Pony power! We are celebrating ponies of all breeds on YourDressage through the month of June!
Did you know dressage riders who choose ponies as their mounts are eligible for many Adequan®/USDF All-Breeds Awards, as there are several pony organizations on our Participating Organization list?
When this Region 3 rider realized her Quarter Pony was ready to retire from eventing, they transitioned their focus to the dressage phase, but little did she know they’d go on to achieve goal after goal together.
By Winter Thorington
My name is Winter Thorington, and I started eventing in 2006 at around eight years old. I only recently started to be competitive in straight dressage, when I retired my Quarter Horse, Farris, from eventing after college in 2022. I began riding Farris when I was 13, and we competed successfully through Training Level in his eventing career – this was pretty impressive since he had a team-roping background and is only 14.2 hands tall. Even though Farris’s heart was not in the jumping phases anymore, he still had (and still has) plenty to give in the dressage arena.
Originally, my goal was to earn my USDF Bronze Rider Medal on him. A goal that we accomplished in 2023. The flying changes were the hardest movement for him because he had to keep his shoulders up and stay balanced (a completely foreign concept for a spicy, small Quarter Pony). I thought that he might be able to tackle a Fourth Level test, and then he could enjoy a happy retirement at the lower levels. To my surprise, and with a score of 67% in our Fourth Level Test 1 debut, the changes started to become easier.
With the help of our trainer, Sandy Osborn, Prix St. Georges (PSG) was looking more and more do-able. I had already competed at PSG on a friend’s Dutch Warmblood, Vharaan, so I already had one qualifying score towards my Silver Medal. Since I was already familiar with the test, I thought, “Why not try some of the movements with Farris?”
Now that the changes were smoother, the half pirouettes became the hardest movement for us to achieve relaxation and accuracy. Farris would much prefer the Quarter horse “spin” rather than to sit down and pirouette. With a little time, another show doing Fourth Level Test 3, and a score of 67% at that level, we decided to take a shot at PSG.
It was a rainy, windy day at Poplar Place Farms in April, but Farris was able to pull off the test and we earned the last score toward my Silver Medal. After a lot of hard work, we walked away with a 62.9% in his first FEI and PSG test. I was beside myself! The little chestnut Quarter Horse I had grown up riding had just helped me accomplish something I never thought would happen!
This summer we plan to prepare for the Great American Insurance Group/USDF Region 3 Dressage Championships, where we are qualified for Fourth Level.
I hope our story can reach others and help support the “non-traditional” breeds in dressage. Quarter Horses have so much heart and really want to please. I know I wouldn’t trade my guy for the world.
CONGRATULATIONS!!