Meet Jeb, my awesome Large Green pony! He has come such a long way since I got him from Lisa Baker and Majestic Acres in Bristol, TN and he has helped me to accomplish things I never thought were possible. My dream has always been to go to USEF pony finals, but honestly the first few months I had Jeb, all I wanted was for him to slow down. Eventually he did, and I was able to focus on Pony Finals again!
This was from our first A show, WTHJA Memphis in May in May of 2010. We showed in the Large Children's ponies. Jeb measured at exactly 14.2 hands! Jeb's show name, Eyes Up took a lot of thinking and many conversations of blurting out names and saying "no, that's just not it." I wanted somehing unique, fun, and representative of us as a team. I wanted a name that no one else had. My trainer, Beanie Cone of Hunters Edge Stables, always had to tell me to keep my eyes up, and everybody joked about how Jeb had 'bug eyes." So, my mom, being the creative person she is, suggested Eyes Up. It was perfect!
As the 2011 show season rolled around, I was excited, but nervous. The first week of December we headed off for St. Louis and the Lake St. Louis Winter Festival Horse Show. We went, we showed, and WE QUALIFIED! I was so excited that we qualified our first time out. Later on in the season, February 2011 at Lake St. Louis again, we showed and were second in the USEF pony medal. The week afterward, we headed down farther south to Gulfport, MS for the Gulf Coast Winter Classics and learned a TON! We didn't win, but it was a great show and it taught me a lot. I did my first pony classic and I was 2nd!
In March, we did another two weeks of shows in Tennessee - the WTHJA Springtime in Dixie and Springtime Encore. Jeb and I also showed in the Large Regulars, as well as the greens. We were champion in the regulars our first time! At this point, we had qualifiied for the Large Green Ponies and the Large Regulars. The greens were a big division and I figured a lot of things out. In the first week of May, we competed in Queenie Productions May Madness and Jeb was great. Every show we have done we have learned a lot about each other. Jeb and I have to practice a lot, but it definitely pays off in the long run. On May 26th, right after I got out of my last exam (YAY SUMMER!!!) we headed East to Franklin, TN for Brownland Farm's Nashville Country. At this show, Jeb was amazing! We were Reserve in the Large Greens! Also, we won the USEF Pony Medal, and we qualified for the medal at Pony Finals! Now we didn't have to worry about qualifying for anything else at Pony Finals! The second week of June, we hit the road again, but this time we headed South West to Tunica, MS for the Delta Blues Classic. At this show, Jeb and I won ALL of our green classes, and were champion!! He was perfect! Everybody was really proud of him because he had never been to this show before and he handled it like a champ. We also ended up second in the USEF Pony Medal (oops, we sorta cantered the trot fence, my bad!) I also got to school a small pony and I now realize why I have a LARGE pony!
All in all, 2011 has been a great year so far and I can't wait to continue it! From here we head back to Franklin, TN for the Brownland Summer, to Charleston, SC for the Charleston Summer Classics in July, and then in August to Lexington, KY for the Kentucky Summer Classic and then PONY FINALS! At the moment, Jeb and I are eighth in the zone, and fourtheenth in the nation with eight shows! Jeb has taught me so many lessons and I can't imagine a life without him. Remember, keep your eyes up and never give up!
-Sarah
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