The United States Equestrian Team Foundation is pleased to announce that the recipient of the 2014 Lionel Guerrand-Hermès Trophy is the talented show jumping rider Katie Dinan of New York, NY and Wellington, FL.
Each year this award is presented to a young rider in one of the Olympic disciplines who exemplifies both sportsmanship and horsemanship. In 2013, Dinan had a breakthrough year competing at her first World Cup Finals and representing the United States at the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Jumping Final in Barcelona, Spain.
Dinan was presented with this prestigious award at the USET Foundation Gala on January 24th, in Wellington, Florida. "I am very honored to be this year's recipient of the Lionel Guerrand- Hermès Trophy," Dinan commented. "Past recipients of the award include riders whom I look up to as well as some of my incredibly talented contemporaries. I am excited to have my name join the list and to be recognized by the USET Foundation as a young rider who demonstrates sportsmanship and horsemanship, two qualities I aspire to embody in this sport."
For a young rider to achieve consistent success is not an easy feat, and to do it while carrying a full course load at college is even more impressive. In 2013, Katie Dinan managed to do just that. She competed in her first ever World Cup Final in Gothenburg, Sweden, and she then went on to represent the United States during two Nations Cup events. Two clear rounds helped her clinch the Furusiyya Rider of the Day Award at Spruce Meadows, and she was also a part of the third-place team in Dublin. In September, Dinan was a part of the U.S. team during the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Jumping Final in Barcelona, Spain, where she helped them take top honors in the Consolation Round.
"2013 was my first year really competing with the U.S. Team," noted Dinan. "I had always dreamed of going to the World Cup Finals and competing on Nations Cup Teams. I had amazing opportunities this past year to compete on teams with some of the best riders in our sport and gained invaluable experience. I give tremendous credit to my horse, Nougat du Vallet, who has been an incredible partner for me. Finishing the year with the Grand Prix win at the Alltech National Horse Show was a big moment for us, and it was really exciting to win a grand prix of that caliber.
Earlier in the year she kicked things off with a second place finish in the $125,000 FEI World Cup Grand Prix to qualify for the Finals, and she then went on to win the $100,000 Old Salem Grand Prix. She concluded the year with a fantastic victory in the Alltech $250,000 Grand Prix at the Alltech National Horse Show aboard Nougat Du Vallet.
Dinan is star outside of the ring as well. She is a 20-year-old sophomore at Harvard University, where she is studying Human Developmental and Regenerative Biology.
"While balancing riding and school can be hectic, I am incredibly lucky to have an amazing team at our farm, Staysail," commented Dinan. "This allows me to go back and forth from school to competitions. I appreciate the balance gained from both attending university and riding. Looking forward, I hope to have additional opportunities to represent our country and dream of attending championship competitions."
Dinan concluded, "I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people who have coached me, especially McLain Ward, the recipient of this same award in 1991, who gave me invaluable guidance over the past three years. I am also very grateful to Craig Pollard, who runs our farm, and Camilla Pettersson, who takes care of Nougat and Glory Days, for keeping my horses in super form. Most of all, I would like to thank my family for their endless support."
Patrick Guerrand-Hermès established the Lionel Guerrand-Hermès Memorial Award in 1983 in memory of his son, Lionel, who was tragically killed in an automobile accident in 1981 at the age of 18. Lionel trained with the United States Equestrian Team and was talented enough to be considered an Olympic hopeful. A perpetual trophy designed by Patrick Guerrand-Hermès is inscribed annually with the winner's name and permanently displayed at the USET Foundation headquarters in Gladstone, NJ. Previous winners are:
1983 - Mark Leone
1984 - Jeffery Welles
1985 - Holly Mitten
1986 - Gregory A Best
1987 - Susanne Owen
1988 - Christopher Kappler
1989 - Mollie Bliss
1990 - Kim Keenan
1991 - McLain Ward
1992 - Abigail Lufkin
1993 - Mark Combs
1994 - Gabriella Salick
1995 - Megan Johnstone
1996 - Jonathan Elliot
1997 - Alison Firestone
1998 - Bruce Davidson Jr.
1999 - Chad Geeter
2000 - Elise Haas
2001 - Marilyn Little
2002 - Clark Montgomery
2003 - Will Faudree
2004 - Kristin Schmolze
2005 - Brianne Goutal
2006 - Katie Hamilton
2007 - Carolyn Kelly
2008 - Hillary Dobbs
2009 - Laura Noyes
2010 - Jennifer Waxman
2011 - Tiana Coudray
2012 - Lucy Davis
2013 - Reed Kessler
2014 - Katie Dinan
© Press release from USET Foundation
