Ocala, FL – Friday brought gorgeous weather and a competitive field of 100 horse-and-rider combinations to Hunter 1 for four thrilling hunter derbies: the $20,000 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunt & Go Derby, the $15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3′ Open Hunter Derby, the $7,500 USHJA National 3’ Jr Hunter Derby, and the $7,500 USHJA National 3’ Am Hunter Derby. Patrick Rodes designed flowing, technical tracks that allowed riders to showcase their horses’ style.
The day concluded with the $20,000 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunt & Go Derby, where 17 riders vied for the top prize. In the end, it was Samantha Schaefer aboard Madeline Schaefer’s In The Know (Arkansas x Cavelle) who claimed victory.
Schaefer noted that the 16-year-old Warmblood gelding was ready to perform. “The course flowed really nicely. There was one turn at the end that I had the opportunity to practice at the three-foot level earlier in the day. I was going to decide as I went whether I would take it or not. Sometimes, as the course goes on—particularly in the handy—Spyder starts to anticipate what’s coming and gets there before I tell him. But he was focused today and in his groove.”
The duo earned an 85 in the classic portion and an impressive 93 in the handy, securing a total score of 178 for the win.
“Every class at this point is just for fun, and I’m lucky to still have Spyder in good shape and happy—and at the end of the day, truly loving it,” Schaefer said of her longtime partner. “On Friday, he comes to the show, and he’s like, ‘Okay, it’s my day.’ He really does love it. I don’t know if it’s all the treats he gets or his adoring fans, but he’s a pretty special guy.”
$20,000 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunt & Go Derby Results
Jennifer Jones and Lincoln Claim the Win in the $15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby
The day began with the $15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3′ Open Hunter Derby with 33 horse-and-rider combinations to see. Jennifer Jones captured the win aboard Lincoln, Snow Brook LLC’s eight-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding by Navajo Van’t Vianahof x Cartagena Indias Ecaussinnes.
“The first course was busy in the beginning, and then there was a long way between jumps at the end. The hedge was a nice jump, and then there was the wall and the oxer. The fourth jump came quickly, and then the rest of it was just smooth,” Jones reflected on her classic round. Their solid performance earned a score of 90 to sit in fourth place heading into the second round.
Jones knew she had to be strategic in planning her route in the handy course. “The handy was a bit tricky. I didn’t do the inside turn to the last jump because I felt it was risky. Normally, I go all out, so I was proud of myself that I didn’t turn and burn at every option today,” Jones laughed. “It worked out because a few people that were ahead of me tried that turn, and it didn’t work out. I was a little lucky there.” The judges awarded the duo a score of 90.5 to add up to a two-round total of 180.5, moving them into the lead.
Jones reflected on her season at WEC – Ocala, sharing, “Winning a few of these derbies has been a highlight of the circuit. Winning the [$75,000 Hunter Derby] next week would definitely be the highlight! This is my first winter having my own business with Kitty Griswold, and it’s been great. We have a lot of horses; we’ve had a lot of good luck here and we love being in Ocala.”
$15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby Results
Lily Toensing and Consanto Gallop to the Win in the $7,500 USHJA National 3’ Amateur Hunter Derby
Lily Toensing secured top honors out of 23 competitors in the $7,500 USHJA National 3’ Amateur Hunter Derby aboard her longtime partner, Consanto (Collado x Camillo Queen), a 17-year-old Holsteiner gelding she has owned for many years.
A score of 91 put Toensing and Consanto in the lead after the classic round, and she went into the handy round planning to ride each jump as it came. “In the handy rounds, I usually know all the turns and then decide how I’m going to do them once I’m in there. I made sure I had a really good pace to all those single oxers, and he did exactly what I asked of him.”
The pair was awarded a score of 92 for their efforts, bringing their two-round total to 183 and securing a solid lead for the win.
A regular at WEC – Ocala, Toensing always enjoys her visits. “It feels like you’re on vacation, and I feel like that’s how horse showing should be. It makes it even more fun, and it’s great for the horses, which also makes you feel good about being here.”
$7,500 USHJA National 3’ Amateur Hunter Derby Results
Lilly Geitner and Banks Mill Hold the Lead in the $7,500 USHJA National 3’ Junior Hunter Derby
Lilly Geitner secured the victory in the $7,500 USHJA National 3’ Jr Hunter Derby out of 28 entries once again, piloting Daniel Geitner’s Banks Mill, a fourteen-year-old Warmblood gelding.
The pair sat at the top of the leaderboard after the classic round with a score of 89. Reflecting on the course, Geitner shared, “There weren’t many lines until the end, which I liked. It’s definitely my favorite kind of format, being able to ride off my eye on a nice gallop. I thought it rode really well.”
Returning last for the handy, Geitner had the chance to strategize with her peers. “Everyone I talked to agreed, you had to ride it nice and easy. The only real test was the last jump—there was an island there. I opted to go around it and jump the high option since so many others went inside of it to the low option. I had jumped the low option at the oxer on the other end of the ring, so I knew that I needed to do the high option at the last jump.” Her game-time decision in the ring paid off with a score of 91.
On a cumulative score of 180, Geitner took home yet another Hunter Derby win this winter with Banks Mill. On the pair’s continued success, Geitner shared, “It’s really awesome, this horse is just incredible. Derbies are all he does, and he just absolutely loves it.”
$7,500 USHJA National 3’ Jr Hunter Derby Results
Explore the daily class schedule, orders of go, class counts, and final results on HorseShowing.com. For real-time scoring, check out Ryegate.Live.
Photos courtesy of Andrew Ryback Photography.
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