60 SIDELINES JULY 2012
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
e
Pony Power
Grady and A
Hoof And A Prayer
Photo by Viki Lyman.
By Holly Hugo-Vidal
Grady Lyman rides out of her family’s Greta Glen Farms in Rancho Santa Fe,
California. She has two ponies, a medium named Blue Print, or Bentley, and a
large pony named A Hoof And A Prayer, whose barn name is Happy. Grady,
a sixth grader, has been riding since she was two years old and has been training
with Alicia Saxton for fve years. Alicia’s Ocean Crest Farms is based out of Greta
Glen Farms.
Grady has proven she has pony power in California; riding away with some big
wins including the Grand Pony Championship for the West Coast Pony Finals
with A Hoof And A Prayer at The National Preview in Los Angeles. With Blue
Print she won the Circuit Reserve Grand Champion at Thermal and at Menlo was
champion and won the classic and the high point pony. Grady and A Hoof And A
Prayer were also champions and won the USEF pony medal and placed frst in
the southwest division of WCHR in the pony division for 2011.
Sidelines’ California correspondent caught up with Grady, an
enthusiastic and dedicated rider, at The Ranch and Coast Horse Show
in Del Mar and had a chance to chat with the young rider who is certainly
“one to watch” in the future!
How did you become interested in riding?
My brother played on a soccer team with two girls who also rode horses
and one day I went to the barn and watched and that got me hooked.
What do you like to do when you aren’t riding?
I love to take pictures and I like to play roller hockey, soccer and
volleyball.
Have you ever had an embarrassing moment at a horse show?
Yes! Quite recently, I was catch riding a pony at a horse show and I
came to the in and out and it stopped and I fell off! It was quite
embarrassing!
What riders do you admire?
John French, Nick Hanness and Rich Fellers, they’re great
riders!
What are you goals as a rider?
I completed my goal for last year, which was to win the West
Coast Pony Finals over all. Now I would like to get a horse and
win the Onondarka Medal Finals!
What has been your best memory with ponies?
When I won the West Coast Pony Finals that was a great accomplishment
because one of my very best friends was second and it was super close. Our
scores were so close, like a .25 difference after the frst round and then I beat
her by .5!
What kind of music do you like to listen to?
That’s hard, I like a lot. I like Taylor Swift and her songs Mean and La La La;
Lady Antebellum and their song Dancing Away With My Heart; and Adele’s
song Rolling In The Deep.
Do you have a favorite movie?
The Proposal