Wilmington, Ohio – This week’s Wilmington Sunday Spotlight shines on the 12-year-old rider, Gracie Folger of Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Since learning to ride right in her backyard, Gracie is consistently in the winner’s circle with her string of young ponies at WEC – Wilmington. We caught up with Gracie after her second-place finish in the $1,500 USHJA Pony Hunter Derby aboard her tried-and-true small pony, Windhover Miss America, also known as Diva, to learn more about her journey!
WEC: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I do the small ponies… and pretty much any ponies that I can ride! I am 12 years old and this is my last year in the smalls. I am from Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and I ride with Karen Lenehan at home and Jennifer Edwards here. We keep our ponies at our barn at our house! I love it. I started riding in my backyard. When we moved into our house, there was a mini pony that lived there and he made me love horses.
WEC: Tell us about your string of ponies.
Diva is also called Windhover Miss America. She is turning 10 this year and we got her when she was 6. She does the Regular Small Pony division. We just finished our first year at indoors and we did the Devon Horse Show. She is really handy. We finished ninth in the handy at Washington.
We bought her as a green pony and she had never done the division, so we started in the Children’s Pony. She needed her lead change finished and we have grown together all the way up to the Small Pony division. I love how honest Diva is for me. She is so sassy. Her name really suits her! If Diva could be any other animal she would be a Unicorn.
Glow [Windhover Revolutionary] is another one of my ponies. This is her first time showing in the green’s this weekend. My favorite thing about Glow is her jump and her lead change.
Anna [Woodlands Anna From Savannah] is a Medium Green and I love her canter. She will hopefully do the regular division next year. I also have our friends pony named Scotty, but he is only four, so he is a baby!
Anna is the easiest pony to take care of in the barn, but to ride, Diva is the easiest.
WEC: How do you balance your school and ponies?
I am in sixth grade. I ride my ponies at 5 in the morning. We try not to miss a lot of school. I get a lot of my school work done before the horse show or over the weekend when I am gone.
WEC: What is your favorite thing about WEC – Wilmington?
My favorite thing about showing at WEC is the Pony Derby. I love the courses. I like to hang out with my friends here too. We always jump over the kid’s jumps in the fitness center. I go through the ride-thru with Diva. I also like to do the dog jumping with my dog!
WEC: What is your main goal with all of your ponies this upcoming season?
I want to place at indoors and at Pony Finals with all of my ponies.
WEC: What is your long-term riding goal?
My big goal would probably be to go to Medal Finals and Maclay Finals one day!
Thank you, Gracie, for taking the time to speak with us! We wish you and all of your ponies continued success and we can’t wait to see you shine at Medal and Maclay Finals!