The Mercer County Fair and Horse Show, the longest running fair and horse show in the United States, received a blow on April 2nd courtesy of a barn fire.   A pre-dawn fire of unknown causes destroyed one of the oldest buildings on Mercer County Fairgrounds in Harrodsburg, KY.  Luckily no people or animals were hurt in the fire that destroyed the historic barn.

On March 3rd, 2012, the AHHS 16th Annual Limited Breeders' Weanling Stakes Stallion Service Auction was graciously held at the famous and magnificent Undulata Farm in Shelbyville, KY, a premier Saddlebred stable. The doors opened at noon, and the crowd was in good attendance. The event was set up in the farm’s indoor arena with tables, refreshments, a cash bar and plenty of silent auction items to bid on.

The J.D. Massey Classic Horse Show will be held April 18-21 at the T. Ed Garrison Livestock Arena at Clemson University in South Carolina.  This 79th running of this historic show will feature competition for Hackneys and American Show Ponies as well as Saddlebreds and Roadster Horses.

American Show Pony exhibitor and enthusiast Tina Ferro reported this will be the second year that ASPR ponies will show at the J.D. Massey Classic Horse Show.  Ferro indicated that having ASPR classes at J.D. Massey has expanded the exposure for American Show Ponies and may lead to other society shows including ASPR classes in the future.

Regarding Show Pony competition at the J.D. Massey Classic Horse Show, Ferro shared the following:

The United Professional Horsemen’s Association is a group of equine professionals dedicated to the improvement of the horse show industry.  UPHA recently held its annual convention in Nashville. This event is also home to the national board and member meetings of the American Hackney Horse Society. 

As part of convention activities, there was a an awards and gala dinner where several individual recognitions were announced and the horse and pony of the year awards were announced. The following are the Hackneys of the Year honored at the recent UPHA convention.

Last Friday night, Michelle Barcus of Dreamland Shetlands picked up a new award from the United States Equestrian Federation.  Her roadster pony Glamor Boy won the first High Point Shetland award sponsored by USEF.  The award was presented on Friday night at the USEF Horse of the Year reception and banquet in Cincinnati, OH.

Several other awards were presented by USEF last week to society ponies and society pony enthusiasts.  Among them, the People's Choice Awards for Shetlands were presented at Friday night's Horse of the Year banquet.

Welcome To Society Pony Online!

What is Society Pony Online?  Simply … S.P.O. is a new resource for everyone devoted to American Shetlands, Hackney Ponies, American Show Ponies and even Welsh harness & roadster ponies. Society Pony Online hopes to become your one-stop-shop for information on these dynamic ponies, their people, their farms, their events and more.  S.P.O. will strive to bridge the gap between the associations, to share news from the local organizations and to promote all things show pony!

Yes. I am THAT Roberts girl. Well, I guess I’m no longer a girl anywhere but in my own mind.  Still, that’s how I see myself, and I know it’s how many of you will remember me.  I am that girl who grew up at pony shows … shows with capacity crowds on stake night … shows where classes for different breeds co-mingled but no one worried about who was bringing the most money to the table … shows with real sessions … shows where the only reason you were in the arena at midnight was because you were working a pony …