Next week, a new set of horses and humans will go down in our history books as award winners, on two sparkling nights during the US Equestrian annual meeting. It's a real honor to have a name added to the perpetual trophies that will be on display that evening – and it also requires some steady hands behind the scenes.
Engraver Lindsey Wells makes a trip from her base in Ohio each fall to add the previous year’s names to USEF’s fleet of silver trophies, so they’ll be updated for the next ceremony in January. Because the trophies are all so different in age and in shape, the process of adding names to them is customized and has to be done manually. Wells starts with some math calculations to decide where the next line of text should go and uses washi tape to help her set a straight line. Then, she engraves each letter and year with a small diamond burr on a Dremel style tool.
“My main thing is calligraphy, so I started out with a pen and paper, using a dip pen in ink,” said Wells. “Once I learned how to ‘write pretty’ I started with different mediums.”
Wells was inspired to learn calligraphy through work with her mother and has participated in courses and workshops from a variety of master calligraphers and artists – experiences that allow her to match the existing script style on trophies, which can be highly variable between pieces.
A lot of the ability to do award-level engraving is muscle memory and practicing scripts beforehand, but she also has to be hydrated, well-fed, and watch her caffeine intake before sitting down with a trophy.
Also, the ability to write in beautiful, symmetrical script is situational.
“My grocery list does not look like this!” she said.
Wells’ business includes work on glass, metal, wood, leather, and virtually any other surface you can think of. Live events where she can customize pieces for guests before their eyes is a big part of her work, as are custom gifts for weddings and events. She has also added embroidery to her repertoire and enjoys expanding her horizons as an artist. Engraving the US Equestrian trophies also gives her the opportunity to appreciate the artistic journeys of others, too.
“I love looking at all the trophies and looking at the past artists [who have engraved them] as well as the winners,” she said. “Everyone is so unique and special.”
The Pegasus Awards will be held Thursday, Jan. 15 at 7:00 p.m. at the Omni Hotel in Louisville, Ky., as part of the 2026 US Equestrian Federation’s annual meeting. The SmartPak/USEF Horse of the Year Awards dinner will take place on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. Learn more about the annual meeting here.