Statement Regarding Incident Involving Equine Injury at Florida Horse Park
By Florida Horse Park | 04/19/2026
Ocala, FL – It is with deep sadness that we share the passing of Troisade, owned and ridden by Samantha Thomas. Troisade took a misstep between fences during cross-country and was immediately attended to by multiple veterinarians. He was vanned to Peterson & Smith Equine Hospital + Complete Care where it was determined that it was in his best interest to be humanely euthanized.
Samantha and Triosade, a 13-year-old Thoroughbred gelding (Divine Park – Moondancer), were competing in the CCI2*L FEI Division. Samantha, a talented young rider, had developed a strong partnership with Troisade through the levels, and he was greatly loved by those who knew him.
The horse will undergo a necropsy at the University of Florida Veterinary Hospital for further examination. Samantha was uninjured in the incident.
The Florida Horse Park Organizing Committee and the officials on site extend their sincere condolences to Samantha and everyone connected to Troisade.
Patience Pays Off as Rebecca Brown and Fernhill Quite Frankly Take the Win in the Ocala International CCI3*-L
There’s nothing like the pressure of show jumping in reverse order of placing when you’re leading an ultra-competitive CCI3*-L division, but Rebecca Brown welcomed the challenge today at Ocala International. A dressage score of 29.3 put Brown and her Irish Sporthorse gelding Fernhill Quite Frankly (OBOS Quality 004 x Rusheen Lux, by Lux Z) into second place after dressage, with a speedy double clear over Jay Hambly’s challenging cross country track yesterday securing their spot at the top of the leaderboard heading into the final day of competition.
Brown admitted that historically show jumping is the horse’s weakest phase, but after yesterday’s cross country said, “I absolutely love show jumping for the win so I’m cautiously optimistic!”. That optimism proved to be well-placed, and a smooth clear round over Chris Barnard’s show jumping track earned them the win.
Brown has spent the past several years taking things slow with Fernhill Quite Frankly and continuing to chip away at his show jumping, something that clearly paid off for the pair this weekend.
“Frank has always wanted to jump clear but he’s a massive horse at 17.3h, so it was a bit of a process to help him to understand how to use his body correctly. He would also get frustrated and stressed when he would make a mistake. About 3 years ago, I started to ride with Karen O’Connor and her dedication to Frank is what really turned a corner for us. Frank was just so much raw talent and scope and I’m not a tall person – it was hard to contain. I remember during a particularly difficult lesson Karen paused and said to me, ‘We are two smart women, we are going to figure this out.’— and we did. There’s always more work to be done but we took it slowly, focused on the basics, and always listened to Frank in the process because he wanted it just as much as we did. We just had to give him the time.”
A clear round for Canadian rider Lisa Marie Fergusson and her own Irish Sporthorse gelding Trinity ThankQ (Beach Ball x Ballyderowen Clover) moved them from equal fourth place to finish in second place on a score of 34.5. Rounding out the podium for the CCI3*-L was Buck Davidson aboard Sandra Powers’ Thoroughbred gelding True Belief (Gone Astray xx x Double Major xx, by Bertrando xx), who added nothing to his dressage score of 34.9 to move from eleventh to third.
Three other FEI divisions also wrapped up today at Florida Horse Park’s Ocala International, with horses completing the show jumping phase in the CCI2*-L, CCI1*-L-A, and CCI1*-L-B.
Caroline Pamucku and HSH Afterglow (Hype x Ringwood Venus, by Osilvis) led the CCI2*-L field from start to finish, scoring the 6-year-old gelding’s first FEI win on his dressage score of 25.6. This promising young Irish Sporthorse is no stranger to the winner’s circle, having won the 2023 Dutta Corp. USEA Young Event Horse East Coast Championships as a four-year-old.
Nipping at Pamucku’s heels throughout all three phases was Jack Curtis on the 7-year-old Irish Sporthorse gelding Cooley Topgun (Conthargos x Erlinde, by Berlin), finishing on his dressage score of 26.5. Pamucku’s other ride in the division, HSH Sebastian (Silvano x My Rochestown Lady, by Benefilial), moved from fourth to third with a clear show jumping round, finishing the competition on a score of 27.2.
Pamucku also kept hold of the CCI1*-L-A division, taking first place with After Hours (Tolan R x Mystic Touch, Touchdown) and second place with HSH Olive (Dallas VDL x Ficalien DN, by Baltic VDL). Originally sitting in second place after the first phase, the 6-year-old Irish Sporthorse mare After Hours was the only horse in the division to add nothing to her dressage score of 27.5, snagging the win from her stable mate. HSH Olive added one rail to her dressage score to finish on a 31.0. Rounding out the top 3 in the CC1*-L-A was Michelle Mercier aboard the Hanoverian gelding Lordendro (Lord Pezi Junior x Chloe, by Contendro) on a score of 36.2.
The CCI1*-L-B division saw no changes to the leaderboard today, with Ava Staton taking the win on her own Lamondale Graciana (Grafenstolz x Sovereign Flag xx) on her dressage score of 30.8. Juliana Cassar on Farwest de Barbereau (Folamour du Bois x Scala de la Triballe, by Marco du Fot) finished on a score of 35.3 for second place, with Willow Schwartz rounding out the top three on RH Finnegan (WakeUp x Daquan) with a score of a 36.9.
A massive thank you to all the volunteers, officials, and staff who put in countless hours to these competitions.
April 19, 2025
Florida Horse Park
Ocala, FL
Jessica Phoenix gallops to the win in the Ocala International CCI4*-S
It was a beautiful breezy and sunny Ocala day at Florida Horse Park for the cross country phase of the FEI divisions at Ocala International. Jay Hambly’s courses left plenty for riders to do and caused a few shake-ups to the overnight leaderboards.
The CCI4*-S completed both dressage and show jumping yesterday, wrapping up their division today with cross country, where Jessica Phoenix made the biggest climbs up the rankings aboard her two Thoroughbred geldings. The 12-year-old Aeronautics (Two Step Salsa xx x Satin and Silver xx, by Silver Ghost xx) rose from fourth place overnight to take the win, adding 11.8 time penalties to finish on a score of 52.3. Her veteran CCI5* campaigner and crowd favorite, 15-year-old Wabbit (Line of Departure xx x No Kissing xx, by Great Gladiator xx), also rose from fifth place to finish third, adding 11.2 time penalties to complete on a 53.6.
Hambly said that his courses were “tightly wheeled” and making time would be difficult without efficient turns, bold lines, and speed in between the fences. This proved to be true, with no horses finishing double clear over today’s course. Overnight leader Sharon White, who was undecided yesterday as to whether she would try to make the time, added 18 time penalties to the score of CCI4* debutante Jaguars Duende (Jaguar Mail x Latina, by Lancaster) to finish second on 52.6, just 0.3 penalties behind Phoenix and Aeronautics.
Always a speedy rider, Phoenix was especially pleased to be aboard her particular horses for today’s challenge. “I was incredibly proud of Aeronautics and Wabbit today. It is such a joy to gallop full thoroughbreds cross country. They were both so quick to pick up the combinations and processed each question really well! I really thought Jay designed this course well. It’s always difficult to create all of the necessary questions with a flat property but the horses really felt like they enjoyed it and learned a lot from start to finish. I also felt they did a phenomenal job with preparing the footing!”
This was the sixth CCI4* start for Aeronautics and his first FEI win. “Aeronautics is owned by Sara Irving and Bob Holman of Grandview farms in Ontario Canada. They have both ridden to the highest levels of this sport and it’s so fun to ride this special boy for them.”
The remainder of the FEI divisions completed cross country today and will move to the show jumping phase tomorrow. The CCI3*-L leaderboard saw a notable shake-up when overnight dressage leaders Caroline Pamucku and HSH Talbot’s Hill (Coolkeeran x Sisceal xx, by Dalakhani xx) picked up 20 penalties at 17C, an open corner out of the crater. This left the door wide open for Rebecca Brown and Fernhill Quite Frankly (OBOS Quality 004 x Rusheen Lux, by Lux Z), who logged a double clear round to secure their position as the division’s new leader heading into the final phase.
“The cross country rode fantastic today but it helps to be sat on a true cross country horse like Frank; he lives for it!” said Brown, “I thought they increased the difficulty from previous years and, despite the lack of rain, they worked so hard on the footing and the riders are grateful for it!”
This is the first CCI3*-L competition for this horse, having completed two CCI3*-S: one at last year’s The Event at Rebecca Farm and one last month at The Event at TerraNova. Brown has been producing the 10-year-old Irish Sporthorse gelding up the levels over the last four years. “I got Frank as a 6yo off a video. When he arrived, he could only be described as feral and between his feral tendencies and the fact that I tore my ACL within a few months of his arrival, it was slow going for the first two years. Nonetheless, I saw the promise in Frank, poured my heart and soul into him, and he’s returned the favor. He has turned into the horse I thought he could be- he LOVES eventing! A true Irish horse.”
Although show jumping has historically been the toughest phase for the pair, Brown is hopeful for a good result tomorrow. “Showjumping would historically be our weakest phase as a pair but Frank wants to jump clear and we’ve been working hard at it. I absolutely love showjumping for the win so I’m cautiously optimistic! No matter how tomorrow goes, I will be incredibly proud of Frank; he tries his hardest and if tomorrow isn’t his day, his day will come!”
Brown will remain on her dressage score of 29.3 heading into the final phase, with Jessica Phoenix and Cosmo GS (Humble GS x Carmen GS by Contendro) sitting in second position on a 31.7, and Leslie Law and Must Be Cooley (Livello x Kilmarnock, by Ramiro B) in third on a 34.0.
In contrast, the CCI2*-L leaderboard saw no change after cross country through the first five positions on the leaderboard. Caroline Pamucku will maintain her lead aboard HSH Afterglow (Hype x Ringwood Venus, by Osilvis) on a 25.6, with Jack Curtis holding on to second place with Cooley Topgun (Conthargos x Erlinde, by Berlin) on a 26.5, and Alexandra Knowles on MBF Starburst (Sligo Candy Boy x Monalease, by Terimon) in third on a 26.9. With no rails in hand among the first eight placings, tomorrow’s show jumping promises to be a nailbiter.
The CCI1*-L divisions also saw no shake-ups to the top three positions, with double clear rounds and no penalties added to the leaders’ scores. Caroline Pamucku holds first and second place in the CCI1*-L-A with HSH Olive (Dallas VDL x Ficalien DN, by Baltic VDL) on a score of 27.0 and After Hours (Tolan R x Mystic Touch, Touchdown) on 27.5. Robin Walker maintains third place heading into show jumping aboard Rock Island (Island Commander xx x Coolcorron Gypsey, by Coolcorran Cool Diamond) with a score of 29.5.
Ava Staton added nothing to her dressage score in the CC1*-L-B division to maintain the lead on her own Lamondale Graciana (Grafenstolz x Sovereign Flag xx) on a score of 30.8. Staying in second position is Juliana Cassar on Farwest de Barbereau (Folamour du Bois x Scala de la Triballe, by Marco du Fot) on a 31.3, and Willow Schwartz holds onto third with RH Finnegan (WakeUp x Daquan) on a 31.7.
Tomorrow’s show jumping could prove to be incredibly influential as we wrap up the FEI divisions here at the 2025 Ocala International! The final jogs will take place at 8:00am before riders take to the ring to jump in reverse order of placing. The CCI1*L horses will lead the way at 10:00am, followed by the CCI3*-L at 11:30, and the CCI2*-L at 1:20.
April 18, 2025
Florida Horse Park
Ocala, FL
Sharon White and Jaguars Duende Take the Lead in the Ocala International CCI4*-S
Horses in the highly anticipated CCI4*-S division took to the sandbox on Friday for the second day of competition at Ocala International. Sharon White bested the field in the first phase, scoring a 30.2 on her own CCI4* debutante, Jaguars Duende (Jaguar Mail x Latina, by Lancaster), a 9-year-old Westphalian mare. Bred in Germany by Hendrikus-Johannes Van Boggelen, White and Jaguars Duende were also the winners of the CCI3*-L at Maryland last October.
About her mare’s performance today, White said, “I’m absolutely thrilled with her. This is her first time at the level, and she’s just such a little professional. I’m really tickled with how she handled the challenges today.”
Rounding out the top three in the CCI4*-S after dressage were Autumn Schweiss on Bamford CF (Bon Balou x Tanzpuppe, by Lamentos) on a score of 30.9 and Caroline Pamukcu on Redfield Dexter (Dexter R x Zyreina Weering, by Solitair) scoring a 34.4.
The CCI4*-S division also completed the show jumping phase this afternoon, with clear rounds proving hard to come by. The only competitor to add nothing to their dressage score was Zachary Brandt with his veteran CCI5* partner Direct Advance (Night Cruise x Herbst Jennie B, by Concorde), which brought them up the leaderboard from seventh after dressage to now sit in third place heading into tomorrow’s cross country.
Dressage leaders Sharon White and Jaguars Duende added one rail and one second of time in the show jumping phase but maintained their position at the top of the leaderboard. “I think she’s quite special,” said White. “I really appreciate what a competitor she is.”
Autumn Schweiss and Bamford CF also held onto second place after show jumping despite lowering one pole. The scores now sit tightly packed, with only .3 points between first and second place and less than two points between second and third. Jay Hambly’s cross country course will no doubt prove very influential, setting up for an exciting finish to this competitive CCI4*-S division. The real question now is whether or not Sharon White will try to make time with Jaguars Duende. “I think there’s enough to do out there. Jay has done a great job, there’s lots of good useful questions out there so I think it’s a good test. I’m trying to decide how fast I’m going to go tomorrow, I’ll decide in the morning!”.
Friday also saw the completion of dressage for the other FEI divisions, including the CCI1*-L and the second group of horses in the CCI2*-L and CCI3*-L. Yesterday’s early leader in the CCI3*-L division, Jessica Phoenix aboard her own 9-year-old Oldenburg gelding Cosmo GS (Humble GS x Carmen GS by Contendro), has now moved into third place position. The last horse in the ring proved to be the best of the group, with Caroline Pamukcu taking the lead on the 7-year-old Irish Sporthorse gelding HSH Talbots Hill (Coolkeeran x Sisceal xx, by Dalakhani xx) with a 28.4. Pamukcu is followed closely by Texas-based Rebecca Brown aboard another 7-year-old Irish Sporthorse, Fernhill Quite Frankly (OBOS Quality 004 x Rusheen Lux, by Lux Z) on a 29.3, with only 2 points separating the top three horse and rider pairs as they move forward to the cross country phase tomorrow.
The top two positions on the leaderboard remain unchanged in the CCI2*-L division, with Caroline Pamucku maintaining her lead aboard the 6-year-old Irish Sporthorse gelding HSH Afterglow (Hype x Ringwood Venus, by Osilvis) with a 25.6 and Jack Curtis holding on to second place with the 7-year-old Oldenburg gelding Cooley Topgun (Conthargos x Erlinde, by Berlin) on a 26.5. Slotting into third place position today is Alexandra Knowles on the 7-year-old Irish Sporthorse mare MBF Starburst (Sligo Candy Boy x Monalease, by Terimon).
All the CCI1*-L horses also completed their dressage tests today, with Caroline Pamukcu once again finding herself in the early lead in the CCI1*-L-A division, sitting in both first and second place. The 6-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare HSH Olive (Dallas VDL x Ficalien DN, by Baltic VDL) scored a 27.0 to barely best her barn mate, 6-year-old Irish Sporthorse After Hours (Tolan R x Mystic Touch, Touchdown), on a 27.5. Robin Walker rounds out the top 3 aboard the 8-year-old Irish Sporthorse gelding Rock Island (Island Commander xx x Coolcorron Gypsey, by Coolcorran Cool Diamond) with a score of 29.5.
The CC1*-L-B division dressage leader is Ava Staton aboard her own 15-year-old Trakehner/TB mare Lamondale Graciana (Grafenstolz x Sovereign Flag xx) on a score of 30.8. Second place position belongs to Juliana Cassar on her 10-year-old Selle Francais gelding Farwest De Barbereau ( Folamour du Bois x Scala de la Triballe, by Marco du Fot) on a 31.3, and Willow Schwartz rounds out the top three with her 12-year-old American Warmblood gelding RH Finnegan (WakeUp x Daquan) on a 31.7.
Tomorrow’s schedule features cross country for all FEI divisions, starting with the CCI3*-L at 9:00am, followed by the CCI4*-S at 11:00am, the CCI2*-L at 12:20pm, and wrapping up with the CCI1*-L at 3:10pm. Jay Hambly’s “tightly wheeled” cross country courses leave plenty to do at all levels, with riders having to be both fast and accurate, promising plenty of potential shake-ups to the leaderboard.
Ocala International Horse Trials
April 17, 2025
Florida Horse Park
Ocala, FL
Ocala International Horse Trials Kicks Off at Florida Horse Park
You couldn’t have asked for a more quintessentially sunny and warm Florida day to mark the start of the 2025 Ocala International Horse Trials at Florida Horse Park. Featuring FEI competition at CCI4*-S, CCI3*-L, CCI2*-L, and CCI1*-L levels as well as national horse trials from Advanced to Beginner Novice, today kicked off what promises to be a busy and exciting weekend of sport.
The highly anticipated FEI competition is officially underway with the first groups of horses and riders tackling the dressage phase of the CCI3*L and CCI2*-L competition. Leading the CCI3*-L at the end of the first day is Canadian rider Jessica Phoenix on her own 9-year-old Oldenburg gelding Cosmo GS (Humble GS x Carmen GS by Contendro), scoring a 30.5.
Jessica Phoenix and Cosmo GS, photo by Xpress Foto
Cosmo GS is from the Galten Farms breeding program and shares a sire with Phoenix’s 2024 Paris Olympics mount, Freedom GS. Although Cosmo is making only his third career FEI start, he put in an obedient and workmanlike test that was rewarded by judges Vanda Stewart and Wayne Quarles. Phoenix said, “I was incredibly pleased with Cosmo GS today. He put in a solid, relaxed, obedient test and really stayed with me for the entire ride.”
With a solid first phase in the books, Phoenix is now focusing on Saturday’s cross country. “The cross country course looks fantastic. Jay [Hambly] has really asked every question of horse and rider at this 3* level! The crew has also done a phenomenal job preparing the footing. They have truly left no stone unturned.”
Sitting in second place behind Phoenix in the CCI3*-L at the conclusion of the first day of competition is fellow Canadian rider Lisa Marie Fergusson aboard Trinity ThankQ on a score of 31.3, with Kiersten Miller slotting into early third place on a 31.9.
The CCI2*-L division sees another familiar name atop the leaderboard at the end of day one, with Caroline Pamukcu and the 6-year-old Irish Sporthorse gelding HSH Afterglow (Hype x Ringwood Venus, by Osilvis) scoring a 25.6 from judges Amanda Miller and David Lee. Bred by Peter Leonard and owned by Carolyn Mackintosh and Sherrie Martin, HSH Afterglow is making his CCI2*-L debut, having finished 18th in the CCI2*-S at The Event at Terranova last month.
Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Afterglow, photo by Xpress Foto
In what promises to be a highly competitive CCI2*-L competition this weekend, day one of dressage leaves only two points between first and third place. Following closely on Pamukcu’s heels are Jack Curtis and Cooley Topgun on a 26.5, and Kelsey Hoiness and Woodview Diamond Star on a 27.6.
The second group of horses for the CCI3*-L and CCI2*-L divisions will lead the way on Friday, beginning at 8:30am ET. The highly anticipated CCI4*-S is set to start at 11:30am ET, followed by the CCI1*-L at 1:00pm ET.
For more information, please visit flhorsepark.com or follow the event on facebook at Ocala International Horse Trials at Florida Horse Park.
