The U.S. Equestrian Federation announced Adrienne Lyle as the 2022 International Equestrian of the Year and Hunt Tosh as the 2022 National Equestrian of the Year at the 2023 Pegasus Awards Dinner, held Thursday during the USEF Annual Meeting in Lexington, Kentucky. Lyle and Tosh were nominated as Equestrians of Honor and selected by USEF member voting in December.

International Equestrian Of The Year: Adrienne Lyle

Olympic veteran Adrienne Lyle of Wellington, Florida, continued to impress dressage judges and fans in 2022. With her longtime partner Salvino, Lyle earned a personal best score of 85.58% to win the FEI Grand Prix freestyle during Week 11 of the Adequan Global Dressage Festival. The pair traveled to CHIO Aachen (Germany) in June where they placed second in the CDI4* Grand Prix against some of the world’s best.

In August, Lyle and Salvino posted an 83.70% in the freestyle at the Blue Hors FEI Dressage Championships in Denmark—the second-highest score of her career and good for sixth place amongst a strong international field. The combination was the only American team partnership to compete in the Grand Prix, Grand Prix Special and freestyle at the world championships, where they also played a key role in qualifying the U.S. Dressage Team for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Lyle’s talent and commitment to the future of the sport was on display at the 2022 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions (Illinois) where she took home two national championships, winning the Markel/USEF Young Horse 4-Year-Old Dressage National Championship with Fürst Dream and the Markel/USEF Young Horse 5-Year-Old Dressage National Championship with Valor.

“I want to thank everyone who took the time to vote in the USEF Equestrian of the Year awards. I’m very humbled to receive this award,” Lyle said. “One of my favorite sayings is that when a rider stands on a podium, they never stand alone. It is incredible how many people’s dreams are intertwined in this sport of ours, and just what a huge village it takes to help make these dreams come true. I’m thankful to all the amazing people in my life who have supported me and helped shape me into the rider and horsewoman I am today. I want to say a special thank you to my long-time coach, Debbie McDonald; Salvino’s owner, Betsy Juliano; and my whole team of fabulous grooms at home, who are such an integral part of any success our team has. Last but certainly not least, thank you to these horses—these amazing animals who allow us to be part of their journey and bring so much joy to so many lives.”

Lyle is a 2022 winner of the William C. Steinkraus Trophy, which is presented to an equestrian competing in the Olympic disciplines of dressage, eventing or show jumping.

National Equestrian Of The Year: Hunt Tosh

Hunt Tosh of Milton, Georgia, is among the busiest riders on the hunter circuit, and in 2022, he continued to show—and win—across divisions all season long. With the Wheeler family’s 12-year-old Holsteiner gelding, Cannon Creek, Tosh had numerous victories in the high performance hunters in Ocala, Florida, and capped off the winter season with a win in the $25,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby at HITS Ocala. The pair went on to win high performance hunter championships at the Devon Horse Show (Pennsylvania), the Upperville Colt & Horse Show (Virginia), the Pennsylvania National Horse Show and the National Horse Show (Kentucky).

Tosh had numerous wins in 2022 in green hunters, including the 3’6″ championship at Ocala Winter Festival (Florida) and a reserve championship at the National Horse Show and Devon with Redfield Farms’ 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood stallion, Corragio; and the 3′ championship at Ocala Winter Festival, Ocala Masters, Ocala Winter Finals, Aiken Charity II (South Carolina), and Aiken Fall Festival.

At the 2022 Platinum Performance USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship (Kentucky) in August, Tosh took two of the top three spots: the champion title with Cannon Creek and third place with Ceil Wheeler’s 10-year-old warmblood gelding, Autograph.

This is Tosh’s second consecutive USEF National Equestrian of the Year award.

“One definition of ‘horseman’ is one whose skill with horses is exceptional,” Tosh said. “Although I do not consider myself exceptional, I’m fortunate to be surrounded by those who are: a group of people that includes my family, friends, vets, farriers, grooms, breeders, farm manager, and owners who I am lucky enough to call my friends. I learn something from these exceptional people every day. But we all owe the most to the horses. To be able to spend my life caring for these animals is a privilege.”

Tosh is the 2022 winner of the Emerson Burr Trophy, which is presented to an equestrian competing with any horse or pony breed shown in over-fences hunter classes.

2022 USEF Equestrians Of Honor

Six equestrians were named Equestrians of Honor and recognized for their achievements in 2022 with the following trophies:

• William C. Steinkraus Trophy: Will Coleman (eventing) and Adrienne Lyle (dressage)
• Becky Grand Hart Trophy: Kate Shoemaker (para-dressage)
• Norman K. Dunn Trophy: Janae Griffin (Friesian)
• Barbara Worth Oakford Trophy: James Hitt (Arabian)
• Vaughan Smith Trophy: Wendy Potts (Arabian)
• Bill Robinson Trophy: Jim B. Roberton II (roadster)
• C.J. “June” Cronan Trophy: Matt Siemon (Arabian)
• Emerson Burr Trophy: Hunt Tosh (hunter)

Hope Hand, a member of the 1996 Paralympic Team and founder of the U.S. Para-Equestrian Association was awarded the 2022 USEF Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously. Hunter, jumper and equitation superstar Skylar Wireman, who started her pro career off with three major jumper wins at Desert Circuit (California), received the Junior Equestrian of the Year award.

2022 USEF Pegasus Award Recipients

In addition to the above awards, the following annual award recipients were recognized at this year’s Pegasus Awards Dinner.

• Sallie Busch Wheeler Trophy for Distinguished Service to Equestrian Sport: Elisabeth Goth
• Ellen Scripps Davis Memorial Breeders’ Award: Eleanor Hamilton and Maryanna Haymon
• Kip Rosenthal Memorial High Score Equitation Award: Augusta Iwasaki
• Pegasus Medal of Honor: Jan Decker, Sally McClure Jackson, John R. “Doc” Steele
• Richard E. McDevitt Award of Merit: William “Bill” Ellis, John King, Antonio “Pusito” Lopez, Richard Picken, Nancy Turrill
• USEF/EQUUS Foundation Humanitarian Award: Meris Bickford
• USEF Youth Sportsman’s Award: Ryder Richardson
• Walter B. Devereux Sportsmanship Award: Charlotte Skinner-Robson

Click here for a complete list of nominees for the 2022 awards.