Lauren Schweppe and Cataumet Capture the $10,000 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby Win 

10 JUL 26 Ocala, FL

A rider in show attire guides a horse over a brick-patterned jump in an indoor equestrian arena with plants and decorative obstacles.

Ocala, FL – Hunter Derby Friday during Week V welcomed more than 60 horse-and-rider combinations to Indoor Arena 1 for three featured classes: the $10,000 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby, the $10,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby and the $10,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby. Course designer Meghan Rawlins (CAN) built flowing tracks that produced scores into the high 90s.

A horse and rider jump over a green hedge obstacle decorated with pink flowers in an indoor equestrian arena.
Lauren Schweppe and Cataumet. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

The $10,000 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby closed out the day with a competitive field, but it was Lauren Schweppe aboard Cynthia Boudreau’s Cataumet (Cabachon x Gaya) who delivered two standout rounds to claim the victory.

Schweppe and Cataumet earned a first-round score of 91 to return for the handy in the lead. A fan of Rawlins’ course designs, Schweppe especially appreciated the inclusion of the bounce. “I love bounces. It’s another genius Meghan idea. She always gives you options and ideas on what works best for your horse. I just love what she does with her courses.”

Heading into the handy, Schweppe knew she wanted to be aggressive while trusting her tried-and-true partner. “The tricky part was the first jump. I saw these slick, amazing people land after the first oxer and go inside, and I was like, ‘Okay, I’m panicking because I don’t want to have my first jump down.’ So I decided to gallop down to the first jump, then make the really tight inside turn. Then I cantered down to the giant white vertical, thinking, ‘please stay up.’ And of course he was brilliant. I missed the inside turn there because I was still thinking about how great he jumped it. He is incredible.”

Equestrian rider on horse with two people beside her, one holding a trophy and one holding a large check, with event scoreboard displaying final score in the background.
Lauren Schweppe and Cataumet. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

A handy score of 93 gave the pair a winning two-round total of 184.

Schweppe credited the victory to the team behind the 14-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding’s success.

“I hadn’t ridden him in three weeks before getting back on Tuesday. He’s a star. He knows his job, and he has such a good team. Between head manager Emily Rodgers, our ‘Felix [Cataumet] whisperer,’ trainer and home rider Jeannie Savegnago, trainer Mark Jungherr, home barn manager Wendy Laroche and, of course, his owner, Cindi Boudreau, everybody has been incredible. He’s really coming into his own. I’m so proud of him.”

$10,000 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby Results

Daniel Geitner Lands Double Victory in the $10,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3′ Open Hunter Derby

A rider in formal attire jumps a brown horse over a fence inside an indoor equestrian arena with decorative plants and barriers.
Daniel Geitner and Apricot Lane. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

Hunter Derby Friday kicked off in Indoor Arena 1 with the $10,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3′ Open Hunter Derby. Daniel Geitner dominated the class, earning scores in the high 90s aboard two mounts to claim both first and second. He topped the leaderboard with Apricot Lane and finished second with Triple Net.

Geitner piloted three horses into the handy round after first-round scores of 96 with Apricot Lane, 90.5 with Triple Net and 87 with Even Steven.

He returned first aboard Even Steven and earned a handy score of 94 for a two-round total of 181, good enough for fifth place.

Equestrian rider in formal attire jumps a brown horse over a colorful obstacle during an indoor competition. Large sign with the words "Quality. Class. Distin..." is visible behind.
Daniel Geitner and Triple Net. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

After testing the handy track with Even Steven, Geitner knew he could be just as tidy with his other two horses. “They’re all pretty experienced, so I knew I could take a chance. I kind of used my first one as a barometer, and Steven was so handy. When he did it, I said, ‘Okay, all the rest of them can handle it.’ I’m kind of a ‘win or broke’ type of rider, so I gave it a shot on all of them.”

Riding Ashley Neudorff’s Triple Net (Tangelo vd Zuuthoeve x Manon Lescaut SOL), the nine-year-old Zangersheide gelding delivered a polished handy round that earned a 96 for a two-round total of 186.5.

Geitner then returned with his longtime partner, the 11-year-old Warmblood gelding Apricot Lane, owned by Nancy McBrayer. The pair impressed once again, earning a 97 in the handy for a winning two-round total of 193.

A rider in formal attire jumps a brown horse over an obstacle at an indoor event; a large screen displays derby results and names in the background.
Daniel Geitner and Apricot Lane. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

“He’s always been a pretty special jumper. When I tried him in Europe, I just knew right away. But he’s really grown up and become consistent, and now I can kind of save him for these types of classes.”

Triple Net has quickly become another top mount for Geitner. “The second horse also had incredible scores. I think I’ve done five or six of these National Derbies with him, and he’s won. This might be his first loss, but we’ll still take second,” he laughed.

A man on a horse with a blue ribbon, flanked by two women holding a large check and a black sign, posing indoors with a brick and flower backdrop.
Daniel Geitner and Apricot Lane. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

Geitner also shared his appreciation for competing at World Equestrian Center – Ocala during the summer. “I still cannot believe there’s a horse show facility that makes you want to go to Florida in July, and it does. With the indoor arenas, the horses are happy, and they always leave here better horses. From the indoors to the outdoors, to riding in the fields and on the bridle paths, you can really step a horse up here.”

$10,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby Results 

Emma Brody Scores Second Consecutive Victory with Corzico Melloni Z in the $10,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby

A rider in black attire jumps a gray horse over a green and brick obstacle in an indoor equestrian arena with floral decorations.
Emma Brody and Corzico Melloni Z. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

Thirty junior and amateur riders contested the $10,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby, but it was Emma Brody who once again topped the leaderboard aboard her longtime partner, Corzico Melloni Z (Cornet Obolensky x Zicora H).

The pair earned a smooth first-round score of 91 to return for the handy in the lead. “I think on this horse, any handy that I do, I just automatically feel more confident,” Brody shared. “He really excels in the second round, always, and I feel like I’m better at that too.”

A person wearing a helmet rides a white horse as it jumps over an obstacle during an indoor equestrian event.
Emma Brody and Corzico Melloni Z. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

Returning last, Brody stuck to an aggressive plan in the handy. “Honestly, the plan was to go inside everywhere. I did miss one option because I got a little distracted, but the plan was just to be smooth and make sure we did everything that he does best, especially turning.”

The strategy paid off. Another impressive score of 93 gave the pair a winning two-round total of 184 and their second consecutive derby victory.

Five people and a horse pose indoors; one person holds a trophy banner, another holds an oversized check, and flowers decorate the area.
Emma Brody and Corzico Melloni Z. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

Brody credited her nine-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding’s reliability for their continued success. “His consistency and, honestly, his personality are my favorite things about him. He’s the sweetest horse you’ll ever meet. My mom rides him all the time. He’s really my mom’s horse, but he never lets you down in the ring. He always knows what he has to do, and he’s always amazing.”

$10,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby Results 

A rider in equestrian attire sits on a brown horse indoors, while a woman stands beside them holding a backpack. Decorative jumps and flowers are in the background.
Clair Kellner accepted the Style of Riding Award presented by Annie Connolly, owner of ACE Equestrian. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

The Style of Riding Award, sponsored by ACE Equestrian, was presented to Clair Kellner in recognition of exemplary horsemanship. The recipient received an embroidered backpack, an ACE gift certificate, and select ACE PRO4MANCE products.

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.
Videos available at ClipMyHorse.TV

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