Edited Press Release
As a dedicated pony mom, Sarah Benson has spent much of the past seven years at horse shows with her now 11-year-old daughter, Lucie Mae Benson. While ringside, the wheels began turning in Sarah Benson’s mind, and before long, an idea was born.
“I wanted to start a business of my own and show [Lucie Mae] that you can do anything at any age if you work hard and put your mind to it,” said Sarah Benson, who graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in marketing. “I had first seen vintage trailers used as mobile bars at the Hotel Drover in Fort Worth out in their courtyard. I thought it was really cool how they took an old horse trailer, refurbished it and made it into something completely different. So, that was how the idea was born and over the coming months, it morphed into The Pop-Up Pony!”
With just the concept in mind, Sarah Benson drafted a business plan, put her wheels in motion, and worked with a company in Wyoming to source a trailer. By December 2024, it was transformed into a beautiful mobile unit ready to be used for all occasions. In the few short months since then, it has quickly become a growing business – and a venture that both Sarah and Lucie Mae Benson can share.
“It is something that we bond over and do a little bit together,” said Sarah Benson, who is also quick to credit her own father, a small-business owner, with her work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit. “I joke saying that [Lucie Mae] is the Chief Pony Officer and comes up with all the fun kid ideas. She definitely had an opinion about the logo and continues to provide input on all pony-related things!”
This spring, the Pin Oak Charity Horse Show at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center presented the perfect opportunity to bring together the new business and Lucie Mae Benson’s show schedule. While she competes in the Children’s Pony Hunters at the show – which runs March 26 through April 13 – The Pop-Up Pony is making its Pin Oak debut as the title sponsor of the Kids’ Zone.
“It’s my favorite horse show ever,” said Sarah Benson. “As a recently retired nurse, I love that it benefits Texas Children’s Hospital. Anything we can do to support that is really important to me.”
Throughout the three weeks of Pin Oak, The Pop-Up Pony is offering complimentary popcorn, weekly stick horse races each Saturday at 2 p.m. (complete with great prizes and ribbons!), arts and crafts, games and more.
Even with all that it offers at Pin Oak, The Pop-Up Pony’s onsite setup is just one example of the endless ways that the retrofitted horse trailer can be utilized.
During the Texas Winter Series, also held at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center, the trailer functioned as a beautifully adorned vendor space. Outside of the horse show world, it serves as a fun and functional addition to any tailgate or party and much, much more.
“It’s great for people who have online shops, don’t have a brick-and-mortar establishment and need something to work out of at an event,” added Sarah Benson. “it’s really great for tailgates, kids’ parties and endless other possibilities.”
To learn more about The Pop-Up Pony, visit popuppony.com, and follow The Pop-Up Pony on Instagram @PopUpPony.
The Pop-Up Pony at Pin Oak
The Pop-Up Pony Kids’ Zone offers complimentary snacks, lounge space, weekly stick pony races at 2 p.m. on Saturdays and free arts and crafts each weekend!
About the Pin Oak Charity Horse Show
Recognized as a US Equestrian Heritage Competition, the Pin Oak Charity Horse Show is one of the oldest and most prestigious horse shows in the United States. Today, the show features three weeks of top-caliber hunter/jumper events and one week of breed show competition at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center in Katy, TX.
