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This year’s pony jumper division at Pony Finals wasn’t just about bigger numbers. It was also about bigger possibilities. The huge increase in competitors in 2025 showed that kids want a place to compete, grow, and belong. Now the question becomes: how can the U.S. shape that momentum into a true pipeline for the future of show jumping?
For many, the answer lies in one word: teams.
The Missing Piece
Internationally, team competition is woven into the development of young riders. In Ireland, for example, children are introduced to team formats almost as soon as they start jumping courses. Under-10 team classes help them learn strategy such as who goes first, who rides anchor, how to work with a chef d’équipe all at an early age.
At Pony Finals this year, however, teams looked different. By combining divisions of small, medium, and large ponies into mixed groups, the format eliminated much of the strategy that makes team riding so valuable. Riders simply went in order by pony size, without a lot of planning and decision-making.
Sonja Ochadlik, an international show jumper originally from New Mexico who now runs Stonehall Sport Horses in Ireland, has seen the benefits of strong team structures firsthand. “I think they could keep the heights the same,” she said, “but I would like to see the meter five division be the specialist division really focused on a championship format, with combinations and with all the elements of team strategy built in.”
Why Teams Matter
Team events don’t just prepare riders for international sport. They also create community. Learning to ride for something bigger than yourself adds pressure, but it also teaches resilience, collaboration, and responsibility.
Piper Klemm, publisher of The Plaid Horse, pointed out that the explosion of pony jumpers this year finally gives the U.S. a pool of riders to work with. “My hope is that there’s now plenty of raw material—people demonstrating interest—that can be shaped into a larger vision to move riders up through the team process,” she said.
That larger vision is about more than one championship. In Europe, ponies serve as the first rung on a clear ladder: from national pony teams to children on horses, juniors, young riders, and eventually senior Nations Cups. The U.S., by contrast, has lacked consistent pony-level team opportunities.
As Ochadlik noted, this year’s Pony Finals is currently the only U.S. event offering a pony team championship, and even that format is still evolving. Piper added that the limited number of Nations Cups in North America makes it harder to build the same kind of depth that European riders enjoy.
The new pony jumper format offers a chance to change that. By creating a true team structure organizers could establish a championship that trains riders not only how to jump bigger fences, but also how to think like team athletes.
Details That Matter
Ochadlik emphasized that for the program to reach its potential, divisions need to remain separated, results need to be clear, and team formats need to be intentional. “If you want to attract a wider audience and prepare riders for the pipeline, you need to make the results readable and the process transparent,” she said.
That attention to detail isn’t just about fairness. It’s about showing kids and families that pony jumpers are more than a one-off experience. They’re the first step on a pathway that could take a rider from Pony Finals all the way to international championships.
The U.S. show jumping pipeline has often been criticized as fragmented, with too few opportunities for kids to learn how to ride as part of a team. The success of this year’s pony jumpers shows that the demand is there. Now it’s up to organizers to build on that momentum.
With the right structure, pony jumpers could become more than just an exciting division at Finals. They could be the training ground for the next generation of American show jumping stars.
Want more insight from Sonja Ochadlik? Listen to her conversation with Piper Klemm on The Plaidchat and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform for conversations with the most influential voices in the equestrian world.
