About a year ago, I got a call from the American Horse Shows Association (now USA Equestrian). The Pony Hunter Committee asked if I would help judge the Prudential/AHSA Pony Medal Finals.

I’ve judged this class before, and it’s always a great honor to be asked. Scott Hofstetter, a wonderful rider to whom I gave the ASPCA Maclay Finals in 1986, was to be my co-judge. Nothing pleased me more because Scott appreciates and understands correct form over fences.

This year’s Pony Finals were held in Asheville, N.C., (see Aug. 31, p. 18), and I couldn’t believe how popular this event has become. There were hundreds and hundreds of ponies and children there! There were 155 in the equitation class alone. In fact, in the future I would suggest that the qualification for the actual pony classes be tightened up a little. If it becomes too big, it will be unwieldy.

Coincidentally, a few months ago I ran into a girl I had known some 30 years ago. She had taken some lessons from me in the 1960s, when I lived in Millbrook, N.Y. Her name was Nancy Baroody, and she, with her legendary small, gray pony Midget, won everything in sight, being many times AHSA Small Pony of the Year. Nancy traveled to the shows with her sister and mother. Lorraine, Nancy’s mother, was a very smart lady. She knew the rules and how to play the game better than most people. And she made us all pay attention.

Nancy was just a very good rider. She won on all her animals, both ponies and horses. A little later on, she rode off against Buddy Brown to win the reserve championship at the 1973 AHSA Medal Finals in Harrisburg, Pa. She also rode some jumpers very well.

Nancy sent me this beautiful picture, which I’m sharing with you as a study in style over fences. Much of what I have learned has come from books and old photos, and this is the case here. Here Nancy is shown riding her 1971 (exactly 30 years ago!) Horse of the Year Pride N’ Joy.

Unfortunately, I didn’t see riding like this in Asheville this year at the Pony Finals. The lack of standard in equitation is the teachers’ fault, and not the students’. And they certainly have wonderful ponies to ride.

With the exception of a stirrup that is a trifle short (but too short is much better than too long), this is a nearly flawless photo of form over fences.

Start with the placement of the stirrup iron. The stirrup is on the ball of the foot, near the toe (but not on the toe.) The stirrup iron is perpendicular to the girth, and the stirrup leathers are perpendicular to the ground.

The leg of the rider, from the knee down, is in close contact with the barrel. The heels are down and in just behind the girth, with the ankles flexed and the toes out in accordance with the rider’s conformation. What a wonderful lower leg she has.

Nancy’s base of support�”her thighs and seat�”is also exemplary. While her buttocks have cleared the saddle, her crotch remains very close to the saddle. There is no sign of jumping ahead of her horse or of dropping back in the air-hat most terrible feeling of the buttocks hitting the horse in mid-air.

Nancy has beautiful posture. Starting with her eyes, they are up and ahead. Her head is up, and her facial expression is that of relaxed concentration, a sign of real poise. Her back is flat and her lower back slightly hollow. She is neither roach-backed nor sway-backed; nor is she ducking and throwing herself, as so many of the pony and hunter riders do today.

Remember that this photo was taken in a hunter class over an outside course, not in an equitation class.

Hands and arms: Teachers, students and parents, this is jumping out of hand or, as we label it, the “automatic release.”

To some degree we must get back to this release for advanced riders, especially in equitation and jumper classes. Done well, it’s also acceptable on a hunter such as this. Practice it�”you’ll learn to like it.

Demonstrating an automatic release, the rider maintains an absolutely straight line from elbow to mouth and light contact throughout the approach, take-off, flight, landing and de-parture of the jump. The rider’s hands do not touch the horse’s neck for support. There needs to be absolute relaxation and elasticity from the rider’s shoulders through the elbows and wrists, going through the reins to the horse’s mouth. Any tension and stiffness in the arms must be avoided at all cost. The fingers remain closed with the thumbs on the reins.

In this photo, the brilliance of the rider is immediately reflected in the excellence of the pony’s performance. Look at the animal’s body language and expression. The ears are pricked and alert, and the eyes, much like those of his rider, reflect studied calm. This pony has a business-like expression, looking ahead to do her job.

The front end is exemplary. The knees are dead even, with the forearm parallel to the ground, and both front legs perfectly square. The hind end appears just as good. Although the bascule (the topline) could be a bit rounder, it’s not flat, hollow, or upside down.

The pony is in beautiful condition and weight and looks clean as a whistle. The trim job is immaculate, and let me compliment the braider not only for the mane, but also the tail.

The girl’s tack, as well as her own attire, appears scrupulously clean, with a well-fitted saddle pad. Please take note of the full bridle, not often seen today. It is a good bit for better riders to experience.

Being a horseman of the old school, with old-fashioned taste, I very much like the straight up-and-down post-and-rail fence without an excess of groundline, like you see today in hunter classes. This kind of fence gives the advantage to the better rider, which is how it should be.

The real fun of riding is to do it well, so thank you, Nancy Baroody, for sharing with all of us this photo of old. We can and should learn from the past. I used to study my still photos very hard. Sometimes they are better than a video camera.