The beginning of the 2024 HITS Ocala Holiday Series at the newly-renovated HITS Post Time Farm in Ocala, Florida, also marked an important event for hunter riders with a World Champion Hunter Rider (WCHR) designation, offering one of the first opportunities of the season to earn crucial WCHR points. The Holiday Classic also included the first $5,000 ClipMyHorse.TV Classic Qualifier on Saturday, December 14 — one of six qualifying events toward the $200,000 ClipMyHorse.TV Hunter Classic Final at HITS Hudson Valley in September. The best hunter riders geared up their trusted mounts in hopes of checking off qualification at the first chance. There was a clear, stand-out competitor as Brady Mitchell, hailing from Wellington, Florida, claimed both first and second place, as well as fourth.
The event’s Qualifier mimicked the Final format, consisting of a single round over a traditional hunter course with fences set at the 3’6” height. This format differs from other premier hunter events as there are no second rounds, no high options, and no height changes. With only 19 total spots up for grabs, the inaugural qualifier acted as an important landmark with three riders punching their tickets for the 2025 season.
With an incredible score of 90, Mitchell secured his spot with a winning round on Mikado, Danielle Baran’s seven-year-old Holsteiner gelding by Casall, but put forward two more impressive performances, placing second with a score of 88 on Epic Style, a 12-year-old Warmblood gelding by Cloney, and fourth with a score of 85 on Wayland Square, an 11-year-old American Warmblood gelding by Harmony Bay, both owned by the Rein Family LLC.
“The horses I rode today are really the horses I have that are eligible for a class like this,” detailed Mitchell. “Mikado is a special horse to me; we’ve taken our time with him, and we are so excited he’s a First Year Green horse this year.
“There are two things I really enjoy about this class in particular,” he added. “Firstly, the prize money is awesome. The hunters often get overlooked in that respect, and we all know that hunters cost a lot of money, so it’s nice when there can be a little payback. Also, what I like most is that this class is very friendly to watch. It’s a digestible sized class, rapid fire, and all at the same height, which doesn’t give you the time to get bored. I think it’s a great thing for the sport.”
Amateur athlete Hayley Waters Wear of Sparr, Florida, was the next best challenger, finishing third on a score of 86 with Genuine, Chuck Waters’s nine-year-old Oldenburg gelding by Diarado. With that performance, they were able to secure the second qualifying spot in the day’s competition. While placing fifth, Morgan Ward-Knowlton of Milford, New Jersey, ultimately earned the third and final qualifying position in the class for her effort aboard Ariella Gesthalter’s 10-year-old Westphalian mare by Capilano, MTM Coconut.
“We are so excited about having the ClipMyHorse team involved and about the commitment they have demonstrated to the hunter world at this level,” stated HITS Chief Operating Officer, Joe Norick. “The horses we watched today in our first qualifier were as good of hunter horses as I’ve seen, and it makes me very excited for this season.”
The second qualifying event of the series will take place during the Ocala Winter Classic at HITS Post Time Farm.
Havens Schatt and Cascartini Wow in $10,000 Great American Insurance Group USHJA International Hunter Derby
Headlining the weekend of elite hunter action in the iconic Main Hunter Arena, the $10,000 Great American Insurance Group USHJA International Hunter Derby got underway on Friday afternoon, December 13. Having traveled from Wellington, Florida, for the star-studded week, Havens Schatt made the trip worth her while and topped the leaderboard at the derby’s finale with Julia McNerney’s 12-year-old Holsteiner gelding, Cascartini.
From the completion of the classic round, the pair already set a tough bar to beat, earning the highest scores of 89 and 85, combined with four high option points from each judging panel, for a total of 182 in the initial phase. In the handy, Schatt and Cascartini dazzled the judges once again for scores of 92 and 91.250 with four high option points from each panel and a total of 191.250. Their two-round score of 373.250 could not be matched.
“We’ve had Cascartini since he was seven years old, so I know him very well,” said Schatt. “He used to be solely my derby horse, but he has now transitioned to an amateur job. Every now and then we will still enter him in a derby, though, to remind him that, even in his amateur job, he needs to jump!”
For Schatt, returning to her hometown and seeing the HITS Ocala venue reinvigorated was a highlight.
“I’m from Ocala originally but have been in Wellington since the early 1990’s,” she explained. “It’s great to have this facility spruced up, because the horses love it here and having these WCHR week opportunities is amazing. It’s also a great opportunity for our horses to get out and see another venue; I think when you show in the same rings over and over, you get a false sense of security.”
Second-place honors with a total score of 363.5 went to Megan Wexler of Ocala, Florida, and Catherine Merrill’s six-year-old Warmblood gelding by Casallo Z, Cupido ZG Z. Young rider Katherine Addington of Dallas, Texas, rounded out the all-female winners circle with a stellar performance on Bibby Hill’s 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding, No Doubt van het Vlierhof, earning a total score of 351.5.
Ashley Wallace and Best of Me Are Best in $5,000 USHJA Junior/Amateur National Hunter Derby
Concluding derby competition for the week was the $5,000 USHJA Junior/Amateur National Hunter Derby, where Ashley Wallace, of Morriston, Florida, rose to the pinnacle position aboard her aptly named partner, Best of Me. Putting her best foot forward, the 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare by Carambole jumped comfortably into the lead with Wallace after a dominating handy round, earning an overall score of 318.
“I went into the handy round with low pressure because I just felt like we already had a good first round,” said Wallace. “It can be hit or miss for me, not so much for her. I went in thinking we already won, really.
“We had a slow start to our partnership, and she really taught me how to do the hunters,” continued Wallace. “I stuck with it because she’s just so amazing, and I feel like we really have a great understanding of one another and what we need from each other.”
Just behind Wallace, Waters Wear claimed another top placing as she and Dana Waters’s seven-year-old KWPN gelding by Comme Il Faut, Malcomme, earned the runner-up position with a total score of 316. The final spot in the top three went to Abigail Sapp and Soundcheck, an eight-year-old Hanoverian gelding by Stakkato Gold owned by Brick City Equestrian LLC, with a score of 302.
As 2024 comes to a close, one final week of hunter competition will resume on Wednesday, December 18 with the HITS Ocala Holiday Festival.
