Campbell (Cochranville, Pa.) and Brighton, Campbell and the Maher Family, LLC’s eight-year-old Deutsches Reitpony gelding, earned scores of 260.90 and 251.72 in the Model and Under Saddle phases, respectively, for an overall total of 512.62. Dominic Gibbs (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and her own GF Aurelia, a 10-year-old Welsh/Thoroughbred mare, trail close behind with an overall score of 510.87. Baylee McKeever (Brewster, N.Y.) and Tantallon Co-Captain, Cecilia D’Amore’s 14-year-old Half-Welsh gelding, round out the top three with an overall total of 510.77.
In the Small Green Hunter Pony competition, Walker (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.) and her own Captain Crunch, an eight-year-old Welsh Pony gelding, jumped out to an early lead. They earned scores of 260.40 in the Model phase and 259 in the Under Saddle phase for an overall total of 519.40. Augusta Iwasaki (Calabasas, Calif.) and Thinking Out Loud, Bibby Hill’s five-year-old Welsh Pony gelding, follow in second place with a total of 503.10, while Lauren Reid (Nazareth, Pa.) and Smoke Tree Starlet, Ramble On Farm’s seven-year-old Welsh Pony mare, sit in third place with a score of 502.61.
The national titles are determined for the USEF Hunter Pony Championships following three phases of competition. The Model and Under Saddle phases each count 25% towards the overall score, and the remaining 50% is determined by the Over Fences phase. The Over Fences phase for the Large Regular and Small Green sections will be held Wednesday, August 9.