Gladstone, N.J.—Oct. 16

The United States Equestrian Team Foundation has awarded the Jacqueline B. Mars National Competition & Training Grant to Liz Halliday-Sharp, and her mount, Cooley Quicksilver, a 9-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding owned by The Monster Partnership.

As the recipient of the grant, Halliday-Sharp, who is an athlete on US Equestrian’s Eventing High Performance Pre-Elite Training List, will receive $10,000 to support her trip from Lexington, Kentucky, to Temecula, California, to compete in the CCI4*-L at the Galway Downs International Three-Day Event on October 28-31, 2020.

“It’s very, very exciting, and it makes a big difference to the owners as well—we’ve got to support the good owners in the sport as much as we can,” said Halliday-Sharp of receiving the grant. “We’re very grateful to the [USET] Foundation. It’s an expensive sport, and you don’t get a lot of prize money. [This] really makes it all possible.

“I think next year, we’ll start to think about five-star competition for [Cooley Quicksilver],” Halliday-Sharp continued. “I very much hope he’ll be considered for the Olympic Games, and that’s part of our reasoning for going to Galway.”

Each year, the Jacqueline B. Mars Grant is awarded to eventing riders who have been identified and recommended by the USEF eventing selectors, with an impressive record and the potential to represent the United States in future international competition.

Halliday-Sharp, who has not yet represented the U.S. at an Olympic Games or international championship, received this select distinction following a strong performance as part of the 2019 FEI Eventing Nations Cup Team at the Military Boekelo CCIO4*-L (the Netherlands). According to Erik Duvander, US Equestrian’s Performance Director for eventing, it will be important for Cooley Quicksilver and Halliday-Sharp to receive the opportunity to produce a competitive performance, as the pair trend toward joining the Elite list.

Thanks to the Jacqueline B. Mars Grant, Halliday-Sharp and Cooley Quicksilver can continue their training with the goal of representing the United States in future international competitions.

Four eventing athletes have been awarded partial grants to provide financial support for their travel to CCI4*-L competitions in the fall of 2020.

The recipients of the Land Rover/USEF National Competition Grants are:

Boyd Martin (Cochranville, Pa.) and Luke 140, a 9-year-old Holsteiner gelding owned by the Luke 140 Syndicate; and Long Island T, a 14-year-old Oldenburg/Thoroughbred owned by the Long Island T Syndicate.

Phillip Dutton (West Grove, Pa.) and Fernhill Singapore, an 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owed by Thomas A. Tierney, Ann Jones, and David Vos.

Tamie Smith (Murrieta, Calif.) and Fleeceworks Royal, an 11-year-old Holsteiner mare owned by Judith McSwain; Danito, an 11-year-old Hanoverian gelding owned by Ruth Bley; and En Vogue, a 15-year-old Hanoverian mare owned by Ruth Bley.

Each recipient will receive the same total amount of funding from their grants. Martin and Dutton will use their grants to support travel to the Galway Downs International CCI4*-L. Smith will use her grant to travel to the Tryon International Three-Day Event in Mill Spring, North Carolina, Nov. 12-15.