Search
Become a Member
  1. Home
  2. Network & News
  3. Press Releases
  4. Article
  • Share:

Cheryl Van Deusen and Kate Bishop Awarded Top Honors in Endurance

by US Equestrian Communications Department | Jan 3, 2020, 10:19 AM

Lexington, Ky. – US Equestrian is pleased to announce the winners of two prestigious awards in the discipline of endurance. Cheryl Van Deusen has been awarded the Maggy Price Endurance Excellence Award, and Kate Bishop has been awarded the Brunjes Junior/Young Rider Trophy.

Cheryl Van Deusen and Hoover the Mover at the USEF Endurance National Championships (Becky Pearman Photography)

The Maggy Price Endurance Excellence Award is presented to the top U.S. senior endurance rider. This award is sponsored by Gold Medal Farm and Larry and Valerie Kanavy, in memory of Maggy Price. Price was the 1992 FEI Endurance World Championship silver medalist and was instrumental in the development of international endurance in the U.S. The Brunjes Junior/Young Rider Trophy is presented to the top U.S. young rider and is awarded in memory of Kathy Brunjes. Brunjes was a successful endurance athlete and an active supporter of the junior/young rider program.

Van Deusen (New Smyrna Beach, Fla.) is currently ranked in the top five on the FEI Endurance Open Riders World Ranking list. Van Deusen’s characteristic consistency and dedication shone through again throughout 2019, kicking off the competition year at Gallop on the Greenway with sweeping wins in the CEI3*-160 aboard Hoover the Mover, her 16-year-old Arabian gelding, and in the CEI2*-120 with EBS Regal Majjaan, her 15-year-old Arabian gelding.

Van Deusen later won the inaugural USEF CEI1* Endurance National Championship with Hoover the Mover, finishing the 80.6-kilometer race in a time of 04:50:01, with an average speed of 16.7 kilometers per hour. Van Deusen currently sits second and third in the FEI Endurance Open Combination World Ranking list with Spotless Summer Magic, her 16-year-old Half-Arabian mare, and EBS Regal Majjaan, respectively.

This is the third consecutive year Van Deusen has won the Maggy Price Endurance Excellence Award.

Kate Bishop and LR April Breeze at the FEI Endurance World Championships for Young Riders & Juniors (Mark Baldino)

Bishop (Raleigh, N.C.) made her first appearance on a U.S. team in 2019, competing at the FEI Endurance World Championships for Young Riders & Juniors in Pisa, Italy, where she led the team to an impressive sixth-place finish. Bishop also rode to the top individual placing for a U.S. rider in the competition, completing the race aboard LR April Breeze, Lisa Green’s 13-year-old Arabian mare, in 06:39:40, with an average speed of 18.02 kilometers per hour.

Back home in the U.S., Bishop added a number of top finishes to her resume throughout the 2019 competition year, including the CEIYJ2*-120 at Gallop on the Greenway and Broxton Bridge, as well as the CEIYJ1*-80 at the Biltmore Challenge.

The 2019 Maggy Price Endurance Excellence Award and the Brunjes Junior/Young Rider Trophy will be presented at the Horse of the Year Awards presented by AON during the 2020 US Equestrian Annual Meeting on Saturday, January 11, in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Stay up to date with U.S. endurance by following USA Endurance on Facebook and US Equestrian on Instagram and Twitter. Use #USAEndurance.