Golden Oldies Ponies Excel for Decades
BY JENNIFER TAYLOR
When I see someone searching for a pony and they want something under 15 years old, I often think, I will take the ones OVER 15. I will take them at 25!
I...
Calling All Non-Horsey Moms – Questions to Ask if Your Kid Wants to Ride
BY LEXI CLARK
What the heck is a jodhpur, and why is my child so obsessed with horses?! How many times have you seen the confused looks on the faces of non-horsey people as you...
Pony Perfection: Leslie Butzer’s Rico Suave
Leslie Butzer has long strived to breed the best hunter ponies. Thanks to cloning, her beloved gelding, Rico Suave, can help her achieve that dream.
BY KRISTIN PITZERPHOTOS BY DAVID ERDEK & SHAWN MCMILLEN
Whether you’re...
When the Dark Side Works: Buying a Green Broke 3yo Pony for My Kid
BY HELENE DUDLEY
You are putting your
child in danger!
That’s
hard for a parent to hear, especially when it’s true and yet—here I am.
My
ten-year-old kid loves riding. Last year, it was time to get him a consistent
ride....
Unbridled Curiosity: Three Ponies Highlight Recent Discoveries in Equine Science
BY TOBEY PEARL
Not long after three ponies named Hufflepuff, Cruzer, and Dacardi arrived at Bar-B-Ranch in South Florida, they identified a perceived threat in their turnout pasture—an unfamiliar gelding or mare brought out from...
Where Did My Pony Come From?
Thoughts on name prefixes and suffixes
By Randee Beckman
Once upon a time, it was considered very prestigious to own and show a pony with a known prefix. You knew the breeder or at least the...
Rowfantina Gold Sovereign: A Pony Stallion of a Lifetime
BY LILLI BIEDERMANN
I was the unofficial President of the Winston Fan Club. Amy and Randy McCoy, Champlain Isle Ponies, Isle La Motte, Vermont, owned Rowfantina Gold Sovereign (aka Winston) and they humored me; allowing me to...
New Pony Parent Horse Show Guide Part I: Vocabulary
BY PONYMOMAMMY
If your kid is waiting for spring not because the weather is warmer, but because spring means horse shows — Congratulations and welcome to being a horse show parent!
A horse show is a...
The Road From Reservation to Pony Finals
Above photo: Jordan Gibbs and Party Time in their Small Pony Hunter over fences round at Pony Finals 2017.
By TPH Intern Tori Weed
If you were at the 2017 USEF Pony Finals, you may have seen...
A Pony’s Impact: How One Pony Can Influence Lives
BY VYLA CARTER
We all remember that special teacher in our lives- the one who made a difference to us. They may not have been the easiest or the kindest, but their impact is something...
Devon Leadline 2019: The Next Generation of Equestrians
PHOTOS BY EMILY MCNEILL
Many equestrians get their start in leadline, but Devon is inarguably a grander leadline than most. Sunnhats, dresses, suits, impeccable ponies and of course—smiling riders all filled the Dixon Oval for...
From World Grand Championships in the Tennessee Walking Horse Ring to Pony Finals
BY VYLA CARTER
Many pony riders are nervous, jittery and extremely excited as they head off to Pony Finals at The Kentucky Horse Park for the first time. Finley-Grace Brooks is just like them, but...
6 Things to Look For When Shopping for a Short Stirrup Pony
BY STEFANIE MAZER
Short stirrup is an important division for young riders. For many, it’s their first time showing over straight rail fences. The jumps can have fill and width, and the courses start to...
Quick Facts about Pony Measurement
CLICK HERE to read Sissy Wicke's "Pony Measurement: The New Normal?"
Read the entire US Equestrian Hunter Rulebook HERE
Quick facts about Federation Measurement Verification
There are three kinds of measurement proceedings for horses and ponies: original...
Six Degrees of Dreamer: Bittersweet Goodbyes to Great Ponies That Have Touched Many Young...
BY JESSICA GRUTKOWSKI
The only tangible memory of my childhood lease horse is a 3x5 professional photo taken by James Leslie Parker from The Hampton Classic in 1992 — the last time I showed as...
Quality Wins the Game: Breaking Down the Pony Model
By Lauren Aubert
At many horse shows, a class where the ring is filled with ponies shown in-hand by their riders is often seen before the first jumping class of each division. This is known...
Celebrating the Round: Regular Large and Small Green Pony Hunter Over Fences at USEF...
BY VYLA CARTER AND MACKENZIE SHUMAN
During the second day of Pony Finals, champions were crowned in the Regular Large Pony Hunter division and Small Green Pony Hunters. Top placing riders gave a little extra love...
Who Jumped It Best? Devon 2019 Small Pony Hunter
PHOTOS © IRENE ELISE POWLICK
Devon's opening weekend has top competition in all rings, but some of the fiercest riders are the pony hunters. These exceptional teams performed wonderfully in the Dixon oval, but we...
A Little Bit of Magic: Robin Greenwood on the Moments that Made Her Career
By Nina Fedrizzi
People often think of a life’s work in vast swaths of time; a slow march of days and weeks that, if you’re lucky, ultimately culminate in success. In reality, though, it’s more...
10 Pony Cakes for Your Next Barn Birthday
Pony girls dream in fluffy forelocks, tiny trots and satin ribbons... and those dreams include birthday wishes! With crossrails and canter transitions constantly on the brain, it's no surprise that pony girls hope for...
Pony Finals Must Do’s
BY ANNIE BIRMINGHAM
With the start of the annual USEF Pony Finals quickly approaching, perfectly prepped ponies and their equally adorable riders from across the country are perfecting their final touches before heading to the...
Devon Sibling Spotlight: The Propp Sisters
BY ANNIE BIRMINGHAM
Stella, Juliette, and Clara Propp are a trio of siblings hailing from New York, New York. Stella, 15, competes in the 3’3” junior hunters aboard Maraschino, Morocco, and Neato, in addition to...