With her ever-pricked ears, signature hackamore, and blazing speed on course, show jumper Caracole de la Roque leaves a lasting impression. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, "Cara" and rider Karl Cook were called up from the alternate position; with three consecutive clear rounds, the pair played a pivotal role in securing the silver medal for Team USA in only the second championship appearance of their career together. They went on to finish 16th individually there, capping off a season that included a total of 27 clear rounds and 15 top ten finishes at FEI events, as well as podium placings at the Rolex Grand Prix CSIO 5* competitions in Rome and La Baule (France). In recognition of her outstanding performances, Caracole de la Roque was voted the 2024 U.S. Equestrian Federation International Horse of the Year.
But it was clear to her breeders, Alexanderine and Michel Hecart of France, that Cara was destined to be something special. Their daughter Adeline competed her as a youngster and has shared that she believes Cara is one of the best horses their family has ever produced.
"I rode her at the very beginning of her career, and the feeling I had with her was something I had never felt before," Adeline said in an interview. "It's not every day you ride a horse like her. Her best quality is her heart. She would jump into fire, she has so much character. She has so much blood, she is so careful. She is everything I imagine a top horse to be."
After getting her show ring start with Adeline, Cara was competed to the 5* level by family friend Julien Epaillard, riding for France, although the COVID pandemic meant the mare spent nearly two years at home. But the pair made up for lost time; Epaillaird and Cara won multiple grand prix together, including the opening round of the 2022 FEI Jumping World Championships in Herning, Denmark. They were also on France's silver medal-winning team at the 2022 FEI Jumping Nations Cup Final.
"Maybe sometimes the control is not perfect, but she makes up for it with her quality, her strength, her genius," Epaillaird said of Cara to the FEI. "She is, without a doubt, one of the best horses I have ever ridden in my life."
Early in 2023, Signe Ostby purchased Cara and imported her to the U.S.; Cook began riding her that February. He has admitted that the powerful mare can be "opinionated," and they have had to learn to work with her innate fire, her general disdain for flatwork, and her competitive spirit. When Cook and Cara made their U.S. championship team debut in November at the 2023 Pan Am Games in Santiago, Chile, communication issues in the first two rounds meant their rides were the drop scores. However, they turned in a clear final round in the Nation's Cup to help Team USA clinch the gold. And earlier that fall, Cook and Cara bested a field of 31 of the top horse and rider pairs in the world to win the American Gold Cup CSI5* in Michigan.
"This is the fastest horse I've ever sat on," Cook told the press following his American Gold Cup win. "I've had a lot of fast horses throughout my career, but this horse feels most comfortable at speeds that horses are not normally comfortable at. I'm not doing anything; it's all her."
As fierce as she is on course, Cara-who is sometimes also called "Rolie Polie"-- is described as being quite laid back at home. She prefers "her" people to strangers, expects to be fed Mrs. Pastures horse cookies, peeled bananas, and home-grown oranges for treats, and loves her turn out time. In fact, when Cara was in France, she lived in a field with a small herd; although lush turnout is limited in California, where she lives when not on the road, her care team does everything they can to get her as much outside time as possible.
Cook says that taking over the ride on such a talented and successful horse has challenged him to raise his game as a horseman.
"Everyone knew how good the mare is, including me, so it's been a lot of work to get here, and I'm very proud about where we're at," said Cook to the press after the Rome Grand Prix. "She keeps pushing me to get better. She's very clear when I'm not good enough, and she pulls me along when we need it. She's an amazing, amazing mare."
