By Jessica Grutkowski Portraits by Kristie Scholten Ellie Goodfriend is an experienced Junior rider and fierce competitor in the show ring, with many blue ribbons under her belt. But many people don’t know about the quiet battle Ellie recently fought and won outside of the ring to end years of mystery seizures that threatened to

By Summer Grace Portraits by Kacy Brown All it took was a single weekend—a single clinic with a passionate and knowledgeable trainer, and Jaxon Hoshaw was officially hooked. At the age of 14, Jaxon attended his first Emerging Athletes Program clinic with Jeff Cook. Alongside a handful of up-and-coming talent, Jaxon became completely immersed in

By Laila Edwards Portraits by Samantha Parkes Before Hayley Walston could even walk, she was riding horses. “My mom put me on a horse before I could walk, but I started truly riding when I was 6 years old, while living in the Middle East,” she said. From dressage beginnings to a jumper barn where

By Britney Grover Portraits by Kt Schramm   Serenity Rose Equestrian Center is a unique dressage barn in Lincoln, Nebraska, run by 24-year-old USDF Bronze and Silver medalist Tillie Jones. Tillie, an expert on training riders along Young Rider path because she has risen through it herself, named her program after her late coach, Felice

By Jessica Grutkowski Portraits by Melissa Fuller What do you get when you combine a talented eye with an eye for talent? For Addison “Addie” Litman and longtime trainer Jenn Bowery, it resulted in a fairy-tale ending at Pony Finals with a special small green pony they discovered via Facebook.   Born and raised in

By Tori Kistler Portraits by Susan McClafferty By all accounts, Dana Lynn Grace Sapp is your typical horse-crazy kid. Her room is filled with Breyer models, her favorite outfits often involve glitter and her best friends happen to have four legs. But unlike most 8-year-olds, Dana’s horse obsession isn’t just pretend—it’s her everyday life. Growing

By Britney Grover Portraits by Lindsay McCall When Audrina McCall made her Pony Finals debut at 8 years old in 2023, she was the youngest rider in the Green Pony Hunters division—and she was riding the oldest pony: New Moon, aka Willie. “He was 17 years old and only had one eye; he was a