Taylor Bradish and Katydid Duchess
3 Time USEF Advanced Single Horse Combined Driving National Champions
2022 and 2024 FEI Combined Driving World Championships Highest Placed US Pair
The Aiken Horse Park Foundation and the Annie Goodwin Rising Star Grant Selection Committee are pleased to congratulate Taylor Bradish on being named the 2025 Annie Goodwin Rising Star Grant recipient.
Annie’s father, Putter Goodwin, who has been integrally involved with the grant since it’s inception commented:
“This is the second year of this grant in Annie’s memory. We continue to get quality applications from aspiring young professionals working hard to be successful in the horse business. It’s so important we do all that we can to give those most deserving a leg up. If we can continue to grow this fund, we will be able to make even more of an impact.”
This year’s grant cycle received seventeen applicants from many different equestrian backgrounds including Polo, Hunter/Jumper, Dressage, Eventing, and Combined Driving. Bradish, a 10 year full time resident of Aiken, SC, stood out from the rest, not only with her impressive professional resume boasting accolades such as 3 Time USEF Advanced Single Horse Combined Driving National Champions and the highest places US pair at the 2022 and 2024 FEI Combined Driving World Championships, but also her dedication to growing the sport here in Aiken.
Upon being awarded the 2025 Annie Goodwin Rising Star Grant, Bradish remarked:
“I am incredibly honored to have been chosen to receive the 2025 Annie Goodwin Rising Star Grant. Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to meet Annie. I have heard many great things about her lifelong dedication to her sport, which is something I think we would have had in common. Receiving this grant will be instrumental in helping me towards my goals of growing the sport of Combined Driving, as well as continuing to develop my training business and competing at the international level.”
Not only did Bradish and Katydid Duchess again represent Team USA at the 2024 FEI Combined Driving World Championships in Le Haras Du Pin, France, placing 6th overall and being the highest placed US pair, but following their time abroad and training with coach Boyd Excell, Bradish sold her 2 time World Championship mare to the world number 1 as his new lead horse for his 4 in hand team. It is a familiar, monumental decision that so many young professionals are faced with in their early career of selling their top horse in order to focus on the next string of up and coming equine athletes and continue propelling their career forward.
The selection committee was deeply impressed by Bradish’s commitment to do right by her horse and her own career, a choice Putter Goodwin shared Annie faced at one point with Bruno. The fact that the world number 1, Boyd Excell, thought so highly of this horse Bradish produced he added her to his own team, speaks so highly of Bradish’s talent and skill as an equestrian and horsewoman. The story echoes that of another Boyd’s partnership with another truly spectacular, self-produced horse, who also took a trip to France this past summer.
To learn more about Taylor Bradish and the sport of Combined Driving, you can visit her website goldencarriagedriving.com.
Selection Committee
The selection committee is comprised of a cross section of equestrian industry professionals, a member of Annie Goodwin’s Family, members of the board of directors and staff of the Aiken Horse Park Foundation.
Boyd Martin, Olympic Eventing Rider/Professional
Daniel Geitner, Professional Hunter/Jumper Rider
Eugene Kneece Jr., Professional Polo Player
Catherine Stumberg, Amateur Hunter/Jumper Rider
Caitlin Silliman, Professional Eventing Rider
Putter Goodwin, Annie Goodwin’s Father
Robert Stevenson, FEI Judge
Tara Bostwick, CEO – Aiken Horse Park Foundation
Kate Boggan, Director of Marketing and Communications – Aiken Horse Park Foundation
Thank you to all of Annie’s friends and family who have already donated to the Annie Goodwin Rising Star Fund. To date, we have received $197,034.22. To make a donation to the Fund, click here.
