Lexington, KY – August 5, 2026 – Competition is officially underway for the 2026 USEF Pony Finals presented by Marshall + Sterling, and the first championship was presented at the end of the day in the Rolex Stadium after 148 large pony hunters showcased their brilliance. The overall national champion title for the large regulars went to Blue By You, a 12-year-old Welsh Pony Cross owned by First Blue LLC, and shown by Lacey Powers (Royal Palm Beach, Fla.).
“I knew that [Blue By You] could do it, but it’s always a matter of what I can do,” smiled Powers after her win. “I knew that we had a chance coming in high up, but I wanted to go in, not think about it. I wanted to think about my course and try to have a smooth round, keep a nice light seat, and just try to find everything out of stride. I was thinking, don’t get too backwards, and don’t get too caught up on where I’m going to end up until I’m out of the ring.”
Lacey Powers & Blue By You. Photos by Shawn McMillen
Her focused approach worked out well, garnering top marks from the judges and earning Power’s her first championship at Pony Finals. Powers has only shown Blue By You one other time, but she felt very confident in their new partnership, explaining, “I’ve seen him show a lot, and he’s really, really fun. He’s really adjustable at the jumps. He’s got a great jump. He’s pretty perfect!”
Blue By You is trained by Patricia Griffith and Herritage Farm, and Powers has enjoyed working with their team saying, “They do a really good job. I really try to learn everything I can from Andre [Dignelli], Patricia, Dottie [Barnwell-Areson] and Lena [Romond]. They each have their different things, and you can just learn as much as you can from them. I think that’s pretty important to get to do and really special.”
This is Powers fourth Pony Finals, and she is showing four hunters and two jumpers. “I am really looking forward to the pony jumpers,” she concluded. “I really want to have clear rounds, so that I can get into the jump-off and then go out there–save it until the individual finals and then see if we can put it together there!”
Harper Clark & He’s Epic
The reserve champion title went to He’s Epic and Harper Clark, while Emma Todorov and Galway rounded out the top three. Competition gets back underway on Thursday morning, beginning with the Medium Green and Large Green Pony model and under saddle phases, and concluding with the Small Green and Small Regular Pony over fences.
Emma Todorov & Galway