Ocala, FL – The final Hunter Derby Friday of the 2025 Winter Spectacular Show Series was set on a beautiful day with great competition in the WEC Stadium. Over 100 entries contested for victory in four hunter derbies: the $75,000 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby, the $75,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3′ Open Hunter Derby, the $37,500 USHJA National 3’ Jr Hunter Derby, and the $37,500 USHJA National 3’ Am Hunter Derby.
Riders tackled Kevin Holowack’s flowing tracks which featured options for tight, inside turns as well as long gallop stretches. Some of the most successful horses and riders from the circuit performed for one more chance at a hunter derby win this winter.
The field for the $75,000 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby was strong, with many well-established pairings among the 22 entries. Daniel Geitner once again rose to the challenge, taking the win aboard Lynn Seithel’s Walk The Moon, a 15-year-old Oldenburg gelding by Chap.
The pair took over the lead in the first round with a score of 186.5, and Geitner felt the track suited him and his mount. “The first round was great. It was nice and smooth, there was one line, a six-stride line. Everything else you could gallop. I like to ride fast, probably too fast sometimes, so for me, I loved it.”
Geitner had the chance to ride two other mounts in the handy before returning on Walk The Moon, and he executed the most inside track possible on all of them, knowing he had to be bold. “I mean, these girls – Amanda Steege and Megan Young and Hunter Holloway – they just ride fantastic, and there was no playing it safe. We just had to go for it. Luckily, all my mounts, but especially ‘Moonpie’, was up for the task.” Ending with a score of 192 in the second round, Geitner and Walk The Moon earned a cumulative score of 378.5 to secure the victory.
“This is maybe his third derby, and he got out here in this big atmosphere and grew. A lot of horses will shrink in this atmosphere, and he grew and got bigger and stronger. I think his last few jumps in each round were better than at the beginning. We just got better and better,” Geitner said of his partner. “It’s always nice to win, but to wrap up the last week and with the big money, this is great.”
$75,000 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby Results
Samantha Schaefer Lands a Double Victory in $75,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby
Friday morning started off with sunshine and a fabulous field of 31 horse-and-rider combinations. The lineup featured many pairs that have already found great success in the open derby throughout the circuit, and all came out with their best foot forward, ready to try their hand in the $75,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby. Samantha Schaefer rode three entries to top twelve finishes, securing first and second on Deer Creek Farm LLC’s MTM Knock Out (Star Power x Galina) and Ava Berman’s All Inklusive, respectively.
“I felt like I was cheating with those two horses,” Schaefer spoke of All Inklusive and MTM Knock Out. “All Inklusive is so seasoned and so rideable. We bought him from Maria and Claiborne Bishop; they did such a great job bringing the horse up. ‘Knock Out’ is a newer ride and bit greener to the hunter scene. We just bought him in February, so he’s a new partnership for his owner, Ella Tarumianz, and myself, but he’s been fantastic for everything we’ve asked of him.”
In the first round, Schaefer piloted MTM Knock Out to a score of 189, taking the top spot with the 10-year-old Warmblood gelding.
The pair returned last for the handy round, but Schaefer had the opportunity to get a feel for the course on Mary Landin’s Iggy Pop and All Inklusive. “With All Inklusive, I felt like I could be really handy because I know the horse really well. I wanted to feel like I put a little pressure on everyone that went after. On Knock Out, I opted to do two of the more conservative tracks, but he’s just so beautiful across the ground, and he jumps so great that I think that plan suited him.” Schaefer and Knock Out were awarded a score of 184.5. Combined with their classic round score, the duo finished with a score of 373.5, holding their lead to take home the win.
Reflecting on her winter season at World Equestrian Center – Ocala, Schaefer shared, “This has got to be one of my favorite shows. It’s great how the hunter derbies are highlighted and run in the big Stadium ring during one of the biggest weeks in the year here. I think it’s pushing other shows around the country to be better. For us as competitors, when you’re surrounded by the best, you want to be the best. It motivates me day in and day out.”
$75,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby Results
Lilly Geitner and Banks Mill Bring It Home in $37,500 USHJA National 3’ Junior Hunter Derby
Lilly Geitner and Banks Mill once again secured the blue, besting a field of 28 entries in the $37,500 USHJA National 3’ Junior Hunter Derby. This win marks Geitner’s sixth hunter derby victory aboard Daniel Geitner’s 14-year-old Warmblood gelding during the 2025 Winter Spectacular Show Series.
The pair was in second place after the classic round with a score of 183. “Coming back for the handy, I just wanted to do all the tight turns that I possibly could because I knew I was quite a bit behind Taylor [Matalon], and I know he’s so handy and can turn on a dime,” Geitner said on her strategy for the second round.
After the second jump on course, Geitner elected for a tidy inside turn to fence four. “I decided if I turned from the birch and saw that inside turn, I’d do it. I landed, and it was there, and [Banks Mill] was right with me every stride.” For their standout performance, Geitner and Banks Bill were awarded a score of 179, and the pair took over the lead with a two-round total score of 362 to finish the winter circuit on a high note.
After such a successful season for the horse-and-rider duo, Geitner was thrilled with the gelding. “It feels amazing. I cannot thank this horse enough. He’s just incredible.”
$37,500 USHJA National 3’ Junior Hunter Derby Results
Augusta Iwasaki and Small Love Win Big in $37,500 USHJA National 3’ Amateur Hunter Derby
Twenty-seven riders entered the $37,500 USHJA National 3’ Amateur Hunter Derby on Friday afternoon to vie for top honors. Augusta Iwasaki rode to victory with Small Love (Chacco Blue x Wisilvia), owned by Augusta and Chris Iwasaki and Elizabeth Reilly.
A college student at Southern Methodist University in Texas, Iwasaki travelled to Ocala during her spring break to compete with “Honey”, a 12-year-old Hanoverian mare. “I’ve been away at school for most of the winter, so it’s been so nice to come here and have her be so awesome. I think we’re approaching our three-year mark together. She tries so hard for you, and she wants to win – she’s so competitive. She’s the sweetest horse in the barn too,” Iwasaki shared about their partnership.
In the classic round, Iwasaki and Honey laid down a flawless trip to earn a score of 189, earning impressive scores of 93 and 96 from the judges. Coming back for the handy in first place, Iwasaki aimed to stay conservative in her track. “I just wanted to be smooth, and make sure we didn’t do anything too crazy – just enough to make sure that she jumped well and everything came up right.”
Between jumps six and seven, riders chose several different paths around two stone wall islands. Iwasaki steered Honey around both walls, where some others had gone between the two walls or turned in front of both. “I was planning on seeing how she felt when she landed, and she just felt a little bit low. She jumped that oxer really well, so I just decided to go around the walls,” Iwasaki explained her thinking. Their second-round score of 178 resulted in a two-round total score of 367, which was enough to maintain their lead and gallop home with the win.