At only her third show back since breaking her leg, Betty Oare proved repeatedly that she was back at the top of her game at the Warrenton Pony Show, June 29-July 3 in Warrenton, Va.

Oare broke her left leg while showing in the amateur-owner, 36 and over, division on March 12, the last day of the Winter Equestrian Festival (Fla.) circuit.

“The hardest part of coming back has been creating my eye again,” said Oare. “When I first came back [at the Upperville Colt and Horse Show (Va.) in early June], I was nervous and wondering if I would be able to do it, but Warrenton got me in the groove and I was able to do several divisions.”

And back in the groove she is. Oare, 63, of Warrenton, Va., topped every divison she competed in, including the schooling hunter and the local junior/amateur-owner hunter with Roll On, an 8-year-old, Belgian Warmblood gelding. With Regalo, her 8-year-old Holsteiner gelding, Oare took home the tri-color in the adult amateur, 36 and over division, the Helen B. Howard Local Grand Champion Memorial Trophy as well as the Barbara H. Woolman Perpetual Memorial Trophy, which is awarded to the top adult amateur hunter.

“I am real comfortable in this ring since I’ve been showing here forever,” admitted Oare. “It’s great to be around friends, family, and neighbors who are so supportive.”

Oare’s left leg was fractured at the tibia and required surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla. She now has a metal plate and eight screws in the leg. Her surgeon informed her that it would be three to four months before she would be able to ride again, but Oare was determined to have her leg back over a horse sooner than that.

Within five weeks of the surgery, Oare started physical therapy, and on May 21, only 10 weeks after the break, she was told she could ride again.

Oare wasted no time getting back in the saddle. The same day that she flew home from Jacksonville, Oare got her old foxhunter, Gus, out of the field, and saddled up.

“He was so fat that it was hard for me to get my legs around him,” recalled Oare. “I decided I needed to ride something narrower. The next day, I took out my show mare, That’s That, and rode her around the shed row.”

After a couple of rides, Oare returned to trainer and friend Pam Baker of Hillcrest Farm and started doing flatwork.

“Believe it or not, riding has been great physical therapy, and I can feel my leg getting stronger every day,” insisted Oare.

Even though her return to the show ring came without much discomfort, Oare was hesitant to show Regalo at Upperville. “Regalo takes more leg than Roll On, and I wasn’t quite strong enough at Upperville to show him,” she said.

A span of three weeks seemed to make quite a difference in Oare’s strength. Her leg didn’t appear to bother her at all as she piloted Regalo to flawless rounds in the adult amateur, 36 and over, division. The pair captured the blue in both over fences classes and finished third in the under saddle.

“I feel great. My eye is working again, and I feel real comfortable,” she admitted with a smile.

Regalo (Spanish for “gift”) was purchased in Florida this year, shortly before Oare’s injury. A previous owner received the liver chestnut as a Christmas gift, which resulted in his name.

Oare started showing at Warrenton in 1956 as a junior, as a result of coaxing from her father, J. Arthur Reynolds.”I remember the kids running the show were so hospitable,” recalled Oare, “and they still are.”

So, when does she expect to return to the amateur-owner division? “I need to strengthen my leg a little more,” answered Oare. “I still do physical therapy at home,” which includes riding a stationary bike, working with weights, and, of course, riding.

In the fall, Oare also plans to return to another one of her favorite pastimes, foxhunting.

Shader And Senator Set The Pace

At their first show together, Meghan Shader and Senator, owned by Elizabeth Sponseller, weathered the boiling temperatures to capture both the children’s hunter, 14 and under, championship as well as the Mildred Foster Gaines Perpetual Trophy as the grand children’s hunter champion.

Shader, 15, of Towson, Md., started riding Senator, a 6-year-old, Oldenburg gelding, a few weeks prior to the show. When her trainer, Deloise Noble-Strong, recommended she take him to the Warrenton Pony Show, Shader was enthusiastic.

“Senator is a great teacher and very forgiving,” explained Shader. “He takes a lot of leg, but he jumps smooth and easy.”

Noble-Strong found Senator in Germany a year and a half ago. He was still with the people who bred him and had shown only a few times. Since arriving in the United States, Noble-Strong has shown him in the pre-green division to numerous accolades.

“I really liked his face, and he jumped amazing over there. Since he’s been in the United States, he’s been perfect. He seems to know his job,” said Noble-Strong.

In addition to showing Senator, Shader, who started riding eight years ago, also competes on her horse, St. Drausius, in the U.S. Equestrian Federation Medal, the ASPCA Maclay, and the Maryland Horse Show Association Medal.

After outgrowing her large pony last year, Emily Bartlett, 18, of Chevy Chase, Md., moved up to the children’s hunter division with Pirateer, a horse she leased from Elise Ledsinger. The new combination took home the children’s hunter, 15-17, championship, and clinched the reserve grand champion children’s hunter title.

“Riding Pirateer is a lot different than riding my large pony,” admitted Bartlett. “I have to collect Pirateer more than I did my pony, because [Pirateer] has a huge stride. If I get tight to a jump, it works out because he is real scopey.”

Bartlett started leasing the 14-year-old, Thoroughbred gelding last fall. “He used to be wild in the hack classes, but we have gotten accustomed to each other now,” explained Bartlett. The hard work paid off when they placed second in the children’s hunter, 15-17, under saddle.

“I love the Warrenton show because it has character. It’s a fun show because it has the costume class, free lunches, and a junior committee,” said Bartlett.

Bartlett hopes to compete on Pirateer at the HITS Culpeper (Va.) shows this summer before heading off to Cornell University (N.Y.) in the fall.

Wynning Ways

Allison Wynn, 16, of Woodbridge, Va., is no stranger to coming out on top. She piloted her large green pony, Summer, to the grand green pony championship and was tied with Icicle Falls (Samantha Schaefer) for the James A. Cantwell Sr. Memorial Trophy, which is awarded to the pony with the most points in any regular pony division. Wynn also earned the top spot in the MHSA Pony Medal.

Wynn and Summer, a 10-year-old Welsh-Thoroughbred cross, have only been together for a year. Her parents purchased Summer for Wynn after she outgrew her medium pony, Telynau Galiano.

“She’s really fun and the complete opposite of my medium. She is small strided, so I have to gallop more, which is strange since she’s bigger,” said Wynn.

Wynn started riding when she was 6. She now trains with Pam Simoneau and Elizabeth Brewer-Grimsley and does all of her own grooming. In fact, she even braids Summer herself. And if that’s not enough, Wynn and a few of her friends have started their own website, apjkponypage.com.

“The goal is to promote sportsmanship among pony riders,” said Wynn.

Wynn is the designer and webmaster, but her many friends, including Paige Dekko, Jen Waxman, and Katie Dinan, also play important roles in the upkeep of the site.

The four girls met while competing in the pony hunter divisions, and even though they live in four different states, they are dedicated to promoting sportsmanlike conduct among their fellow competitors.

Every year, Journeymen Saddlers, of Middleburg, Va., donates a pair of custom chaps to the best child rider on a pony and the best child rider on a horse.

This year, Devon Walther, 10, of Warrenton, Va., won the coveted prize aboard her mount, Texas.

“Texas is my favorite pony because he is fun, trusting, comfortable, and easy,” said Walther.

Walther, who showed eight ponies at Warrenton, also captured the medium pony hunter championship aboard Jinny Pinnell’s Longacre Wildcard.

In addition to showing, Walther also worked on the junior committee. She put up bunting for the show and set up the silent auction tent.

“I like Warrenton because I can bring a lot of ponies, and all of my friends are here,” said Walther.

Walther also swims, skis, snowboards, and plays soccer. But her heart remains with the horses. “I try to ride every day I can,” said Walther, who can’t even remember the first time she sat on a horse. Both of her parents rode, which got her started.

“My goal for this year is to do well at Pony Finals [Ky.] and at indoors,” said Walther, who already has three ponies qualified.

Kids Run The Show At Warrenton

Many exhibitors return to the Warrenton Pony Show every year because of the charm and traditional ambiance it emits as “the oldest pony show in America.” Ribbons are handed out in the ring by junior committee members, the winners receive a trademark chair monogrammed “WPS,” and money earned at the show is donated to a non-profit organization, this year, the Fauquier SPCA.

The show, in its 86th year, held true to tradition, as children ranging in age from 7 to 18 ran the event.

Kitson Marr, 17, of Hume, Va., is co-president. Her mother was a junior committee member and got Marr started on the committee at the age of 7.

“I learn more each year, and it’s a great opportunity to meet new people,” said Marr.

Marr was secretary at age 12, then held the vice president position for two years and is in her first of two years as president.

As co-president, Marr’s duties include answering the plethora of questions she is bombarded with each day, getting ads and silent auction items, picking out merchandise, purchasing ribbons, and making sure the show officials are happy and comfortable.

“I gave up my part-time job this week, as well as riding and hanging out with friends to be here,” said Marr, “but it’s worth it.”

Marr’s other half, co-president Lindsay Graves, 17, of Broad Run, Va., has been president for two years. “I like being on the committee because I get to see how horse shows work behind the scenes,” said Graves.

Junior committee member Jessie Keeney agreed. “Working at the show is a learning experience I can take with me through my entire life. Through the committee, I have learned how to run a horse show and other aspects of show life I had no idea about.”

As a result of her experience working at Warrenton, Keeney plans to become involved in running other horse shows in the future.

If the perks of learning new things and building confidence aren’t enough, the junior committee members also have something interesting to write on their college applications, as well as the opportunity to win a college scholarship. Each year, a $500 scholarship is awarded to the most deserving committee member.

But for some junior committee members, like McKenzie Canard, and Jessica Chappell, both 11, a college scholarship looms too far in the future for consideration.

“I like to get things for the silent auction and hand out ribbons,” said Canard, who also showed her pony, Cedar Spring’s Molly McVai, in the medium pony hunters.

Chappell, who has been on the committee for three years, had the chance to show Canard’s pony in the groom’s class. Canard donated her pony for the class because Chappell’s pony, Cloud Nine, is injured.