Lexington, Ky. – An exciting 2026 edition of the USEF Pony Finals presented by Marshall+Sterling came to a close on Sunday afternoon with the Marshall+Sterling/USEF Pony Medal Final, taking place in the Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky. The highly anticipated finale featured 203 combinations showcasing their skills during the first round of competition. The field eventually narrowed down to the top 20 for the final round.
In the end, Gabrielle Pitts (East Hampton, N.Y.) followed up her championship performance in the Small Green Pony Hunters with another national championship title, this time aboard Keepsake, a 2018 Welsh Pony gelding (Byley Aragorn x Bettenakker's Bbette) owned by Rivers Edge. The reserve championship honors went to Brynn Garrett (Linden, N.C.) with Odyssey Orion, a 2014 Welsh Pony gelding (Hilin Peredur x Blueridge Starlet) owned by Windsor Farm Equine LLC. Anna Moffitt (Spring Valley, Ohio) on her own A Bear Necessity, a 2015 Zweibrucker gelding (Smoketree Snapdragon x Merry Fox), rounded out the top three.
After leading the lap of honor, Pitts expressed her excitement, “I feel amazing. I really love getting to ride these amazing ponies!”
During the first round, course designer Jasen Shelley (USA) tested the combinations on their ability to navigate through a winding but flowing course which included a technical bending line as the first question, rollbacks, an in-and-out, and a final oxer towards the ingate. After 203 combinations jumped the first round, 20 were invited back to test over a 10-obstacle track for round two. The second course consisted of a direct approach to the first bending line, a sharp rollback to the in-and-out, a rollback to the trot fence, and a hand gallop to the final oxer going towards the gate before walking out of the arena.
Pitts was focused on delivering a solid test with Keepsake and explained, “I wanted to have a strong, confident, consistent round, and wanted to do all of the inside turns.”
Keepsake is trained by Scott Stewart and Ken Berkley of Rivers Edge, and Pitts began riding the talented small pony right before the Winter Equestrian Festival started in Wellington, Fla., this past winter, saying, “He's brave, but he likes a confident ride.” Outside of the show ring, Pitts described the gelding as “a really good boy. He’s super fun to hang out in the stall with. He loves carrots and enjoys giving snuggles. I love spending time with him.”
This is the pair’s first time showing in an indoor, but they felt confident in Keepsake, noting they chose him so Pitts could “focus on myself because he's brave, so it helped me not have to worry about that so much.” When her and Keepsake’s names were announced as the winners, Pitts was visibly surprised. “I was really excited. But I didn’t expect it!” she said.
The Marshall+Sterling/USEF Pony Medal Final concluded the 2026 USEF Pony Finals, presented by Marshall and Sterling. Next year, the event will return to the Kentucky Horse Park and continue to showcase the top ponies in the United States, with some of the best young hunter, jumper, and equitation athletes across their respective divisions.
To see a complete list of results or to learn more about the 2027 USEF Pony Finals please visit www.usef.org.
Re-Watch the 2026 USEF Pony Finals presented by Marshall+Sterling
The 2026 USEF Pony Finals presented by Marshall+Sterling was streamed live and on demand 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.
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