By Cindy Timmer, USEF

Suzy Stafford has won the Individual Bronze medal in the Single Pony class at the FEI World Combined Pony Driving Championships in Greven-Bockholt, Germany, with the Morgan mare Courage To Lead (Courage Of Equinox x Hartland Sable). Team USA finished fourth in the nations competition, which was won by host nation Germany.

Suzy Stafford took the Bronze medal at the FEI World Pony Driving Championships in Germany. Photo by Rinaldo de Craen.

Stafford was in second position after the Dressage and the marathon, but the very difficult cones course kept her from keeping the Silver medal. Stafford passed the finish line just a fraction too late to make the time allowed, but knocked two balls down which dropped her to the fourth place at first. But Dutch driver Arjo van Kekem who was leading the standings, left the arena with no more than 12 penalty points, which brought the American back onto the podium. Dutch individual competitor Melanie Becker won the Gold at her first World Championship ever; the Silver medal went to Germany’s Franz-Josef Lehmkuhl. Stafford was a little disappointed with her Bronze medal.

“I was selected to compete at the 2005 World Championships with Courage To Lead, but she was injured at the time, and I used a different pony,” she said. “I won the Gold medal, which was fantastic, and I had hoped to win the Gold medal again this year with Courage. She is very consistent in all three phases of the combined competition and lovely to drive.”

Beverly Lesher of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Courage’s owner, and Suzy’s groom in Dressage and cones, might start breeding with the 14-year-old Morgan mare, so Stafford is exploring her possibilities for the future. “I would love to keep competing with Courage, but if that is no longer possible, I will consider moving on to driving a pair of small horses,” she said. “But nothing is certain yet, I like to keep all my options open”

After Saturday’s elimination in the marathon, team member Sara Schmitt finished 30th in the obstacle driving competition. Individual driver Sherri Dolan pulled out before the cones because her pony had a minor injury after the marathon.

“I am very pleased with the results of Suzy Stafford and Tracey Morgan,” said chef d’equipe Chester Weber. “We will go home and get some work done to be able to be back in the Top Ten again in two years. Our focus will be mainly on marathon and cones. We have a few young pony drivers who are coming along so we will hopefully be able to create new talent and have an even wider choice for the future.”