Howard Simpson and David O’Connor at the 2018 USEA Awards Banquet. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
The 2022 Pegasus Awards Dinner Celebration was held last night at the USEF Annual Meeting in Naples, Fla., and we were pleased to see contributors to the sport of eventing honored.
Howard Simpson of Lake Forest, Ill. was recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to major equestrian events in the U.S. He and his wife, the late Martha Smith Simpson, hosted the first American Continental Young Riders Championship at their Temple Farms in 1985. In 1988, the competition became the North American Young Rider Championships, now called the North American Youth Championships. He served as the director of the NAYC for more than 20 years.
Simpson was instrumental in the creation of the Kentucky Three-Day Event as the first CCI4* (now CCI5*) in the country, and later led the evaluation team that recommended the Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill as the second CCI5* in North America.
Simpson has been active in governance of equestrian sport over the years. He was on the Board of Directors and several committees and councils for US Equestrian. He was on the Board of Governors, served as Vice President of Communications, and is currently a member of the Rebecca Broussard International Developing Rider Grant Selection Committee for the United States Eventing Association Foundation.
The late Tremaine Cooper, a prolific course designer, as well as Sue Hershey, who was instrumental in starting the USEA ICP program, were honored with a Richard E. McDevitt Award of Merit.
You can view a complete list of award winners here.
