The United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation is pleased to recognize the generous support of their Gold Medal Club (GMC) members. The GMC is the lifeblood of the USET Foundation, accounting for nearly 80 percent of individual contributions each year and is comprised of members who contribute a minimum of $1,000 or more annually. On Friday, Jan. 18, the USET Foundation hosted the Gold Medal Club Reception at the International Polo Club in Wellington, Florida, where GMC members who have made the USET Foundation a priority in their charitable giving for 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 years were recognized.
USET Foundation Presents 2019 Lionel Guerrand-Hermès Trophy to Rising Star Daisy Farish
The USET Foundation is pleased to honor the talented young show jumping athlete Daisy Farish of Versailles, Kentucky as the recipient of the 2019 Lionel Guerrand-Hermès Trophy. This prestigious award is presented annually to a junior/young rider in one of the Olympic disciplines who demonstrates the team’s values of sportsmanship and horsemanship.
USET Foundation Awards 2019 Whitney Stone Cup to Dressage Icon Laura Graves
The USET Foundation is pleased to announce that dressage star Laura Graves is the recipient of the 2019 Whitney Stone Cup. The award is presented annually to an active competitor who displays consistent excellence in international competition as well as high standards of sportsmanlike conduct, while serving as an ambassador for the United States and equestrian sport.
S. Tucker S. Johnson Honored with R. Bruce Duchossois Distinguished Trustee Award
In 2015, the USET Foundation announced the creation of the R. Bruce Duchossois Distinguished Trustee Award in honor and recognition of the late Bruce Duchossois. On Friday, Jan. 18, S. Tucker S. Johnson was presented with the 2019 award during the USET Foundation’s Gold Medal Club Reception held at the International Polo Club in Wellington, Florida.
For more information on the USET Foundation, visit www.uset.org.
Daisy Farish and Great White. Photo: SEL Photography.
Gladstone, N.J. – Aug. 13, 2018 – The United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation is excited to announce this year’s recipient of the coveted Maxine Beard Show Jumping Developing Rider Award is Daisy Farish of Versailles, Kentucky. At just 17 years old, the accomplished athlete will be adding this prestigious award to her growing list of achievements.
The presentation of the Maxine Beard Show Jumping Developing Rider Award will take place at the FEI North American Youth Championships (NAYC) each year.
Farish earned the award after being the highest placing United States Young Rider at the 2018 NAYC in the Individual Show Jumping Final, held this year from July 31 to August 5 at Old Salem Farm in North Salem, New York.
With the ongoing mission to support and further the level of America’s developing horses and athletes, the USET Foundation Maxine Beard Show Jumping Developing Rider Award was established to elevate athletes’ opportunities on their journey to equestrian excellence.
“It was really a dream come true,” Farish explained. “I have competed at NAYC for three years in the Junior division, so this was my first year doing the Young Riders division. It was such a nice show at Old Salem Farm. They did a really great job with it. It is been a goal of mine to be successful there for a very long time, so winning meant a lot to me.”
Trained by Andre Dignelli and the team at Heritage Farm, Farish rode her 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding, Great White, to earn a spot on the podium wearing the gold medal after her incredible performances over the course of a few days.
“I have had Bruce for almost three years now. I got him when he was a 7-year-old. We have really grown together and started jumping bigger classes together. It is a really cool feeling to progress at the same rate. He has been so amazing and just couldn’t have been better at Young Riders,” Farish said.
The top three podium spots were selected to go to compete in the Young Rider’s Nation’s Cup in Belgium in September, so Farish will be venturing to Europe shortly and is hoping for further success with the United States Young Rider Teams.
“I now get to take him to Belgium in about one month. I am really excited for that,” Farish said. “As far as the rest of the year, we will continue focusing on getting experience in some of the bigger classes. He is so brave and scopey, so he has been a really great horse for me to jump the bigger classes on.”
As the winner of this immense honor, Farish will also receive a trip to a FEI Nations Cup Show Jumping competition. This will give the young athlete a look at a major international competition including the chance to observe operations in the horse show office, stabling area, veterinary inspections and schooling rings. Farish will also walk and discuss each course and have the chance to strategize with U.S. team riders and the chef d’Equipe.
Farish acknowledged how having the support of the USET Foundation has benefited her as she continues on her path toward competing for the United States at the highest level of the sport.
“The USET Foundation is really great. I have competed at USET Finals many times and I know that they are very involved in that, as well,” Farish noted. “I know everyone, especially the USET Foundation, is trying to focus on developing young riders. It is really cool to be a part of that generation that they are focusing on and supporting.”
For more information on the USET Foundation, visit www.uset.org.
Gladstone, N.J. – The 2014 Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals East kicked off Saturday with the first two phases of competition at the USET Foundation Headquarters. The field of 55 juniors and young riders began the day under grey, rainy skies demonstrating their proficiency on the flat and returned in the afternoon to perform over a gymnastics course designed by Judges Laura Kraut and Jimmy Torano. At the end of the first day of competition Daisy Farish stands atop the leaderboard after two strong efforts.
Farish (Versailles, Ky.) and Christina Antonucci’s Lisalba lead the way on a two-phase score of 185 after scoring 92 and 93, respectively. The pair entered the gymnastics portion of competition standing in second place overall but climbed one spot after posting the highest score of the day in the gymnastics.
Geoffrey Hesslink (Shelburne, Vt.) stands just two points behind Farish on a score of 183 with Peacock Ridge LLC’s Canny Windsor Z. They earned scores of 91 on the flat and 92 in the gymnastics to lay second.
Lillie Keenan (New York, N.Y.) and Isabelle Caccamise’s Catwalk 19 earned scores of 92 and 89 and are currently third on a score of 181. Rounding out the top four is Caitlin Boyle (Hampshire, Ill.) with Chansonette Farm LLC’s Zentina B on a score of 180 (88 and 92 in Phases I and II).
In the flat phase, Ali Trischler (Southport, Conn.) posted the highest score of the day on the flat, a 94, while Farish and McKayla Langmeier (East Granby, Conn.) recorded the top score in the gymnastics with a 93.
Lexington, KY – August 10, 2013 – Daisy Farish capped an outstanding week at the 2013 United States Equestrian Federation Pony Finals by claiming the Grand Pony Hunter Championship with Sassafras Creek. Farish and Sassafras Creek, owned by Redfield Farm of Califon, NJ, were awarded the Medium Pony Hunter Championship on Thursday, and none of the small or large ponies could match their impressive total score of 1035.5, which earned them the Grand title and the International Jumping Derby Perpetual Trophy, donated by Mason Phelps, Jr.
Emma Kurtz and Westside came the closest to besting Farish and Sassafras Creek, as they took home the Large Pony Hunter Championship with a cumulative total of 1020.9 after collecting scores of 86.85, 83 and 80.85 in today’s Large Pony Hunter Over Fences class. Their division winning efforts also earned them the Reserve Grand Pony Hunter Championship.
“I have never been grand or reserve grand at Pony Finals, and before this week I had only been champion once,” Farish said. “So my second time being champion and being grand means a lot to me. It may be my last Pony Finals, so that makes it even better.”
Farish continued, “Sassy has her name for a reason. She is a princess. She likes everything to be her way. When it is, she is just a really great, easy pony. There are no tricks to her. She’s very simple.”
Farish worked with trainer Patricia Griffith of Heritage Farm to prepare for Pony Finals. “I think Heritage and Patricia really helped me because they helped my confidence,” Farish said. “I showed four ponies this week, and Patricia has helped me with every one of them.”
Griffith added, “We monopolized our main ring at home, which they never let us use for the ponies because it’s the biggest sand ring. We took all the horse jumps out and made it a pony explosion! I had our carpenter make us all these little jumps, and we saved them all so that when they walked in the ring they’d never seen any of those fences.”
Griffith’s efforts with Farish and Sassafras Creek, or simply “Sassy,” earned her the Emerson Burr Perpetual Trophy, donated by the 2000 Hunter Pony Committee, and presented to the trainer of the Overall Grand Pony Hunter Champion.
Emma Kurtz and Westside
Reserve Grand Pony Hunter Champions Kurtz and Westside, who was recently purchased by Dr. Betsee Parker of Middleburg, VA, took the third place ribbon in today’s over fences class, the final phase of the Large Pony Hunters. Their strong finish clinched their Large Pony Hunter Championship title and the Reserve Grand Champion award.
“He was really good,” Kurtz said after their round. “Going by the end, he got a little nervous, but he was awesome other than that. He’s really fun, and he’s pretty easy. His jump is so smooth.”
Kurtz, like Farish, has had a series of impressive results at Pony Finals this year, including winning both the Grand and Reserve Grand Green Pony Hunter Championship titles with Yes It’s True and Show Me Love, respectively. Westside, trained by Scott Stewart, is a relatively new ride for Kurtz, and the pair is working to develop a partnership in both the hunter and equitation rings.
“Scott and I are like a couple of Indian chiefs. We get to pow-wowing, and we kind of have fun because we come up with the best ideas when the two of us work together,” said Dr. Betsee Parker. “We didn’t have a medal pony at the national level for our two new young riders, Emma Kurtz and Taylor St Jacques, and we really wanted to support them with a real top-flight medal pony for the next year.”
With that idea in mind, Parker purchased Westside this week with the goal of providing a top equitation horse for Kurtz and St Jacques. The win in the Large Pony Hunters came as an unexpected bonus.
“He really surprised us,” Parker said. “Westside just really did his thing today. We were pretty excited.”
First place over fences, along with the Large Pony Hunter Reserve Championship, went to Aleece Jarman and her own Valentino. Jarman, of Pace, FL, earned scores of 87.2, 83.5 and 84.5. Isabel Ryan of Locust Valley, NY and her own Woodlands Misty Rain finished second over fences on scores of 86.5, 80.75 and 84.5.
Taylor St Jacques and Enjoy The Laughter
This year’s Hunter Pony Championships, presented by Sallee Horse Vans, concluded with the Under Saddle Champion Class, which brought back top finishers from all of the week’s under saddle classes to square off for the title. Judges gradually narrowed down the field of 23 until the top 10 combinations remained in the ring. They began pinning the class, calling horses into the middle one by one until it was a head-to-head competition between Dr. Betsee Parker’s Enjoy the Laughter, ridden by Taylor St Jacques, and Addison Piper’s Goldfish, ridden by Isabella Di Benedetto. St Jacques was finally named the winner, making it two in a row for Enjoy the Laughter, who took last year’s title with Cloe Hymowitz aboard.
An afternoon awards ceremony was held in the Alltech Arena to recognize the week’s best performers in the hunter divisions. The High Score State Team Award went to the Florida team comprised of Kurtz and Westside, Jarman and Valentino, and Bernadette Chungunco and Donald Stewart’s Steal the Crowd. They received the International Challenge Trophy.
The Buttons ‘n’ Bows Sportsmanship Trophy, donated by Mr. R. Bates Newton in memory of Maxine Best, was awarded to 8-year-old Hagen Hall of Thompson Station, TN. Blue on Blue, ridden by Sarah Boston and owned by Chloe D. Reid LLC, received the Betsy Fishback Memorial Trophy, given to the best turned out hunter pony. Kurtz was recognized for her achievements with the Mindy Darst Perpetual Trophy, awarded to the equestrian athlete with potential to become a top professional in the future.
The USEF Pony Finals conclude Sunday with a shift in focus to equitation, as the nation’s best pony riders face off in the Pony Medal Finals.
For more information about the 2013 USEF Pony Finals, please visit www.usef.org.
Lexington, KY – Another cool summer day greeted exhibitors for the 2011 United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Pony Finals at the beautiful Kentucky Horse Park. The Large Pony Hunters took center stage in the Walnut Ring this morning as they completed their Model and Under Saddle phases, where Meredith Darst and For the Laughter took home both blue ribbons. The Small Pony Hunter Over Fences were next, and at the end of the day Daisy Farish and Ballou earned the Overall Small Pony Hunter Grand Championship with their consistency throughout the division. Finally, in the Covered Arena, riders participated in the USEF National Pony Jumper Team Championship.
“Third time is the charm” proved to be the lucky phrase for today’s winning combination in the Small Pony Hunters. This is Daisy Farish’s third year competing at Pony Finals and it proved to be the best. Farish and Ballou, owned by Victoria Colvin of Loxahatchee, FL, took home the Overall Small Pony Hunter Championship, presented by Sallee Horse Vans, and the Professional Horseman’s Association of America Perpetual Trophy. The duo was ranked eighth going into today’s Over Fences phase, and with scores of 84.7, 83.25, and 87 they scored the third-place award, jumping to the top of the leaderboard and earning the coveted title.
“I have been riding Ballou for about three years,” explained 10-year-old Farish, who trains with Scott Stewart. “He jumps really well and he is very easy to find the distance on, he’s very smooth. I rode him at Pony Finals before, but we weren’t as good as this year. We have been coming to Pony Finals for about three years and I felt ready this year. I chose to show Ballou because I have ridden him for a long time and have a good relationship with him. Ballou has shown a lot, so it helps me to stay confident. He also has a really sweet barn personality; he is very sweet and he loves apples.”
The winner of today’s Small Pony Hunter Over Fences phase was also the division’s reserve champion. Bergen Sanderford and First Edition, owned by Katie Dinan LLC of New York, NY, received scores of 87, 85.25, and 85.25 to take home the blue ribbon prize as well as the Overall Small Pony Hunter Reserve Grand Champion title. The second-place finisher during the Over Fences was last year’s champion mount, Elation, owned by Dr. Betsee Parker of Middleburg, VA, who was ridden by McKayla Langmeier. The pair earned scores of 86, 83, and 86 for their beautiful round.
