June 15, 2025, was Father’s Day, when we celebrate our dads and everything that they do for us. Here at US Equestrian, we want to do a special tribute to all the horse dads out there — from those who ride and inspire their children from the saddle to those who support from them from the ground. 

Below, we will celebrate a selection of successful equestrians who are also amazing, loving fathers, but first we want to thank the dads who were thrust into the horse world by their horse mad kids without any prior equestrian experience. This is for the dads who tirelessly watch lessons in the dead of winter or the height of summer. For the dads who are filled with terror every time their child falls off — and pride every time they dust themselves off and get back on again. For the dads who devote their weekends to horse shows, while they try to decipher the difference between an oxer and a vertical, or hunter and equitation competitions. For the dads who are resigned to the fact that their car will always be covered in horsehair, and that they might have to  sacrifice the sports car of their dreams for something that can tow a trailer. And, of course, for all the dads that look at a credit card statement and don’t understand what the charges are for but know that the most important thing is that they are funding their kid's happiness and passion for horses. To all these dads, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.  

McLain and Lilly Ward  
Six-time Olympian McLain Ward’s daughter Lilly is following in her famous father’s footsteps by making a name for herself on the pony show circuit. Lilly began her equestrian journey as a toddler when dad, McLain, and mom, Lauren, bought her an adorable miniature horse called Daisy, who she did lead line classes with. Lilly, now 10, has since graduated to competitive mounts including Woodlands Corduroy, a Welsh cross, and Celebration, a 12.2 hh Welsh pony, both of whom are owned by her dad. McLain was by Lilly’s side at her first show in May 2018 in Salem, N.Y., and even won a blue ribbon with her and Lauren when they competed in the family class together at the 2021 Upperville Colt & Horse Show in Upperville, Va. McLain continues to support Lilly as much as possible, and his most famous appearance was in August 2024 when he surprised her at the USEF Pony Finals presented by Marshall + Sterling in Lexington, Ky., having just flown back from Paris after winning a silver medal in the Team Jumping Final at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.  

Phillip and Olivia Dutton  
Eventer Phillip Dutton, a six-time Olympian, representing both Australia and the U.S.,now gets to share his passion for the sport with his daughter, Olivia. The 23-year-old eventing protege said she first realized her dad was “a big deal” at the Kentucky Three-Day when she was 10. It was then that she also realized she wanted to follow the same career path. Fast forward to 2024, and Olivia did just that, by competing in the Cosequin® Lexington CCI4*-S at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event on her dad’s former mount, an OTTB named Sea of Clouds (“Socs”). In May 2025, the pair were members of the U.S. Defender U.S. Eventing Team that earned second place in the FEI Eventing Nations Cup CCIO4*-S in Bicton, U.K.  

Just like with eventing, Dutton, who is also Olivia’s coach, says that parenting requires balance. “After being in the sport for as long as I have, I know the consequences of not being properly prepared or trying to ride at a higher level than I should have been or riding the wrong horse. So, our priority as parents was that if she wants to do this sport, she’s going to do it right and learn properly and be mounted well,” Dutton told Practical Horseman. “Olivia is quite ambitious, so it’s been about making sure she’s very prepared. I think she’d like to move up a bit quicker than we’ve let her.” Meanwhile, Olivia has always been grateful to share her passion for horses with her father. “I have always looked up to him, as he is such a humble person and always puts the animals first,” she said in an interview with Sidelines magazine.  

Hunt and Maddie Tosh 
Former USEF National Equestrian of the Year (2021 and 2022) Hunt Tosh is highly respected on the hunter circuit as both a rider and trainer. Tosh and his wife, Mandy, of Milton, Ga., introduced their daughter, Maddie, to the family business at a young age. She has since grown into an accomplished hunter, jumper, and equitation athlete in her own right. While Maddie has always looked calm and collected in the show ring, Hunt shared that he has felt anxious while watching her compete. “A lot of times I’m just hiding behind a bush making sure her head is still going over the jumps, but I love watching her ride,” he told The Chronicle of the Horse at the USEF Pony Finals in 2018. Maddie has always credited her dad as her biggest inspiration, telling the Chronicle: “He’s such a good rider, and you can never really see what he’s doing. He just always makes everything look so smooth.” Now 19, she recently wrapped up her first winter as a professional rider on horses owned by Betsee Parker and the Wheeler family, including Mustique VZ, who won the Welcome Prix at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Fla. in March.  

Michel and Megan Assouline  
Michel Assouline is best known as the U.S. Para Dressage Team Chef d’Equipe and Technical Advisor. Under Assouline, the U.S. Para Dressage Team brought home an historic nine medals – seven golds, a silver, and a bronze — from the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games. However, Assouline is also a highly respected dressage rider in his own right. One of his most successful years was in 2000 when Assouline and his mare Annastasia won the Ardingly Premier League Grand Prix in the U.K., the Etal Manor Premier League Grand Prix, the Royds Hall Premier League Grand Prix and abroad the Grand Prix Freestyle at the Saumur CDI3*. Assouline and his wife, Mette, are the founders of Assouline Dressage, and their daughter, Megan, is a rider and competitor in the U.K. In May, Megan and her 12-year-old Danish Warmblood Black Magic finished 4th in Intermediaire I at the 2024 British Dressage National Championships. 

Scott and Sara Hassler  
Former USEF Young Horse Dressage Coach Scott Hassler is an internationally respected Grand Prix trainer, athlete and clinician, who has also coached Olympic eventers Phillip Dutton and Boyd Martin. He now shares his lifetime of experience riding and training dressage horses with his daughter, Sara Hassler, as they run Hassler Dressage at Marquis Farm in Wellington, Fla., together. A lead trainer at Hassler Dressage where she has successfully trained everything from young horses to Grand Prix mounts, Sara was accepted into the 2019 USEF Kundrun Development Program with her mount, Harmony’s Boitano. The program provides strategic guidance and resources to athletes that are recognized as potential future combinations to represent the USA on a team.