With multiple podium finishes at Capital Challenge, Pennsylvania National, Devon, WIHS, and USEF Pony Finals, Cisy Zhou is well known amongst pony competitors. However, in the past year, the 11-year-old rider from New York, N.Y. has expressed her growing interest in the jumper ring and will be one to watch out for.
In the saddle since she was 3, Zhou has taken to riding as fish take to water, and now finds herself excelling in the hunters, equitation, and jumpers. Attending the Gotham North/FEI North American Youth Championships presented by USHJA for the first time, Zhou is admittedly more excited than nervous to experience what NAYC has to offer young athletes like herself.
“I think it's going to be a really good experience getting into those bigger rings and being in a more intense atmosphere,” she said. “It's great to give people like me who are younger more experience in championship-level show jumping.”
Traveling to new venues and gaining exposure with different levels of pressure may unnerve some, but her experience in the pony jumpers and equitation, and consistent guidance from her trainers at Heritage Farm, has Zhou feeling prepared.
“My farm family has helped me a lot; they really focus on the basics like no stirrups,” she said. “They change the course every single week depending on what show we’re going to.”
Her pony jumper partner, Ka-Chow, not only helped Zhou win the Small/Medium Pony Jumper Individual at the 2025 USEF Pony Jumper National Championship, but the 2012 Welsh Pony (Farnley Timber x Winter Wood) mare owned by Southside Equestrian LLC has taught her a lot about the jumpers. “I had to work on my strength to reel her in because she’s so speedy,” she said. “She’s taught me how to be accurate and focus on my distances while keeping the time allowed in the back of my mind.”
The transition from ponies to horses has been a challenge for Zhou but in the best way possible. Her passion and dedication for the sport are evident while she learns the ropes of the jumper and equitation ring, and her desire to learn new things keeps Zhou competitive and ever-growing as an athlete.
“I love the jumpers. I feel like I’ve learned a lot by watching other people make tighter turns or have better times than myself,” Zhou said. “With equitation, it’s all about basics, and the courses get harder as the jumps get bigger.
At NAYC, Zhou will be representing Zone 2 in the Children’s category with her partner Dalido 8, a 2015 Holsteiner gelding (Dinken x Calido I) owned by 5C Ranch and Minerals LLC. Ridden by Mary Rose Canterbury last year at NAYC in the Young Rider category, Dalido has been a reliable teacher for Zhou since the beginning of their partnership.
“I’ve had him since last September, so I feel like I can really trust him. He is really easy to ride and is so scopey, but sometimes I can’t even feel him jump,” she laughed. “He has a really big stride, so he loves to do the leave outs. He wants to go and win, so you just have to follow him, and he’ll get you there.”
With her trusty partner by her side, Zhou is excited to learn what it’s like to be part of a team and is planning to end the week on a good note, leaving with more experience in her back pocket. “This year it’s all about getting in the ring and getting experience, doing the best I can and trying to have the smoothest round possible,” she said.