The USEF Hunter Pony Championships came to a close on Saturday at the Kentucky Horse Park. Medium Regular Hunter Ponies went to task in the Walnut Ring in their Over Fences phase to determine the 2017 Champion. Augusta Iwasaki and News Flash emerged victorious on Saturday afternoon, collecting not only the Medium Regular Hunter Pony Championship presented by Sallee Horse Vans, but also the Grand Champion Hunter Pony title for the 2017 USEF Pony Finals presented by Collecting Gaits Farm. National titles are determined following three phases of competition, with Model and Under Saddle phases each counting towards 25% of the overall score, and the remaining 50% being determined by the Over Fences phase. Iwasaki (Calabasas, Calif.) and Tessa Downey’s News Flash earned an excellent score of 1025.63 to win the Medium Regular Hunter Pony Championship. As the highest scoring Regular Hunter pony, the 2005 Welsh Pony gelding claimed the Grand Champion Hunter Pony title. Libbie Gordon (Statesville, N.C.) and Mia Albelo’s Childs Play Hot Topic, an 11-year-old Half-Welsh Pony mare, received a score of the 1016.74 to claim top honors in the Large Regular Hunter Pony Championship on Wednesday, thus earning them the Reserve Grand Champion Hunter Pony title. Read more about Childs Play Hot Topic’s Large Regular Hunter Pony Championship. After earning first place in the Model phase with a score of 258.16, Iwasaki and News Flash placed fourth with a score of 255.17 in the Under Saddle phase. Their Over Fences phase earned them the blue ribbon again with a score of 256.15, thus securing the Medium Regular Hunter Pony Championship presented by Sallee Horse Vans title with an overall score of 1025.63.
The USEF Hunter Pony Championships came to a close on Saturday at the Kentucky Horse Park. Medium Regular Hunter Ponies went to task in the Walnut Ring in their Over Fences phase to determine the 2017 Champion. Augusta Iwasaki and News Flash emerged victorious on Saturday afternoon, collecting not only the Medium Regular Hunter Pony Championship presented by Sallee Horse Vans, but also the Grand Champion Hunter Pony title for the 2017 USEF Pony Finals presented by Collecting Gaits Farm. National titles are determined following three phases of competition, with Model and Under Saddle phases each counting towards 25% of the overall score, and the remaining 50% being determined by the Over Fences phase. Iwasaki (Calabasas, Calif.) and Tessa Downey’s News Flash earned an excellent score of 1025.63 to win the Medium Regular Hunter Pony Championship. As the highest scoring Regular Hunter pony, the 2005 Welsh Pony gelding claimed the Grand Champion Hunter Pony title. Libbie Gordon (Statesville, N.C.) and Mia Albelo’s Childs Play Hot Topic, an 11-year-old Half-Welsh Pony mare, received a score of the 1016.74 to claim top honors in the Large Regular Hunter Pony Championship on Wednesday, thus earning them the Reserve Grand Champion Hunter Pony title. Read more about Childs Play Hot Topic’s Large Regular Hunter Pony Championship. After earning first place in the Model phase with a score of 258.16, Iwasaki and News Flash placed fourth with a score of 255.17 in the Under Saddle phase. Their Over Fences phase earned them the blue ribbon again with a score of 256.15, thus securing the Medium Regular Hunter Pony Championship presented by Sallee Horse Vans title with an overall score of 1025.63.