Ocala Horse Properties Hosts 2021 USEF Eventing Training Sessions at Hampton Lane

Ocala Horse Properties recently had the honor of hosting the USEF Elite and Pre-Elite Training Sessions, held February 1st-4th, at our own Hampton Lane equestrian facility in Ocala. Hampton Lane, a 29 acre farm located across the street from the new World Equestrian Center, offered the perfect location for this gathering of world class athletes.

The training sessions were orchestrated by the US Performance Director, Erik Duvander in collaboration with Peter Wylde, Gold Medalist and US Eventing’s show jumping coach. The USEF’s Eventing Pathway Program focuses on developing potential team combinations who will deliver sustainable success at the international championship and olympic level of competition.

With the 2020 Tokyo Olympics being postponed to 2021 due to Covid-19, Duvander and Wylde have taken full advantage of the additional time to evaluate horse and rider combinations. The team at Ocala Horse Properties was thrilled to be able to showcase Marion County’s equestrian community by offering the use of Hampton Lane to this talented group of riders.

Showcasing Talent on the 2021 Elite and Pre-Elite Training Lists

The USEF describes the training program as follows:

The Elite Program supports athlete and horse combinations who demonstrate the ability to contribute to medal-winning potential at the World Championship level, with targets measured against world-leading performances and aiming to compete at the next Olympics or World Championship.

The following combinations have been named to the Elite Training List (in alphabetical order):

Phillip Dutton (West Grove, Pa.) and Z, a 12-year-old Zangersheide gelding owned by Ann Jones, Caroline Moran, Suzanne Lacy, Simon Roosevelt, and Tom Tierney
Liz Halliday-Sharp (Lexington, Ky.) and Deniro Z, a 12-year-old KWPN gelding owned by Ocala Horse Properties
Boyd Martin (Cochranville, Pa.) and Tsetserleg TSF, a 13-year-old Trakehner gelding owned by Christine Turner
Doug Payne (Aiken, S.C.) and Vandiver, a 16-year-old Trakehner gelding owned by Debi Crowley

Also in attendance were a number of horse and riders combinations from the Pre-Elite List, including Liz Halliday-Sharp on Ocala Horse Properties’ Cooley Be Cool and The Monster Syndicate’s Cooley Quicksilver. These pre-elite training sessions gave an expanded group of talented athletes the opportunity to benefit from the same carefully curated training practices of Erik Duvander and Peter Wylde.

Erik Duvander reflected on his week in Ocala, impressed by the level of talent showcased at Hampton Lane during the training sessions. Check out this video courtesy of US Eventing.

The team at Ocala Horse Properties appreciated the opportunity to observe these top Olympic hopeful athletes in action, as they proved that our depth of talent to compete on the world stage is promising.

Chris Desino, who was in attendance, stated the following, “We were very proud to host the USEF High Performance Winter Training Sessions at our farm in Ocala. We have always been very proud to support the eventing community and we look forward to helping the team reach their goal of Olympic gold.”

As owners of several of Liz’s top horses, the team at Ocala Horse Properties is also grateful for our ability to attend competitions and training sessions during these unusual times. We appreciate the efforts of the USEA and USEF, who organize these top notch training sessions, which help prepare our horse and riders for the world stage.

Please enjoy the following photo album of scenes from the week, courtesy of Taylor Pence and the USEF!