The Equestrian of the Year award is given to horseperson(s) who have excelled above all others in equestrian competition for the given competition year while also demonstrating superior sportsmanship and dedication to the principles, vision, and mission of the United States Equestrian Federation. Nominees must be active, competing members in good standing. There is no age limitation for Equestrian of the Year.

National Breed/Discipline affiliates and committees are asked to nominate worthy individuals, and may nominate multiple athletes throughout the competition year. USEF Sport and Marketing staff may also submit nominations.

The USEF Awards Committee reviews the candidates. The committee is tasked with selecting winners of the Equestrian of Honor awards. These are eight trophies given to top equestrians based on the discipline in which they complete (see table above for criteria and past winners). Note that more than one person can share one of these trophies in a given year, and that the same person may win more than once in their career.

The Equestrian of Honor award winners form the pool of finalists for National Equestrian of the Year and International Equestrian of the Year. At this point, the candidates are turned over to the membership for voting. Voters rank national and international finalists in order of preference, with their votes weighted based on ranking.

The top national and international choices by weighted votes are given their respective Equestrian of the Year titles.

Nominations are accepted in August and close in November. The Awards Committee will select Equestrians of Honor by December for voting to begin. Voting will close at the end of the year and Equestrians of the Year will be announced at the Pegasus Awards Dinner at the US Equestrian Federation’s Annual Meeting.

This award is given at the Pegasus Awards Dinner during the US Equestrian Federation’s Annual Meeting.