West Palm Beach, Fla. – US Equestrian is pleased to share that Beezie Madden (Cazenovia, N.Y.) has been voted the 2019 International Equestrian of the Year and Nick Haness (Temecula, Calif.) has been voted the 2019 National Equestrian of the Year. Madden and Haness were presented with the Robert P. Strub Trophy at the Pegasus Awards presented by Adequan® during the US Equestrian Annual Meeting.

International Equestrian of the Year

For nearly three decades, Madden has represented the United States in the world’s most prestigious competitions, including four Olympic Games, three Pan American Games, and three FEI World Equestrian Games™. In 2019, Madden represented the U.S. at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, and helped anchor a team of rising U.S. jumping stars in their first major championship. There, Madden and teammates Lucy Deslauriers, Alex Granato, and Eve Jobs secured team bronze. Madden also went on to win individual bronze aboard Breitling LS in Lima.

Earlier in the year, Madden and Breitling LS placed in the top five at the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final in Gothenburg. She also became the first rider to win the $1 Million AIG HITS Grand Prix in all three locations offered following her win with Darry Lou at HITS Thermal.

"I can't reiterate enough what a fantastic team I have behind me," said Madden. "One of my favorite moments [of 2019] was the Pan Am team medal. We had three rookies there in Eve Jobs, Lucy Deslauriers, and Alex Granato, and we were there with teams trying to qualify for the Olympic Games with all their best riders. And we came away with the bronze. We had the gold in our sights at one point and we let it slip away, but that night, with those kids, we celebrated with medals around our necks and toasted their first medal and first world championship. I thank them for that experience."

Hear from 2019 International Equestrian of the Year Beezie Madden.

National Equestrian of the Year

Haness, owner of Hunterbrook Farms, has become a household name on the show hunter circuit, amassing an impressive record in 2019 and fulfilling his lifelong dream of becoming a successful, well-respected professional in the sport. Early in his career, Haness won the 2006 USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals - West, and also secured a fourth at the 2006 ASPCA Maclay Final, before going out to his own to start a now thriving business.

Haness has had tremendous success aboard Technicolor in the high performance hunter section, as well as with Verdict, who finished second in the 2019 Platinum Performance/USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship with a total score of 578.5. After capturing the reserve championship in his USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship debut, Haness was the highest-placed rider of the Tier II combinations.

"Horses can be purchased, ribbons can be bought, [but] you cannot buy respect from your peers. 2019 was an incredible year and I am forever grateful," said Haness. "This is a complete dream come true. I never dreamed in a million years that this moment would be my moment. Thank you to the horses that have been instrumental to my entire life. I am so grateful. This award means more to me than you can imagine."

Hear from 2019 National Equestrian of the Year Nick Haness.

Ten equestrians were recognized for their competitive achievements in 2019 and honored with the following trophies:

Barbara Worth Oakford Trophy – Stanley White III
Becky Grand Hart Trophy – Cade McCutcheon and Cheryl Van Deusen
Bill Robinson Trophy – Chris Bickford
C.J. "June" Cronan Trophy – Mike Goebig
Emerson Burr Trophy – Nick Haness
Norman K. Dunn Trophy – Kim Morgan
Vaughan Smith Trophy – Liz Bentley
William C. Steinkraus Trophy – Beezie Madden and Boyd Martin

Ellen Di Bella (Parker, Colo.) was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award for her impactful work as the Western Dressage Association of America’s founding President, key to the rise of Western dressage in the U.S. Di Bella has also been a stalwart supporter of Morgan horses, serving on the American Morgan Horse Association and the American Morgan Horse Institute boards and competing with the breed for many years. She has devoted her life to inspiring others, creating opportunities for equestrians and their horses, and working for every horse to be valued and cherished.

Julia Stone (Santa Barbara, Calif.) was awarded the Ruth O’Keefe Meredith Memorial Trophy as the 2019 Junior Equestrian of the Year. Stone was finalist in the United States Hunter Jumper Association’s Horsemanship Quiz Challenge Nationals, is a member of the US Equestrian Lettering Program, and participated in Interscholastic Equestrian Association competitions throughout high school. She is a student at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., beginning her collegiate career with a $10,000 scholarship from Los Angeles Hunter Jumper Association after winning their Horsemastership Scholarship Competition.

Watch Stone's acceptance speech here.

Additionally, the Intercollegiate and Interscholastic Equestrian Team Awards were presented to seven teams that demonstrated their excellence in USEF-affiliated collegiate and scholastic organizations in 2019.

The following prestigious awards are bestowed annually to equestrians for their service to the sport. This year’s recipients are as follows:

USEF/EQUUS Foundation Humanitarian Award – Georgina Bloomberg
Walter B. Devereux Sportsmanship Award – Sandra Ruiz
Richard E. McDevitt Award of Merit – Jeanette Durant, Ann Haller, Alexandra Mooney, and Bob Spence
Pegasus Medal of Honor – Hope Hand, Bill Hughes, Michele Macfarlane, and Judy Richter
Ellen Scripps Davis Memorial Breeders’ Award – Barbara Ellison and Cedar Ridge Farm
Sallie Busch Wheeler Trophy – Tim Dutta

Watch the Pegasus Awards presented Adequan in its entirety and hear from all of the award recipients on the USEF Network.

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