Lexington, Ky. – May 10, 2025 – The Kentucky Spring Horse Show was thrilled to showcase junior riders on Saturday evening during the $1,500 USHJA Pony Hunter Derby, part of World Champion Hunter Rider Week. With two beautiful rounds, Lost Boy and Dakota Zehler took home the winning title. McDreamy and Louisa Rehme followed closely, finishing in second place by just 5 points, while sister Rome Rehme and September Starlight rounded out the top three.
“It feels really good to win,” smiled Zehler. “Peter is such an amazing pony, and I just had so much fun. We’ve done a couple of derbies in Ohio, and he’s won or been second a bunch. He’s so much fun to do handy turns with. He really enjoys it and he loves to jump and do everything with me, so I’m really happy!”
Dakota Zehler & Lost Boy
A field of top large, medium, and small ponies showed over Michael Pegg’s round and were invited to return for the handy round. The handy phase featured several rollbacks, an in-and-out, and a trot fence.
Louisa Rehme and McDreamy
Zehler and her medium pony Lost Boy, owned by Flying Soleau LLC, returned for the handy phase with a score of 78 in the classic phase and had a brilliant handy round that scored an 86.5 for a two-round total of 164.5. Medium pony McDreamy, earned a score of 85.5 for the second-place award with Louisa Rehme. Sister Rome Rehme and her large pony September Starlight earned a score of 80 and the third-place honors. At the end of the day, the riders returned to accept their ribbons with Lost Boy and Dakota Zehler leading the lap of honor.
Rome Rehme and September Starlight
“When I went in, I was just trying to be as handy, but also as consistent as possible and just trying to get everything to be smooth,” explained Zehler. “I’ve been riding Lost Boy for almost three years now. He loves to give kisses to me and Kelly, my trainer. He has a great personality, I love him so much.”
Zehler was happy to be back to the Kentucky Horse Park, concluding, “We spend the winters in Florida and then come here to spend the summers in Kentucky. I’ve been showing in Kentucky for three or four years now, and it’s been really nice. I love showing at the Kentucky Horse Park because I love the grass and how big it is.”
As a World Champion Hunter Rider week, the Kentucky Spring Horse Show will feature a $10,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby on Sunday morning, and junior riders will conclude competition with the Hagyard Grand Hunter Championships in their respective divisions. Ponies will have the opportunity to showcase their brilliance again next week, during the Kentucky Spring Classic.
For more information on Kentucky Horse Shows LLC and the Kentucky Summer Horse Shows, please visit www.kentuckyhorseshows.com.