By MARLEY LIEN-GONZALEZ
Pony Finals is one of the most exciting stops on the summer horse show circuit, and while most people associate it with shadbellies, well-gaited, beautiful jumping ponies, and filled out hunter jumps, the weeklong event actually features events for all three rings. For Hunters, there’s the Regular Hunter Pony and Green Hunter Pony Finals; for the Equitation, there’s the Pony Medal Final; and Jumpers can compete in the Pony Jumper Championship, which will now adjust for small, medium, and large ponies like the other two events. Here’s details and a guide on how to qualify for each.
USEF Pony Hunter National Championship
For this event, the ponies must be the ones to qualify. A rider who did not qualify the pony may still show it at the final. Any USEF registered small, medium, or large pony may be eligible to qualify for the Pony Hunter Finals. There are six categories of competition, for each pony height and then each pony height in the Green division. Junior riders must also be registered, and there are age limitations on competing on certain sized ponies: 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. A rider can show up to six ponies in this event, but can only do one in each category, and only if they are age appropriate to do so.
The qualifying period for the USEF Pony Hunter National Championship is July 2, 2024 – July 1, 2025, for Regular Pony Hunters and December 1, 2024 – July 1, 2025, for Green Pony Hunters. Regular Pony Hunters can qualify by winning a Championship or Reserve Championship at a Premier (“AA”) or National (“A”) rated show in the Regular Pony Hunter section.
Green Pony Hunters can qualify by winning a Championship or two Reserve Championships in a Premier (“AA”) or National (“A”) rated Green Pony Hunter section, or in a Regular Pony Hunter section. Green ponies may only compete as Greens at the USEF Pony Finals once, even if they maintain their Green status after the competition concludes.
To learn more about Green rules, read our article: The USEF Green Pony Rule Change: A Rundown. For more information on the Pony Hunter National Championship, click here.
Marshall & Sterling/USEF Pony Medal Final
For this event, the rider must be the one to qualify. The rider does not have to ride the pony that they qualified on at the final. Any USEF registered small, medium, or large pony may be used in the class, and a pony that competed in any of the Hunter divisions of Pony Finals or the Jumper Championship may also be used in the Medal Final. Regardless of size of pony, all riders are judged in the same category, though the ponies go at different heights and different distances down the lines to accommodate for each pony height. Every rider may only compete with one pony.
The qualifying period is July 2, 2024–July 1, 2025. To qualify, riders must earn 30 points in Marshall and Sterling/Pony Medal classes at Premier, National, and Regional rated Hunter competitions. Riders who are entered in the USEF Hunter Seat Medal Finals may not enter in USEF Pony Medal Finals in the same year.
For more information on the Pony Medal Final, click here.
USEF Pony Jumper Championships
For this event, riders and ponies must qualify together. A rider must ride the pony that they qualified on at the final. Any USEF registered small, medium, or large pony may be used in the class. Regardless of size of pony, all riders compete in the same category, though the ponies go at different jump heights to accommodate for each pony height. As mentioned above, a pony doing this division may also be used in the Pony Medal, however they may not cross over to the hunter divisions for the sake of pony welfare and scheduling. That caps the most ponies a rider can possibly show across all three events at 8; 6 in the Pony Hunters, 1 in the Pony Medal, and 1 in the Pony Jumper Championship. The least possible ponies a rider can bring to do all three events is 2; 1 For the Pony Hunters, 1 for the Pony Jumper Championship, and one of those two can also do the Pony Medal.
For more information about rider age limitations and pony height category specifications, read our article on the new categories here.
The qualifying period is September 1, 2024-July 1, 2025. To qualify, rider and pony combinations must complete at least four jumper classes at their respective category heights (or above), or compete in at least two different USEF or FEI licensed competitions.
For more information on the Pony Jumper Championship, click here.
