Login
Dec 07, 2020
First Female Wins USEA Rider of the Year Since 1981
The USEA Rider of the Year award was presented for the first time in 1960. In the 60 years since, the Windy Acres Trophy has been awarded to only five women - Suzanne Cove in 1962, Lee Troup in 1964, Mary Ann Tauskey in 1978, Torrance Watkins in 1980, and Karen Stives in 1981. Now, 39 years later, a sixth female rider is joining their ranks. After a vastly successful season including nine international wins - more than any other rider in 2020 - and an additional 16 national wins, Elisabeth Halliday-Sharp has been named the 2020 World Equestrian Brands USEA Rider of the Year.
Over the course of the 2020 season, Halliday-Sharp amassed 590.5 leaderboard points to clinch the Rider of the Year title. She rode 13 different horses including Deniro Z, Fernhill By Night, Cooley Quicksilver, Shanroe Cooley, Cooley Seeking Fortune, Cooley Be Cool, Cooley Stormwater, Cooley Black Hawk, Flash Cooley, Cooley Moonshine, Cooley Starship, Maryville Sir Henry, and Cooley HHS Calmaria, at 22 different events including Grand Oaks, Rocking Horse, Pine Top, Three Lakes, Red Hills, Ocala, Stable View, Maryland Horse Trials, Champagne Run, Virginia Horse Trials, River Glen, Fair Hill, Great Meadow International, Chattahoochee Hills, Blue Ride Mountain Horse Trials, Plantation Field, Hagyard Midsouth, Galway Downs, and Tryon International. Including her 25 national and international wins, she finished in the top five a whopping 67 times.
It's fitting too, that Halliday-Sharp has seen so much success this year, as this is the first year she has spent fully in the United States in the last 20 years. "Quite often I've done well in the winter and then left [for the UK] so I've never really been up there on the leaderboard," she reflected. "It was fun to have our first year back go right. "We've got a lot of great horses in the barn and I've got an awesome team and a great group of owners. It's nice for all of them too that we've come out on top after a really good season."
Halliday-Sharp now has facilities in Lexington, Kentucky at Blue Fox Farm and Ocala, Florida at Horsepower Equestrian. "We love our place in Kentucky and have just come back to Florida," she said. "It's been a wild year - more than just COVID - with us being at a new farm, trying to find our feet and our way around, and managing all the travel. It's been crazy but we've managed to make it work and hopefully it will just keep getting better!"
This Saturday, December 12, Halliday-Sharp will be joined by Piggy March as one of the two keynote speakers for the 2020 USEA Virtual Annual Meeting. Moderated by Nicole Brown, Halliday-Sharp and March will speak about their respective successes and what it has taken to reach them. Learn more about our keynote speakers here.
To access the Annual Meeting, you will need to be a current 2021 USEA member. Members who have renewed for 2021 will receive an email invitation to the Annual Meeting via Zoom on Thursday, December 10. If you have not yet renewed your membership for 2021 and would like to participate in the Annual Meeting, please join or renew your membership by Wednesday, December 9. For more information about registration for the Annual Meeting, click here.
If you will be attending the Annual Meeting, please remember to vote via online ballot before Friday, December 11. If you are unable to attend the Annual Meeting, please log in to Online Services and vote by proxy.
In the week leading up to the Virtual Annual Meeting, the USEA will be offering educational content and interactive webinars via Zoom. Check out the schedule of live webinars here.
The Virtual Year-End Awards Ceremony celebrating all of the 2020 USEA Leaderboard winners from Beginner Novice to Advanced as well as our overall and special award winners will take place on Friday, January 8 at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time via Zoom. Stay tuned for details on how to watch the Year-End Awards Ceremony coming soon!
To learn more about the history of the World Equestrian Brands USEA Rider of the Year award, click here. To view the World Equestrian Brands USEA Rider of the Year leaderboard, click here.
The USEA would like to thank World Equestrian Brands for sponsoring the USEA Rider of the Year leaderboard.
Dec 23, 2024
Education
Saddle Fit Simplified
Eventers who are new to the sport may feel a little overwhelmed by the often-misunderstood world of saddle fitting. Riders are often bombarded with information from peers online or self-described experts, putting them at risk of following bad advice related to equipment that impacts horse welfare perhaps more than any other piece of tack. Finding a qualified expert to answer these questions is crucial. Who better to turn to than both a qualified Master Saddle Fitter and a fourth-generation saddle designer to answer some of these questions?
Dec 22, 2024
USEA Foundation
Top Tips for Applying for a USEA Foundation Grant
Did you know that the USEA Foundation awards over 150 grants each year to deserving individuals who are involved in the sport of eventing? With grants that assist riders with accomplishing their competition goals, grants geared toward licensed officials, grants that are specific to continuing education for coaches, grants that assist competitions with obtaining frangible technology, and so much more, there really is a grant opportunity available to almost anyone!
Dec 21, 2024
Education
3 Ways to Help Eventing Thrive in 2025
With the start of the New Year just days away, now is the time to consider how your actions can have a positive impact on the sport of eventing in 2025. Each and every member of the eventing community has an important role to play in ensuring the sport continues to grow and thrive. From fostering educational opportunities to supporting grassroots initiatives and participating at all levels of the sport, there are so many ways to get involved.
Dec 20, 2024
Sponsor
“Happy Horse Equals Happy Judge”: Ask An Expert with Dressage Judge Peter Gray, Brought to You by Ride iQ
Ride iQ’s popular “Ask An Expert” series features professional advice and tips from all areas of the horse industry. One of the most-downloaded episodes is an expert session with Peter Gray, an accomplished dressage judge and Olympic eventer. He has recently judged at events like the five-star at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event, and he served on the ground jury at the 2022 FEI World Eventing Championships in Pratoni, Italy. His background as a competitor in the Olympic Games riding for Bermuda and as a coach and selector for the Canadian eventing team adds depth to his understanding of the sport.
