When the best ponies from across the U.S. travelled to the Kentucky Horse Park in August, there was a very special pony among them who had already beaten the odds.
Just Do It (“Nike”) and his owner/rider Adelaide Thompson had their dreams come true when they qualified for the pony jumper division in the large pony category at the 2026 USEF Pony Finals presented by Marshall+Sterling.
But Nike isn’t any ordinary pony. As a yearling in 2016, he arrived at Days End Farm Horse Rescue (DEFHR) in Woodbine, Md., after being seized by animal control as part of a neglect case. The scruffy and severely underweight chestnut colt was in desperate need of care and attention.
“Nike has an incredible story. He arrived with a group of horses in various stages of emaciation,” said Leigha Schrader, a staff trainer at DEFHR. “Once horses go through our rehabilitation program, we take them into a training program and figure out what they want to do with their career and what they want to do with the rest of their life.”
As he was part of a court case between animal control and his previous owner, it was nearly two years before Nike could be started under saddle or gelded.
“While cases are ongoing, we don't own the horses and we can't do anything to alter them, so they remain in our protective care and custody while their cases move through the legal process,” Schrader explained.
Nike arrived at DEFHR with two horses that rescue workers assume are his parents. His suspected sire is a Quarter Horse-Arabian cross, while his dam looked like a ranch-bred Quarter Horse.
Once the court case was resolved and Nike had reached a healthy weight, the trainers at DEFHR started him under saddle and began preparing him for his future career. When he was ready to venture out into the world, he was adopted by trainer Scott Purdum of Advantage Horsemanship in Fredericksburg, Va., to be used as a lesson pony. He was there for a few years before coming full circle back to Schrader.
“I have a small lesson program at a different barn where we have a lot of DEFHR alumni and a junior rider was looking for a large pony,” she said. “Scott and his wife, Grace, reached out to see if we were interested in taking Nike, as they said he could do a lot more than what their lesson program required and they would love to see him showing.”
Adelaide, then 11, and her family opted to buy Nike in 2022, and together they joined Schrader’s program. She said she knew Nike was “the one” as soon as she got on him for the first time, and their relationship flourished from then on.
“When he got home to our barn, I started working with him and I found out how amazing he was,” she continued. “I felt like I could relax with him, flow with him, and get into a groove.”
Nike and Adelaide ended up being the perfect match, and the pair have risen through the pony divisions over the past four years.
“He has become an all-around children’s pony, competing in Pony Club, equitation, hunters, and jumpers. He really is the definition of a three-ring pony,” Schrader said. “They qualified and ribboned at USHJA Zone 3 Finals in the children’s pony hunters last year, as well as MHSA regional finals and MHSA children’s pony medal finals. Nike also helped Adelaide earn her C1 rating in the Pony Club.”
While he is very adaptable and loves trying new disciplines, Nike truly excels in the pony hunter ring. What makes him so special, according to Schrader, is his consistency over fences and his ability to find distances easily. As a Quarter Horse, Nike was not bred to do the job that he's doing, but he's chosen this job, and he’s exceptionally good at it, she said.
“Nike is a wonderful teacher. He's been such a golden pony for Adelaide because he teaches his riders how to ride and gives them just enough of a challenge while also always keeping them safe,” Schrader continued. “He knows exactly what he's doing, he's very good at teaching, and he loves that job. He has really brought Adelaide to where she is today, and we're just so thankful for all that he's taught her.”
With Adelaide now 15 years old and Nike estimated to be 11, the pair have grown up together and are totally in sync.
“He is very forgiving, and if I am not feeling right then he won’t put me in danger,” Adelaide said of her perfect pony, who has given her a lot of confidence in her riding. “We match each other's personalities very well. He's a little bit sassy and I'm kind of sassy sometimes, so we just balance each other out well. I have a lot of fun with Nike. Even from the beginning, we did lots of different things together. I do bridleless or bareback work with him, which he loves to do because he likes to be free.”
As a trainer, Schrader watches a lot of kids and their ponies and often sees that the pony mirrors the kid in a lot of ways.
“Nike and Adelaide started mirroring one another in a cool way; he mirrors her heart in how much she is determined to go out there and do her best no matter what she's doing,” she said. “They're very good at just having fun, and the ribbons are the aftermath. It is more about growing with one another — Adelaide growing as a horse person and Nike growing as a pony.”
Nike and Adelaide’s Pony Finals experience didn’t go according to plan as they decided to scratch after the first day due to some unexpected confidence issues following unfortunate setbacks during the weeks prior. Rather than pushing forward when things weren’t quite right, they opted to prioritize what was best for both pony and rider and instead spent the week schooling around the Kentucky Horse Park.
“We had a great time enjoying all the different clinics, and Adelaide still rode him every day in different schooling rings,” Schrader explained. “Their first ride back after Pony Finals had zero problems, and they were as good as ever, so we know we made the right decision. Sometimes as a trainer, your timing seems to revolve around these big shows, but it's not always what is right for the horse or the kid. You have to go with what is ultimately best for them as a pair.”
Adelaide said she learned a lot of new things, got to watch girls she knows compete and enjoyed riding Nike around the venue and on the famous cross-country course.
While Nike may be considered by some as a diamond in the rough, Schrader hopes that his story and those of others like him encourage people not to overlook their local horse rescue when shopping for horses or ponies.
“Whether you find something there or not, just remembering to reach out to them and seeing if anything is the right fit is important as there are really good ponies out there. Those diamond ponies definitely come around more often than people realize,” she said.
“Last year, we got a rescue pony at DEFHR who was microchipped, and we found out she was a registered Welsh pony. It just shows that because they are a rescue doesn’t mean they have bad breeding or conformation. There's always going to be horses who end up in bad situations, and it doesn't necessarily mean that they're deserving of being there. Sometimes it's just where they end up in life. Nike has shown us that there are hidden gems everywhere.”
Adelaide agreed that rescue horses are often overlooked and are put into a certain box, but people should start giving them a chance as they can do a lot more than you think.
“It makes me sad because not every pony is going to be the perfect pony, and not all kids can afford the perfect pony,” she said. “When you get to the point where you qualify for a championship or for Pony Finals on a rescue, it is such a joy because you know you did it on a pony that was overlooked and you feel so much more accomplished. You are supporting the rescue pony and getting to show off what they can do to other people.”
Adelaide will soon be heading into her last year with Nike as she is unfortunately outgrowing him, but she hopes to pass him on to another young rider who can learn as much on him as she has.
“You can learn so much from him. He has taught me trust, patience, when to keep my leg on, when to take my leg off. He has also just taught me the joy of owning a horse and how fun it can be,” she said. “It will be sad to say goodbye to him, but the time is coming for him to be an amazing pony for another little girl.”
Schrader hopes that Nike will be bought or leased by someone in their barn, so he stays in her program.
Wherever he goes, “DEFHR will always be involved in his journey, and he will always be welcomed back under the DEFHR umbrella,” she said.
US Equestrian launched a program in early 2026 allowing rescue workers to more easily connect with a person from a recorded horse’s past if they do end up in an unfortunate situation. The Lifetime Care Contacts program allows USEF members and fans to attach their contact information to a recorded horse’s name or microchip number; rescues such as DEFHR can then access the horse’s contact list for free. To learn more about the program, please visit usef.org/horse-welfare/lifetime-care.
Your support makes stories like Nike’s possible. To help more horses like Nike or learn more about Days End Farm Horse Rescue, visit DEFHR.org.