Davis, Alfano, Udelson and Bielefeld Get the Spotlight at Legacy Cup

My Little Dickens and Davis Set the Pace for the Pony Hunter Go Round

Twelve-year-old Megan Davis (MD) was very calm after she took the lead on My Little Dickens half way through the Pony Hunter Go Round. In contrast her mom, Kim, watched from the sidelines and you could see her jumping every fence with her daughter. For sure they were excited but what they both showed was the calm demeanor of knowing that anything can change in an instant. When the class was finished and Dickens score still lead by 11 points (173 and earnings of $450) you could just see a slight smile on Megan’s face. She had achieved another milestone with the pony that is now leading on the National Standings in the Small Pony division.

Davis first negotiated the course on Far From Home, the small pony she won the class on just one year earlier, but a couple of small bobbles put them in 13th overall. Yet, when she went in on Dickens everything just flowed.

Before answering about how well she did Megan took some time to think through her round and the outcome. “I thought I did well. I started out a little slow and then it built up to the end and finished off nice,” explained Davis. “I thought it was a good score. I was happy with it.”

Megan’s mom also thought things were looking up after Dickens did his course. “He had that look; he was on it so I was just hoping.” Then when Megan took over the lead, her mom was hopeful. “She seems to be riding with more confidence which really seems important when you are making decisions. It was there today!

I was very happy about her scores and hoping she would hold on to the lead.”

Davis has to change the way she rides her two ponies because “They both are a very different ride,” explained the soft spoken girl. “Far From Home you have to be more relaxed on and My Little Dickens you have to start out with enough pace and then you have to keep riding and not slow down.”

Davis enjoys the pony she has had for 31/2 years saying, “He’s smooth and he has a nice jump. It feels good in the air.”

The 14-year-old, 12.2 hand, liver chestnut, small Welsh Pony gelding is also fun in the barn and “he has a really cute personality. He begs a lot for treats and mints. He is just really sweet,” explains Megan, who admits to “spoiling him. I just like treating him special.”

Her mom adds, “He is always poking his nose out for a mint. He’s been getting many more treats and many more hugs so he’s looking for them more often. It’s very cute.”

The young girl used to play the piano but “started to not have a lot of time to practice and it became hard with my riding.” In the fall she did some running cross country “and did well,” said her mom. Yet the horses are what hold Megan’s attention. “It is a special sport. It’s not like anything else. I like all the personalities and enjoy dealing with different situations when I ride. It’s never the same.”

Megan has spent a fair amount of time this year in the winner’s circle but she also has learned that “when you don’t have such a good round you have to be a good sport and learn from your mistakes.”

She also realizes that this is not something you do alone. “My trainers (Tim and Kelly Goguen) and grooms are good to me and I am always confident that my ponies are ready to go to the ring. I feel like they teach me well and I am always learning something new.

This was Megan’s third time riding in the Legacy Cup and she really enjoys the concept. “It is fun to get a score. I always like that and it is nice to be indoors. It has a special feeling. I also like to have multiple scores so that I can see what more than one judge thinks.”