Eventing lost a wonderful man Sunday, June 23 as Donald Trotter passed away peacefully after battling a short illness. Trotter was a key contributor through his volunteerism to the sport of eventing. Together, Trotter and his wife, Pam Duffy, owned Sunsprite Warmbloods, breeding and placing many top horses.
Helping riders, Trotter could always be found by the warmup. No, not just watching his horses go, but acting as ring steward. “As a horse show husband, I frequently found myself bored beyond belief at shows. I had nothing to do and often found myself hanging out at our rider's barns,” he said in an Athletux Volunteer of the Month article in 2016. Then finally in 2009 Trotter was offered a job he couldn’t refuse: ring steward. He enjoyed volunteering so much that he reached out to event organizer and friend, Robert Kellerhouse, asking if he could try out a few other volunteer positions. Kellerhouse let Trotter experiment with different jobs from cross-country control to jump judge but he always found his way back to ring steward, his favorite.
Trotter said his satisfaction with his favorite job was simple, “If my presence in warmup makes a rider more relaxed or an organizer more confident the show will run on time, then I'm doing my job to contribute to the sport of eventing. That's rewarding to me.” His presence was calming and nice to find in a sometimes crowded and hectic warmup. Many riders are notoriously tense before competition and you can bet Trotter was always there with a subtle joke to make them laugh or a few kind words to relieve any nerves.
Trotter made an impact in whatever he did. Originally working for the United Nations, in addition to Sunsprite and his volunteer work, he excelled in crafting breathtaking show jumping fences with his business Jumpwerks and was a passionate horticulturist of exotic plants. Together with his lovely wife Duffy, Trotter also helped spearhead new volunteer recognition software, created several awards to recognize volunteers, and received numerous awards himself for his dedication to the sport.
Duffy has suggested the best way to honor Trotter’s memory is to go volunteer. Volunteering is the heart of the sport and volunteering brought Trotter great joy.
At this time arrangements are being made for a Celebration of Life. Details will be made available as soon as they are known. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Volunteer Incentive Program at www.useafoundation.org/donate.
The inaugural USEA Interscholastic Eventing League (IEL) Championships may have been the pinnacle for program members of the IEL last year, but that’s not the only exciting achievement that occurred in 2024. A total of 41 events offered IEL Team Challenges for over 360 program members, and in the end, a year-end leaderboard champion was named at every level from Starter through Intermediate. The following IEL members worked tirelessly with their clubs and on their own competitive journeys in 2024 to earn the title of Interscholastic Rider of the Year at their respective level. Join us in congratulating these up-and-coming eventers on their success!
Veterinary pathologist Susan Hart has been trapped in an “always the bridesmaid, never the bride” loop on the USEA Volunteer Incentive Program (VIP) Volunteer Leaderboard since 2022. After two years of chipping away at the leaderboard, 2024 was finally her year to proverbially walk down the aisle. With a total of 691 and a half hours, Hart topped the leaderboard to become the 2024 USEA Volunteer of the Year, sponsored by Mrs. Pastures, and win the first gold medal in USEA VIP history, which is awarded for achieving over 2,000 lifetime volunteer hours.
Day 3 of the USEA Eventing Coaches Program (ECP) Symposium at Galway Downs was all about correct cross-country position after an informative discussion from sports psychologist Natalie Hummel.
Are you following along with the action from home this weekend? Or maybe you're competing at an event and need information fast. Either way, we’ve got you covered! Check out the USEA’s Weekend Quick Links for links to information including the prize list, ride times, live scores, and more for all the events running this weekend.