As the Small Regular Pony Hunter National Championship started up, three new champions were crowned on the second day of competition at the 2021 USEF Pony Finals presented by Honor Hill Farms (Pony Finals).

Photo – Dyson and D’Artagnan Win Large Regular Pony Hunter National Championship (Shawn McMillen Photography)

USEF Pony Finals first-time competitor Emma Dyson (Greenwich, Conn.) and D’Artagnan, Simply Ponies LLC’s 2010 German Riding Pony gelding, took the win in the Large Regular Pony Hunter National Championship presented by Charles Ancona. The pair was sitting in fifth heading into the jumping phase but a win in the Over Fences class pushed them to the top of the leaderboard with a score of 270.14. Dyson and D’Artagnan earned a 246.51 in the Model and a 268.63 in the Under Saddle, for a composite score of 1055.42 after the Over Fences.

“I’ve been riding [‘Beau’] since March. It took a couple shows before we clicked, but he’s always been a pretty good boy so it was pretty easy to get to know him,” Dyson said. “This is my first time [at USEF Pony Finals]. It’s really special to come here; I’ve wanted to come here my whole life. It’s really cool to win my first time coming.”

The combination will also compete in the Marshall & Sterling/USEF Pony Medal National Championship on Sunday.

Watch their winning ride

Leaderboard:

1. Emma Dyson and D’Artagnan
2. Erin Morera and Nominee
3. Clara Propp and Eastside

Results