Letting go can often be the hardest thing for a rider to do. Trusting your horse or pony is a part of winning that has to come from within, and when Taylor Ann Adams realized that, it paid off in spades.

Adams rode the O’Mara’s Franklin’s Tower in the Large Pony Hunter division and secured the championship with three firsts and third over fences. Adams was awarded the Kitty Borisoff Memorial Trophy, sponsored by Archibald Cox and Brookway Stables.
She then went back into the arena to collect a slew of other awards. Franklin’s Tower, also known as Robby, was decorated from one side of his head to the other, wearing long ribbons for the Grand Pony Championship and the EMO Trip of the Show for their high scoring trip of a 90. Adams was also named the Best Pony Rider and presented with the VanderMoore Designs Trophy.
Last year Adams rode Robby at Capital Challenge but it didn’t end as successfully as it did this year. She is quick to blame herself for the outcome saying, “I was not very good. He tried very hard. He was a good boy. He tried his hardest and he still couldn’t fix what I did wrong.”

But after a year of riding Robby, Adams figured out what she needed to change. She explained, “Instead of trying to do it myself, I let him help me. I listened to him instead of being a know-it-all and trying to do it without him when I know he’s smarter than me. I just believed in him this year.”
Earning the prestigious awards at Capital Challenge is honor for Adams, but is made more special because she earned them on Robby. She said, “It is really important because he holds a special place in my heart. It would be different if it was just a random pony, but he’s special to me. And the O’Maras are really great people so I’m glad I won it on their pony.”
The Small Pony Hunter championship went to Elation and rider Meredith Darst. Elation is owned by Dr. Betsee Parker of Middleburg, VA, and trained by Rob Coluccio and Richard Cunkle of Wellington, FL. Today, Elation and Darst won the first over fences class and the handy hunter class.
The reserve championship in the Small division went to Prince Monticello, ridden by Kirklen Petersen for owner Ashley Delgado. They were second and third over fences yesterday, and finished sixth in the handy hunter class today.
Elation, an eight-year-old Welsh pony, has been in training for two years with Cunkle and Coluccio. Victoria Colvin showed Elation this year and qualified her for the indoor shows, but when Colvin could only show three ponies, Darst was given the ride.
“It was a real baptism of fire at this show, but she was great,” Dr. Parker said with a smile. “They really get along well. Everybody gets along well and works really well together. It works well because it’s a team. It takes a village to win a ribbon, and we have a really great village!”
Cunkle said of Elation, “She’s definitely a show pony. She’s a great mover, she jumps great; she has all of the qualities.”
Dr. Parker agreed, “She’s a great pony. She’ll stand still and let the Jack Russels sleep under her. You could put a little child on her and she would still go around the same.”
Darst later went on to collect the reserve champion in the Medium Pony Hunter division aboard Chloe Hirtenstein’s Champlain Treasure Me.
Taking the champion in the mediums, with 29 points, was Hearts Desire and rider Allison Toffolon of Bronxsville, NY.
The young rider started riding Hearts Desire at the end of the winter circuit and went on to be very successful with the mare. The pair collected numerous titles including a championship at the Devon Horse Show and a reserve championship at the USEF Pony Finals. She is also currently standing in second place in the race for the World Champion Hunter Rider title in the pony division.
Toffolon enjoys the ride on Hearts Desire saying, “She’s very soft and flowy. I just have to sit there and help her find the distance.”
Toffolon has been riding with Patricia Griffith and Heritage Acres for over three years.
Although Toffolon has won ribbons at Capital Challenge in the past, she has never collected the tri-color.