Upper Marlboro, Md.—Oct. 8

When Stella Wasserman exited the ring for the WCHR Pony Challenge, she immediately turned around and looked at the screen. With bows in her hair and a big grin on her face, Wasserman knew that she and her medium pony Trillville just laid down an exceptional round at her first Capital Challenge Horse Show. And the best part was, she felt no pressure regardless of the result.

“It’s my first time to indoors so I was just looking to have fun and he was a good boy,” said the 11-year-old. “It was awesome. And when I jumped the first jump, I just knew he was going to be good. After the last jump I was really happy.

“It means a lot to me because I wasn’t really looking to go in the ring and have the winning round in such a big class,” Wasserman continued. “It’s an honor to win such a big class.”

Wasserman bought the dark bay gelding after indoors last year. And while the 12-year-old medium has been a fixture in the medium pony divisions since 2008, even winning this class last year with Farah Rizvi, the two needed time to adjust to each other.

Stella Wasserman and Trillville. Photo by Kimberly Loushin

“It’s been a journey,” said Wasserman. “When I first got him it was a little rough and we had some downs. Then I started to get it together and I went to Devon which was awesome. He was a good boy there. Then I went to Pony Finals and I was 10th overall.”

And now she can add the WCHR Pony Challenge to her list of accomplishments with Trill—as well as sharing a WCHR win with her mom Laura Wasserman who won the WCHR Amateur-Owner Challenge in 2013.

With her mom’s interest in horses, the sixth grader said that she’s been riding most of her life—but it’s been somewhat off and on, until recently. And when she’s not bounding around the pony ring, she either playing basketball or jamming to Bon Jovi on her drums—even demonstrating her drumming ability on her dad’s 40^th birthday.

But specifically with new riding experiences ahead, Stella plans to maintain her lighthearted mentality.

“I don’t have a lot of big goals but I just want to go to Washington [International Horse Show (D.C.)] and have fun and just have a good time,” she said.

But with a star pony, what does the talkative 11-year-old have to say about him?

“He’s really round, so my legs don’t quite wrap around him,” she said. “He’s kind of a smush, so I can love on him.”

He’s a winning smush for sure.

Click to see full results.

Want more Capital Challenge? We’ve got all of our coverage here. Don’t forget to pick up a copy of the Oct. 24 issue of the Chronicle.