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Equestrian Events

2024 Live Oak International Combined Driving and Show Jumping Tournament Results

Winners of the 2024 Live Oak FEI World Cup Qualifier on March 17, Daniel Coyle (IRL) and Incredible. Photo by Allen MacMillan

Record combined driving entries and a “luck of the Irish” day for show jumper Daniel Coyle highlighted the 33rd renewal of the Live Oak International Combined Driving and Show Jumping Tournament March 14-17, 2024. The tournament was hosted by world champion FEI four-in-hand driver Chester Weber at his family’s 5,000-acre estate near Ocala, Florida. The competition featured four days of both national and international driving divisions and three days of FEI-level show jumping culminating with this season’s final FEI World Cup Qualifier jumping class on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17.  



Over 15,000 spectators watched the action over the four days at the 2024 Live Oak International. In addition to competition, the tournament had a vendor village and food court, a children’s activity area, a beer garden, a Net Jets walk-through mock airplane exhibit, and daily KWPN Dutch Harness Horse exhibitions. There was also a tailgating competition sponsored by Ocala magazine and a jungle-themed party on Friday night sponsored by Gold’s Gym of Ocala.  



Weber said he and his family were excited to host the competitors and spectators for a 33rd time. Live Oak began in 1990 as a club-level driving competition and developed into a world-class show using a grass main arena surrounded by picturesque Spanish-moss filled oak trees and a sprawling marathon course featuring seven challenging combined driving obstacles. In 2012, Weber’s sister Juliet W. Reid and her daughter jumper rider Chloe D. Reid asked him to add show jumping competition to the Live Oak schedule and it proved to be a popular combination.  

He shared that Live Oak is the largest spectator event in Marion County, Florida, and that they do their best to offer something for everyone―spectators, competitors and sponsors―to enjoy. “At Live Oak International we challenge ourselves to be bigger and better every year and we continue to strive to ensure the best possible experience for all who visit our tournament.”  

Find out out more about the 2025 Live Oak International Event here.  

Combined Driving Results

This year’s Live Oak International combined driving competition saw the largest number of entries in the history of the event thus far with drivers from five countries competing (Australia, Canada, Germany, Switzerland and the U.S.). The driving included national classes for youth, para and able-bodied competitors and international classes at the FEI 2* and FEI 3* levels. In addition to the youth and para-driving classes, other national driving divisions offered were Intermediate-level divisions for single horses, single ponies, horse pairs and pony pairs. International driving divisions included single horse, single pony and pony pairs at the FEI 2* level, and single horse, single pony, pony pair and horse teams at the FEI 3* level.  

Winner of the FEI 3* Horse Teams was Chester Weber and his team of four Dutch horses. First place in the FEI 3* Horse Single division was Raymond Helmuth of Cambridge, Iowa, driving Kendro. Topping the FEI 3* Pony Pair was Yannik Scherrer of Switzerland driving Mary Phelps’ small, but mighty, ponies Bugsy Malony and Al Capony. Anna Koopman of Middleburg, Va., grabbed the blue with Chandler Creek Eclipse in the FEI 3* Pony Single. For a full set of 2024 Live Oak driving results, click here.

Chester Weber guides his team through the Shepherd Kaplan Krochuck Bull Market on his way to winning the 2024 Live Oak FEI 3* Horse Teams. Photo by Kim MacMillan
Chester Weber and his team in the cones phase on the final day at 2024 Live Oak FEI 3* Horse Teams. Photo by Allen MacMillan
James Fairclough (USA) and his team negotiate the cones course on their way to second in the 2024 Live Oak FEI 3* Horse Teams. Photo by Allen MacMillan
Paul Maye and his team negotiate the second cones obstacle. They finished third in the 2024 Live Oak FEI 3* Horse Teams division. Photo by Allen MacMillan
Paul Maye and his four-in-hand move toward cones obstacle nine on the final day of the 2024 Live Oak FEI 3* Horse Teams competition. Photo by Allen MacMillan
Canadian Gerben Steenbeck and his flashy Friesians in the cones phase of the 2024 Live Oak FEI 3* Horse Teams class. Photo by Allen MacMillan
Youth driver Molly Peterson from Grand St.-Esprit, Quebec, Canada, guides her LLF Bella Luce during the marathon phase of the 2024 Live Oak Combined Driving Tournament. They won the Youth 13-16 division. Photo by Allen MacMillan more
Molly Peterson, a youth driver from Grand St.-Esprit, Quebec, Canada, drives her LLF Bella Luce during the marathon phase of the 2024 Live Oak Combined Driving Tournament. Photo by Allen MacMillan
Raymond Helmuth’s face is full of concentration as he urges his horse Kendro through the Couture Lifestyle Homes Ocala Water obstacle on the 2024 Live Oak Combined Driving marathon course. They won the large FEI 3* Single Horse division. Photo by Allen MacMillan more
Cindy Cullinane and her Torob Dakota Don won the 2024 Live Oak Intermediate Horse Single Para division. Photo by Allen MacMillan
Switzerland’s Yannik Scherrer and the always game small ponies Bugsy Malony and Al Capony owned by Mary Phelps tackled the Couture Lifestyle Homes Ocala Water obstacle with gusto on the 2024 Live Oak marathon course. They won the FEI 3* Pony Pair division. Photo by Allen MacMillanmore
Live Oak FEI 3* Pony Pair winners Yannik Scherrer (SUI) and ponies Bugsy Malony and Al Capony in the cones phase. Photo by Allen MacMillan

FEI Show Jumping Results

Everything was coming up shamrocks in the Live Oak International FEI World Cup Qualifier with five competitors from Ireland, two of those (Daniel Coyle and Dermott Lennon) qualifying for the four-rider jump off. Overall, there were 32 competitors from 11 countries in the World Cup class. In the end it was Ireland’s Daniel Coyle riding Incredible, owned by Coyle and Canadian Ariel Grange, who jumped clear in both the first round and the jump off and had the fastest time (40.37 seconds) over a track designed by Germany’s Olaf Petersen, Jr.  

Daniel Coyle and Incredible (IRL) in the 2024 Live Oak FEI World Cup Qualifier victory gallop. Photo by Allen MacMillan
Kent Farrington and Toulayna (USA) sail over a jump on their way to second in the 2024 Live Oak FEI World Cup Qualifier on March 17. Photo by Kim MacMillan
Kent Farrington (USA) and Toulayna were second in the 2024 Live Oak FEI World Cup Qualifier. Photo by Kim MacMillan
Dermott Lennon (IRL) and Millview Cicero took third in the 2024 Live Oak FEI World Cup Qualifier on March 17. Photo by Allen MacMillan
Dermott Lennon (IRL) hangs on after a big effort by Millview Cicero in the 2024 Live Oak FEI World Cup Qualifier on March 17. Photo by Kim MacMillan

Coyle, who ended the FEI North American League season at the top of the standings and is thus qualified for the 2024 World Cup Finals in Saudi Arabia in April, said he has only been riding Incredible, an 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood (Clinton-Heartbreaker) since January. He credited Dutch horseman Jeroen Dubbeldam for recommending the horse to him.

“Every time I go in the ring, I’m finding something new [about Incredible]. It’s great that I can find that out while competing at the top of the sport. He was incredible before I got him. And, it’s good to know that I was a good rider before, he was a good horse before, and today I can say that we are also very good together,” said Coyle in an interview after the competition.  

Kent Farrington of the U.S., riding his and Rabbit Root Stable LLC’s Toulayna, also qualified for the jump off and were also clear, but went before Coyle and Incredible and stopped the timers 2.21 seconds slower. Finishing third was Lennon on Millview Cicero, who had an unfortunate rail when Cicero slipped on a tight turn back to an oxer, which caused a rail to fall.  

Helpful Live Oak International Links

Complete results from the 2024 Live Oak FEI World Cup Jumping Qualifier

Other show jumping results from the 2024 Live Oak International 

Watch replays of all of the action from the 2024 Live Oak International Tournament on FEI TV/Clip My Horse. A paid subscription is required, but a free 30-day trial is offered. 

Live Oak was the last qualifier for the FEI World Cup Show Jumping Finals to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, April 16-20, 2024. For more information about the 2024 World Cup Finals, click here.

This recap of the 2024 Live Oak International Combined Driving and Show Jumping Tournament is a web exclusive for Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

Kim MacMillan

Kim MacMillan graduated from Purdue University where she majored in agriculture communications and animal science. She has been reporting on equestrian sports, agriculture, science, travel and history for over 35 years. She and her husband Allen, who is a professional photographer, have covered several World Equestrian, Olympic and Pan American Games. The MacMillans share their Northeastern Indiana farm with several much-loved horses, dogs and cats.

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