Timothy Maddrix Breaks Through With Marshall in the $10,000 Golden Ocala 3’6″-3’9″ Hunter Derby

Ocala, FL – Indoor Arena 1 played host to yet another exciting Hunter Derby Friday at World Equestrian Center – Ocala. Over 60 horse-and-rider combinations competed for the win across three competitive derbies: $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. Dean Rheinheimer crafted the flowing tracks that showed off each horse’s brilliance. 

Timothy Maddrix closed out Friday with a well-earned victory aboard Missy Nolen’s Marshall (Diardo x Ninburg III) in the $10,000 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby. After knocking on the door throughout the circuit, Maddrix and the talented gelding delivered two polished rounds for a winning two-round total of 178.

Marshall opened with a classic round score of 90 before returning for the handy, where Maddrix opted for a strategic approach that prioritized confidence over chasing every available bonus point.

“I actually jumped the low option a couple of times today,” Maddrix explained. “We’ve had a few rounds recently where one mistake cost us, so today I wanted to ride him smart. The goal was to let him have a confident round instead of asking for too much.”

The strategy paid off as Marshall answered every question with confidence, earning a handy score of 88 to secure the derby title.

The victory marked an exciting milestone for the young horse, who is in his second year with Maddrix after competing in the Young Hunter divisions last season.

“This year, Marshall is competing as a First-Year horse and Derby horse,” said Maddrix. “He’s always wanted to do the job, but it’s taken him a little time to settle in. If something didn’t go quite right, he’d get a little nervous, so we’ve really focused on helping him relax and gain confidence.”

That patience has begun to pay dividends as Marshall continues to mature into the derby ring.

“He’s just an unbelievable jumper,” Maddrix continued. “I think he’s one of the best-looking horses going around the ring. He has such a great gallop, he’s incredibly fun to ride, and honestly, the bigger the jumps, the better he is.”

The pair now has its sights set on the upcoming USHJA Green Hunter Incentive Championships and Derby Finals, where Marshall will make his championship debut alongside stablemate Olimpink Melloni.

“I don’t think there’s a better place to prepare for Derby Finals,” Maddrix said of competing at WEC – Ocala. “You have so many different opportunities here. We can compete outdoors, indoors and under the lights, and every ring asks different questions. The indoor derby courses ride bigger than they look, so it’s a great test for young horses. Having both environments really helps get them ready.”

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

Daniel Geitner Can’t Be Stopped in the $10,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby 

Nineteen horse-and-rider combinations contested the featured event of the morning, the $10,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3′ Open Hunter Derby, in Indoor Arena 1. In the end, Daniel Geitner delivered another standout performance, claiming both first and second place aboard Seth Vallhonrat’s Emilio and Lynn Seithel’s Walk The Tides (Brantzau x Asquetta).

Geitner qualified three horses for the handy round, first returning with Apricot Lane after earning a first-round score of 69. Looking to learn as much as possible before returning on his remaining mounts, he took advantage of the opportunity to test the course’s inside options.

“I didn’t have much to lose with my first horse,” Geitner shared. “He’s experienced, so I said, ‘Let’s go get it,’ and he showed me all the difficult turns could be made. The inside to the two-stride was tough. If you didn’t meet it just right, you could get in a little trouble, so it wasn’t an easy turn, but they’re all great horses, and they handled it well.”

The pair improved significantly in the handy, earning an 89 to finish fifth overall.

Armed with that information, Geitner returned aboard Emilio, a nine-year-old Warmblood gelding by Emerald van’t Ruytershof. After posting a first-round score of 91, the pair laid down an impressive handy effort that earned a 94 for a winning two-round total of 185.

Although Emilio doesn’t typically compete in hunter derbies, Geitner said the class was a fun opportunity for the talented gelding. “A client of mine leases this one. His barn name is Elmo, and she sent him down for a little tune-up these three weeks,” Geitner explained. “I showed him the last two weeks, he was champion in the USHJA classes, and I said, ‘Let’s go have some fun and do something different.’ He obviously loved it. He’s just a great jumper, brave, quiet and a really neat horse.”

Returning last in the handy, Geitner had one final opportunity to top his own leading score aboard the 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding Walk The Tides, who was competing in just his second show back after several months away from the ring. Rather than chase the win, Geitner focused on giving the gelding a positive experience. “I was just going to gallop around to the two-stride and let his brilliance show a little,” he said. “Knowing it’s only his second show back in three or four months, I wanted him to have a good experience. If it was good enough, it was good enough.”

After earning the highest first-round score of the class with a 93, Walk The Tides returned to score a 90 in the handy for a final total of 183, securing second place behind Emilio and completing Geitner’s one-two finish.

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

Faith Schuttemeyer Claims Victory in the $10,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby 

Faith Shuttemeyer and Gianluca Caron’s talented young mount GHM Ucandance du Vlist Z earned victory in the $10,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby after delivering two impressive rounds. 

Although Shuttemeyer has only had the six-year-old Zangersheide gelding for a few months, the pair have quickly found their rhythm. The young hunter has already shown remarkable confidence and maturity in the show ring. “He really goes into any ring and doesn’t care about the jumps,” said Shuttemeyer. “It’s really great.”

The pair handled the first round well and delivered a solid performance for a score of 89. Shuttemeyer was especially pleased with how her horse handled the course and stayed focused throughout. 

Coming back for the handy on top, Shuttemeyer’s plan was simple. “Honestly, I’ve led a lot of derbies and messed up the handy with him,” she laughed. “So I just kind of went in there and saw what he would do. He’s still learning the handy, so we’re just taking it one step at a time.”

Shuttemeyer’s approach paid off, and GHM Ucandance du Vlist Z delivered the inside turns with ease for a top score of 90 for a two-round total of 179 for the win.

Looking forward to the future, Shuttemeyer believes her young partner has all the qualities needed to develop into a top hunter. “I definitely think he could be a top hunter.” She said, “He’s really, really great, really smart.” 

$10,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am 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.
Videos available at ClipMyHorse.TV

Make sure to visit the WEC Blog and follow us on social media @worldequestriancenter for full coverage on all feature classes!