I know him well—I’ve had him since I was 3,” said Pyfer of the Quarter Horse-Paint cross. “All I needed to do was go slow and not knock down rails.”
Pyfer had a little extra help on her way to the gold from veteran grand prix rider Aaron Vale, who picked up training duties for the weekend. “She came out here in great shape, we just worked out a couple kinks,” said Vale, Ocala, Fla. “Jess is a tough rider even if she is on the small side.”
Seven ponies returned to the final day fault-free, but only Pyfer could maintain a perfect record. Internationally-renowned course designer Richard Jefferies built a tougher track for the final round of the championship and raised the fences a hole or two to keep riders on their toes.
The rails started falling out of the cups right from the get-go, and two tricky combinations backed off more than a few bold ponies. With rails hitting the dirt—and a few riders too—no one could match Pyfer’s perfect record.
ADVERTISEMENT
After she breezed around the course to clinch the top spot, ten riders jumped off for the silver and bronze medals. The young competitors didn’t hold anything back in the race to the podium, but in the end, Cara Dodson and The Waterboy found the shortest track to take silver, with Gillian King and Crum Creek earning bronze. The judges honored Elizabeth Solomon, who finished the competition 17th aboard Hip-Hop, by awarding her the Pony Jumper Style Award.
Keenan Goes Five for Six
If anyone thought Lillie Keenan’s feat of winning all three regular pony hunter tricolors at the 2007 USEF Pony Finals couldn’t be duplicated in 2008, they were right. Keenan didn’t repeat her sweep—she bettered it.
On Thursday, Keenan locked down all three USEF/Wild Horsefeathers green pony hunter championships. Today, Saturday, Aug. 16, Keenan rode to the top of the medium over fences class on Dogwood Hill LLC’s Neverland to earn the championship.
The New York City resident earned the grand pony hunter honors aboard Neverland, coming into the final leg of the competition on top and keeping her cool to edge out 109 other competitors.
“We actually brought two medium ponies—Neverland and Make My Day—and we didn’t decide until the last minute which one to ride,” said trainer Patricia Griffith of Heritage Farm. “She was leaning toward Make My Day and I picked Neverland. After he won the model I said, ‘See! I picked right!’ ”
Keenan picked up the large pony hunter and reserve grand pony hunter titles for the second year in a row aboard Dr. Betsee Parker’s Vanity Fair. Parker’s other pony in the division, Liseter Clever Star, finished in the reserve slot with Shawn Casady.
Mandarino Takes Highest Honors
Only one rider could best Keenan this week in the race for the tricolors. Emma Mandarino guided her 6-year-old Hilton Hhonors to the small pony championship with a combined total of 1059 points.
ADVERTISEMENT
The 11-year-old from Bedminster, N.J., felt nervous entering the final leg of the competition, but came up with a plan to help calm her jitters.
“We did the warm-up and pretended it was the first round and that the Classic was my second round,” said Mandarino.
The strategy worked, and Mandarino and “Pixie” looked at ease cantering around a challenging course full of bending lines and option jumps.
Mandarino admitted that Pixie can be green at times, but on Saturday her huge stride and natural rhythm outshone her youth.
