The United States Pony Clubs, Inc. Celebrates a Successful 2026 USPC Festival with Education and Championships
Official Press Release by The United States Pony Clubs, Inc.
August 4, 2026 (Lexington, KY)—The United States Pony Clubs, Inc. (USPC or Pony Club) is celebrating the success of the 2026 USPC Festival. The USPC Festival returned to the Kentucky Horse Park, July 13–19, for an unforgettable week of competition and education. Pony Club members, families, and friends gathered from as far away as Hawaii for the ultimate Pony Club event, along with the legion of volunteers, coaches, judges, and clinicians it takes to make Festival happen. This year’s event also featured international visitors, with USPC hosting teams from five countries participating in the Pony Club International Alliance (PCIA) Mounted Games Exchange.
“Festival is where the Pony Club community comes together,” said Teresa Woods, USPC Executive Director. “Whether traveling from across the country or around the world, they shared a common love of horses, horsemanship, and learning. The friendships, accomplishments, and memories made during Festival reflect everything Pony Club represents.”
Equestrian Education
One of Festival’s defining features is the unparalleled educational experience it delivers for horse enthusiasts and equestrians of all skill levels. The 2026 Festival Education lineup filled two days packed with learning, including nearly 200 riding lessons and clinics in Dressage, Driving, Eventing, groundwork, Hunter Seat Equitation, Mounted Games, Show Jumping, and Trail. Out of the saddle, more than 20 educational workshop topics offered hands-on learning across a broad range of horsemanship and equestrian topics, from saddle fit, equine anatomy, veterinary care, and bodywork, to rider fitness, and more.
Olympians, international competitors, leading coaches, riders, veterinarians, and other respected experts, including many Pony Club instructors and alumni, shared their knowledge with participants, creating a unique opportunity for horse enthusiasts of all ages to learn from the best in one comprehensive event.
“Education has always been at the heart of Pony Club, and Festival showcases that commitment in an extraordinary way,” said USPC Instruction Services Director Connie Jehlik. “Every clinic, demonstration, and workshop gave participants the opportunity to become better horsemen and horsewomen—not just better riders. The enthusiasm, curiosity, and engagement we saw throughout the week made this year’s educational program especially rewarding.”
Festival Championships
USPC Festival Championships took place during the second half of Festival week. Held every other year during Festival, USPCís 2026 national championships included six disciplines: Dressage, Eventing, Mounted Games, Quiz, Show Jumping, and Tetrathlon (a four-phase event including riding, running, swimming, and shooting).
Throughout Championships weekend, Pony Club members competed in a unique team format that emphasizes horsemanship as much as performance in the saddle. Teams of riders, supported by a dedicated Stable Manager, were evaluated not only on their riding skills for mounted disciplines, but also on Horse Management, which focuses on the care, safety, and well-being of horses and ponies throughout competition.
In Quiz, members also tested their equine knowledge and teamwork in Pony Club’s fast-paced academic competition, highlighting the well-rounded education that defines the Pony Club experience.
“Festival Championships showcases the very best of Pony Club,” said Gillian Stover, USPC Activities and Events Director. “Watching members put months of preparation into practice—while supporting one another as teammates—is what makes Festival such a special experience. USPC Championships recognize excellence in both competition and horsemanship, reflecting the values at the heart of Pony Club.”
Special Events at Festival
In addition to all the riding clinics, educational workshops and rounds of Championships competition, the 2026 USPC Festival schedule included an amazing array of unique opportunities.
In the heart of Kentucky’s famed bluegrass horse country, Amplify Horse Racing and the Retired Racehorse Project offered Festival participants an inside look at the Thoroughbred industry, with a special morning at the Thoroughbred Center, a local training facility, and New Vocations, the largest racehorse adoption organization in the country, to learn what it takes to prepare a racehorse, and then how those horses transition into successful second careers off the track.
Future vets and aspiring student equestrians gathered for a roundtable discussion about collegiate riding avenues during a special “Canter to Campus” session on Wednesday afternoon. Representatives from nearly a dozen schools and universities were on hand to answer questions and talk about opportunities for college equestrians and equine studies.
Lunchtime driving demonstrations by the American Driving Society highlighted the sport of combined driving, and Festival attendees had the opportunity to try it out themselves with Drive-A-Pony lessons.
After a day of learning and fun, the Alltech Arena was the place to be for evening education, starting on Monday with a Dressage Master Clinic from Olympian and USPC “A” alum Lendon Gray. Tuesday offered a Show Jumping Master Clinic with Doug Payne, another USPC A-level Olympian. Wednesday featured liberty demonstrations from Midwest Liberty Horse Club and Kentucky Liberty Horse Club.
Thursday brought an early start for those who wanted to experience the magic of riding to hounds through the morning mist and watching the sun rise over the Kentucky Horse Park during a mock foxhunt, led by the local Iroquois Hunt and sponsored by the Masters of Foxhounds Association of North America (MFHA). This popular Festival tradition celebrates Pony Club’s roots in the foxhunting community and gives an exciting introduction to the sport.
Opening Ceremonies wrapped up the day and signaled the beginning of USPC Festival Championships, as a lively parade of regions took the floor in the Alltech Arena, followed by a competitor party with ice cream and a DJ.
International competition took center stage on Sunday morning as Pony Club members from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States raced for glory during the Frances E. Pitts PCIA Mounted Games Exchange competition, sponsored by the United States Mounted Games Association. After a day of friendly international competition, when the dust settled, Pony Club Australia emerged as the winner. Prior to the competition, international exchange members traveled through several states seeing the sights of America as part of a cultural exchange.
Sunday concluded Championships competitions, as Pony Club members celebrated their achievements during awards ceremonies sponsored by Kentucky Performance Products. With ribbons, medals and many fabulous prizes, members loaded up their horses and headed home already dreaming of the next Festival.
Be sure to mark your calendar for 2028 when the USPC Festival will return to the Kentucky Horse Park. All horse lovers are welcome to attend. Stay tuned to www.ponyclub.org/events/festival for more information as it is released.
Special Thanks to the Sponsors of the 2026 USPC Festival
The 2026 USPC Festival was made possible thanks to the support of many generous sponsors, including: Absorbine; American Driving Society, Inc.; Arabian Horse Youth Association; Dimples Horse Treats; Dreamers & Schemers; Fire Rock Ranch (Ben and Laurie Duke Family); Foxheart; Gift Horse Baskets; Gore Trailers; Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation; HandsOn Gloves; Iroquois Hunt; Keeneland Pony Club; Kentucky Equine Research; Kentucky Performance Products; Kerrits, the official apparel sponsor of USPC; LeMieux, sponsor of the USPC Member Achievement Program; Lincoln Memorial University College of Veterinary Medicine; Mad Barn; Marshall+Sterling, official equine insurance partner of USPC; Masters of Foxhounds Association of North America; Meade Tractor; Middle Tennessee Pony Club; Mrs. Pastures Cookies for Horses; Park Equine Hospital; Platinum Performance; Riding Warehouse; Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD); Shapleyís Superior Equine Grooming Products, the official grooming product sponsor of USPC; Stites & Harbison Attorneys; The Horse, Your Guide to Equine Health Care; Triple Crown Nutrition, the official feed sponsor of USPC; United States Mounted Games Association; Santa Cruz Animal Health; Visit Lex; Western & English Sales Association; Western Specialty Insurors; Wintec, the official saddle sponsor of USPC; and Zoetis, the official equine health and wellness partner of USPC.
Additional thanks to the families and individuals supporting Festival:
Champion for Championships: Nicole Mah. Proud to be Pony Club: Janelle Morrison for Sienna Morrison. Festival Friend: Katie McLuckie; Deborah Stalford for Evelyn Richardson.
About The United States Pony Clubs, Inc.—The United States Pony Clubs, Inc. (USPC or Pony Club) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization that transforms lives through horsemanship education focused on the safety and well-being of people and horses. USPC envisions a future where skilled horsemanship builds confident leaders, strengthens communities, and creates lifelong connections. USPC is proud to offer instruction and competitive opportunities in 11 competitive disciplines through hundreds of clubs and centers across the United States. USPC’s educational standards continue to be instrumental in curriculum development for schools, universities, equestrian professionals, and organizations across the United States. Many of the nation’s top equestrians, including Olympic team members, as well as successful business professionals and leaders in a variety of fields, have roots in Pony Club. In addition, USPC proudly offers Allpony.com, an online platform dedicated to providing engaging and educational resources for young learners and horse enthusiasts and equestrians of all ages. The platform offers a variety of games, quizzes, and learning modules that will teach users all about horses. For more information, please visit www.ponyclub.org.
USPC National Office
The United States Pony Clubs, Inc. (USPC or Pony Club) is the largest equestrian educational organization in North America. Started in 1954, the organization has developed curriculum that teaches safe riding skills and the care of horses through mounted and unmounted lessons. Through Pony Club, members have fun with horses and make lifelong friends while they develop skills, habits, and values that extend well beyond the barn and last a lifetime. Many members apply what they have learned in the USPC program successfully in their careers, educational and volunteer opportunities, and other life pursuits.
You May Also Like
Advice After the A Certification from Pony Club Members Austin Skeens and Anna Erickson
USPC Festival Education Offered for All Horse Enthusiasts; Register Now for Riding Clinics with Your Horse, Plus Educational Workshops and Special Demonstrations
