Lexington, Ky – August 11, 2024 – The final day of the 2024 USEF Pony Finals, presented by Marshall and Sterling, showcased the highly anticipated USEF Pony Medal National Championship. The nation’s top young pony athletes took center stage in the Alltech Arena as they tried their hand at the ten obstacle course, hoping for the chance to make it to the final round. Twenty of the top contestants came back for the second round, vying for top honors, as they maneuvered the course, testing their handiness while keeping perfect form throughout the track. Four riders were asked to return for testing under saddle without their stirrups, and in the end, Carsyn Korotkin and Pepsi who came out on top with two beautiful rounds and a well ridden under saddle phase. Ella Tarumianz and Hey Scooby took home second place, India Kulkin and Best Summer placed third and Logan Baras was fourth with Dream Big.
After leading the lap of honor, Korotkin was overwhelmed with excitement and expressed, “I burst out crying [when I heard] and I was really excited. My legs were really hurting from the flat, but I was really excited. I’m really, really excited!”
During round one, course designer Jason Shelley tested the riders on their ability to navigate through a winding and flowing course that included a trot fence after a short halt near the gate, and an in and out at the end of the course. After 174 pony and rider combinations jumped the first round, 20 were invited back to test over an 8-obstacle track for round two. The test consisted of cantering directly to fence one out of the gate, several short rollbacks, two options for the trot fence and hand gallop to the final oxer towards the gate. The riders that were invited to return for the second round did so in reverse order and were further grouped by size. The Small Ponies kicked off the second round with five riders, next in the ring were four Large Pony riders, followed by the Medium Pony section, which featured 11 riders.
Ella Tarumianz and Hey Scooby
At the completion of the second round, judges invited Korotkin, Tarumianz, Kulkin and Baras to return for an under saddle phase with their stirrups removed from their saddles. They had to demonstrate a sitting trot, posting trot, lengthening of stride, halt and canter. Riders then returned to the center of the ring to excitedly await the final results. They were announced in reverse order with trainers standing alongside as Korotkin and Pepsi received the final call and the 2024 USEF Pony Medal National Championship.
India Kulkin and Best Summer
Hearing that the under saddle phase would be without stirrups gave Korotkin a boost of confidence before she went in the ring. “I was confident going in because I’d been practicing a lot with my other ponies and I practiced yesterday just in case,” she explained. “The second round was really good and he was just perfect. Then the flat with no stirrups, I was squeezing the time – I was dying, but it was worth it!”
Pepsi is a 10-year-old Welsh pony owned by Lily Epstein that Korotkin began riding two years ago, and they have developed a very strong partnership, making him the natural choice for Sunday’s highlight event. “I’m the most consistent on him and I think I just ride him the best,” she said. “He needs a very soft ride. He can’t get ridden too many times during the week. I ride him once a week and then I just show him.”
Korotkin worked with Ali Sweetnam and Danny Arendt of Sweet Oak Farm during today’s final, but her father is Alan Korotkin of Castlewood Farm and she is helping to carry on the family legacy. “Carsyn has been doing this for a really long time,” noted Sweetnam. “She comes from a family of professionals, so she’s been around the pressure for a long time. I think this year we all knew that she was going to be coming into her own. She and Pepsi have a really solid relationship together and she’s been in a lot of high pressure situations and they have a lot of faith in each other.”
This is Carysn’s fifth Pony Finals, and she loved returning to the Kentucky Horse Park each year to compete in the equitation. “I love the equitation for some reason – I really like it. This is my biggest win for sure!”
The Pony Medal Finals concluded the 2024 USEF Pony Finals, presented by Marshall and Sterling. Next year, the event will return to the Kentucky Horse Park and continue to showcase the most coveted ponies in the United States, with some of the best young hunter, jumper, and equitation athletes that their respective divisions have to offer. To see a complete list of results or to learn more about the 2025 USEF Pony Finals please visit www.usef.org.
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