The CCI One Star top of the leader board for April 15th at the Florida Horse Park is Robin Walker riding Someday Never Comes with a final score of 47.10 and taking home $1500 of the Maui Jim award monies. Second place is Leslie Law and Kool Aldo with $1250; third place: Lauren Kieffer on Ron Reagan for $1000; fourth place: Samantha St. Jacques and Jaeda for $750 and fifth place: Victoria New riding Fleeceworks mystere du val for $500 prize monies. The total Maui Jim award monies: $4,000.
“I’m extremely pleased because this is one horse that we bred, watched ‘em grow up and now the culmination of the winter’s work!!” said Robin Walker. “I must give credit to all the people and work of an entire team,” he added. “Personally, I had a bit more time to put a system/method together and stay steady from start to finish because I was riding less horses.”
Walker also added, “The event organizer needs to be highly commended; all of the competitors and I are incredibly grateful to Peter (Gray), Jon (Holling) and Jay (Hambly) for such a lovely event of this caliber from the young to the Two Star category in this extremely valuable facility: the Florida Horse Park.” “Do keep developing this park,” he said as he is on his long trip home to Michigan.
Nicole Parkin of Hockley Valley, Ontario, Canada is the Sunday afternoon proclaimed winner of CCI Two Star category with a final score of 47.70 and the Becky Broussard first place award $3000. Parkin rode Lexus who is owned by Nique Hendric. Second place: Callie Judy riding Call on Me for $2500; third place: Eliza Farren on Bantry Bays Dublin for $2,000; fourth place: Sable Giesler riding Evil Munchkin for $1500; and fifth place: Laramie Maxwell on Hunterville for $1,000 award monies.
“I’m completely elated!! We all worked so hard and it is SO fun to end up on top this time! Do give credit to my coach, Phillip Dutton and gratitude to Nique Hendric for her support,” Parkin said. “It is quite obvious that Jon and Peter tended to details down to the footing of this quality international event at the Florida Horse Park. This park is so pivotal to the southern circuit of eventing.” Parkin said. The next event for Lexus is Jersey Fresh in New Jersey in one month.
The Ocala Horse Properties International 3 Day Eventboasted hundreds of entries with horses performing in dressage and running Cross Country and Show Jumping. Viewing the license plates in the Horse Park: New York, Michigan, New Jersey, Minnesota, Ontario, Canada and many others across the country were represented.
“We went to the stadium and enjoyed it immensely!” Ida and John from Silver Spring Shores commented after the event. “We are eager to learn more about scoring and judging and will definitely go again!”
“We so enjoyed the horse event. It was our first time. What a joy it was to watch the jumping competition. They are such magnificent creatures. The riders were so gentle with their horses. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect. The Florida Horse Park is absolutely beautiful and so clean and well maintained, we were very impressed!” Del and Rick, Ocala
Did you know that the USEA Foundation awards over 150 grants each year to deserving individuals who are involved in the sport of eventing? With grants that assist riders with accomplishing their competition goals, grants geared toward licensed officials, grants that are specific to continuing education for coaches, grants that assist competitions with obtaining frangible technology, and so much more, there really is a grant opportunity available to almost anyone!
With the start of the New Year just days away, now is the time to consider how your actions can have a positive impact on the sport of eventing in 2025. Each and every member of the eventing community has an important role to play in ensuring the sport continues to grow and thrive. From fostering educational opportunities to supporting grassroots initiatives and participating at all levels of the sport, there are so many ways to get involved.
Ride iQ’s popular “Ask An Expert” series features professional advice and tips from all areas of the horse industry. One of the most-downloaded episodes is an expert session with Peter Gray, an accomplished dressage judge and Olympic eventer. He has recently judged at events like the five-star at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event, and he served on the ground jury at the 2022 FEI World Eventing Championships in Pratoni, Italy. His background as a competitor in the Olympic Games riding for Bermuda and as a coach and selector for the Canadian eventing team adds depth to his understanding of the sport.
With a total of 382 volunteer hours in 2024, Catherine “Cathy” Hale not only topped the USEA Area III VIP Volunteer leaderboard, but she also ranked fourth out of all eventing volunteers across the country. Hale (The Villages, Florida) has worked as a travel agent for over 30 years, a career that suits her love of travel nicely. At the time of being interviewed for this article, Hale was passing the equator on a cruise to Tahiti, New Zealand, and Australia.