Maggie, of Amherst, New Hampshire currently rides small pony Rainbow Chaser, an eight-year-old Welsh crossbred, who is second in the AHSA national standings. The two have been champion or reserve almost every weekend in 2001. Maggie also rides Plain and Fancy, another eight-year old chestnut gelding who shows in the medium division. This year, the two were champion at Fairfield (Connecticut) and stand 20th in the division. Finally, there's mare Felicity, a green medium, coming six, who stands tenth on the national roster. On a horse, six-year-old Providence, Maggie has also been amassing tricolor ribbons in the children's hunter divisions and major points in the State Line Medal.

Watch for Maggie and Rainbow Chaser at Pony Finals. "We will be good over fences, but not so great in the model," predicts Maggie, who will also show her other two ponies at this competition, which usually includes more than 90 top ponies with multicolor ribbons to their credit.

Toy Story and Rainbow Chaser

Maggie McAlary is most closely associated with Toy Story because of their incredible record together. Toy Story was actually on his way to slaughter when a selling agent saw him, liked him and bought him. The McAlarys then purchased him and Maggie started in green ponies with trainer Sharon Cole of New Jersey. It was obvious that the two were a match.

Young McAlary thrived on the special relationship she had with "Toy Story," who, she says, "moved his lower lip when he was happy, and it looked like he was talking. Sometimes he'd do it when he was thinking, too."

During their 2000 heyday, McAlary made no bones about her ability to communicate with the pony underneath her. She said then, "He knows I'm a little better rider than everyone else who sits on him. He knows he doesn't have to be perfect for me, though, that I can figure most of the stuff out. I think I do better with the green ponies, actually, because for me, when I have an easy pony, it's harder!"

Her Pony Finals victory left the sweet taste of success with this young entry, causing her to proclaim, "I want to be the youngest person to go to the Olympics," she predicts. No one questions the potential of her ambition.

Toy Story now belongs to Nellie Ann Fusaner.

About her championship mount, Rainbow Chaser, whom she's been riding for three years, Maggie attests, "He's very sweet. The first day I met him and went into the stall, he cornered me and I thought he was going to do something. He started licking me...face...clothes. He is so easy to jump, even when you think he can't take a long distance, he's right there. And he's bombproof."