Lauren Schweppe and Cataumet Finish Summer on Top in $7,500 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby 

07 AUG 26 Ocala, FL

Equestrian rider in black jacket and helmet jumps a brown horse over a decorative hurdle in an indoor arena.

Ocala, FL – The final Hunter Derby Friday of the 2026 Summer Series at World Equestrian Center – Ocala (WEC) welcomed one last field of talented horse-and-rider combinations to Indoor Arena 1. Lynn Mullins designed the tracks for three competitive derbies: the $7,500 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby, the $5,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby, and the $5,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby.

Lauren Schweppe guided Cynthia Boudreau’s Cataumet (Cabachon x Gaya) to top honors in the $7,500 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby after two polished performances.

A rider on a brown horse jumps over an obstacle during an equestrian event, with purple stadium seats and a few spectators in the background.
Lauren Schweppe and Cataumet. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

Schweppe enjoyed Mullins’ tracks from the start. “I love Lynn’s courses. She does such a beautiful job of making it flow so nicely.”

Schweppe and the 14-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding earned an 86 in the first round to return for the handy, sitting in third place.

With points to make up, Schweppe returned determined to move up the leaderboard. She laid down an impressively slick handy round aboard Cataumet, earning the top score of 93. Their two-round total of 179 ultimately secured the win.

Four women pose indoors with a horse; one is mounted, while three stand holding a large check and a competition banner in front of jumping obstacles and purple stadium seating.
Lauren Schweppe and Cataumet. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

Schweppe was quick to credit the team behind her success. “I have an amazing support system, all my customers and clients. I mean, I have trainers from afar, and I have world-class trainers showing up to help me at the in-gate today.”

The victory comes at the perfect time for Schweppe and Cataumet, who are preparing to head to Kentucky for the 2026 Platinum Performance/USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship.

“It feels great to be going on a win. It’s just amazing and he is the absolute best,” Schweppe shared. “His owner is the best person and I know she’s going to be my lifeline in Kentucky next week.”

$7,500 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby Results 

Caroline Willard Briles and Chli Casall Top the $5,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby 

Equestrian rider in formal attire jumps a brown horse over a wooden fence obstacle in an indoor arena.
Caroline Willard Briles and Chli Casall. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

Caroline Willard Briles and Chli Casall (Cascadello I x Umea HH) may be new to the derby ring, but they looked right at home on Friday at WEC – Ocala. With confidence building throughout each round, the pair stepped up to the challenge in the $5,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby and ultimately emerged victorious.

Willard Briles and the 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding set the tone in the first round, earning an impressive score of 93 to take the lead heading into the handy round.

When asked about her plan going into the first round aboard Chli Casall, Willard Briles explained, “He is very new to the derbies; last week was his first week doing the derby in the WEC Stadium, and my goal was to do all the high options this time but also give him a nice smooth track and some confidence. He was perfect!” 

As the first round progressed, Willard Briles knew Chli Casall was ready to step up to the challenge. She added, “After the first jump in the first round, I was like, okay! We’ve got to step it up and get on that good flow.’ He ate it up!”

Equestrian rider on a brown horse jumps over an obstacle in an indoor arena with purple seats and yellow flowers.
Caroline Willard Briles and Chli Casall. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

In addition to her winning ride aboard Chlii Casall, Willard Briles also returned to the derby ring with Dragomir (Dino x Wynona). The pair delivered a strong first-round performance, earning a score of 87 to sit in second place heading into the handy.

With both mounts advancing, Willard Briles approached the handy round with confidence. “Dragomir hasn’t done a derby in a while, so I just wanted to give him a lot of confidence. I wasn’t sure if I was going to go for the bigger options, but he was just so confident and relaxed that I wanted to do it, and I am really proud of him.”

After sitting in second following the opening round, Willard Briles and Dragomir ultimately finished fourth overall with a combined score of 168.

Four people and a horse pose indoors; one holds a prize sign, another sits on the horse, and two others hold a large check. A showjumping obstacle and flowers are in the background.
Caroline Willard Briles and Chli Casall. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

Willard Briles and Chli Casall returned second-to-last for the handy round. With the final week of the circuit underway, Willard Briles was ready to take her shot, sharing, “It is the last week of circuit, why not just go for it and go all out! I really wanted to focus on getting all of those inside turns down and practice for future derbies.”

The strategy paid off. Willard Briles and Chli Casall delivered another impressive performance for a 91, earning a combined score of 184 to secure the victory.

Willard Briles also reflected on a few of her favorite parts about showing at WEC – Ocala, sharing, “Oh gosh! There are so many things! The horses love it. I have never been able to do so many weeks in a row in one place, and the horses just stay happy and consistent.”

$5,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby Results

Adele Dewar and Iconic Were Iconic in the $5,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby  

Friday’s $5,000 USHJA National Hunter 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby was nothing short of Iconic for Adele Dewar and Katherine Dewar’s Iconic (Cornet Obolensky x Elenora), after besting a field of 20 other talented competitors.

A rider in formal attire guides a brown horse over a green jump in an indoor equestrian arena decorated with white flowers.
Adele Dewar and Iconic. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

The Iconic duo delivered an impressive performance in the first round, earning a score of 91 to take the lead heading into the handy round.

Dewar spoke about her relatively new partnership with Iconic. “We got Iconic about a month ago. We actually imported him three or four years ago, but then we bought him back from one of my trainers, and I just started doing him in the 3’6”, and he just keeps improving. He’s really been such a good partner.”

Equestrian rider in black attire and helmet jumps a brown horse over a gray obstacle with red flowers during an indoor competition.
Adele Dewar and Iconic. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

Returning as the final combination in the handy, Dewar and Iconic had one last opportunity to reclaim the top spot. Dewar delivered a polished ride aboard Iconic for a score of 88 and a two-round total of 179 for the win.

When asked about her plan coming back for the handy, Dewar explained, “I knew that he likes to go a little quick in the turns, so I didn’t want to outhandy myself, I just wanted to be smooth. He jumped so well, and I knew I wanted to take all the high options, and it worked out really well.”

Adele Dewar and Iconic. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

As their partnership continues to develop, Dewar credited her growing understanding of Iconic as an important part of their success. “He is just so great, I feel like I can ride him so much better now because I listen to him and I do whatever makes him happy.”

Outside of the show ring, Dewar shared a few of her favorite things about Iconic, saying, “He is really sweet but a little awkward in the barn; he really just likes chips and any food. He loves to be loved.” 

$5,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby

A rider on a horse with a yellow ribbon poses next to a woman holding a plaque in an indoor equestrian arena decorated with flowers.
Hayley Waters Wear 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 Hayley Waters Wear in recognition of exemplary horsemanship. The recipients 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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