Well…that’s a done deal. I don’t really have a dog in the hunt but sales of Shapleys will go down for sure.
No more Model at PF either.
The decline of the conformation division hasn’t done much good for the hunter ring. Removing it from the pony ring isn’t a step in the right direction.
Older trainers, particularly those that used to shop at the track, had a really good eye for a horse and could tell pretty much how it would go by looking at it standing still. There aren’t many younger trainers with that eye, and you see a lot of “it just won’t stay sound and we don’t know why” when all the parts are put on wrong and no one seemed to notice.
I think it’s important for both the kids as an opportunity to learn, and the ponies to keep the standard and support the breeders, particularly the American breeders competing against the influx of European ponies.
But the ship has apparently sailed in the interest of time management and I hope everyone directly involved thinks it was worth it.
“The times they are a-changing.” And not necessarily for the better.
So true.
That’s a real shame. Learning to stand them up for conformation is a good experience for pony kids. So pony finals will just be the under saddle and one over fences? Only two classes per division?
Where are you hearing no more model?
Because money talks and no one wants little Schmoopie to get bumped down.
Ridiculous. It was nice watching judges come down and interact with the kids and ponies. Now, it’s just rinse.repeat.
SIGH.
Last year, the Wellington Equestrian Festival requested and was granted a Presidential Modification suspending the requirement for ponies to stand for conformation in the pony conformation classes. To ensure fairness, the Presidential Modification was extended to all competitions, though the decision to require ponies to stand for conformation was left to management’s discretion. One of the other requirements of the 2024 Presidential Modification was that a standard rule change proposal would be put forward to provide a forum for discussing the validity and necessity of the pony conformation in today’s world. Unfortunately, that rule change proposal was not submitted, and as a result, the discussion did not occur.
In January 2025, the Winter Equestrian Festival once again requested a Presidential Modification to suspend pony conformation requirements, which was granted. To maintain fairness across all competitions, USHJA then requested a broader Presidential Modification to apply the change to all competitions. This request was also approved, but unlike the previous modification, it does not allow individual competition management to determine whether ponies must stand for conformation, ensuring consistency across the sport.
USHJA has asked the Pony Hunter Task Force to take up this issue and determine whether a formal rule change proposal is necessary based on member feedback. We are committed to fostering thorough discussion on this topic in the coming months, and we encourage you to share your thoughts on this matter by emailing feedback@ushja.org.
While we acknowledge that this change was not communicated effectively, we are actively working to improve how we inform members about rule changes and Presidential Modifications moving forward.
Sincerely,
Britt McCormick
“Let’s remove another facet that requires horsemanship.”
I’m surprised we haven’t switched to robotic ponies yet.
I agree with everyone that says that being able to evaluate confirmation is a very important part of horsemanship. And also with the statement about the interacting with the judges, that’s an excellent bit of exposure and a learning opportunity for these children. I had to laugh at the part in the statement about conformation , not really being necessary in today’s world. Pardon me, but I beg to differ.
I’m inclined to think that the ultimate impetus for this decision was time management and not any concern for the children or the ponies or their education or soundness.
I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if the flat classes are the next to go.
Everyone just wants to lope around pretty fences on a machine anyway.
While there is this pres mod in place at the moment, this is not a done deal and when the rule change comes forward, it MUST be discussed. I believe more people will be against any try to eliminate the conformation portion of the one class than for it, but they must be heard.
Pony finals has not changed as of now - there is still a model, a hack, and one over fences. There is talk about moving toward the Junior Hunter finals style, but that has not happened and needs to be fought for many reasons.
If a few can alter the sport for the majority, we are in real trouble. Pushback is a good thing and needs to be done. Kids need to learn correct horsemanship and understand why form leads to function. I get that the older ponies may get moved back and that’s sad, but that doesn’t make it right to change the one thing that teaches kids how to interact with their ponies and why it is so important.
Please write to the committees, USHJA and USEF. They need to hear the feed back!
This is sad. Speaking strictly as a spectator, they took away my fav part. I show in a different discipline in conformation classes and always enjoyed watching the ponies model because I could relate.
How many people actively competing are upset about this, though?
Someone like me could speak up, but it would be pointless when I haven’t competed in a USHJA sanctioned class in nearly 20 years. Even longer since I did ponies.
As a casual observer, it seems like fewer and fewer programs can develop a “real” pony hunter. Instead, they play musical horses buying and leasing ponies who go around a course like metronomes with or without a rider. Having them lose points in the model (or on the flat) based on their unchangeable physical characteristics is not appreciated.
But that might just be my cynical old lady take on things.
They’ve already found a work around to the normal process - why would they bother submitting a formal rule change proposal? They’ve successfully “suspended” the rule two years in a row, and the second time they’ve removed anyone else’s right to make their own choices. They shouldn’t have been allowed to propose this modification for 2025 at all since they did not follow the requirements put forth in 2024, but here we are.
Rules and established procedures don’t matter anymore. It’s not going to end here either.
I agree with all of this 100%, but the change shouldn’t be made using backdoor channels and “temporary” modifications to current rules and procedures. (I assume I’m preaching to the choir here lol)
I’ll see your cynical old lady and raise it to cranky middle-ager.
We are fooling ourselves if we think pony kids are learning anything about conformation in the model. They are learning how to stand a pony square, get its ears up, and that if their otherwise capable pony has a splint they’re F’d. (Oh, and lets not forget pony mascara )
I’m 100% for keeping the model but making it entirely educational, or turning it into an entirely separate judging competition of some sort, like 4H/FFA has.
I love the tradition and nothing is more beautiful than a ring full of spiffed up hunters standing square and proud, but its current iteration is about as Dog & Pony Show as it gets. And if one of its intended purposes is to teach riders to be “conformation aware”, it has proven woefully inadequate.
Don’t get me wrong - I’m completely against the way this occurred and am doing everything I can to speak up against the lack of due process. But I can’t be the only one speaking up - let USEF and USHJA know you are upset about the way this was done and why a certain sect of the competitors cannot change things for the entire country without following correct process.
So what’s next, do away with the Pony Hunter Breeding division???
Totally.
When I think about the horsemanship aspect, it’s not as much about the kid per se. It’s about the idea of how to select and present a good horse (or pony) on every level.
Many, many of the kids showing ponies are going to leave horses as they become adults. But is concerning to me that the trainers and coaches, as well as the kids who go on to stick around, are going to become more hyper-focused on only the over fences aspect of competition. There is something to be gained having to consider more than just distances and auto changes.