Ballantrae resident Maya Kenedy has returned victorious from the United States Pony Club Championships and Festival at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky, where she was a member of the Canadian Quiz team. The other members of Team Canada were Amanda Penner (Manitoba Region), Clara Sellers (SLOV) and Kristen Bueckert (Saskatchewan).  Canada defeated teams from the United States and Great Britain in a multi-phase contest the weekend of July 28-29.

First up was the "Barn" phase, in which competitors were asked individual and team questions testing their practical knowledge in horse management. Next was the "Mega Room" phase, or Identification Tables. Eight tables of ten items were presented, each with a three minute time limit in which the competitors had to identify and correctly label each object individually. The classroom phase followed, consisting of seven rounds of individual oral questions. The written phase encompassed several topics, ranging from poisonous plants to conditioning. The final phase, "Stations," was similar to the "Mega Room" phase, but was completed as a team and required them to apply their knowledge of many different aspects of horse care and competition. The Canadian Team took the gold medal with 727 points, placing first in every phase, with the United States 67 points behind to win silver, and Great Britain taking the bronze four points behind the USA.

Kenedy, 20, is a member of the Maple Pony Club. She joined Pony Club eight years ago and showed an early strength in Quiz - winning her way to the Canadian National Quiz Championships six times by qualifying at Central Ontario Regional Quiz Days. She has completed two years at Trent University and is transferring to Sir Sanford Fleming College this September to study web development. Aside from Quiz, she has competed in Dressage, Show Jumping and Eventing, and has been involved in organizing educational activities within her Pony Club Branch. She enjoys web and graphic design, reading, and working with her young horses.

The United States Pony Club Championships and Festival was a three day affair, featuring US and international championships in several riding disciplines. Over 1,200 young riders took part in various competitions (350 in the US National Quiz Championships alone).

For more details e-mail Bob Inglis, Central Ontario Regional Communications Chair, or call him at 416-493-1223 (office) or 416-491-4230 (home).