Youth Profile – Sophia Dong
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216 – July/August, 2026
By Megan Sacia Ulrich
It’s hard to imagine Sophia Dong as anything other than the poised and competitive show pen presence she is today, but rewind 11 years to Sophie as a three-year-old, and you’d find her thrilled to be leasing her first horse: a miniature named Nip. At the time, Sophia’s mom, Sheryl, had begun taking riding lessons at a barn local to their Bloomfield Hills, Michigan home, and it didn’t take long for tiny Sophia to request her turn; soon after that experience they welcomed Nip to the family.
By age eight, Sophia was ready for something bigger–as in a larger horse, and in challenging herself as a rider. The family began by leasing All Zips Ahoy, who Sophia would pilot in her show pen debut and continue showing at local open shows and Appaloosa shows. The Dongs realized the horse habit was not a passing fad for Sophia, so it was time to make a purchase. That purchase was Lukes Last Shine, with whom Sophia would show on the Buckskin circuit and begin dabbling in AQHA shows.
The family’s dabbling in show horses resulted in them taking the plunge with the purchase of “Nugget” (KNG Gotta Dance Good) who would help Sophia finish her Small Fry career and move into the 13 and Under category. She began with trainer Stephanie Bean, and then joined Christa Baldwin of Baldwin Quarter Horses. It was about that time that Sophia joined the Youth Board of the Michigan Quarter Horse Association where she later held the reporter position. She was fully entrenched in all things horses and, with that, came the desire to do even more.
Sophia was already showing Nugget in All- Around classes (she still shows him in Trail and Equitation) but she was ready to add another horse to her show string. Along came “Derby” (What Is The Matter) who she shows in Hunter Under Saddle along with trainer Keith Miller. Sophia’s recent move into the 14-18 age group led her family to search for another horse: enter VS Good All the Time aka ‘Jimmy’.
Click here to read the complete article
216 – July/August, 2026
