Next Generation Spotlight

Piece Written by William Coon

My name is William Coon, and I am a 2026 graduate of Trinity High School in Louisville, Kentucky. I have been a part of Ariatti Equestrian Services and Ariatti Equestrian Pony Club since I was 9 years old. Ever since joining Pony Club, I have enjoyed a wide variety of opportunities throughout the equestrian world, everything from taking ponies fox hunting to going and seeing the backside of Churchill Downs during Derby season. This last year, I had the opportunity to e-scribe with Valerie Pride, who was judging at the 2026 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event; this gave me an opportunity to learn what it is like to be a judge at this level of competition.

All of this has been available to me through the United States Pony Club (USPC) and the connections I have been able to make through my riding club.

My involvement in the Kentucky CCI5* started because of my fellow Pony Club members volunteering to be crossing guards at the Kentucky Three-Day Event every year. This gives us access to have some of the best viewing spots to watch the riders gallop by and fly over massive obstacles.

In 2025, I saw an ad for the United States Pony Club 'Ann Haller' Media Internship that occurs during the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event. I will admit that I was originally skeptical of applying because I was worried it wouldn't be worth skipping out on being a crossing guard with my friends if I even got it, but in hindsight, it was one of the best decisions I made.

I had never really thought much about all the different aspects of putting on an event of this magnitude until this internship experience; however, that changed very quickly once I began. I arrived early on Thursday morning of event week, not knowing what to expect.

I started the day meeting so many amazing people that when they told me their long list of Olympics, Nations Cups, championships, and many other well-known equestrian events they work on, it was clear that the media is a hugely important part of the equestrian world.

There were things that you would never even think about that needed to be done; I remember there was one point where we had 20 or more flower pots in a small elevator trying to get them up to decorate the Media Center for the live-streamed press conferences. Another was when I had to rush photographers around the cross-country course in a golf cart so they would be able to capture pictures that would later be on the website, social media, signs, and many other places.

Along with those tasks, my main job was to help collect riders after their rides and bring them to the designated media spaces for their interviews - this is where I got to meet all kinds of riders like Jonelle Price after her dressage test, Will Coleman on the way to and from the press conference, Cassie Sanger after her first 5* cross-country run, and so many more. It was so interesting to hear the thoughts and feelings the riders had and talk to them throughout the competition weekend.

It was really cool getting to know them even just a little bit.

However, what this internship did for me most of all was it allowed me to make connections. I started this internship at the end of my junior year, when it was time for me to make plans for after high school. I had an idea of what I wanted to do, but wasn't really sure how to go about it. While I was bringing riders to and from the Media Center, I met Harry Meade and his team. I began to talk with them and learn more about what their team is like. Our trip and conversation was extended when his horse owner's golf cart broke down and we needed to go find her. After that internship, I kept thinking about what it may be that I wanted to do next, and I believe a month later I sent Harry Meade’s team an email reintroducing myself and explaining my future plans. I was able to secure a working-student position at their stable in Wiltshire, England, where I will be working for the next year, starting in mid-June through the following September, when I will be starting school at Hartpury University.

Though I am not sure what my plans are for life after university and what kind of career I hope to venture into, I know that I want horses to be a part of my life in some shape or form, and it is thanks to Pony Club, especially Ariatti Equestrian Pony Club, and the multitude of opportunities they give that have guided me into this next chapter in my life.