Wellington, FL – January 28, 2013 – The United States Equestrian Team Foundation is pleased to announce that the recipient of the 2013 Lionel Guerrand-Hermes Trophy is the talented show jumping rider Reed Kessler of Lexington, KY. Each year this award is presented to a young rider in one of the Olympic disciplines who exemplifies both sportsmanship and horsemanship. In 2012, Kessler advanced to the highest levels of the sport, competing during the Olympic Trials and winning the USEF Show Jumping National Championship. After her stellar performance throughout the Observation Events, Kessler and her top mount Cylana were selected to represent the United States at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Kessler, an 18-year-old graduate of the Professional Children’s School, was presented with this prestigious award at the USET Foundation Reception on January 25th, in Wellington, Florida.

“The list of riders who have stood in this exact place giving this same speech is a truly exceptional group, and I am honored to join their ranks,” stated Kessler. “One year ago, I sat in this audience, wondering how my first Florida show season, free from all the age restrictions, would go. I sat wondering if I would be ready for the approaching Olympic Trials, and most of all, who would make up the team that we would send to London. It did not cross my mind that one year later I would stand here, having been a member of that team. It did not occur to me that my new horse, Cylana, which we were still so unfamiliar with, would carry me to those Games. It is truly amazing what can happen in a year, and when I look back, this will probably be one of the best of my life.”

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