NSBA: Recap of WEC Ocala 2021 Winter Spectacular Hunter Jumper Special Event

NSBA News

By: Connie Lechleitner

World Equestrian Center’s 2021 Winter Spectacular Hunter Jumper Special Event Underway

The World Equestrian Center debuted its first event of 2021 last week as the Winter Spectacular got underway. The show is the first Hunter Jumper Special Event show to be sanctioned by the National Snaffle Bit Association.

“It was amazing to finally see the first show get underway here at Ocala,” noted TJ Campbell, World Equestrian Center’s general manager. “We’ve been planning for this moment for more than two years. We currently have just over 1,000 horses on the grounds, and we had 750 rounds in all rings on Wednesday.”

After a chilly morning, the first day of the show saw sunny skies and warm temperatures as the competition heated up in the Grand Arena, Stadium, indoor and Hunter and Jumper rings. The day saw competition in 1.25 to 1.45 meter Jumping in the Grand Arena, Green Hunters as well as Children and Adult Hunters and Jumpers showing in six arenas for the day.

First In Line

Exhibitors were excited to show in the new World Equestrian Center facility, including a few local exhibitors. “We were really excited to see the new grounds. It’s beautifully put together, and the amenities are just unbelievable,” noted Dorrie Douglas, who works for Mike McCormick and Tracy Fenney’s MTM Farm of Ocala and Flower Mound, Texas.

“We have a farm just down the road from here, so there was no question we would be here,” she said. “We are lucky that we have lots of help, so we actually have horses here as well as at HITS Ocala. Our farm doesn’t really have customers, but we do a lot of sales, so between the two venues, we’re able to show horses in the classes and shows that fit them best. We love being able to show here at WEC, and it’s also a great place to be able to ride and school as well.”

Eric Thompson was quick to follow WEC to Ocala. “As soon as the first shovel went into the ground, we bought a place here,” he said. “We’ve been waiting for two years to show here. It’s such a beautiful venue. I think all the people who would have normally went north in the summer will probably be here. Due to COVID-19 and everything, things could change pretty quickly, so this facility will be very attractive. It’s going to be the place to be.”

The World Equestrian Center is following strict protocol with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic. All attendees are required to wear face masks when not on horseback and observe social distancing. Attendees also have their temperature taken as they drive onto the show grounds.

MTM Farms and Dorrie Douglas Win First WEC Grand Prix

The World Equestrian Center didn’t have to look far for its first Grand Prix champion of the 2021 Winter Spectacular. Dorrie Douglas and MTM Chelsea 98, of MTM Farm in Ocala, took the win in the first signature class, the $20,000 Added Welcome Grand Prix.

“You can ride a golf cart to our farm from here,” laughed Mike McCormick, who with his wife Tracy Finney own MTM Farm. “Dorrie has worked for us for ten years and she works so hard. This is an 11 year old mare that we had previously sold as a children’s jumper, but they thought she was a bit too much and traded her for another horse. So we took her and started jumping her. She won eight Grand Prix events last year.”

The 11 year old gray is a Casini-bred German mare and was one of three MTM horses in the class. “She really is a unicorn,” added Tracy Finney. MTM Chelsea 98 was one of four horses to have a clean first round at 83.00. They continued into an immediate jump off, where Dorrie and the mare went a lightning quick 42.04 to take first. Diamonts Legacy and Jordan Petersen, riding for Eric Petersen, took the second place award with their clean round of 81.523, and 42.537 in the jump off. Santiago Lambre and Easy Girl set the pace as the first to go in the class, with their clean round of 82.133 and 42.613 in the jump off holding for third place.

Mike and Tracy were excited to win the first signature event at the Winter Spectacular. “Ever since they started talking about it, we’ve been telling everybody that this IS going to be the place to be,” Mike said.

“I came over and talked to Larry, Roby and his team when they were just starting to dig the dirt because we wanted to be nearby. We were trying to buy property here before they even had a price on the land. We’re so excited for the Roberts family, because they have done everything right here, from the layout and flow of the buildings to the show management. I’ve been to shows all over the world, and there is no place nicer than the World Equestrian Center. We love it here.”

Mike was also complimentary of the National Snaffle Bit Association’s involvement with the show. “We have many friends in lots of other associations, and having NSBA be able to step in with a defined set of rules allows us a whole additional avenue,” he said. “I am glad that the groups have been able to work together. It’s very exciting.”

Sharm Wordley Finishes 1-2 In 1.4 Meter

Sharm Wordley had only himself to beat in the $1,500 Added 1.4 Meter Jumping. He took Casper to the win and Cobalou to the reserve award. Sharm and Casper set a 79.144 time as the last round of the class, dropping just one rail during their go. Sharm had the only other one-fault round in the class with Cobalou and a time of 85.682 to earn second.

“Casper is my all-time favorite partner,” Sharm said. “We’ve won a lot together. He’s 15 years old now and is just a great horse. He’s owned by my mother, Della Wordley, and Ambramson Equestrian.”

Like MTM Farm. Sharm was quick to purchase property near the WEC facility. “We used to live in Wellington, but we were so thrilled that they were doing this that we said we needed to move here and set up a permanent base here. It’s beyond our wildest expectations. The facilities and the show management are just beyond compare.

“We have shown quite a bit at WEC’s Ohio shows, and so we were very confident that they would bring the same high-end show experience to Ocala, and they have. This facility being added to Florida will make Florida the winter mecca of showing – in the entire world. For this three-month period, there will be nowhere else to be.”

Anna Schierholz and ‘Lulu’ Win NSBA Baby Green 2’3” Hunter Under Saddle

Anna Schierholz and Lullaby showed the poise of a much more seasoned show partnership when they won the Baby Green 2’3” Hunter Under Saddle on Thursday. “This is just Lulu’s second horse show,” Anna said.

“We hauled her to some shows over the summer and gave her some time off to develop, and she was shown for the first time in December. We bought her just as COVID-19 was starting to take off, and we got her to our barn in May. She’s six years old, and she’s just getting started.”

Anna and her barn, which is based in Saint Louis, Missouri, wanted to come to Ocala to support the Roberts family and WEC Ocala. “We’ve shown in Ohio quite a bit. Since a lot of my clients are back in school, we can’t stay for the entire 12 weeks, but we wanted to come and support Roby (Roberts). We love his philosophy and what he and his family have done here in Ocala. We’re extremely blessed to spend a few weeks here in the sunshine.”

Anna’s familiarity with NSBA also attracted her to the Winter Spectacular. “I was a Division 1 collegiate coach for a while, so I was introduced to NSBA through EIA and IHSA. I was familiar with the association and it just gave me an additional level of comfort to be able to come and show here.”

Friday at the World Equestrian Center Ocala’s Winter Spectacular saw champions named in the Adult and Youth Equitation classes as well as the $15,000 Added Open and $15,000 Non-Pro 3’ Hunter Derby and $20,000 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby in WEC’s spacious Stadium arena.

Adult Equitation Titles

Lilly French and Coriano VDV were named overall champions in Adult Equitation after a consistent showing in the three classes. The duo won first and third in Adult Equitation and reserve in Equitation on the flat on their way to championship.

“I love it here in Ocala at WEC. It’s beautiful and the horses love it too,” Lilly said after her successful showing. “I’m a student at Miami University (Ohio), and this horse is owned by the University. I’ve been riding him for two years and showing him for about a year. He was a superstar. He’s kind of my heart horse. Our first trip was strong because it was pretty cool and crisp this morning, so we took off the spurs and the second trip went really well. And my coach told me that our flat work was the best we’ve ever flatted.”

The timing of the Winter Spectacular has allowed Lilly to spend her winter break from college at WEC Ocala. “We have six weeks off for winter break, so it worked out perfectly to come here,” she said.

“I think the flat work is the most important thing for jumping,” Sarah said. “I love it and its great practice.”

Sarah was pleasantly surprised by WEC Ocala. “We weren’t sure we were coming here in the beginning, but I’m so glad we did. We love it here,” she said.

Children’s Equitation

In the Children’s Equitation, Riley Malina and Abudabi became quick studies of each other in a short period of time to win the overall championship title. With consistent placings of second and third in Equitation and a win in Equitation on the flat, the title was theirs.

“We’ve only been together for one week,” Riley explained. “These were our first classes to show together. It was a lot of fun to show him. We are brand new to Kalanov Equestrian, and we’re having a lot of fun.”

Hunter Derby Highlights

The three Hunter Derby classes were the featured events of the day in WEC Ocala’s Stadium arena on Friday afternoon and evening.

The competition heated up with the $15,000 Added 3’ Open Hunter Derby, which saw a first round and 12 competitors returning for a handy round. Melissa Donnelly took Grand Tour to the first place check of $5,000 and a combined score of 177. The duo took advantage of all four option fences in Round 1 to earn a score of 88 after going fifth in the order. Their score held the top spot through to the handy round. In their second go, they had a flawless round and again taking advantage of all option fenced for a second-round score of 89, for a combined overall score of 177.

“My horse went in super relaxed and focused,” Melissa said. “We had a trot fence, and I just tried to make a teardrop turn to make that jump smooth, so I can track back and have time for the next jump. It’s really exciting to be the first Open Derby champion here at WEC Ocala’s Winter Circuit. It’s absolutely amazing to be here.”

Melissa noted that the 15 year old gelding would rather cuddle than work. “He’ll do anything for a mint,” she said.

It was a successful night for Melissa, who also showed Corlando 49 to the reserve award in the $20,000 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby.

In the $15,000 Added 3’ Non-Pro Hunter Derby, Laura Cho guided Wesley to the win and the $5,000 first place check, earning 178 on the two rounds. Laura chose all four option fences in the handy round, which gave her two matching 89 scores from both go rounds for a 178 overall score.

“We kind of get bored doing the Hunter classes and I tend to pick at him,” she said. “We like the Derbies, because I have to remember the courses and it keeps us both occupied. It was such a fun course,” she said.

“We got him three years ago from Europe, and he was a jumper over there. I named him after a character in ‘The Princess Bride’ named Wesley. The character is known for saying the phrase  ‘As You Wish,’ and that’s really how he is. He makes it easy.

“We came over from our farm in Austin, Texas, and we’ll be here for the first two weeks of the series. I have a daughter who is showing too and this is something we do together. She has to go back to high school, so we came over here while we could. We are very excited to be the first Non-Pro Derby champions here at WEC. We love it here!”

In the nightcap class, the $20,000 Added 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby, first time exhibitors William Coleman and Tropics not only won the class but dominated both rounds. Scoring a blistering 91 in the first go, the duo chose all four option fences to earn a 93 score in the handy round, for an overall score of 184, besting the reserve score by 19 points. They earned $6,000 for the win.

“My day job is eventing and my second day job is jumping,” William said. “The owner is actually Jill Grant (the ownership hasn’t transferred yet) and she got him from us, and wanted to do Hunter Derbies.I coached her and now she wants me to do Hunter Derbies too. I did my first Hunter class about two weeks ago and then I did this, so it’s pretty new to both of us. My wife knows way more about the Hunters than me and she was very instrumental in this.”

Willian and the ten year old gelding known as Toby have a history together. “We got this horse out of France as a four year old as an event horse. He just developed into a different horse than what we thought. He’s always been a good jumper, but the flat work just wasn’t his thing as an eventer. He jumped some 140 classes with me and some Grand Prixs, and won a couple and now he’s doing some Hunter classes. He’s kind of a jack of all trades and a bit of a chameleon – he can kind of blend in anywhere.

“He was a good boy, he wants to please. I guess it’s just another application of what you try to get them to do.  You want them to be relaxed and happy and obedient. Thankfully he was all of those things tonight.”

William spends about six months of the year in Ocala at his sponsors’ Okonokos Farm and trailered into the grounds for the class in the afternoon. “We’re located on the other side of town. We absolutely adore Ocala, and we feel really lucky to be here. And now with this place (WEC Ocala), it’s truly like a dream come true – I don’t think there’s anything like it in the world,” he said. “We’re thankful to WEC in cooperation with the National Snaffle Bit Association for putting these shows on. Our experience here has been seamless. It’s very exciting for our sport, and we’ll definitely be back as often as we can.”

75,000 Reasons to be at WEC Ocala on Sunday

The premier class of the first weekend of the Winter Spectacular circuit at the World Equestrian Center gave exhibitors 75,000 reasons to compete in the Grand Arena on Saturday afternoon.

The $75,000 Added 1.5 meter Grand Prix brought 30 competitors who tackled the course, with five exhibitors making a clean first round to return for the jump off. Aaron Vale set the tone early with his first of three mounts in the class aboard Elusive.

“When I saw the order came out yesterday, I was a little disappointed because he is my best horse. It’s not an advantage to go first. But in spite of it, it worked all out for us. My plan was to just tried to go as fast as he could go and hopefully leave the fences up, and everything up really nice” Aaron said.

“He was running really fast and was really jumping today – he didn’t want to touch a fence. Some courses suit your horse better than others. I thought it was a pretty good track for him suitability-wise. We hoped to have a little luck and we didn’t have any bad luck.”

In talking about the 12 year old gelding, Aaron said: “Elusive is like a pet. My wife has shown him, I’ve shown him, and he’s won a bunch for both of us. I bought him early in his six year old year, so we’ve had him six years now. The plan is for my daughter to inherit him one day when she’s ready. She’s seven and coming up. He’s a special horse for our family.

“Our other horse, Major, is a special horse and I’ve had a lot of success with him the past few years. He seems to like this arena, so he’ll be back here next week.”

Aaron was excited to win the first Grand Prix at WEC Ocala, but even more excited to show at the new facility. “I thought to myself, no matter what other success I have, I can say that I won the first Grand Prix here. Sharm Wordley and Santiago Lambre and some of the others are pretty fast riders, so it means a lot,” he said.

“I’ve shown in Ocala for 30 some years now, and been a permanent resident for about 15 years. I can’t believe they built this beautiful facility for us to show our horses at! I’m 52 years old and I’ve never dreamt about a horse show before, but every day I’m here I’ve got a smile on my face, I go home at night from here and I dream about it all night. It’s got to be the premier facility in the world.”

Earlier on Saturday, the $7,500 Added Grand Prix saw Christina Kelly and Kingdom take the win. The duo were one of five horses and riders to take the first round clean. Christina and Kingdom jumped the jump off round in 42.22 seconds, which couldn’t be caught.

“This was my first class back with him,” Christina said. “I sold him and he just came back to me, so I’ve been doing more and more with him to bring him back. He’s an Irish Sport Horse, so he’s a bit temperamental. He has to go his way, so if you do that, then he’s happy.”

Christina noted that she didn’t have a lot of strategy in her rounds. “Really I just wanted to go double clear,” she said.

The first weekend of the Winter Spectacular concluded on Sunday, but the circuit will continue for 12 weeks, culminating with a finale weekend at the end of March. To learn more about the Winter Spectacular, see show results and more, please visit worldequestriancenter.com or horseshowing.com.

The Winter Spectacular closed out the final classes on its opening weekend at the World Equestrian Center Ocala with some added money events and warm sunshine. This week saw the first of its 12-week circuit sanctioned by the National Snaffle Bit Association.

Aaron Vale Wins Second Added Money Event

The champion of Saturday’s Grand Prix, Aaron Vale, returned to win his second added money event in the $12,500 Added Money 1.45 meter Jumping Classic. This time he was aboard Candro Van De Zuuthoeve, showing for Taylor Mc Murtry.

Candro Van De Zuuthoeve was one of four five horses in the class to go clean in the first round, and Aaron had to work to beat the time go of Dollar Cash and Trapp O’Neal to win the class. Aaron and his mount bested Dollar Cash’s 40.528 by going in 37.858 in the jump off.

“This horse belongs to a friend of mine, and she sent him to me to see how we could do,” Aaron said of the 13 year old Warmblood gelding. “He’s done quite well. He won a Grand Prix at HITS a few weeks ago, and this was the second class I’ve shown him in.

“It was kind of a quick class today, and I didn’t have a lot of time to watch the others go. I knew there was another double clear, and I just tried to go fast. I took a few chances. I was conservative in the combination, because I knew it had come down a few times in the jump off, but once I got through that, I took a little run to the last jump and hoped it was quick enough, and it worked out.”

Cezarro and Bryn Sadler Win Junior Am/Am Owner Hunter Classic

Bryn Sadler was a busy lady in the $10,000 Added High Junior Amateur/Amateur Owner Hunter Classic on Sunday, but she ended the day with a win aboard Cezarro.

“Cezarro is a horse I’ve had for a quite a while. He’s very competitive, and he loves good footing, so he’s really enjoying showing here at WEC,” Bryn said. “He got used to the arena, and he really hit his stride here.”

Bryn piloted the 13 year old Brandenburg Warmblood through a clean first round and had to beat the pace set by Katy Abrahamson and Any, who took the jump off in 33.870 as the second pair on the course. Bryn and Cezarro finished the jump off in a time of 33.858.

“I saw Katy Abrahamson go and she’s always fast, so I knew I had to try to beat her. My horse never wants to settle for second. He tries, and I knew he could do it,” Bryn said.

“Cezarro is a little more of a speedster, so he is kind of built for this class. Fortunately, we were lucky enough to win it. Going into the jump off, I just wanted to go fast, and we did.”

Bryn and her family enjoyed the opening weekend of competition at the World Equestrian Center Ocala. “We’re so happy to be here,” she said. “My parents enjoyed being able to sit in the shade, get something to eat. The stalls are big and made for our horses. We live about ten minutes away, so it’s extremely convenient. We will be here for the whole 12 weeks, and however long throughout the year that they hold shows here.”

Other Sunday champions in the added money events included MTM Catoki’s Clever and Kaitlynn Butler, winning the $5,000 Added Medium Junior/Amateur/Amateur Owner 1.3 Jumper Classic and Numero Dos and Kristen Franz, winning the $5,000 Added Low Junior/Amateur/Amateur Owned 1.2 meter Classic. They joined champions Riptide and Kristen Franz, who won the $3,000 Added Modified Child/Adult 1.15 meter Classic.

The second week of the Winter Spectacular Series will begin on Wednesday, January 13, at World Equestrian Center Ocala. For more information, please visit worldequestriancenter.com.

Check out more on www.NSBA.com.