By MARLEY LIEN-GONZALEZ
The Green Pony Hunter divisions have long been a place to make ponies and riders, and showcase the American system of children training ponies. As the world changes and so do many other rules, such as adults riding ponies, the Green Pony Hunters are also changing to reflect our times. This is the first major change to the Green Pony Hunters since their addition to USEF Pony Finals in 1999.
As a pipeline into the regular Pony Hunter divisions, the Green Year has allowed young or inexperienced ponies to show for their first time at division height and striding (2’3 ft for the Smalls, 2’6 ft for the Mediums, and 2’9 ft for the Larges) in their own category with equally “green” ponies, both yearlong and in their own section at USEF Pony Finals.
With current changes, Green Ponies will now more mirror their horse counterparts and allow for two Green years, both of which juniors of all ages will be eligible to show the ponies. In the regular Pony Hunters, there’s an age limit per pony size– Smalls can only be shown by riders 12 and under, Mediums are capped at 14 and under, and Larges by 17 and under. Greens of any size can be ridden by riders under the age of 17, so two Green years means older teens can have another year to train inexperienced ponies in the show ring.
Effective December 1, 2024, USEF’s rule change allowing two Green years instead of the typical one will “help the proper development of Ponies,” according to their rulebook.
In the past, the expectation was that a pony would move into the regular divisions once they had exceeded their Green eligibility. For a multitude of reasons – like “not everything goes as planned,” or “not all ponies mature at the same rate” – USEF provided an option for owners and trainers to reinstate their pony’s green year and give them another go around the division if they made a claim that the pony wasn’t ready to move to the regular Pony Hunters.
Enough people took advantage of that, coupled with the fact USEF rationalized that a pony on its second green year is more suitable for an inexperienced rider than one in its first, and that inclusivity might bolster the dwindling number of entries in Green divisions. So instead of being an exception, two Green years is now the standard.
To summarize the rule change, once a pony is competing as a Green, they may do so for a maximum of two years regardless of age or change to measurement status. The Green years do not have to be consecutive, but if they aren’t, the pony may not compete at division height in between its years of eligibility. At the completion of the 2024 competition year, Green reinstatements will no longer be processed by USEF.
Ponies who competed as a Green 2023-2024 will be eligible for an additional green year even if owners did not file for reinstatement, however it is not required to compete in the Green divisions–Green ponies may show in regular divisions and still maintain their Green Status, but may only show at USEF Pony Finals in the Green division one time. If they show as a Green at Pony Finals, it must be their first time competing there. After the finals are completed and they still have Green eligibility, they may still compete as a Green at other horse shows.
For additional information or individual questions, USEF recommends owners to visit their member dashboards at USEF.org.
Like all rules further complicated by the obtuse USEF rulebook, owners and trainers will argue there’s pros and cons to this new decision. Ultimately, it’s never a bad thing to slow down the production of ponies to ensure they get a quality foundation. Hopefully, the update will also encourage a larger diversity of participants, and make for healthier competition in both the Green and regular Pony Hunters.
Aside from Pony Finals, a lot of major shows such Devon, Harrisburg, Capital Challenge, and other Indoors still don’t have Green sections, so ponies still need to do the regulars to “point up” if they want to do those shows. But that’s what time spent doing Green divisions is for–preparation and practice for performing at the next level.
