By Jessica Grutkowski
Portraits by Isabel Kurek
Canadian show jumper Nicholas “Nick” Pongracz and his siblings, fraternal triplets, inherited their love of horses from their mother. “My mom was a total ‘horse junkie,’” he said. “On Sundays when we were about 5 years old, she would take us to the barn where she rode and give us lunge-line lessons. Afterwards, she would let us try to steer around on our own, which was probably a funny sight.”
Those early interactions were enough to get Nick and his sister hooked on riding. “We had horses in our backyard: an Arabian and a Quarter Horse pony. The Arabian was my first horse, but he became somewhat of a lawn ornament,” he said. “The pony, Toffee, was very naughty, but she taught me a lot about perseverance.”
Toffee became Nick’s Canadian Pony Club mount, and they travelled together to compete at rallies. “She hated cross-county, and loved to duck out of the jumps,” he said. “She was also very stubborn when it came to loading on the trailer. Ultimately, she made me a better horseman.”
Road to the Maclay
Like most horse-obsessed children, Nick yearned to soak up everything he could about the equestrian world. It was the millennium, so he turned to the internet to watch videos about horsemanship, training and top-level competition around the world.
Nick discovered an online docuseries called “Horse Power: Road to the Maclay.” “I binge watched it,” he said. “I thought to myself, This is what I want to do!” The 2006 series followed top Junior riders, including Brianne Goutal and Maggie McAlary, as they trained for the ASPCA Maclay Finals. The series remains popular today, making an annual resurgence on social media each fall leading up to the National Horse Show.
In 2012, Nick was excited to begin competing at local horse shows in Ontario. “I was grateful for those opportunities, especially since my parents had limited resources,” he said. “My goals and dreams were bigger than our budget could afford to take me to.”
Nick didn’t let that stop him. Later that fall, Jacob Pope won both the ASPCA Maclay Final and USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals – East. “I learned that Jacob was a working student for Andre Dignelli at Heritage Farm, and thought that being a working student might be a route for me to pursue,” Nick said.
With newfound inspiration, Nick took to Facebook Messenger and contacted every hunter-jumper barn in Ontario. “I introduced myself, listed my qualifications, and inquired if they were accepting working students,” he said. “I received one reply.”
One reply was all he needed. “It was from Luke Tokaruk and Amanda Knowles of Bayshore Farm. I got my first taste of working-student life, living in a camper on the farm,” he said. “I managed the horses’ turnout, fed and mucked the stalls in exchange for a weekly lesson and the opportunity to show a large pony.”
Two years later, Nick moved on to his second working position, this time for Sam and Mike Pegg of Ten Sixty Stables, a hunter-jumper barn based in Ontario that often shows at the World Equestrian Center (WEC) in Ohio. “At WEC, Sam suggested me as a ‘catch rider’ to a fellow professional, and I finally got the opportunity to compete in the BigEq classes I had always dreamed about,” he said. “I showed in the Junior Hunters as well, and by the end of the show circuit, I was living my dream and determined to stay in America.”
Nick decided to take a huge leap of faith and contact his idol: Jacob Pope. “What did I have to lose?” he said. “I went back on Facebook Messenger and asked Jacob if he needed a working student.” Three weeks later, Nick received the reply that would change his life forever.
From Idol to Mentor
He couldn’t believe his eyes, but there was a new message in his inbox from Jacob. “He wrote that he had just started a new job, and invited me to come work with him. I was ecstatic!” Nick said. “The caveat was that I had to find a car and get to Traverse City in two weeks.”
Nick’s family wasn’t going to let this chance of a lifetime pass him by. “My dad helped me purchase a 2004 Honda Civic, and I drove to Michigan,” he said. “When I met Jacob in person, I told him he was my inspiration. He’s so modest; he just smiled and said, ‘Oh, that’s so cool.’”
As a working student, Nick was responsible for helping the team with lunging horses, grooming them and getting them to the ring. “I also had the wonderful opportunity to ride extra horses, and show sales horses in the Junior divisions,” Nick said. “I learned so much in those early years with Jacob, but perhaps the best part was being able to finally qualify and compete at fall indoor equitation finals. I will never forget the feeling of walking into the rings at USEF Medal and ASPCA Maclay Finals.”
After completing his Junior years, Nick was offered an amazing opportunity to groom for Olympian Margie Engle. “I was also working for Team Rakowsky, and Ivan was instrumental in helping me get the position. Jacob encouraged me to go,” he said.
For two months, Nick relocated to France, just outside of Paris, to work with Margie’s team during the Longines Global Champions Tour. “I helped care for her mounts, Royce, Dicas and USA Normandy,” he said. “I was even allowed to ride them in the ring in the morning.”
Above all, Nick valued the “on-the-ground” experience he gained. “Everyone wants time in the saddle, but learning what goes into the care of a five-star horse in between competitions is just as important—the therapies, conditioning and training,” he said.
Nick will never forget the experience. “We watched the best riders compete at the highest level of our sport—all in front of the Eiffel Tower!” he said.
Heart Horses
After returning to America, Nick continued working with Jacob and partnered with several professionals to help campaign upper-level show jumpers. One horse, a 2013 Belgian Warmblood by Kannan, named VooDoo, made an unforgettable mark on Nick’s career, and will forever hold a place in his heart.
VooDoo was one of many horses entrusted to him by Erica Hatfield and Paul O’Shea of Team Eye Candy Jumpers in Wellington. “She took me from the 1.30m to my first three-star Grand Prix in only two months,” he said. In 2022, Nick and VooDoo climbed to second place in the U25 Canadian Standings.
Nick then organized a syndicate to purchase APG Gangster Z, a 2012 Zangersheide gelding. “Gangster and I jumped the U25 and some two-star Grand Prix in Wellington,” Nick said. “My main focus has always been on the Grand Prix, but the young hunters have my heart.”
In 2025, Nick competed at the 3’3” Green Hunter Incentive Finals in Kentucky. “It was a catch ride on a horse named Holiday, a 2015 Holsteiner mare by Casall, owned by Jennifer Edgell. We finished top 10 in tier two, and top five in tier three. To get a ribbon was the icing on the cake!” he said.
It’s been nearly a decade since Nick began as a working student for Jacob, and today they are business partners under the brand Hickory Ridge LLC. They split their time evenly between Traverse City, Michigan, and Wellington, Florida. “We have everything in the barn from medium ponies to five-star Grand Prix horses,” he said.
Nick and Jacob are thankful to have time to also pursue their personal goals in the saddle. “We have incredible clients and students who allow us to compete, and we often show horses for other professionals,” Nick said. “I would love to ride for Team Canada one day!”
While Nick began his journey as a working student for his idol, he and Jacob now work side by side. “Nick and I have had the privilege of working together for nine years. He is one of the most dedicated, compassionate and hard-working people I know,” Jacob said. “He is both caring and careful—an accomplished rider and effective instructor. I think we have each grown in various ways because of our close working relationship.”
A Positive Mindset
Hickory Ridge had a banner year in 2025, but Nick insists that winning is not where students learn. “If you don’t make mistakes, you can’t learn from them,” he said. “I talk a lot about mindset, because it’s an area in which I have personally struggled.”
Nick seeks advice from expert Laura King, a sports psychologist and hypnotherapist. “We work on personal confidence, focus and how to keep yourself accountable for the goals you set for yourself—how to not let roadblocks deter you from reaching your full potential,” he said. “The work I do to help myself better equips me to help coach my students through moments of struggle. I can lift them up and stay positive.”
He advises his riders to avoid negative self-talk whenever possible. “So you make a mistake—that’s OK, but instead of keeping that moment with you the rest of the course, how can you canter away from that jump?” he said. “You need to reset and focus on what’s next to get the job done.”
This year has been especially rewarding for Nick: One of his students, Sydney Morhardt, claimed two national titles in her final Junior year. “Sydney began training with me when she was 14 years old; she started in the Children’s Hunters. Last fall she won the THIS National Children’s Medal Final, and the Hamel 3’3” Equitation Final at the National Horse Show,” he said. “She is a kind, humble and an extremely hard-working rider.”
Sydney took over the ride on her sister’s jumper, named Junior, who had never done the equitation. “We thought maybe Sydney could try some jumper classes on him, but she had different plans,” Nick said. “It wasn’t easy, but we worked through the challenges and made him up into an equitation horse. She never gave up and received a score of 88 the first time they competed together in Wellington. The reward was incredibly sweet.”
Nick appreciates how Sydney doesn’t let the hard days stop her from her goals. “She’s transparent on social media; she doesn’t just post the perfect rounds,” he said. “We all question whether we can do this; is it worth it? As riders, we have to step outside the box and remind ourselves of the great days and winning moments—we can’t let one day tear us down.”
It’s this type of mindset he hopes to instill in all his riders. Sydney, now an Adult Amateur rider, is on top of the Adult Ariat Medal national standings. Nick loves that she takes time to cheer on fellow barn mates as they compete in Junior Equitation finals.
As for working with his idol, Nick still occasionally has pinch-me moments. “Jacob will always be an ideal person to emulate,” Nick said. “I truly believe there’s nothing he can’t ride and win in life.”
Follow Nick on Instagram @nickpongracz and @hickoryridgellc
Photos by Isabel J. Kurek, isabeljkurekphotography.com
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