Photo by Tilly Berendt.
US Equestrian is pleased to announce the 2023 Horse of the Year and Equestrian of the Year nominees. The International and National Horses of the Year will be announced at the 2023 SmartPak/USEF Horse of the Year Awards Dinner on Saturday, Jan. 13, and the International and National Equestrians of the Year will be announced at the 2023 Pegasus Awards Dinner on Sunday, Jan. 14, at the 2024 US Equestrian Annual Meeting in Louisville, Ky.
Horses of Honor and Equestrians of Honor are nominated by their USEF affiliate organization or USEF breed or discipline committee, and the finalists are selected by the USEF Awards Committee. The final Horses of the Year and Equestrians of the Year are determined by member voting.
Voting is open now through 11:59 p.m. ET on Dec. 29. Click here to vote now. Please note that you must be logged in to your USEF account to vote. After submitting your selections, you will receive an email asking you to confirm your vote. You must confirm your ballot in order for your votes to count!
[Click here to cast your votes]
Leading the way to represent the eventing sector of the sports are Land Rover Kentucky 5* winners Tamie Smith (nominated for International Equestrian of Honor) and the Ahearn and Markell family’s Mai Baum (nominated for National Horse of Honor). Not to be left out and also nominated are California-based para driver Tracy Bowman, who’s also heavily involved in eventing and has trained riders up through the 4* level, and her superstar horse, Albrecht’s Hoeve’s Lars (nominated for International Horse of Honor).
Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Tamie Smith:
The William C. Steinkraus Trophy is presented to an equestrian competing in the Olympic disciplines of dressage, eventing, or show jumping.
Tamra “Tamie” Smith started off 2023 strong, finishing first, second, and fifth in the Galway Downs International Spring CCI4*-S. She partnered with Elliot V to finish third in the Twin Rivers Spring International CCI4*-S. Smith earned a major victory with Mai Baum at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS Equestrian CCI5*-L, becoming the first American to win the event since 2008 and the first female to win since 2011. The win also secured them the Land Rover/USEF CCI5*-L Eventing National Championship presented by MARS Equestrian. The pair then finished third in the CCIO4*-S at the CHIO Aachen World Equestrian Festival and helped secure a silver medal for the Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team.
Later in the year, Smith and Kynan were second in The Event at Rebecca Farm CCI4*-S before being named as the Traveling Alternate for 2023 Pan American Games in Santigo, Chile. Smith racked up second, fourth, and fifth in the Twin Rivers Fall International CCI4*-S. She closed out her season with a sixth-place finish in the USEF CCI4*-L Eventing National Championship at Galway Downs.
Smith is currently ranked 27th on the FEI Eventing World Athlete Rankings, having reached a career high of fifth earlier in the year. Outside of competition, Smith contributes to the sport by serving on the USEF Eventing Athletes Working Group (2018-present).
Tracy Bowman (with Jolie Wentworth) and Albrecht’s Hoeve’s Lars. Photo by Sherry Stewart.
Tracy Bowman:
The Becky Grand Hart Trophy is presented to international-level non-Olympic athletes.
Tracy Bowman is one of the world’s top para driving athletes with her Welsh Pony gelding Albrecht’s Hoeve’s Lars. The duo won the individual gold medal at the 2021 FEI Para Driving World Championship and aimed to defend their title at the 2023 FEI Para Driving World Championship. To prepare for the prestigious event, Bowman and “Lars” trained and competed in Europe throughout the summer. They won each national para combined driving event that they entered in the lead up to the world championship.
Bowman and Lars had a dominant performance at the 2023 FEI Para Driving World Championship. They led the Grade 1 competition from start to finish to earn the individual gold medal, winning the driven dressage and cones phases and finishing second in the marathon phase. Bowman and Lars also aided the U.S. Para Driving Team in clinching the team silver medal to conclude a fantastic event.
Bowman contributed to the USEF Driving Sport Committee, advising on the addition of para driving to the USEF Combined Driving Athlete Pathway Program and a USEF Para Driving National Championship. Outside of para driving, Bowman is an active supporter of the eventing community in California as the owner of Kismet Farm, and she has trained athletes to the CCI4* level.
Tamie Smith and Mai Baum. Photo by Alex Jeffery.
Mai Baum:
The striking Mai Baum earned an impressive string of results in 2023. Mai Baum and Tamie Smith began the season on the West Coast with a win in the Galway Downs International Spring CCI4*-S. They traveled east for the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS Equestrian™ CCI5*-L. The pair added nothing to their dressage score of 24.2 to earn a historic victory, becoming the first American combination to win the event since 2008, and Smith being the first female to win since 2011. The win also secured them the Land Rover/USEF CCI5*-L Eventing National Championship presented by MARS Equestrian.
Next, Mai Baum and Smith headed to Aachen, Germany, for the prestigious CHIO Aachen World Equestrian Festival. The pair then finished third in the CCIO4*-S as the highest-placed American combination and helped secure a silver medal for the Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team. Despite being 17 years old, Mai Baum, or “Lexus” as he is known in the barn, proved that he is a talented U.S. eventing horse who continues to earn top results around the world.
Tracy Bowman (with Jolie Wentworth) and Albrecht’s Hoeve’s Lars. Photo by Sherry Stewart.
Albrecht’s Hoeve’s Lars
Albrecht’s Hoeve’s Lars has a prolific record in the discipline of para driving. The 2009 Welsh Pony gelding won team and Grade II individual gold at the 2018 FEI Para Driving World Championship for the Netherlands with his previous owner. In 2021, Tracy Bowman purchased “Lars” and quickly formed a partnership. That year, they clinched Grade I individual gold at the FEI Para Driving World Championship. In 2023, Bowman had her sights set on defending their title.
Lars and Bowman trained and competed in Europe throughout the summer to prepare for the 2023 FEI Para Driving World Championship. They won each national para combined driving event that they entered in the lead up to the international event. Lars and Bowman demonstrated their skills at the World Championship by leading the Grade I competition from start to finish. The pair won the driven dressage and cones phases and finished second in the marathon phase on their way to earning the Grade I individual gold medal—Lars’s third consecutive para driving individual gold medal. Lars and Bowman also helped the U.S. Para Driving Team in taking home the team silver medal to conclude an impressive performance on the world stage.
Of course, a whole slew of horses and riders are also nominated, so be sure to check out all the nominees before casting your vote! Click here to read more about them.
