US Equestrian is pleased to announce that Caracole de la Roque, Signe Ostby’s 2012 Selle Français mare, was voted the 2024 International Horse of the Year, and McQueen, Walkenbach Equestrian LLC’s 2014 KWPN gelding was voted the 2024 National Horse of the Year by the USEF membership. Caracole de la Roque and McQueen were honored during the SmartPak/USEF Horse of the Year Awards Dinner at the USEF Annual Meeting in Lexington, Ky., on January 25, 2025.
Caracole de la Roque (Zandor Z x Pocahontas d’Amaury, Kannan) has remained one of the top horses on the international jumping scene since her career debut with France’s Julien Epaillard, but 2024 marked an extraordinary year for the 2012 Selle Français mare owned by Signe Ostby and ridden by U.S. Show Jumping team member, Karl Cook. With Cook in the irons, Caracole de la Roque finished inside the top ten 15 times in FEI competition, with major podium finishes at the CSI5* level at major events in Wellington, Rome, La Baule, and Santa Anita. In total, the pair jumped clear an impressive 27 times in FEI events in just 2024. Their incredible win in the Rolex Grand Prix of Rome CSIO5* and their second-place finish in the Rolex Grand Prix of La Baule CSIO5* helped secure their ticket to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Cook and Caracole de la Roque were initially selected as the traveling alternate combination for the U.S. Jumping Team at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games but were called onto the team after the withdrawal of Kent Farrington and Greya. The pair were phenomenal on the biggest stage in the sport, pushing the team to qualification for the Team Final. Caracole de la Roque and Cook followed up with a second clear round, helping to secure a coveted podium finish, with the U.S. Team ultimately winning the silver medal.
Ostby shared a heartfelt speech, detailing the love and care that went into the success achieved by “Rolli Polli,” Caracole’s nickname at the barn. That attention and care includes custom 3D printed horseshoes and hand milled titanium nails that allow the mare, who usually goes barefoot, to be successful on the grass in Rome and La Baule. “It’s an incredible honor to own a horse like Caracole,” Ostby remarked, “I am full of joy and thrilled to be her owner.”
Caracole de la Roque (Zandor Z x Pocahontas d’Amaury, Kannan) has remained one of the top horses on the international jumping scene since her career debut with France’s Julien Epaillard, but 2024 marked an extraordinary year for the 2012 Selle Français mare owned by Signe Ostby and ridden by U.S. Show Jumping team member, Karl Cook. With Cook in the irons, Caracole de la Roque finished inside the top ten 15 times in FEI competition, with major podium finishes at the CSI5* level at major events in Wellington, Rome, La Baule, and Santa Anita. In total, the pair jumped clear an impressive 27 times in FEI events in just 2024. Their incredible win in the Rolex Grand Prix of Rome CSIO5* and their second-place finish in the Rolex Grand Prix of La Baule CSIO5* helped secure their ticket to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Cook and Caracole de la Roque were initially selected as the traveling alternate combination for the U.S. Jumping Team at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games but were called onto the team after the withdrawal of Kent Farrington and Greya. The pair were phenomenal on the biggest stage in the sport, pushing the team to qualification for the Team Final. Caracole de la Roque and Cook followed up with a second clear round, helping to secure a coveted podium finish, with the U.S. Team ultimately winning the silver medal.
Ostby shared a heartfelt speech, detailing the love and care that went into the success achieved by “Rolli Polli,” Caracole’s nickname at the barn. That attention and care includes custom 3D printed horseshoes and hand milled titanium nails that allow the mare, who usually goes barefoot, to be successful on the grass in Rome and La Baule. “It’s an incredible honor to own a horse like Caracole,” Ostby remarked, “I am full of joy and thrilled to be her owner.”