As the national governing body for equestrianism, US Equestrian strives to grow the sport at the grassroots level, provides training for riders, and works to ensure the safety of all equine and human athletes. The organization also licenses equestrian events throughout the US and funds the US Equestrian Team, which competes in the Olympic Games and other international competitions.
US Equestrian honors the top national/international riders and horses at its Pegasus Awards Dinner and SmartPak/USEF Horse of the Year Awards Dinner, respectively. Both events are held in January during the USEF Annual Meeting. Below is a look at the four winners in each category as well as the two winners of US Equestrian’s top prizes for endurance riders.
Cannon Creek (National Horse of the Year)
A 2011 Holsteiner gelding owned by the Wheeler family, Cannon Creek debuted on the hunter circuit in 2021 and was easily the most dominant horse in the high performance division in 2022. Along with trainer Hunt Tosh, who won the National Equestrian of the Year, Cannon Creek won the Platinum Performance/USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship at Blue Grass Festival, the $25,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby at the Ocala Championship, and Upperville Colt & Horse Show, among others.
Cannon Creek and Tosh continued their success into the indoors season, winning the National Horse Show in Lexington, Kentucky, and the Pennsylvania National Horse Show in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Sallie-Mason Wheeler accepted the Horse of the Year trophy, while her family received three bottles of highly rated wine.
Salvino (International Horse of the Year)
Salvino, known affectionately as Vinny, won the International Horse of the Year at the SmartPak/USEF Horse of the Year Awards Dinner. Owned by Betsy Juliano LLC and ridden by International Equestrian of the Year Adrienne Lyle, Salvino is a 2007 Hanoverian stallion ranked 11th in the FEI Dressage World rankings. His impressive 2022 season began with first-place finishes in the CDI5* Grand Prix, Grand Prix Special, and CDI4* Grand Prix at the 2022 Adequan Global Dressage Festival. He is known as a performer who loves showing off to the crowd.
Competing in his third major championship with Lyle at the FEI Dressage World Championship in Herning, Denmark, Salvino recorded the second-best score of his riding career in the Freestyle event with an 83.704 percent. He and Lyle finished sixth in the Blue Hors FEI World Dressage Grand Prix Freestyle Championship. Betsy Juliano, who accepted the Horse of the Year trophy, attributed much of the horse’s success to Lyle.
“None of you would know about Salvino without his best friend, trusted confidant, and rider Adrienne Lyle, the USEF International Equestrian of the Year. She has made this horse who he is,” Juliano said during her acceptance speech, explaining that even innately talented horses like Salvino need a good rider to reach their true, full potential. Juliano also credited Salvino’s success to trainer Debbie McDonald and head groom Morgan Klingensmith.
Hunt Tosh (National Equestrian of the Year)
In addition to his success riding Cannon Creek in 2022, Tosh had several wins in green hunters, most notably with Corragio, a 2012 Dutch Warmblood stallion owned by Redfield Farms. Together, they won the 3’6″ championship at Ocala Winter Festival (OWF) and a reserve championship at the National Horse Show as well as 3′ titles at OWF, Ocala Masters, Ocala Winter Finals, Aiken Fall Festival, and Aiken Charity II. Tosh also earned the Emerson Burr Trophy as the top equestrian in over-fences hunter classes. This is his second consecutive USEF National Equestrian of the Year title.
Adrienne Lyle (International Equestrian of the Year)
Lyle, a former Olympian, won the International Equestrian of the Year largely for her success with Salvino. They were the only American team partnership to participate in all three events at the World Championships and played a critical role in helping the U.S. Dressage Team qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Lyle also won a pair of national titles at the 2022 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions riding Fürst Dream and Valor.
Cheryl Van Deusen (Maggy Price Endurance Excellence Award)
Cheryl Van Deusen, recently named to the U.S. Endurance Team for the 2022 FEI Endurance World Championship in the United Arab Emirates, was awarded the Maggy Price Endurance Excellence Award as the best senior endurance rider in the country at US Equestrian’s Annual Meeting in January. An experienced rider from New Smyrna Beach, Florida, Van Deusen finished first in the U.S. senior rankings for the sixth consecutive year in 2022.
Avery Betz-Conway (Brunges Junior/Young Rider Trophy)
Avery Betz-Conway of Kingsland, Georgia, received the Brunges Junior/Young Rider Trophy as the best junior rider in the country. Riding RR Soldier, a 2012 Arabian gelding, Betz-Conway won the Ride in the Low Country CEIYJ2* and completed the Spring Ride in the Low Country CEIYJ2* and Greenway Gallivant CEIYJ1*. She also won the Ride in the Low Country 80 km ride and CEIYJ1* at JD’s Carolina with Djets Mojo, a 2014 Arabian gelding.