The article misspelled the name of equestrian rider Christan Trainor. The article also incorrectly indicated that pony Theodore O'Connor had qualified for the Beijing Olympics; the U.S. eventing team has not yet been selected.
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My, My, Little Pony
Trainer and rider Karen O'Connor, seeking her first individual Olympic gold, with her charges, Teddy O'Connor, right, and considerably bigger Hugh Knows.
(Richard A. Lipski -- The Washington Post)
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If they didn't then, they were forced to in Brazil. O'Connor's husband, David, was at the Pan Am Games coaching the Canadian national eventing team and saw the surprised look on everyone's face as Teddy performed. "There just aren't really that many ponies that compete at this level," he said.
In fact, the last pony to perform as well on an international stage was Stroller, who earned England a silver medal in show jumping at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.
Eventing is a three-day competition that includes dressage testing, cross-country and show jumping. Dressage testing consists of performing prescribed movements in a 40-by-60-meter area.
Despite his size, show jumping is the event in which Teddy excels. "He's got an amazing jump for a pony," said David O'Connor, who earned an individual gold medal in eventing at the 2000 Sydney Olympics but now is retired from competition. "He's got a horse's gallop, a horse's jump, but a pony's attitude, which means he's clever and quick on his feet."
According to Karen O'Connor, riding a pony differs from riding a horse in a few key areas. She has to make the stirrups shorter, so as not to disrupt Teddy's jump. She also has to be very still with her upper body to not throw him off balance. At 5 feet 6, O'Connor said she could not be much taller to ride Teddy effectively.
Teddy's gold medal at the Pan American Games earned him a spot on the U.S. Olympic team that will compete in Beijing next year. David O'Connor just returned from Hong Kong and said the Olympic course plays to Teddy's strengths. "The cross-country terrain has short, sharp hills, so his nimbleness will play to his favor," David O'Connor said.
In the meantime, Teddy will take another week of vacation to soak in the glory of his laurels -- Breyer Animal Creations is coming out with a collectible doll in Teddy's likeness -- before resuming his training. He will compete in the Morven Park Trials in Leesburg during the first weekend of October.
Karen O'Connor said she has competed in three Olympics during her 30 years as a professional rider but never would have imagined her first individual gold medal would come on the saddle of a pony.
Whitehouse will go so far as to say she thinks Teddy will claim the gold medal in eventing next summer in Beijing. But with size so obviously a factor, is there any advantage to riding a pony in competition?
"Well," Whitehouse said, "there's an advantage to riding Theodore O'Connor."
