Lexington, Ky. – The final hunter and jumper championships of the 2025 USEF Pony Finals presented by Marshall + Sterling took place on Saturday at the Kentucky Horse Park. The large pony jumpers completed their exciting final round for individual medals while the large regulars went over fences for their championship.
Large Pony Jumpers Individual Championship
The 2025 Pony Jumper National Championships concluded on Saturday with the final event in the Claiborne Ring: the Large Pony Jumper National Championship. Fifty-two athletes aimed for a spot atop the podium, and it was Juan Bay, a 2010 Irish Sport Horse gelding owned and shown by Elin Uhrig (Denver, Colo.) who galloped home with the gold medal after besting a 15-horse jump-off.
Although it is Uhrig’s first year competing at Pony Finals, her goal was to win, knowing she was on a top pony that was previously shown by her sister Isabella.
“I am so grateful for everyone who's helped me to get here,” she said. “I really wanted to go to Pony Finals and I made it here and I won. When I was warming up, I was like, ‘I just hope I don't get a rail and I can go clear so I can at least place.’”
The duo did more than just place, as the second to last to go and one of only two competing at the 1.05m height in the jump-off. Their quick turns made all the difference as they dashed through the timers in the fastest time of 28.220 seconds with all the jumps intact.
Delta S Irish Storm, a 2012 Connemara mare shown by Zachary Sherer and owned by Zachary and Jacqueline Sherer, was the previous leader, but their clear time of 29.952 would move to the silver position. Summer Smith & Sissi Mai rounded out the podium with the bronze medal after stopping the clock in a clear 30.348 seconds.
Trainer Michael Dennehy was thrilled with the pair, noting Juan Bay’s incredible talent. “That pony is a Grand Prix horse in a pony body," he said. "He does the horse strides and he'll leave out the way horses can, and still make an inside turn. He's amazing. He is just so honest and brave and careful and fast. The best pony I've ever trained!”
Dennehy also appreciated the change of the format for the Pony Jumpers, saying, “The change in format has been great because with the previous format of needing to jump so big, there's only a handful of ponies and kids that are capable of doing that well. The numbers showed that – last year there were less than 20 and this year we've got 140 plus. I love it and it was a great atmosphere today – it was wonderful theater to have them all together.”
Uhrig added, “I was feeling defeated today because I thought the lower height could turn tighter, but the jump-off shows that it doesn't matter what heights you are; it matters about your riding.”
Large Regular Pony Hunter National Championship Presented by Charles Ancona
Competition in the Rolex Stadium for the 2025 USEF Pony Finals presented by Marshall + Sterling came to a close on Saturday with 145 large regular ponies showing over fences. The winning round came from Why Not? a 2016 Warmblood gelding owned by KHC Farms, Inc., and leased and ridden by Samantha Teller (New York, N.Y.) Gentle Touch, a 2015 German Riding Pony gelding owned by Charlotte Rossetter and Pamela Wright and ridden by Lilly Herzog (Pepper Pike, Ohio), was less than a point behind to finish second. Third place in the over fences went to On Tour, a 2013 Welsh Pony gelding owned by Charlotte Kelly and ridden by Kenzie Smith (Shoreham, N.Y.)
The overall national champion title for the large regulars went to Victory, a 2015 German Riding Pony gelding owned by Triple C Equestrian, LLC, and shown by Currie Cooper (Point Clear, Ala.)
“We’ve had this pony for two years,” said Cooper. “He was really green [when we got him.] He was a dressage pony.”
His dressage background meant he came with some nice features, like great lead changes, but he was new to jumping. Cooper and her trainers worked together on developing his jump and getting him moving forward. Cooper remembers her first ride on him, when she tried him at Capital Challenge.
“I couldn’t really get down a line—he’s just really quiet,” she said. With his development as a hunter, he’s become a joy to ride. “He’s really smooth and comfortable.”
Cooper has been showing at Pony Finals for four years, and this marks Cooper’s second Pony Finals championship, her first being in the medium regulars with Paris Charm back in 2023. Victory was at the top of the standings heading into Saturday’s under saddle, but Cooper didn’t let the spotlight get to her.
“I didn’t really feel any pressure,” she said. “I wasn’t really nervous.”
Cooper’s trainer, Richard Cunkle, said that her relaxed demeanor is part of what makes her a successful show rider.
“She’s as cool as a cucumber,” he said. “Her work ethic is amazing. She doesn’t care if they’re bucking or rearing—she’ll ride 10 just like that all the time.”
The reserve champion title went to Gentle Touch and Lilly Herzog. Behind by just 0.12 points, On Tour and Kenzie Smith secured third place.
Coming up at Pony Finals
The 2025 edition of Pony Finals comes to a close tomorrow with one last class—the Marshall + Sterling/USEF Pony Medal Final. All the action moves indoors to the climate-controlled Alltech Arena, where 187 equitation entries are set to compete in the first round of the medal finals starting at 7:00 a.m. ET.
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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