Hometown: Springtown, Pa. Birthday: 12/8/1994 Sport/Disciplines: Eventing Olympic Years: 2024
As a youth eventing athlete, Caroline Pamukcu (neé Martin) competed at the North American Youth Championships (NAYC) in 2011 with her Irish Sport Horse, Classic Touch. In 2013, she was the Young Rider individual and team gold medalist in 2013 riding Quantam Solace, her Argentine Sport Horse.
Pamukcu has represented the U.S. Eventing Team internationally multiple times, including on the second-place teams at the 2022 Houghton Hall (GBR) CCIO4*-NC-S riding Sherrie Martin and her own, Islandwood Captain Jack and the 2023 Strzegom (POL) CCIO4*-NC-S with HSH Blake owned by Caroline and Daniz Pamukcu, Sherrie Martin, and Mollie Hoff. In 2023, Caroline and HSH Blake won individual gold and led the U.S. team to silver at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile.
HSH Blake is a notable product of Pamukcu’s young horse training program. She started competing the 2015 Irish Sport Horse gelding at the novice level in 2020 and in 2022 finished 10th at the FEI Young Horse World Championship in France. At that same event, she won a silver medal with Sherrie Martin's, Luann McElduff's and her own, HSH Connor who went on to win the 2023 USEF CCI3*-L Eventing National Championship.
The Redfield King's HX Group's 2015 KWPN gelding, King’s Especiale got his start in the show ring as a 4-year-old with Pamukcu and is now a successful four-star competitor with a second-place finish at the 2023 Morven Park International Horse Trials CCI4*-L and a win in the CCI4*-S at Great Meadow. In 2024, Caroline and King's Especiale were named to the Defender U.S. Eventing Team at the FEI Eventing Nations Cup CCIO4*-NC-S at Millstreet International Horse Trials where they posted the top individual score for the team and assisted in securing a team silver-medal finish.
With the strong performances of Martin and HSH Blake throughout the 2023 and 2024 season, Martin was named to her first Olympic Team with HSH Blake and will represent the U.S. at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games as part of the U.S. Olympic Eventing Team.