Shetland racing goes Stateside
Watch out USA — the racing Shetlands are coming.
Long a highlight of British shows including Olympia, the Shetland Pony Grand National is going Stateside.
The Shetland Pony Steeplechase Championship Series kicks off this month with a final at the Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) in October.
There may not be a Becher’s Brook in America, but the series is “run like professional racing events with a bugler, race caller and photo finish” for jockeys aged 7 to 14.
The US ponies did a display race last year and were so popular the show has started the new series.
“The audience went crazy for the super cute, fluffy Shetlands and their tiny colourful jockeys,” said WIHS’ Vicki Lowell. “We decided to bring them back in a bigger way.”
This article was first published in this week’s Horse & Hound magazine (Thursday 26 May)
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
A graduate of Exeter University, Amy joined our news team from Redpin Publishing in 2008 as news writer. She was promoted to deputy news editor in May 2013 and became news editor in April 2015. She left Horse & Hound in March 2016 to take up an editorial position in Dubai.