Kate Brown and her horse Kokoleka have been named the 2025 USEA 7-Year-Old Horse of the Year, highlighting their steady progress in eventing. Brown discovered the Irish Sport Horse during a trip to Ireland four years ago and has since nurtured her through increasingly challenging levels. The award recognizes Kokoleka's strong performances without aggressive competition.
Four years ago, Kate Brown traveled to Ireland on a cold, stormy night after selling one of her Advanced-level horses to fund young prospects. Within minutes of riding Kokoleka for the first time, she knew she had found a special partner. “Immediately I was like, ‘This is my horse. I will take her,’” Brown recalled, praising the horse's light, forward movement and agility, likening her to a cat or spider across the ground.
Now eight years old, Kokoleka, an Irish Sport Horse by Sligo Candy Boy out of Castle Pacino, has advanced to the CCI3*-L level under Brown's patient guidance. The pair participated in the USEA Young Event Horse Program as a four- and five-year-old, completing the 2023 5-Year-Old YEH East Coast Championships in Elkton, Maryland. In 2025, they secured a fifth-place finish at the Ocala International CCI3*-L in Florida during the spring and placed 12th at the CCI3*-L in Maryland in the fall.
Brown approached the season conservatively, aiming to build experience at the Intermediate level rather than chasing speed or top placements. “I went out at the beginning of the season just thinking we'll move her up to Intermediate, and we'll just canter around and gain experience. I never went for certain results,” she said. This strategy yielded solid results, including a clean cross-country record since early 2023, aside from initial green penalties.
Kokoleka's standout performance came at the Maryland event, where she handled the large environment well despite her spooky nature. “That's such a big environment... She really kept it together,” Brown noted. Interest from elite riders last fall reinforced Brown's decision to retain her. Based in Aiken, South Carolina, Brown plans to advance Kokoleka to the Advanced level at this week's Bouckaert International in Fairburn, Georgia, potentially marking the fourth horse she has developed from early stages to that level.
“She's been pretty straightforward to bring along,” Brown added, describing the award as a rewarding bonus to their progress.
