Sunday at the National Preview (Oct 31 – Nov 4) was all about the ponies, as over 50 of them traveled to Los Angeles to compete in the West Coast Pony Hunter Finals, the largest convergence of ponies outside of the USEF Pony Finals. Camille Nohra (Benjamin Hey, trainer) was the only rider from Lightfoot Show Stables in Palo Alto to make the trip with her large pony Mapleside Magic Dancer. The trip was well worth it as the pair returned home with two blue ribbon sashes, winning West Coast Pony Hunter Final Overall Champion and Large Pony Champion. “This is really very special to me to win the whole West Coast,” Camille noted. “I actually had a large pony before Dancer named Halcyon Let’s Luau. That pony won in 2007 with Madison Bloum, but we never made it to the finals together so I’m dedicating this win to her.”

Camille Nohra and Mapleside's Magic Dancer waltz to the top of the leader board in the West Coast Pony Hunter Final
Photo: Flying Horse Photography

Camille was very happy to win on Dancer, a veteran of the show circuit. “Dancer is 18 years old, so he’s been showing for a long time. He is a great fit for me because I like to be relaxed and very flowy when I ride, and he loves riders like that,” Camille commented.

The pair impressed the judges with their smooth, relaxed rounds and scored a two-round average of 82, just edging out Ayanna Frey (Chris Iwasaki, trainer) on Chutes and Ladders (Elissa Brown, owner) by 0.5 points for the overall win. Camille didn’t feel much pressure heading into the second round. As she explained, “Going into this whole class, my attitude was honestly just to enjoy the experience. The last thing my trainer said to me before I went in for my second round was, ‘Just go out there and have fun.’”

Camille followed her trainer's instructions and was all smiles as she enjoyed her victory gallop. "This is my first time at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, and I absolutely love the show grounds. Usually I only show up north, but we might come back down here because it’s been such a great show.”

 
Ayanna Frey and Chutes and Ladders shoot for the stars and win West Coast Pony Hunter Finals Overall Reserve Champion and Medium Pony Champion
Photo: Flying Horse Photography

Twelve-year-old Ayanna Frey also had a great show aboard Chutes and Ladders, AKA Foxy. The pair were West Coast Pony Hunter Finals Overall Reserve Champion and Medium Pony Champion. Their success was particularly impressive as Ayanna catch rode Foxy for trainer Karen Perlow. Ayanna first rode the pony on Thursday, but the two clicked immediately and won the LAHJA Pony Medal Class on Friday before showing in the finals.

Ayanna piloted Foxy around the two hunter courses (Peter Grant, designer) with ease and earned a two round total average of 81.5. The overall reserve championship meant a lot to Ayanna, who has been showing ponies for several years. “Last year at this show, I didn’t do very well and I really take these things to heart,” Ayanna commented. “I don’t have a pony of my own right now, so it’s very meaningful to me that I was able to do so well on a pony I catch rode. I’m grateful to Karen for finding Foxy and letting me ride him. He’s an amazing pony.”

 
Faith Cunningham and Miss Marple 53 get the job done in the West Coast Pony Jumper Final
Photo: Flying Horse Photography

Another veteran pony entered the winner's circle in the West Coast Pony Jumper Finals. Eighteen-year-old Miss Marple 53 (Stella Farms, owner) won the jumper finals with Faith Cunningham (Team McAllister, trainer) in the irons. “Going into the ring, I was pretty nervous,” Faith recounted. “I was concerned about remembering the course, so I just kept going over it in my head. Everyone else really wanted to win, and I thought they were all really good riders.”

Despite the nerves, Faith remembered her course and took several inside turns to get an edge on the time, which won her the championship. “The McAllister team is great because they help me plan out my course, but they’re not overly strict,” Faith said. “I love training with them because Jenni, Steve, and Andre Barbarossa give me several different perspectives.” Faith was ecstatic about her win and hopes to continue her success in 2013 and qualify for USEF Pony Finals in Kentucky. “I had a really good experience, and it was a really exciting weekend,” Faith noted.

The West Coast Pony Jumper Final was held in the newly upgraded Trail’s End Arena, and trainer Steve McAllister praised the improvements. “It was nice for our riders to ride in Trail’s End and have it look like a real show ring," Steve observed. "They brought out better jumps and put banners and flags around, so it made it look like it was the first level ring rather than the second level ring.” Faith herself noticed the excellent footing on her walk and remarked, “The footing was really soft and nice. When I was walking the course, I even joked to my trainer that it would be comfortable to fall on.”
Jillian Stewart and Prima Ballerina win in the Small Pony section
Photo: Flying Horse Photography

Thankfully, Faith did not test out her theory, but earned valuable experience in the new arena. “Bringing in an international course designer for the second ring is kind of special, and there are very few shows that do that,” Steve explained. “Hopefully they continue having top course designers in the secondary jumper ring, because the secondary jumper ring is where you do all of your training of your kids and young horses, so we actually look for better courses in the secondary ring than in the first.”

Course designer Peter Grant agreed. “A lot of times for organizers, the secondary rings are an afterthought and they’re not given the attention and diligence they deserve. I thought it was really nice that Langer Equestrian Group gave us the chance to focus on one or two rings. My focus this week was mostly on developing riders and horses, and it’s always enjoyable to be able to do that.”

Peter designed courses for the LAHJA Pony Medal Finals and the West Coast Pony Hunter and Jumper Finals. “I had a lot of fun with it and I really enjoyed working with the kids,” Peter said. “There are a lot of places that I go where the pony field is not so deep or as high a quality, so it was nice to come here and set for some good ponies.”

Elsewhere at the show, Lily Blavin (Brookway Stables, trainer) was very successful in the junior hunters and won reserve champion in the Small Junior Hunters on her Pringle and reserve champion in the Large Junior Hunters on her Montague. “This is my first show competing in the Junior Hunters. I am thrilled about the results; it went great!” Lily exclaimed. Her horses also performed well with professional riders. Archie Cox rode Montague to the reserve championship in the Regular Conformation Hunters and John French rode Lily’s Sander to the championship in the High Performance Hunters.

Deni Hird (Stephanie Haney, trainer) had her first show on Pop’s Panda (Lisa Stroway, owner) in the Children’s Hunters 15 thru 17. It was Deni’s first time riding the five-year-old that Lisa Stroway bred and raised. “Lisa called Stephanie and asked if I could show him this weekend, and I just had the greatest time,” Deni commented. “He is such an incredible horse; I really appreciate Lisa giving me the opportunity to show him.”

The National Preview Horse Show is in the books, but there is much more to come in the LA National Horse Show. Still to come: WCE and Onondarka Medal Finals, and this year’s winner will be the 50th in the rich history of the Onondarka Medal Finals, joining winners such as Susie Hutchison, Lise Quintero, and Francie Steinwedell, who all continued on to become top grand prix riders. Peacefield Farms is sponsoring the Pre-Green Hunter Championship where this year there will be awards for both 3’0” and 3’3” Pre-Green Horses, and Junior and Amateur Jumper riders will contest the $12,000 Junior Amateur Jumper Championship for both teams and individuals. Finally, the two weeks will wrap up with the $50,000 LEGIS Grand Prix of Los Angeles, both an FEI World Cup Qualifier and a qualifying class for the HITS Thermal Million.

LEG will wrap up its year-long 40th Anniversary celebration with the $10,000 Hunter Derby Final, and the $12,500 1.35 Jumper Classic Final.

Finally, while the top jumpers head to Las Vegas for the conclusion of the inaugural West Coast Indoor Circuit at the Las Vegas National, the LA Season Finale (Nov 15-18) will wrap up LEG’s 40th annual show season. The LA Season Finale is hosting the LEGIS League Medal Finals – five different classes – as well as the LEGIS League Children’s Pony Hunter Finale.