Archive: Amateur Sportsmanship Award 2006-2014

2015 Kim Kolloff

Kim Kolloff is an Adult Amateur who has an amazing capacity for sharing love with all the animals and people she meets. Kim suffers from MS and she views each day and each life she touches as a gift. Kim has been riding for over 30 years and she currently trains with Sara Tyndall, showing in the 2'6" Adults. There have been times when she experiences moments of fear and it has been very hard for her to ride and show but even sidelined from the ring, she will be in her golf cart encouraging and cheering on her fellow competitors. She loves her horses and can always be seen grazing a horse and stuffing his face full of carrots and peppermints.

Kim's appreciation of life manifests itself in the many ways she tries to encourage and teach the younger generation in our sport to give back and not just be takers. She created one of the only Kid's events that is held in Wellington; The Lip Sync event held to benefit Danny and Ron's Rescue. The children are involved at every level of this event, as performers(solo or in groups), lining up sponsorships along with having bake sales, car washes, boot shining booths, puppet shows and art sales. The money they raise goes directly to the rescue which has saved over 9000 dogs that go on to find loving homes. Kim is there every day to watch the children practice and help them organize their event. She is there to teach them the importance of animal rescue and responsible animal ownership. Kim works tirelessly with young people the rest of the year organizing the kids to come help and walk the dogs at the rescue and at the horse shows. Her message to them about saving animal lives and the importance of animal welfare is central to their education about the importance of life.

Kim is the kind of person whose enthusiasm is real and cannot be missed when you meet her. Her warmth and love for animals, children and grownups is a lesson of the heart for all of us. She teaches everyone that the true meaning of giving is to give and many times not even let the recipient know who gave the gift! Recognition for giving is not what it is about. Kim is a true role model for our sport as exhibitor, owner, mentor and generous donor but most of all as a kind and loving individual.

2014 Shirley Murphy

A multitude of activities that show her passion for animals, support of others, willingness to contribute to worthy programs, and of course her general, all around sportsmanship all contributed to Shirley being a clear choice as the winner of the 2014 Amateur Sportsmanship Award. Some know Shirley Murphy as Coach of Stonehill College Equestrian Team, where she volunteered as show secretary, organized meetings and trips, managed team horses, mentored young riders, and most notably led them to a national championship with the assistance of her twin sister in 2003. During that time she also made donations to offset many travel, and competition costs. In addition Shirley and her sister Sheila established their own sportsmanship award, in honor of their mother, which offered scholarship money to students in their IHSA region. These contributions were clear evidence of her belief that every student should have a chance to ride, and be on the team.

But Shirley always wanted to help others experience her sport, and twice established University equestrian teams. As an undergrad in 1989, she founded the University of Massachusetts – Dartmouth Team, which has now reached NCAA division III status. And later, as a resident of North Carolina, founded the University of Charlotte Equestrian Team, which sent riders to Zone and Nationals, and was home to a four time individual Tournament of Champions over fences winner.

Today Shirley is a regular sponsor of horse show classes; including classes that honor grooms, showing that she truly appreciates their hard work. She's also a champion for animals in need, many times fostering both horses, and dogs, until loving homes can be found. And if her recognition by members of the horse world isn't enough, consider the fact that Shirley has even been honored with an award for volunteerism by President Barack Obama.

2013 Bruce Duchossois

Bruce Duchossois has dedicated his life to the equestrian sport as both an avid horseman and an exemplary leader within the community. Duchossois' passion for horses is rooted in his upbringing. His mother rode and showed American Saddlebreds, while his father owned the Arlington Race Track near Chicago, IL. He continues this love for horses in his everyday life.

He is not only a lifetime member of the United States Hunter Jumper Association, United States Equestrian Federation, United States Eventing Association, and the American Quarter Horse Association, but recently was elected as the Vice President of the USET Foundation. He works as the Chair of the Nominating Committee and the Development Committee for the USET Foundation, while also maintaining his role as a member of the USHJA Zone 4 Committee and Co-Chair of the Owners Task Force. Duchossois serves on the National Horse Show Board of Directors, and was the Chair of the Gentleman's Committee for the prestigious 2013 Alltech National Horse Show. He also is a strong supporter of the Middleburg Classic, Capital Challenge and Blowing Rock, as well as serving as the Executive Board member for the Equestrian Aid Foundation. In February 2013 he was awarded the Equestrian Aid Foundation's Luminary Award.

Duchossois' excellence and integrity continue into the show ring where he competes as one of the nation's leading exhibitors in the Adult and Amateur Hunter divisions. He is the epitome of a true horseman, even dedicating much of his free time and resources to equestrian and animal philanthropy.

He has served as the Executive Director of Friends of Handicapped Riders, also volunteering his time as a walker within their therapy program. He continues his love for the benefits of equestrian therapy through his support of the Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center (VTRC) in West Palm Beach, Florida. Not only does Duchossois adopt a horse each year for the VTRC, but he has also rehomed two of their retired therapeutic horses to his own barn. Several fostered horses from Wellington's Pure Thoughts Rescue, join the retired therapy horses, and Duchossois has worked diligently to find them the perfect home. He has also served as a board member for the Aiken ASPCA.

2013 Caroline Moran

Upon turning 40, Caroline made the decision to curb her horse showing and become more involved in her community. She became working with The Caridad Center in Boynton Beach, FL, a free medical and dental clinic which serves the poor and underinsured of Palm Beach County. The over 400 volunteer medical professionals at the clinic serve over 25,000 patients a year. The draw to Caridad was the realization of how many people in the horse industry (grooms in particular) who went there seeking medical or dental treatment. Caroline realized that many of the horses are offered better medical treatment than the hard working people, and their families, who take care of them. Her ambition is to help Caridad become the best facility possible so that the people who do so much for our horses will have somewhere to turn to in their time of need.

Caroline has long held the belief that the grooms are the unsung heroes in the horse industry, spending countless hours preparing our horses for competition and rarely receiving the proper recognition they deserve. It was an easy and proud decision to sponsor the groom's award at Capital Challenge and Middleburg Classic, and The Prince Charming Award at The Pennsylvania National. The Prince Charming Award is a trophy to the leading Amateur rider and a cash award to his or her groom.

Her involvement with The Middleburg Classic is quite personal, having started with a group of close friends in memory of those the horse industry had lost to AIDS. The beneficiary, Food and Friends, delivers millions of prepared meals to those who are home bound with debilitating illnesses.

Caroline feels very fortunate that her life has allowed her to have owned and ridden some incredible horses such as Ring Bearer, Can Can, Prince Charming, Ultimate, In Return, Pave, Pirate, Saint Nick, Just Jack and Bacardi to name a few. She is equally quick to acknowledge the amazing team behind her, without whom she couldn't have done it without. Sportsmanship goes beyond the ring for Caroline; it's simply a part of who she is.

2012 Gail Horrigan

Born into an Air Force family, Gail Horrigan hails from Fairbanks Alaska, but as a military child she resided in many states and countries. The family was stationed in California when Gail's father retired and it became their permanent home.

Gail graduated from the University of LaVerne with a B.A. degree and double major in of Child Development and Psychology. Her initial goal was to teach, but as often happens to young college graduates, her interests were diverted to another field. Shortly before graduation Gail began working at Mt. View Child Care Center which was a residential facility for children with intellectual disabilities; she remained and ultimately became the Administrator. As fate would have it, the diversion to this field brought another life enhancing moment as she met her husband to be, Bob Horrigan, who was working as a consultant at the facility.

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The next few years of marriage brought many wonderful events into their lives. First and foremost was the birth of Gail's children, Audrey in October of 1983 and Elsa in July of 1986. A year later the state of California began an aggressive project to transition individuals with intellectual disabilities out of the large state institutions and into the community. The state initiated a grant program for the project and Gail and Bob were awarded one of the first grants to start the small community homes. Today, Horrigan Enterprises operates 18 six-bed homes that are located in various communities for these special individuals. Gail continues to work with Bob on behalf of those with significant mental and physical needs, developing new programs to assist in making day-to-day life easier.

Gail's first experience in the horse world was when her daughter Audrey began riding at the age of six. Well, as we all know, the love of horses grows on you very quickly and it wasn't long until Audrey's lessons went from once a week to twice a week and into the weekend. Next were schooling shows on school horses, then the purchase of a saddle and finally the first horse lease. Once bitten by the equine bug, Gail began riding a year later and Elsa began at the age of five. Bob started riding just so he could see his family on a regular basis.

Gail has been showing as an Amateur Hunter and Equitation rider for about 20 years with the majority of that time spent with trainer, Jim Hagman, who has become a beloved teacher, mentor and friend. Gail states that Jim and the Elvenstar team guided her family through two junior careers and her continuing Amateur career by using the sound principles of horsemanship and constant encouragement. Gail has, over the years, placed in several medal finals and achieved Year-end awards with the Pacific Coast Horse Show Association, Zone 10, LAHJA and SFHSA.

When Audrey and Elsa's junior careers concluded, Gail decided to give back to the equestrian world and began volunteering at several of the state and national horse show associations. Gail has served as a board member of the PCHA and during her tenure she chaired the Amateur Hunter/Jumper Committee for the association. Gail also served on the USHJA Zone 10 Committee and has worked with the USHJA Owners Committee on the development of the Low Amateur Owner section that would ultimately receive a national rating. And last, but not the least, is the position that has been extremely rewarding to Gail, President of the California Professional Horseman's Association Foundation. The reason this position has meant so much to Gail is that it fulfills her professional goals in providing support to others. The CPHA Foundation's mission is to provide financial aid to members in need, develop and award scholarships to children of professional horseman, and encourage and sponsor educational programs and encourage participants to attend these programs and promote sportsmanship throughout the equestrian community. Gail recently stepped down as President, but remains an active member of the Board of Directors for the Foundation.

While it may seem that Gail has no time for another element of her life, she is the proud grandmother of two wonderful granddaughters, Shelby and Emily, who joyfully fill all her spare time.

2011 Marcia Bobek

The USHJA Amateur Committee based its 2011 choice for the Amateur Sportsmanship Award upon a list of qualities that could easily turn into a mini novel. Based in Brookfield, WI, 2011 recipient Marcia Bobek has been the Chairman of the Wisconsin Hunter Jumper Association for more than 20 years - an amazing feat in and of itself - but her dedication, compassion and support reaches beyond her home territory. When the USHJA was named the national affiliate representing the hunter and jumper sport, Marcia became an active member of the Zone 6 Hunter Committee, assuming her current position of vice chair. Additionally, she serves on the USHJA Affiliates Council, the USHJA Hunter Restructure Committee, and the B & C Local Task Force.MarciaBobek.jpg

Marcia's devotion to the welfare and betterment of our sport's participants, horses and fellow amateur riders was noted this past season in her home state when Marcia spearheaded improvements at the Waukesha County Fairgrounds, the site of many local WHJA shows. Marcia persuaded county officials to invest in high-quality footing and, working together with trainers and footing experts, succeeded in creating a safer environment for the organization's members and horses. It was at these same USHJA-recognized events that Marcia introduced the Zandra Powers Medal Class to provide up-and-coming talents the opportunity to win a national medal.

Heather Bobek, Marcia's daughter, gives a more personal insight on her mom's commitment and passion to all she holds dear: "This past year has been awash with trials and tribulations as she faced the biggest battle - cancer. But let me tell you, to my mom, her battle is nowhere as important as her commitment to the organizations that welcomed the "green, wide eyed" Bobek family. Marcia has made it her mission to make certain the WHJA shows are everything and more to the exhibitors and to ensure the safety and well-being of the animals, whether they're hers or not. No matter how long she's been at the show that day, no matter what time in the chemo cycle it is, you better believe she's doing late-night barn checks and looking in on every horse on the grounds. But in her humbleness, she'll tell you she's just a horsey mom."

The USHJA is proud to honor Marcia Bobek for her dedication to our sport, encouragement to others, serving as an impassioned ambassador for amateurs and being simply "a horsey mom" to all.

Sadly, on April 22, 2012, at the age of 56, Marcia lost her two-year battle with cancer, during which she never lost her sense of humor or her love for family, friends, and all creatures great and small. USHJA is lucky to have counted Marcia as one of the family for so many years. A devoted wife, mother, mentor and volunteer, who truly embodied the spirit of the Amateur Sportsmanship Award, Marcia will be sorely missed by all.

2010 Tara Widman
Article Published: In Stride, February 2011

Zone 8's own Tara De Vries Widman was awarded the 2010 USHJA Amateur Sportsmanship Award.

Currently, Tara and her husband, Rex, operate Ever After Farm in Benson, AZ. Ever After is a beautiful retirement home for 50 or so retired show horses. Tara and Rex check each horse daily, and all of the horses know Tara and promptly comamateur2010tarawindman.jpge when called. Among the retirees is Pat Carleton's Code Of Honor, who was 1998 USEF Horse of the Year in the Regular Working Hunter and Small Junior Hunter sections. Over the past 1½ years, Tara has rescued three Thoroughbred broodmares in foal that were headed for the slaughterhouse in Mexico. She's since found homes for the mares and foals.

About five years ago, Tara stopped spraying the trees and decided to let the birds take over the pest control. The result was thousands of birds nesting and singing in her little horse park.

Tara's gift of compassionate work doesn't stop with the horses or the green job of planting hundreds of trees. It's seen in her work with an orphanage in Mexico. The home now houses 20 children and has its own clinic. Tara was instrumental in acquiring a nonprofit status for them. Tara and Rex also raise black Angus beef for the children.

This year, once again, Tara provided the funding for their school, and she's in the process of designing a new park for the kids. When Tara's mother-in-law was diagnosed with terminal cancer, Tara insisted that she come to the farm to live. With the same compassion that she shows for horses in hospice, Tara cared for her mother-in-law. Tucson Medical Center staff (who oversaw the medical care) later said that it was the best example of home care they had ever seen.

Tara could be described as the perfect Good Samaritan. She cares enough about others to reach out in ways that really matter, she has a great heart, and she is a true sportswoman in every sense of the word.

Tara Widman's Bio

In 2010, the USHJA acknowledged Tara Widman as the Amateur Sportsmanship Award winner. Not only an accomplished horsewoman but an admirable competitor, the highlights of her career include showing Zone Horse of the Year Champions, HITS Circuit Champions and an Arizona Hunter of the Year. Tara has become known for going out of her way to be friendly and to help other amateurs, even those who may be in the position to place above her.

Her sportsmanship does not end with her fellow competitors. With her husband, Rex, Tara runs Ever After Farm in Benson, AZ, a retirement farm for show horses that are no longer galloping around the ring. From her farm, she has rescued several mares and foals, finding suitable homes for them when they were bound for the slaughter house.

From contributions at the local food bank to assisting with food and funding at an orphanage in Mexico, her compassion extends to the communities around her. Tara encompasses the fundamentals of sportsmanship in all aspects of her life.

2009 Christina Jones

In 2009, the USHJA honored Christina Jones, who volunteers in the full scope of the equine industry. She offers assistance to the junior riders at her husband's barn with free tutoring, scholarship recommendations and post-secondary guidance. She was a supporter of "Nicole's Law," being passed here in Florida, mandating all riders under the age of 16 must wear a helmet while mounted.

She is known for volunteering her time to her fellow riders and can often be found giving free, informal lessons to develop a sense of quality horsemanship awareness and responsibility.

Finally, Christina is a remarkable horsewoman and an active participant in the Amateur divisions, winning year-end awards from both USHJA and USEF.

2008 Peggy O'Meara

This was not the first year the USHJA had the pleasure of honoring Peggy O'Meara. After receiving the President's Award of Distinguished Service in 2007, Peggy continues in her outstanding service to our organization. As co-chair of the Owners Committee, she has been at the forefront of the drive for the new Amateur Owner 3'3" divisions. Also, as a member of the Show Standards Committee, she has put her energy into organizing the new Competition and Facilities Directory and assisted with the development of the new Member's Choice Awards. In addition to everything else, she is on the USHJA Capital Campaign Committee and is co-chairing the Smaller Gift Committee. Not only is she active in the governance of the sport, she is also an active owner, with many of her horses later moving into the professional divisions. Finally, she is a remarkable horsewoman and has been an active participant in the Amateur divisions for many years and will be for many years to come.

In Stride Magazine December 2008 Amateur Feature Article (PDF)

2007 Parker Minchin

With eight nominations sent in on her behalf, Parker Minchin, from Southern Pines, NC, was chosen from a distinguished list of nominees as the 2007 USHJA Amateur Sportsmanship Awards Winner. When asked to describe her, the most commonly used words were giving, devoted and extraordinary.

Parker is an active USHJA member serving on the Owners Committee, Zone 3 Committee and Community Horse Show Committee. Along with being active in USHJA, she is also the vice president of the North Carolina Hunter Jumper Association and served as co-chair of the 2007 NCHJA Annual Horse Show, which benefits the NCHJA Equine Veterinary Scholarship at North Carolina State University and the Norah Morris Memorial Scholarship.

One of the most extraordinary things she has done this year was to organize and serve as chair of the Friends of Gail Benefit Horse Show, which was held September 1 and 2, 2007, to raise money to help with the medical bills of a very dear friend and trainer, Gail Knieriem, who fought a long and courageous battle with cancer.

Along with everything else she has done this year, Parker still found time to show her horse Mandrake in the Adult Amateur division and was champion at numerous shows. Her attitude toward showing alone makes her a worthy recipient. With all of her success and winning, she remains a most humble and sincere person in and out of the show ring. Frequent themes addressed by those who nominated her were how much everyone enjoyed her friendship and their amazement at all the ways she is able to make the horse industry a better place.

2006 Patricia Van Housen

In 2006, USHJA was proud to present the inaugural USHJA Amateur Sportsmanship Award. The winner was decided by the USHJA Amateur Committee. After discussing 28 equally qualified nominees, the committee narrowed the field and came up with six key factors that the winner must have: puts a priority on the welfare and well-being of all horses; supports and encourages everyone; volunteers within the industry; has a passion for the sport; is a role model for all; and is a good ambassador and good sportsman of all amateurs.

After careful consideration, the committee decided the winner for 2006 would be Patricia Van Housen, of Mequon, WI. "Patty" possessed all these qualities and more, and we were extremely excited to present this award to her.

amateur2006patriciavanhousen.jpgPatty has been riding her entire life and has had the good fortune to have trained with some hugely talented trainers, including Mike Henaghan and (currently) Nancy Whitehead. Patty's full-time "real world" job is safety manager at Vulcan Lead, Inc. She also owns a stable with her sister, where they maintain Patty's show string past, present and future. Included in that group of lucky horses are her now-retired partner, Albe Darned, with whom she won the Marshall & Sterling Adult Jumper Finals at the Washinginton International Horse Show in 1999, and her current star, Ima Good 1-2. Patty, with Ima Good 1-2 was the leading qualifier in the North American League Adult Jumpers for 2002, 2003 and 2006 and in the WIHS standings for 2003 and 2006 and the Marshall & Sterling League in 2005.

Patty feels a strong personal commitment to sharing her success and love of horses with others. To this end, she supports numerous horse-related charities, both personally and as director of a charitable foundation. Said charities include disabled riding programs, equine assisted psychotherapy and horse rescue. To date, all of her top mounts have been rescues or Thoroughbreds retrained off the track, always with Patty in the irons. As a life member of both the USEF and USHJA, Patty's commitment to the grassroots level of the sport has been demonstrated in many ways, including six years serving as a board member of the Wisconsin Hunter & Jumper Association, three of those years as the president. She has volunteered countless hours assisting in the management of Association fundraising horse shows, sponsored divisions at the WHJA year-end banquet and donated perpetual trophies to the Association in honor of some of the great horses she has been privileged to compete with throughout her riding career. Patty has also been as generous with her horses as she has with her time, having loaned out her own show horses on multiple occasions to Junior riders in need. Whether it be to help a Pony Club rider earn his ratings or take the next step up in the jumper ring, Patty and her horses have been instrumental in helping make other Amateurs and Junior riders' dreams come true.

Patty will have her name engraved on the base of the Amateur Sportsmanship Perpetual Trophy. The trophy is an early 20th-century piece from the Gold Coast Estates, donated by Marianne Kutner and Yvetta Rechler-Newman in memory of their dear friend June Kaneti. Along with the trophy, Patty, also received an antique horse coin jewelry charm. This coin was donated by Nancy Louie of www.horsecoinjewelry.com.