Up-and-coming eventing athlete Tommy Greengard of Malibu, California, was named the recipient of the United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation’s Amanda Pirie Warrington Grant for 2024. A current competitor on the U.S. Equestrian Federation's (USEF) Eventing Emerging Program List, Greengard has aspirations of representing the United States internationally.
The Amanda Pirie Warrington Grant is awarded annually through the USET Foundation’s Amanda Pirie Warrington Fund. Pirie’s family established the fund in her memory to provide financial assistance to an eventing athlete identified as having the talent and ability to represent the United States in the future. It is intended for a recipient that will benefit most from the opportunity to continue their training with top coaches and to compete against the world’s best in eventing, one of three Olympic equestrian disciplines. As the recipient of the grant, Greengard will receive up to $5,000 to help offset expenses associated with his training throughout 2024.
“I’m so appreciative to the USET Foundation and USEF for all of the opportunities that have been offered to me including this grant,” stated Greengard. “Earning this grant took me by surprise; I wasn’t expecting it all. It’s a wonderful way to start the year, and I’m very grateful.”
Greengard began riding when he was 6 years old and trained with Robyn Fisher in Malibu, California, for nearly nine years. When he moved to northern California to attend college at the University of California, Berkeley, he began training with Andrea Pfeiffer. After graduating in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental science, Greengard decided to make horses a career and began to work as a full-time trainer at Pfeiffer’s Chocolate Horse Farm in Petaluma, California.
While Greengard has had success at the four-star level with his own Joshuay MBF, a 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, including winning the CCI4*-S at Woodside Fall International in October 2023 and placing third in the CCI4*-L at the Eventing Championships at Galway Downs in November 2023, he hopes to leverage the Amanda Pirie Warrington Grant to make his international debut.
Working closely with Pfeiffer, Greengard has been focused on building a string of promising young eventing horses and plans to leverage the grant to support the development of one particular horse, That’s Me Z, Greengard and Pfeiffer’s 7-year-old Zangersheide gelding.
“I have some exciting up-and-coming horses, and I’m hoping that I can take That’s Me Z to the 2024 FEI World Championship for Young Horses in Le Lion d’Angers, France,” Greengard explained. “I’d like to use this grant to gain additional training and competition opportunities that I might not have access to otherwise for That’s Me Z. He’s a pretty brave horse, but I think new experiences and introducing him to different atmospheres will be important before competing on the world stage.”
With his sights set on international competition, Greengard credits his partnership with Pfeiffer and support from USEF’s Eventing Emerging Program List for bolstering his career path.
“First and foremost, I have to acknowledge Andrea Pfeiffer. She has been behind me and the horses one thousand percent day in and day out,” said Greengard. “I’ve also been fortunate to have help from USEF’s Development and Emerging Coach Leslie Law through the Emerging Program List. Finally, Lilo Fore has helped me on the flat and, of course, my parents have been hugely influential in making everything happen.”
Thanks to the Amanda Pirie Warrington Grant, Greengard can continue to focus on his training to help reach his goal of representing the United States around the world.
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?
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!
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.
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.