Lexington, KY – August 9, 2024 – The 2024 Pony Jumper National Championship Team Competition was the highlight of the Pony Jumper competition Friday at the USEF Pony Finals, presented by Marshall and Sterling. The three-person team from for the combined Zones 2/3/4, took home the gold medal by finishing on just 16-faults. The team from Zone 8 was rewarded with a silver medal for their efforts over the two rounds of competition.
The team excitement played out in the Caliborn Ring, at the Kentucky Horse Park and featured competitive pony jumper athletes from all across the United States. A total of four teams competed in a two-round format, where either three of four athletes (dependent on the team) jumped a technical 12-effort track designed by Jasen Shelley. After all of the riders had completed their first round, the teams came back based on their score from round one, the highest number of faults going first.
Melinda Slous and Twilight Van De Vrijboshoeve
Zones 2/3/4 had the early lead, with Melinda Slous delivering a clear round on Twilight Van De Vrijboshoeve, while Kinser Vale with Praise On and Raines Gammon with The Girl Next Door each lowered the height of a single fence for a team total of 8 faults. During the second round, Vale and Gammon each had clear round rounds, while Slous had 8 faults to bring the team total to 16 faults and earn the gold medal.
Kinser Vale and Praise On
All three riders made their Pony Finals debut this week and were thrilled with the experience as teammates despite never having met each other before this week. “I didn’t really know anyone at first, but they’re really great girls and it was nice to meet them and ride with them as a team,” said 14-year-old Slous of Redstone, NJ. “My first clear round was really good. My horse was on point and then he got a little tired in the second round, but he was still really good and he tried his best.”
Fourteen-year-old Gammon of Brookeville, MD, added, “I was a little nervous going into the first round and I made one little mistake at the second to last jump, but we fixed it in the second round. It was good. This was my first time being on a team and it was really fun and they’re all really nice.”
Raines Gammon and The Girl Next Door
Ten-year-old Vale of Williston, FL, concluded, “It was also my first time on a team. I had fun learning what it’s like, and these are two very good girls. I hope to meet up with them again in the future. Our first round was very good until we came up at jump eight – we had a little oopsie there, but then when we went into the second round and I made my pony wait and we got over that jump just fine!”
The team from Zones 2/3/4 was led by Chef d’Euipe Aaron Vale, who would love to see the Pony Jumper division continue to grow. “There were a few of them out there that were quite gritty and showed some potential,” he noted. “Hopefully the pony jumper program gets more interest in the future because there were some that kind of impressed you with what they can do going forward.”
After the conclusion of the competition, the team athletes were escorted back into the rings where they took to the podium to receive their medals, cheered on by their friends and family. The silver medal team from Zone 8 included Zahara Henderson with Star Wish, Elina Liebert with Diarado Des Cibaudes, and Haley Honegger with High Dream N under the direction of Chef d’Equipe Alexia Honegger.
Individual jumping finals will take place on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. in the Claiborne Ring to conclude the 2024 Pony Jumper National Championship.