After years of showing in the hunter ring, Brynn Garrett, 10, cleaned up in the Roadsters at the Devon Horse Show
From the magazine
It was a clean sweep for ten-year-old Brynn Garrett at the 127th Devon Horse Show and Country Fair.
Garrett has shown in the hunters for years, but just recently started riding roadsters. Garrett and her pony, Heartland Janie, won the $250 Roadster Pony Under Saddle class, returning the following day to compete in the $500 Roadster Pony Under Saddle Championship, where they claimed the top title.
Roadsters are unique in that they are suitable for both driving and riding. Many roadster classes are shown at a jog trot, road gait, and then at speed. Throughout the class, roadsters are judged on suitability, manners, and performance. The differences in riding styles between the disciplines vary immensely, so it is not easy to pick up both, let alone compete in both with great success.
“I had the best time,” Garrett tells The Plaid Horse. “It surpassed my expectations of what Devon would be.”
Garrett’s Journey
Garrett’s riding story began on her family farm in North Carolina. With her mother, Taryn Garrett, competing in the hunter/jumpers and her father, Dr. Brian Garrett, DVM, training and owning World Champion Roadsters, Garrett seemed destined for both avenues of the sport.
Garrett first followed in her mother’s footsteps at a young age, starting her riding career with many wins in the hunter ring. She then began competing in roadsters after her father bought her Heartland Janie as a Christmas present in December 2022.
“Janie is so sweet, fast, and loves to give hugs,” says Garrett.
After just five months of getting to know Janie, Garrett got the chance to show off her hard work at Devon.
The young rider spends the majority of her free time in the saddle, doing barn chores, and training ponies herself. She even started two miniature ponies at her farm, training them from the ground up. Garrett also took on the responsibility of breaking and training her four-year-old pony, Cinderella.
Upcoming Adventures
While Devon was a huge success for Garrett, it was just the start of a summer full of travel for her and the ponies in both the hunters and roadsters.
Garrett’s show plans with Heartland Janie include The Blue Ridge Classic in Asheville, NC, and the World Championship Horse Show in Louisville, KY, followed by showing in Ocala, FL, in October. Garrett also plans to show her hunter ponies, Odyssey Cassiopeia and Odyssey Orion, at the North Carolina Hunter Jumper Association Annual Show, the Aiken Horse Show, and at the USEF Pony Finals.
