Lexington, Ky. – Wednesday brought the first champions of the 2025 USEF Pony Finals presented by Marshall + Sterling. The medium regular and small green pony hunters finished out their championships with the over fences phase in Rolex Stadium. Also in the stadium, the small regulars got started with their model and under saddle phases. Over in the Clairborne Ring, the USEF Pony Jumper National Championship kicked off with the jog and the first individual phase for the small and medium jumpers.
Medium Regular Pony Hunter National Championship
The massive class of more than 150 medium green hunters took their turn over fences, and at the end of the day, it was Best Sport, a 2018 Warmblood gelding shown and owned by Charlotte Morassutti (Toronto, Ont.) taking the blue in the jumping phase. Paris Charm, a 2008 Welsh Pony mare owned by JJ Torano and shown by Logan Baras (Greenwich, Conn.) finished in second place over fences while On Your Mark, a 2008 Welsh Pony gelding owned by Sweet Oak Farm and shown by Finley Baras (Bedford Corners, Conn.) placed third.
The win in the jumping along with top-ten finishes in both the model and under saddle phases earned Best Sport (Best Boy x Feine Maus) and Morassutti the overall championship for the medium regular division. After a top-ten finish in the medium green division at last year’s Pony Finals, securing the tricolor was a huge achievement for the pair.
“He’s really fun,” said Morassutti. “He’s very brave; he just goes over anything. He likes a lot of leg, but once you get him going, he’s pretty good. He’s gotten way better [since last year] and I wasn’t as good. I would push him past some distances and he would skip across the ground, but now I just stay calm, and he’s so much better about deeper distances and making them look really nice.”
Morassutti makes the trip down from Canada every few weeks to train with Sam Schaefter at shows and at Shadow Ridge Farm in Maryland, where “Bestie” lives. In the weeks leading up to Pony Finals, they practiced big courses, with challenging distances and jumps to be prepared for whatever they might face in the show ring. Before she went in the ring for her round today, she says her trainers told her, “to stay focused. They said, ‘You’re really good at making the distances, so just go in and do what you do most rounds, and have fun.’”
Earning the reserve champion honors was Heartfirst (Clovercroft Polarized x Sassafras Creek), a 2017 Welsh Pony Cross owned by Bibby Hill and Donald Stewart and leased and shown by Penelope Sugg. Sugg is a fellow Shadow Ridge rider, and had top ten finishes in the under saddle and over fences phases on the way to earning their overall reserve.
Small Green Pony Hunter National Championship
The Small Green Pony Hunters took center stage on Wednesday evening, where Violet Dalton (Laguna Beach, Ca.) piloted Buttons and Blues (Holyoake Czar 36048 x Knockeen Moonlight), a 2015 Welsh Pony Cross gelding owned by First Blue, LLC. The pair earned a score of 520.90 to win the over fences phase, along with scores of 253.73 in the model phase and 266.47 in the under saddle phase. Their overall score of 1016.33 clinched the duo’s first Pony Finals title against a field of 51 ponies.
At just 10 years old, this marks Dalton’s first trip to Pony Finals, and she was thrilled to be doing it with Buttons and Blues. “I was just so happy when I was two strides away from the last jump. I could see the distance, and then when I landed the correct lead I was so happy,” she smiled. “I started daydreaming about Pony Finals a few years ago, and then last year I was really thinking about it. A few months ago, I started in the small ponies and then started trying to qualify, which we did at Thermal. [Buttons and Blues] can be sassy, but he is also really sweet. In the morning, he's always lying down, and I like to go cuddle with him and give him lots of pets.”
Dalton trains with Lee Flick of Bridgeport Farms, who attributed her success to her work ethic. “Her concentration is really, really good,” he explained. “When we walk a course, she concentrates and tries to execute the plan.”
This trip has been very special for Dalton, and she has cherished every part of it. “We got here last week, and my favorite part has been showing my ponies and just riding them around. I think jumping all the courses is so fun – especially when you have a good round!”
Rounding out the day, the reserve champion honors went to Mr. Brightside, a 2018 Welsh gelding owned by Beyaert Farm and ridden by Colin Shippam (Philadelphia, Pa.) The duo finished in the top phase in the model and over fences phases on their way to the overall reserve title.
USEF Pony Jumper National Championship
The USEF Pony Jumper National Championship supported by the Youth Show Jumping Foundation launched with its updated format on Wednesday morning with 139 entries jogging their ponies in an FEI-style horse inspection followed by a training session in the Claiborne Ring.
Under the new national championship structure, pony jumpers are entered under the following categories:
- Small Pony Category: ponies not to exceed 12.2 hands, athletes USEF 12 years of age (maximum), fence heights .60-.65m, not to exceed .70m.
- Medium Pony Category: ponies not to exceed 13.2 hands, athletes USEF 14 years of age (maximum), fence heights .70-.75m not to exceed .80m.
- Large Pony Category: ponies not to exceed 14.2 hands, athletes USEF 16 years of age (maximum), fence heights.80-.85m not to exceed .90m.
- 1.05m Category: ponies not to exceed 14.2 hands, USEF junior athletes, as determined under GR103 Fence heights not to exceed 1.15m
The championship format consists of four phases:
- Individual Championship Phase I: Welcome Class, Table II (Clear Round)
- Team Championship & Individual Phase II: Modified Nations Cup with two identical rounds
- Farewell Class, Table II (Clear Round): for those not eligible for or taking part in the Individual Championship Phase III
- Individual Championship Phase III: Table II one round with Time Allowed.
The combined small/medium section completed their first phase on Wednesday afternoon. With many clear rounds on day one, the stage is set for an exciting team championship on Thursday.
Kickapoo Ponies Small Regular Pony Hunter National Championship
Kicking off with the Kentucky sunrise at 6:45 on Wednesday morning, the small regular division saw 127 entries complete their model and under saddle phases. Clovermeade Heartthrob, a 2016 Welsh Pony Cross mare owned by Robertson Family LLC, leased by Swede Ventures LLC, and shown by Grace Stenbeck-Werner (North Salem, N.Y.) clinched the blue in the model phase. Glenhaven Small Talk, a 2016 Welsh Pony gelding owned and shown by Keaton McGee (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) came in second, while Confidentially, a 2015 Welsh Pony gelding owned by Erin Stewart and shown by Lucy Wexler (Ocala, Fla.) placed third.
Glitterati, a 2015 Welsh Pony Cross mare owned by Luca Tai and shown by Lacey Powers (Royal Palm Beach, Fla.) earned the top placing under saddle. Spring Fling, a 2015 Welsh Pony Cross mare owned by Finley Baras and shown by Annie Cooper (Point Clear, Ala.) took second place. Clovermeade Heartthrob and Grace Stenbeck-Werner clinched third place, putting them at the top of the overall standings heading into Thursday’s jumping.
Current standings:
- Clovermeade Heartthrob and Grace Stenbeck-Werner
- Spring Fling and Annie Cooper
- Confidentially and Lucy Wexler
Coming up at Pony Finals
Thursday brings another early start in the model ring as the medium greens get underway at 7:00 a.m., followed by the large greens. Both sections will also have their under saddle phase starting at 8:00 a.m. Jumping for the small regulars gets underway at 12:20 p.m.
Jumping kicks off in the Claiborne Ring at 7:30 a.m. with 71 large entries set to go in their Phase I. The small/medium section will follow with their nations cup-style two-phase competition and team championship.
A beloved Pony Finals tradition, the golf cart parade will take place Thursday evening in the Rolex Stadium following the end of competition.
How to Watch
The 2025 USEF Pony Finals presented by Marshall + Sterling is streaming live on USEF Network. US Equestrian fans, subscribers, and members can access the live stream, and subscribers and members will be able to watch replays on demand. Learn more here.
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