Julio Mendoza Loor and Jewel’s Goldstrike Step Up to Freestyle Victory at World Equestrian Center – Ocala
The Grand Prix Freestyle CDI4* presented by Dover Saddlery was the highlight of the week on Friday, March 7, 2025, at World Equestrian Center – Ocala (WEC) during the WEC March Dressage CDI4* presented by Hampton Green Farms. Victory in the class went to Julio Mendoza Loor (ECU) and Jewel’s Goldstrike, his Olympic partner that he owns with Jessica and Justin Mendoza.
In their first show back since the 2024 Paris Olympic Games seven months ago, Mendoza and Jewel’s Goldstrike, a 14-year-old KWPN gelding (Bretton Woods x Scandic) scored 75.860% to just take the win by two-hundredths of a point.
Mendoza was pleased with “Goldie’s” performance in the freestyle after an energetic Grand Prix test on Thursday. “Today was better than yesterday,” he acknowledged. “Today he wanted to perform, and he was a little bit nervous in the beginning, but he was with me all the time.
“There were a lot of highlights tonight in the test,” he continued. “My pirouettes were the highlight tonight. He was really, really with me. After the line of the one-tempis, he was really there in what I was asking him to do. His performance was amazing. Nothing is better than competing here at WEC – Ocala.”
Mendoza admitted to some nerves in their return back to the show ring but noted that while Goldie is always “a little bit sassy,” it’s never to be mean; usually it’s a combination of sass, nerves, and a little look.
Knowing that Goldie would have the whole day to wait until the freestyle began on Friday evening, Mendoza made a concerted effort to keep Goldie’s nerves settled and focused on the horse’s favorite things: handwalking, grass and time outside of the stall.
“He ate grass and rolled multiple times,” said Mendoza. “He laid down today for almost 10 minutes and was eating grass. I didn’t ride him because I knew if I rode him, he would get even hotter. I preferred to keep him calm and relaxed. I wanted him to know that he didn’t have to perform during the day; it was his time to relax. I try to give him all the time that he deserves.”
Read more:
