As a trainer of primarily pony hunters, I spend a lot of time thinking about USEF Pony Finals. 

For those not familiar, every August hundreds of small, medium and large ponies descend on the Kentucky Horse Park for Pony Finals. Accompanying the ponies are hundreds of young riders, their trainers and their families. Pony hunter competition takes place in the Rolex Stadium, with three phases—model, under saddle and over fences—leading to prestigious overall championships.

It is a unique event, with ponies and riders from all over the United States and Canada. Beyond the sea of adorable pony faces, the week includes clinics, parties and an epic golf cart parade. For many children competing in the pony hunters at national rated shows, it is the highlight of their show calendar.

Ponies qualify for the Pony Finals by winning a championship or reserve championship (or two reserve championships, in the case of green ponies) in a pony hunter division at a national- or premier-rated show between July 1 of the previous year and June 30 of the current year. For many already competing on the rated circuit in the pony hunter divisions, this is an achievable goal. In theory, a pony can qualify in one show and have the chance to attend a national final. 

For everything that is incredible about Pony Finals, it is also challenging. In its current format, there is only one over fences round, and it happens in the largest ring many of these children and ponies have ever seen. The courses are more complicated than at regular shows, and the jumps are built up and decorated extravagantly, as should be expected at a national championship. 

With the huge number of ponies currently qualifying, days are long, with model classes starting at sunup most days and jumping rounds and awards finishing in the evening. The setting sun leads to shadows around the arena, adding another layer of challenge to the courses. These long days are hard on children, ponies, trainers and horse show staff.

What many may not realize is that, for the pony hunters, the pony alone qualifies for the championships. The rider does not need to qualify their pony or even have ever ridden in the pony hunter division prior to competing at Pony Finals. This has led to a trend of purchasing and leasing of pre-qualified ponies, sometimes even just for the week of Pony Finals.

Because Pony Finals is such an amazing event, children look forward to the chance to attend, and many parents and trainers will make sure this happens. In some cases, ponies are shipped around the country to qualify with stronger catch riders. In other cases, expensive short-term leases on qualified ponies are procured.  

Qualifying As A Unit

I am a pony hunter breeder, trainer and owner; my business has been built on selling and leasing ponies. To be clear, I have done my fair share of pre-qualifying ponies, which often is seen as a bonus when buying or leasing. I have organized summer and short-term leases through Pony Finals to children of varying experience levels, and my working students have shown ponies in an attempt to qualify them for their owners, lessees or trainers.

But it is time for us to revisit the qualifying criteria for Pony Finals. I believe pony/rider pairs should qualify as a unit. There is something to be said for the pony and rider demonstrating proficiency together. If the pair has qualified together, it shows that the rider has competed in the pony hunters, and in theory has a base level of competence. Ponies and riders just getting to know each other generally don’t perform as well: Looking at the results from the 2024 Pony Finals, of the bottom 25 finishers in the regular division, 48% of the smalls, 32% of the mediums, and 40% of the larges were not qualified by the rider who showed them at Pony Finals.

Beyond that, shouldn’t we be teaching our youngest riders that this sport is about teamwork?  Shouldn’t we emphasize that this sport is about working together with our ponies? Is it fair to ask the ponies, who already do so much for our children, to stand at the gate of an imposing ring with a rider they may have just met?

Many will question if a change to the qualifications will make it harder and more expensive to qualify. I could see a need for pony/rider combinations to attend additional shows to qualify together. I could see a need for pony/rider combinations to attend different shows in pursuit of qualification. Perhaps this is a way to help revitalize the pony hunter divisions at smaller national shows that often have struggled to compete against the bigger winter and summer circuits.

Trainers should make the purchase or lease of suitable ponies a top priority, as an appropriate pony should have a strong chance to qualify for Pony Finals with its rider. Will there be disappointments, like pony/rider teams that fail to qualify, or ponies outgrown or injured before Pony Finals? Of course. But we should not be afraid of teaching our children and students that disappointments are a part of owning and showing horses.

Finding Opportunities

As far as the young, talented pony catch riders, I hope this change would not limit their opportunities. As a pony owner, I often commit to keeping ponies through their first Pony Finals, as I feel it is an important part of their development. Young or Inexperienced ponies only benefit from the rides of stronger, more experienced kids. I strive to keep pony/rider pairs together for this reason. I would hope other trainers would follow suit, mounting the best riders they can on their ponies, not for the sake of ribbons, but for the long-term development of the animals.

One other issue to be addressed is the Gochman Grant. This U.S. Hunter Jumper Association program pairs children who may not otherwise have the opportunity to show at Pony Finals because of financial constraints with qualified ponies to show. Having provided ponies for the grant many times over, I’ve seen that these are deserving, polite, well-educated and hard-working young riders. I would hate to see this opportunity disappear, but I have often wondered if the current format of the grant could be tweaked to better prepare the riders for their chance to show at Pony Finals.

Some of the grant winners have never shown at a rated show, and may have as few as one or two rides on their donated pony before they step into the ring. Wouldn’t the ponies and riders be better served by having more time to get to know each other? Perhaps the grant could look at ways to pair recipients and ponies earlier in the season? Or even the season before? Perhaps it could be formatted in a sort of free lease, with regionally approved trainers stepping up to help more local riders gain the experience and relationship that would make for a positive Pony Finals experience.  

As much as I strongly believe Pony Finals is an event every pony kid should have a chance to attend, we as a sport need to look at the horsemanship and sportsmanship ideals we are promoting. Doing right by the ponies is never the wrong answer. Even for children who don’t qualify to compete themselves, there are so many opportunities for education and learning at the event, from the multiple free clinics to the ability to watch the schooling and show ring at a national championship.

My favorite pony finals moments are kids who have worked insanely hard to be there, building a relationship with a pony to ultimately find success in the show ring. I think of kids and parents and friends, cheering, crying happy tears, and hugging ponies when the reserve championship is announced, knowing they’ve qualified their own pony. As trainers and parents, can we see the struggle to qualify as something that ultimately builds up young riders and makes a stronger sport in the long term?

The views expressed in opinion pieces are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect those of The Chronicle of the Horse.

Emily Elek is the owner and trainer at Stonewall Ponies in Ixonia, Wisconsin. She breeds, trains, buys, sells and leases pony hunters all over the United States and Canada. She was the 2022 USEF Leading Pony Hunter Owner, and has attended every USEF Pony Finals since 2004, and until 2024 had not cried at Pony Finals in over 10 years.