Brunello, who won the 2015 USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship (Ky.) for the third time with Liza Boyd aboard, was named USEF National Horse Of The Year at the USEF Year End Awards Gala on Jan. 16. The award was decided this year on votes from the public.
You can read the Chronicle’s coverage of the class, complete with video of Brunello’s breathtaking handy round, in “Brunello Proves Age Is Just A Number At Derby Finals.”
Boyd, who owns the 18-year-old Hanoverian (Accord II—Winnepeg) gelding with Janet Peterson, wasn’t on hand to receive the gelding’s award, but Bill Moroney, interim CEO of the USEF, read a short statement she’d prepared.
“B is for brave, to gallop under the lights,” he said. “R for rideable, to turn oh so tight; U for unique, not your typical hunter type; N for naughty, in his stall he will bite; E for ego, he thinks he is always right; L for longevity, at 18 he is still jumping with height; L for Lexington, three times there he’s had a magical derby night; and O for owl, for his wisdom and insight.”
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Want to go Behind The Stall Door with Brunello? The Chronicle took you there, to get to know this grumpy but brilliant star a bit better.
Suzy Stafford’s PVF Peace Of Mind was voted USEF International Horse of the Year. The 9-year-old Morgan mare (Statesman Signature—JPR Have Mercy, Saddleback Sky Pilot) won three FEI combined driving events in 2015, including the CAI** Hermitage Classic in Goshen, Ky., the CAI** Kentucky Classic in Lexington, Ky., and a second consecutive win at the CAI** Live Oak International in Ocala, Fla. They capped off their season by earning the 2015 USEF Single Horse Driving National Championship (Ky.).
“ ‘Hunny’ and I, as much as I’d like to not admit it, we’re extremely similar,” said Stafford. “She’s sassy; she’s determined. She’s deliberate, competitive, and she’s always hungry. As much as I’d like to say she belongs to me, she belongs with me really. We belong together.”
The night before, during the Pegasus Awards Dinner, champion Saddlebred rider Elisabeth Goth was announced as the 2015 USEF Equestrian of the Year.
