Nationbuilder, a 12-year-old gelding owned and trained by Jonathan Sheppard, died after landing from the second-to-last hurdle in the $40,000 timber steeplechase held on the steeplethon course at Great Meadow in The Plains, Va., on Oct. 22.

The third race on the undercard for the International Gold Cup, the steeplethon is a unique race offered at only a few meets. It is comprised of a variety of timber, hurdle and water jumps over a 3-mile course.

You know them from the famous WIHS Shetland Pony Steeplechase Championship series. You've seen them parade around dressed to run. You've seen them gallop and jump. 

And now you get to meet the tiny ambassadors of racing up close and personal, as we went Behind The Stall Door with seven of the ponies of U.S. Pony Racing. Meet Truffles, Olney Quick Draw McGraw, Frosted Flakes, Knight's Taffy, Olney Victor, Cricket and Sail The Sun:

Devon, Pa.—May 30  

For a few minutes, the Dixon Oval at Devon turns into a speedway for mini equines. That's right, for two days of the schedule, the WIHS Shetland Pony Steeplechases take over the ring for a rollicking few laps of the historic ring. 

U.S. Pony Racing Director Regina Welsh gathered two fields for the raes, with a maiden hurdle race on May 29 and an allowance hurdle taking place on May 30. Frosted Flakes and Kiley Ahn won the first race, while Savannah Smith won the second race on Knight's Taffy.

Four horses died from injuries sustained during races at the Aintree Steeplechase Meet, held in Liverpool, England, April 7-9.

Clonbanan Lad, a 10-year-old Thoroughbred gelding owned by Robert Clifton-Brown and ridden by Jody Sole, and Marasonnien, a 10-year-old gelding owned by S. Ricci and ridden by Patrick Mullins, were both pulled up by their jockeys during the Crabbie’s Fox Hunter Steeplechase on April 7. Chris Proudman, the veterinary adviser to Aintree, reported that both horses later collapsed and died as a consequence of their injuries.

Irvin Naylor’s French-bred gelding Dawalan (Azamour—Daltawa, Miswaki) earned the 2015 Eclipse Award for champion steeplechase horse on Jan. 16 in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The gelding received 165 votes, claiming the honor after capping his 5-year-old season with back-to-back Grade 1 victories in the $300,000 Grand National Hurdle Stakes at Far Hills (N.J.) and the $100,000 Colonial Cup in Camden (S.C.).