Anthony D’Ambrosio and Linda Allen Elected to Show Jumping Hall of Fame

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, elected D’Ambrosio and Allen as the class of 2022.

Anthony D’Ambrosio   

Anthony D’Ambrosio

An award-winning rider, trainer, and course designer, Anthony D’Ambrosio has had a highly successful career in show jumping, starting with his first horse show win at age 9. His more than 40 years of experience include many successes in Grand Prix and Puissance competitions, as well as a high-jump record that has held since 1983. D’Ambrosio twice set the world record for the Puissance. His first record came in 1973 at the National Horse Show in Madison Square Garden where he jumped 7’4” aboard Sympatico, who was inducted into the Show Jumping Hall of Fame in 2017. Riding Sweet & Low at the Washington International Horse Show, D’Ambrosio set the record again in 1983 at 7’7 ½”, an indoor record that still stands today!

D’Ambrosio won over 30 Grand Prix competitions overall including the Hampton Classic, USET Show Jumping Championship, International Jumping Derby, and the International Cup of Mexico, to name a few. D’Ambrosio began designing courses in 1995, and he is currently an FEI 4* Course Designer. He has created tests at some of the biggest events in the world, including the 2009 and 2015 FEI World Cup™ Finals in Las Vegas. He has also created tests at such prestigious events as Spruce Meadows in Canada, where he was Course Designer for ten years, the North American Young Riders Championships, the Pan American Games Trials for the Canadian Team, Blenheim in California and the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington. He was honored as the USHJA Course Designer of the Year in 2008 and 2010.

D’Ambrosio also served as Technical Advisor/Delegate and Course Designer Liaison for the Winter Equestrian Festival from 2001-2009 and as Foreign Technical Delegate at the 2010 FEI World Cup™ Final in Geneva, Switzerland. He has also served as Technical Delegate at Spruce Meadows. He and his wife Michael are based out of Wild Horse Ranch in Red Hook, NY, which specializes in developing Grand Prix jumpers. He has sold four Olympic horses, three of which he developed from an early age, as well as many other Grand Prix winners. He also has a consulting business which provides guidance and knowledge to many of the top equine facilities in the country. D’Ambrosio and his wife have a son, Cody.

Linda Allen

Linda Allen

Linda Allen has spent more than 60 years in equestrian sports. She began as a rider, reaching the Grand Prix level where she represented the U.S. in international competition and followed that with a career as an internationally respected official that saw her judge and design courses for some of the world’s premier events including the FEI World Cup™ Finals and Olympic Games. Early in her career, Allen developed horses for and competed at the Grand Prix level throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe, including being a member of U.S. Nations Cup squads on multiple occasions. 

Following her riding career, Allen became a USEF ‘R’ Jumper Course Designer and Judge, FEI Level 3 Judge and an FEI Level 4 Course Designer. This carried her to the sport’s highest level. Allen was Technical Delegate for the 1994 FEI World Equestrian Games (The Hague), 1999 Pan American Games (Winnipeg), three FEI World Cup Finals, the 1998 America’s Cup Junior and Young Rider Championships (Sao Paulo), and 2006 World Children’s Final (Calgary). In 2007, Allen was selected as President of the Ground Jury for the FEI World Cup Finals in Las Vegas and the North American Junior and Young Rider Championships. She has also served as President of the Ground Jury for other FEI events in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Allen also served on the Ground Jury for the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games and 2000 FEI World Cup Finals, as well as for other FEI events around the world.

It was perhaps as a Course Designer that Allen achieved her greatest fame. She designed courses at major events around the world including the 1996 Olympic Games, 1992 FEI World Cup Finals (Del Mar), 1999 World Breeding Championships for Young Horses (Belgium), 2003 Super League Nations Cup (Dublin), 2004 & 2005 Super League Nations Cup (Rotterdam), 2005 & 2006 North American Junior and Young Rider Championships (Lexington, VA) and 2007 World Children’s Final (Mexico).

Allen has also served as a Design Consultant for more than 50 equestrian facilities (commercial and private) throughout the U.S., Mexico and Canada and conducted clinics worldwide for riding, course design and judging. She has served on the Board (often as an officer) of USEF, USET, USA Equestrian Trust, Young Jumper Futurity, Young Jumper Championships, Young Horse Trainers’ School, Monterey Horse Park, International Course Designers Council and others and has authored many articles for publications such as L’Année Hippique, The Chronicle of the Horse and EquestrianCoach.com. She also authored the book, 101 Jumping Exercises for Horse and Rider, and the DVD, The JumpSmart Guide to Course Building. Allen has received many honors and awards including the USEF Pegasus Medal of Honor, The Chronicle of the Horse’s Show Jumping Horseman of the Year, and the California Professional Horsemen’s Association (CPHA) Horsewoman of the Year, Special Achievement Award and Lifetime Achievement Award. She has been honored as Course Designer of the Year four times by the USEF and three times by the PCHA. 

source: Press release