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 Manhattan, Addie fell in love with horses as a toddler when her mother, Alexis, took her for a pony ride at the Hampton Classic. “I rode as a kid; I should have known it was in the genes!” Alexis said.
Addie loved everything about her pony experience and began taking weekly riding lessons at Two Trees, located in Bridgehampton. After a few years of lessons, Addie began riding with Jenn Bowery and Rose Kouzoujian at Ocean’s Edge Farm. “We’d go to Long Island on weekends and in the summer months,” Addie said. “When I was about 6 years old, I leased my first pony, Sunny Side Up, aka Sunny, and together we did the leadline and walk-trot divisions.”
Thanks to her experience on Sunny, Addie was ready to step up. “Fancy Pants was my first serious pony,” she said. “He is a pretty color—a rose grey—and is the sweetest, most perfect pony ever.” Roger, as he’s known in the barn, taught Addie the ropes in the Short Stirrup, and eventually they graduated to the Small/Medium Children’s Hunter Pony division.
For Alexis, it was Roger who truly ignited their equestrian journey. “Addie learned how rewarding the show ring can be—if you work hard,” Alexis said. “Roger is now retired in Virginia, but he became the namesake of our business, Fancy Pants Equestrian LLC.”
A Fancy Collection
It was obvious that Addie was serious about her passion, and her parents were eager to support her dreams. While showing at Wellington International one winter, Addie fell in love with a medium pony named Woodlands Corduroy from Carriage Hill Farm. “Roy is probably my favorite pony ever, which is hard to even say because I love them all,” she said. “My trainer Jenn knew he was going to be really special.”
Jenn was right—Addie and Roy had a successful five-year partnership showing together on the A-circuit, including two consecutive years at Pony Finals where they earned top ribbons. “Lily Ward is now riding Roy,” Alexis said. “It’s like my kid got into Harvard; we couldn’t be happier.” Addie also had the opportunity to ride a small pony named Napa Valley at Pony Finals, and together they were fifth overall.
Addie and her next pony, Otteridge Shameless, came to be partners in a serendipitous way when a Facebook post caught Rose’s eye. “We reached out to see if they had other ponies that might be a fit for Addie, and that’s when we first laid eyes on Snapper,” Rose said.
Snapper was bred by Otteridge Farm and was being trained in tandem with Whisper Wind Farm, owned by Nancy Munch. Riding a green was a new experience for Addie, but Rose felt that Snapper presented both a challenge and an opportunity. “We decided to fly down to Orlando and try him. I had a hunch that he and Addie could make a great team,” Rose said.
For the next seven months, Addie showed Snapper in the Small Green Pony Hunter division. “He was a strong-willed little boy, but we qualified for Pony Finals 2023,” Addie said. The Ocean’s Edge team arrived a week early to settle in, but the weather was terrible. “On the first day of the actual final, I was incredibly nervous,” Addie said. “We were a disaster the week before and I didn’t have high hopes for our first over-fences class.”
According to Alexis, the more Addie cries in the schooling ring, the better she performs in the show ring. “I cried a lot that day!” Addie said. Together, they earned sixth place in the Pony Model, 12th place in the hack and second over fences to accumulate the most points for Champion overall. “It was a surreal moment I will never forget,” she said.
Since that epic day, Snapper has made dreams come true for other young riders, including sisters Logan and Finley Baras, and now Lexi Tucci, a student of Jenn’s at Ocean’s Edge. “We’re lucky to have some wonderful ponies to lease out under the Fancy Pants Equestrian LLC,” Alexis said.
Ready to Move Up
Despite her slight frame, Addie outgrew the mediums based on her age. “I have the worst birthday on the planet for horseback riding,” Addie said. Friend and fellow rider Emi Richard works with Ocean’s Edge as a catch rider; she helped earn points for Snapper in the Regular Small division once Addie had aged out. “Emi is only two weeks younger, but her show age is a full year younger than mine. My birthday is November 17, and hers is December 5,” Addie said.
In 2024, Addie began jumping higher and was ready to make her horse debut. “I made the transition to tall boots and gave most of my bows to the younger kids at the barn,” Addie said. “I had quite the collection!”
Addie was scheduled for horse trials while at Capital Challenge and fell in love with a 2013 Dutch Warmblood by Caskenni II named Mr. Fox. “Mr. Fox started my obsession with grey horses, and now two of our three horses are grey,” she said. Addie and Fox enjoyed a successful year of showing, and that summer, they had a top 10 finish at Junior Hunter Finals in the 15 and Under Small 3’3” Division.
“I’ve been working with Addie since 2019, bringing her from the Short Stirrup on up through the 3’3” hunters and equitation,” Jenn said. “She’s incredibly dedicated to the sport, and to her animals. Addie always does her best to please you, work hard and not give up.”
Since her lease ended with Fox, Addie stepped up to the Junior Hunters with Cloud 9, aka Carl, a horse she previously showed in the Children’s Hunters and was champion with at the Hampton Classic. She shows her newest mount, Corochino Z, aka Beckham, in the equitation. “At 18 hands, Beckham definitely doesn’t realize how big he is,” Addie said. “He feels big at first, but he makes the jumps look small, so that’s a huge bonus. He has a puppy-dog personality.”
Addie recently added another equine partner to her hunter team. Blue Sky is a 2017 bay Oldenburg gelding by Balou Du Rouet. “I’m excited to show him in the Junior Hunters this year,” she said.
Addie is still relatively young, but she can’t imagine a life without horses. Addie attends brick-and-mortar school in Manhattan at Grace Church School, along with many fellow barn-mates. When she’s on the road traveling for horse shows, she works with Upper Echelon Academy. “We picked Grace Church because they support equestrian kids,” Addie said. “We work together as a team, and I’ve had to learn to manage my time to accomplish everything.”
Addie is undecided as to whether she wants to ride on a team in college. “I went to a few college camps, but all I know for now is that I want to keep horses in my life forever,” she said. “Whether I ride on a team or ride in my free time, that’s to be determined. I love animals first, more than competing. I doubt that will ever change.”
Follow Addie on Instagram @addison.litman_ and on Tik Tok @addison.litman.eq
Photos by Melissa Fuller, melissafullerphotography33.mypixieset.com
