ood things come to those who wait, especially in the case of Will Faudree. The well-known rider was rewarded for his attendance at the U.S. Eventing Association’s Annual Convention in St. Louis, Mo., Dec. 7-10, with a gold medal.

During Saturday’s year-end awards luncheon, U.S. Equestrian Federation Director of Sports Programs Jim Wolf presented Faudree with a new medal to replace the gold he won in the 2003 Pan American Games, which was lost when Faudree’s barn in Southern Pines, N.C., was destroyed by fire in 2004.

In addition, Wolf read a note from F�d�ration Equestre Internationale President Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein of Jordan, which said quite sweetly and eloquently

something along the lines of “Dear Will, we’re pleased to send you a new medal, however, please stop melting ours down and using them for scrap. Yours, Haya.”

The mood was jovial in the Hyatt Regency ballroom at St. Louis Union Station as the USEA rewarded 2006’s hardest working volunteers and most accomplished competitors.

Amy Tryon claimed the lady rider of the year title after winning an individual bronze medal at the World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany, and placing in several other upper-level events throughout the year on various horses.

Fanny Lee was named the adult amateur of the year, having notched six wins, six second- and three third-placed finishes in her 20 starts this year. Up-and-coming rider Emilee Libby, 19, took the young rider of the year title, after competing three different mounts at the intermediate and advanced levels in 2006.

Bruce Davidson’s Jam was named mare of the year for the second consecutive year. She and Davidson won the Rocking Horse Winter Horse Trials (Fla.) and were in the ribbons in multiple three-star events. The USEA overall horse of the year was the 9-year-old, Thoroughbred gelding Tru Luck, owned by Ann L. Jones and ridden by Phillip Dutton. Dutton himself was rider of the year for the seventh straight year and eight times overall.


Unsung Heroes
Dr. Brendan Furlong received the highly coveted Wofford Cup for the “profound impact” his service has had on the sport. Furlong was hailed as an innovator in equine sports medicine and an ambassador for the sport, as he has served as the U.S. Equestrian Team veterinarian for the past 10 years. During his tenure, the U.S. team horses made it through every vet check at every international team competition, including the Pan Am, Olympic and World Equestrian Games.

Governors’ Cups are traditionally awarded to individuals who make significant contributions to the sport behind the scenes. Carolyn Borgert and Rudy Vogt III were the first recipients in this category, recognized for their work as a team at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event for more than a decade. Borgert and Vogt both began volunteering at the 1978 World Championships in Kentucky, and are now in charge of organizing and recruiting the entire jump judge crew for the four-star every April.

Another hardworking pair, Bill and Margaret Burton, were awarded the Governors’ Cup for their efforts in organizing the Ram Tap Horse Trials (Calif.), the country’s second-longest running event. Bill, the show’s organizer, and Margaret, secretary, have been longtime supporters of eventing in the West, much like Governors’ Cup recipient Alice Sarno, of Phoenix, Ariz. Sarno competes at the preliminary level and has served as an organizer, trainer and volunteer in Area X, where her efforts have been said to have saved the sport in Arizona.

“Without her, eventing would have died in Area X,” said awards selector Sheila Strickler. This year Sarno suffered an arm injury and had external pins all over her wrist, but was still out moving jumps and pulling the heavy loads at events, according to Strickler. “Any other person would have been in the recliner with the remote watching soap operas!” she said laughing.

Illinois native Jan Nestrud was presented with a Governors’ Cup for her devotion to the Area IV eventing program. Nestrud has been a great asset to the USEA and the U.S. Pony Clubs in the Midwest and spearheaded the upgrading process of all the courses at the Fox River Valley Pony Club Horse Trials (Ill.), where she served as organizer for many years.

The afternoon’s final Governors’ Cup came as a surprise to Strickler herself, as she was rewarded for her own contributions to the sport around the nation. Aside from serving on the Appreciation Awards Committee, she also sits on the USEA Board of Governors, the Young Event Horse and Competitions Task Forces and was a past Area Chairman. She’s also an eventing dressage judge and currently heads the USEA Area Affairs Task Force.

“I was totally left out in the dark, and it was very, very funny, because we did the same thing to one of the other ladies last year,” Strickler said. “But the other people that got the cups–they were really well-deserved. They’re the unsung heroes. You just do what needs to get done.”

The USEA also honored its favorite course designers and builders with two awards established by Neil and Helen Ayer. The Posthole Digger Award, founded by Neil, is presented each year to an outstanding U.S. course designer. This year’s recipient, Jon Wells of Knoxville, Tenn., has built courses in Areas I, II, IV and VIII, including the Foxhall Cup (Ga.), Virginia Horse Trials and Maui Jim Horse Trials (Ill.). He will also be designing the lower level courses for the 2007 American Eventing Championships in northern Illinois.

The Neil Ayer Course Designer Award, newly established by Ayer’s wife Helen in her husband’s memory, was presented to Tremaine Cooper for outstanding innovation and vision.

Cooper, who has also been chosen to design a three-star course in New Zealand, has created courses for the Radnor CCI** (Pa.) and the Morven Park CCI* (Va.), and serves as a national course advisor for the USEA and USEF. His creative designs, including his Etch-A-Sketch-inspired obstacle at Morven Park, have given him the reputation of being one of the nation’s most forward-thinking course designers.


The Brightest Stars
Helen also selected the Ironmaster Trophy recipient, Nina Gardner, for exhibiting fortitude and courage within the sport. Gardner, a long-time breeder of some of the sport’s most successful horses, including House Doctor and I’m So Brite, has had a strong partnership with Phillip Dutton and Ann Jones for many years. In addition, Gardner recently brought her expertise to the USEA, as she stepped into the chairmanship of the Young Event Horse Task Force.

The As You Like It “Above and Beyond” Award went to Edy Hunter, co-owner of Overlook Farm and sponsor of the USEA Outreach and Area IV Young Rider Programs. This award is designated to honor preliminary level and higher owners who go the extra mile to support their riders.

In addition to her program involvement, Hunter also donated to 14 U.S. events and one British event, kept 15 horses in competition, gives significant competition grants to her young working students and pays for any member of her farm’s staff to attend the USEA Instructor’s Certification Program.

Charlotte Merle Smith, Louisa, Va., was named this year’s Worth The Trust Young Adult Scholarship winner. The $3,000 stipend will go toward training and lesson fees, according to the young professional.

The $2,000 Worth The Trust Adult Amateur Scholarship went to Mary Jordan, Wells, Maine. Jordan breeds, trains and competes all of her own horses and is a member of Team Copaxone, a group of 10 athletes with multiple sclerosis who compete in different sports. Jordan’s scholarship stipend will go toward instruction fees.

Bill Gammill, Las Cruces, N.M., won the Vintage Cup, which honors a USEA member age 60 or older who shows outstanding sportsmanship while competing at any level. Gammill, in his mid-70s, not only rides at the novice level, but also serves as organizer of the Las Cruces Horse Trials (N.M.).

“They don’t hand out very many awards. I think it always comes as a surprise,” Gammill said. “We had a pretty good group from Area X, and most all of the riders in Area X know each other pretty well. There were three of us who got awards. That’s one thing in eventing, everybody wants to do their best, but they always want everyone else to do the best that they can too. There’s lots of pulling for one another.”

Working student Aubrey Dunkerton, 19, was named the Christine E. Stafford Groom of the Year. Since 2003, the Minnesota college student has groomed for Becky Holder at countless competitions, including Luhm�hlen (Germany) in 2005 and Burghley (England) in 2006. Dunkerton is a B Pony Clubber and also competes her own horse at the preliminary level.


Kat Netzler