Induction into the Show Jumping Hall of Fame is an honor bestowed annually upon select individuals whose contributions to the sport have set them apart and whose influence has had a significant impact on the sport of show jumping and the equestrian community. It is because of their talents, efforts, accomplishments, and what they have brought to the sport, that the Election Committee, comprising some of the nation's top riders, trainers and officials, voted Kursinski, Steinwedell, Devereux, and The Natural, as the Hall of Fame's newest inductees.
Peter Doubleday, Chairman of the Board of the Show Jumping Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc., formally inducted the four new members into the Show Jumping Hall of Fame. Each Hall of Famer was presented with a beautiful, specially inscribed Tiffany crystal bowl to commemorate the occasion. Kursinski and Steinwedell were on-hand to accept their awards surrounded by close friends and family members. Accepting the award on behalf of Walter Devereux was Kiley Prime, a close friend of the Devereux family. Attending the ceremony on behalf of "The Natural" were the husband (Paul Heller) and son (Kyle Heller) of Katharine Burdsall, who rode The Natural to much of his success; the horse's long-time groom, Joy McCormick, and her son, James; and Paula Inman, whose family imported The Natural and who then gave the horse his new name.
