WEC Weekend Wrap-up

Another stunning day set the scene for top Jumping competition at World Equestrian Center – Ocala. The $200,000 LeMieux Grand Prix CSI4* was the highlight event on Sunday, drawing spectators and exhibitors to watch a competitive international field battle for the top prize. In a nail-biting, four-horse jump-off, Olympian Andre Thieme (GER) and his very own Paule S (Perigueux x Sir Shutterfly) claimed victory.

Ken Krome (USA) set a challenging closing track for the week. It wasn’t until halfway through the order that the first clear round appeared, as even some of the world’s best struggled with key technical elements. But Olympic gold medalist Will Simpson (USA), rising star Raleigh Hiler (USA), seasoned talent Alex Granato (USA), and Olympian Andre Thieme ultimately cracked the code.
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“When I walked the course, I thought it was perfect for the field of riders,” shared Thieme. “I was expecting eight to 10 clears, but also, it’s a warmer day outside, and I think the horses lost a little bit of power and concentration. That blue oxer coming to the ingate in a forward five got a lot of people. Ken Krome did a smart job of making things a little bit backward, a little bit forward, and then a bit backward again. There were no ugly pictures, and everyone got home safe, so it was a great course.”

When the time came for the jump-off, the crowd was on the edge of their seats. Will Simpson (USA) set a blistering time of 34.87 seconds aboard Imar but had a heartbreaking rail at the final fence.

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Raleigh Hiler, followed aboard Kurt Hiler’s Obora’s Chloe (Chacco-Blue x Lacapo). She and the 14-year-old Austrian Warmblood mare raced around the track, keeping all the rails up to set the clear pace at 37.21 seconds.

Her time was soon surpassed by Alex Granato (USA) and Kisma Equestrian, LLC’s Helios Vd Nosahoeve. The 13-year-old KWPN gelding soared around the track, shaving off solid seconds to clock in at 34.92.

Last to go, Andre Thieme had a clear objective: “Not be second. That was the plan.”

“I counted the strides of all three of my competitors, and I knew when I was walking the jump-off earlier that I could do six from one to two, when everyone else did seven. Then I knew I could do the inside seven to the combination, where everybody else was doing eight. Both things worked, and I already knew I was two strides less than everybody else, so I just tried to stay conservative and keep the numbers, and it worked out.”

Thieme and Paule S soared through the timers in 34.11 seconds to take the top spot on the podium.

Thieme described what it’s like to ride the powerful 11-year-old Oldenburg gelding: “It’s not always easy. He drives me crazy, to be honest. He is on fire every day, and it takes a lot of calmness as a rider to deal with that power. He has the blood and power of three horses. Today, he was on it, and it was controllable. Obviously, I am very, very happy.”

Results here.

Canadian Roundup

Canada’s Carly Campbell Cooper and John Jamieson’s Qornet VD Bisschop (Cornet Obolensky x Kashmir Van Schuttershof) rose to the top in the $32,000 Buckeye Nutrition Grand Prix Qualifier CSI2*, besting a competitive field of 34 horse-and-rider combinations representing 13 nations.

A woman jumping a bay horse over a fence.

Carly Campbell Cooper and Qornet VD Bisschop flying to first in the $32,000 Buckeye Nutrition Grand Prix Qualifier CSI2*. (Andrew Ryback Photography)

Ken Krome’s course challenged competitors with a tight time allowed, catching several riders off guard. Rails fell throughout the track, but eight combinations managed to leave all the fences up and stay within the time, advancing to the jump-off.

“I was surprised at first that Kenny didn’t adjust the time after the first few rounds,” Campbell Cooper admitted. “I said to my husband, ‘I wonder if he made a mistake because there aren’t going to be that many clears with this time allowed.’ But in the end, Kenny knew exactly what he was doing—it was spot on with eight clear.”

Heading into the jump-off mid-order, Campbell Cooper set her sights on Václav Staněk’s leading time of 37.67 seconds. “I watched Václav go, I know he’s fast, and he gets help from Daniel Coyle, who I think is a genius. My horse has a naturally longer stride and turns well to the right, so I thought if I matched the turns and left one out before the double, I’d have a chance. After getting seven and seven done, I knew my horse doesn’t back up well, so when in doubt, just kick and leave out. I just went for it to the last vertical and oxer, and it turned out to be just enough.”

Campbell Cooper and the nine-year-old Belgian Warmblood stallion stopped the clock in 36.63 seconds, securing the win.

“This is the biggest class we’ve jumped together,” she added. “I got him when he was seven turning eight, but stallion quarantine took so long that by the time he was released, I rode him for two weeks and then stopped riding to have my daughter. I only started riding him again this summer at 1.15m, and we’ve built up from there.”

$32,000 Buckeye Nutrition Grand Prix Qualifier CSI2* results here.

A man jumping a grey horse over a hunter fence in Ohio.

Kristjan Good and Carano. (Winslow Photography)

It was a winning day for Kristjan Good Show Stables in the R+L Arena at World Equestrian Center – Wilmington. Aboard his longtime partner, Carano (Cabardino), Good secured his second consecutive $15,000 USHJA National Open Hunter Derby win, following his student, Emma Teixeira’s win earlier in the afternoon.

Joe Carnicom crafted the tracks that worked out beautifully for Good and his mount, “The track was fun. It was more open than last week’s I would say. You could get more of a gallop going to all the singles. It was a lot of fun actually.”

“When he rubbed the first jump in the handy, I thought I should tighten it all up to see if I could get a little more out of him.”

Alexandra Maletta’s 11-year-old gelding jumped to an impressive first-round score of 91, securing the lead once again moving into the handy.

Good caught a flowing gallop, showing off around the handy track for a second-round score of 89.5 and a winning 180.5 overall.

“This horse just goes everywhere and anywhere. If I go, he goes,” Good shared about his heart horse, Carano. “I think I want to try and do derby finals with him this year. It is on the bucket list!”

A woman jumping a horse over a hunter fence in Ohio.

In the $15,000 USHJA National Non-Pro Hunter Derby, it was Canadian Emma Teixeira and her own Chamrock W’s lucky day as they claimed victory by nine points. (Winslow Photography)