Equestrian, an athletic discipline in which a rider and horse showcase cohesion while navigating a series of obstacles, is an international sport with prominent annual events in several countries, including the United States, Canada, England, France, and Germany. Prestigious horse events like the Royal Horse Show, Paris Horse Show, Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, and Royal Windsor Horse Show bring together the world’s best riders and most impressive horses.
There are also several different governing bodies for the sport, including the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) in the US and the global Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI). These and other organizations host events and provide resources to riders. They also give out annual awards to those who have proven themselves the best in their respective class.
Read on for a look at five riders who won major equestrian awards in 2022.
1. Charlotte Fry
World champion British dressage athlete Charlotte Fry was the big winner at the 2022 FEI Awards, held in Cape Town, South Africa. Fry won the coveted Peden Bloodstock FEI Best Athlete award ahead of vaulting world champion Lambert Leclezio, jumping world champion Henrik von Eckermann, and para-equestrian dressage world champion Sanne Voets. Riding the powerful black stallion Glamourdale, Fry, 26, became the youngest Freestyle World Champion of all time after three impressive performances at Herning 2022.
“The people who I need to thank the most for all my successes so far is definitely Anne and Gertjan Van Olst for giving me so many amazing opportunities and allowing me to ride horses like Glamourdale every day,” Fry said, after winning the award. “And of course to my whole team, sponsors, and my family at home who I had to leave behind when I moved here, and to everyone who voted for me to become the best athlete for this year.”
The daughter of Olympic dressage rider Laura Fry, Charlotte was trained by Olympian Carl Hester and relocated to the Netherlands to train with Van Olst, a five-time Olympian, when she was 17. She won medals in the U25 Euros and helped Britain win a team bronze medal in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
2. Boyd Martin
Boyd Martin was the big winner at the United States Eventing Association (USEA) Annual Meeting and Convention in December 2022. Martin, who competed 19 horses spanning multiple USEA levels in 2022, was named the World Equestrian Brands USEA Rider of the Year for the sixth time in his career. The three-time Olympian from Cochranville, Pennsylvania, finished in fourth place and won the USEF CCI5*-L Eventing Reserve National Championship with Tsetserleg TSF at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event. He also won the CCI4*-L at the Tryon International Equestrian Center.
In addition to his domestic success, Martin was a member of the gold-medal-winning US eventing teams at the 2015 and 2019 Pan American Games and won individual gold in the latter year. In 2021, he became the first American to win a CCI5* in more than a dozen years.
3. Tamie Smith
A 47-year-old native of Murrieta, California, Tamie Smith won the Bates USEA Lady Rider of the Year at the USEA Annual Meeting and Convention for the second year in a row. In 2022, Smith won the Morven Park CCI4*-L and finished second in the Maryland 5 Star CCI5*-L. She also recorded top-10 finishes in the Badminton Horse Trials CCI5*, The Event at Rebecca Farm CCI4*-S, and the FEI Eventing World Championships. She won a team silver medal at the 2022 FEI Eventing World Championships.
If the start of her 2023 season is any indication, Smith could win the award again this year. Riding Mai Baum, she became the first American to win the Land Rover/USEF CCI5*-L Eventing National Championship since Phillip Dutton in 2008.
4. Cassie Sanger
Cassie Sanger of Connecticut won the RevitaVet USEA Young Rider of the Year at the USEA Annual Meeting and Convention. Sanger, 18, has balanced a busy riding schedule with her high school responsibilities for the last couple of years with plenty of support from her mom, whom she jokes is more like her “momager.” Sanger’s highlights in 2022 include a win in her debut CCI2*-L event in Canada and top-10 finishes in the Maryland International + Horse Trials and the Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill.
5. Hope Hand
At its 2023 Annual Meeting, US Equestrian honored Hope Hand with its Lifetime Achievement Award. Hand, who died in June 2022, was an accomplished para-dressage athlete who represented the United States in multiple international competitions. She finished fifth in the 2000 Paralympics in Australia and served on the USEF board and on multiple committees.
Hand was also a former president of the United States Para-Equestrian Association and played a key role in securing official sport status for para-dressage with the USEF and FEI. Her achievements and contributions to para-dressage were celebrated at the Pegasus Awards Dinner on January 12.