January 24 – February 14, 2025

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YEARBOOK ISSUE

HUNTER

Overall And Hunter Horse Of The Year: Babylon

Paige Walkenbach’s longtime trainer Jim Hagman dreamed of matching his student up with Babylon for years before it happened. He saw John French riding the horse on a video before he saw them in person, but the next time they were at the same show Hagman put a bug in his ear about his special student, who he thought would be a great match for the horse.

Hunter Person Of The Year: Tom Wright

This year, Wright’s charges won multiple titles at every major championship they attended and swept the Platinum Performance/USHJA Green Incentive Championships. Because of the remarkable consistency of his horses and riders in 2024 and for decades before, The Chronicle of the Horse is honoring Wright as hunter person of the year.

2024 Hunter Year In Review

Between Rounds with Sissy Wickes: The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same

“While stasis and stability are often a sign of health, they can also represent spoil and stagnation. At what point do we look at the equestrian industry, specifically at the hunterdiscipline, and decide on which side the seesaw is swaying?” asks Wickes.

USHJA Annual Meeting Upends Usual Format To Address Sport Growth And Expense

At the convention, which celebrated the 20th anniversary of the organization, the usual schedule of rule change discussions throughout committee meetings was set aside in favor of conversations on designated topics, including safety, officials, education and the role of zones and affiliates.

DRESSAGE

Overall And Dressage Person Of The Year: Rebecca Hart

At 10 years old, when a pony ride during a family vacation inspired a sudden interest in horses, her non-equestrian parents listened. Hart told them that she wanted to ride, and she wanted to do it seriously. She knew, even before she’d started, that she would like to pursue horses for sport, not just for fun.

Dressage Horse Of The Year: Diamond Dunes

When Fiona Howard turns out Diamond Dunes in his field, she doesn’t rush off. Instead she lingers, watching the copper-colored gelding graze. Occasionally, “Dunes” will amble over to her, just to check in. The two have built a similar relationship in his stall, where the gelding will rest his head in her lap.

2024 Dressage Year In Review

Between Rounds with Mike Osinski: 2024 Brought Plenty To Celebrate In Dressage

“The competitive highlight of 2024, the Paris Olympic Games, brought with it the most impressive riding of the year—and a focus on welfare that at times seemed politicized to the point of not doing justice to a critically important topic,” writes Osinski.

Para-Dressage Joins the USDF Roster As National Affiliate At Convention

At its annual governance meeting, the U.S. Dressage Federation board of governors officially blessed the union between the USDF and the para-dressage discipline.

SHOW JUMPING

Show Jumping Horse And Horse Person Of The Year: Caracole De La Roque And Karl Cook

To make an Olympic team, you need Plans A, B, C and D—and a little bit of luck beside. When Cook acquired established grand prix horse Caracole De La Roque in 2023, he had a plan for how he hoped their partnership would develop, but he knew he’d need to be flexible.

2024 Show Jumping Year In Review

Between Rounds with Beezie and John Madden: A Successful Olympic Games Stands Out From 2024

“I think it bodes well for our country that we have good horses and good riders, and we now have a lot more opportunities for a rider to develop at an international level,” say the Maddens.

EVENTING

Eventing Horse And Person of the Year: Fedarman B And Boyd Martin

From the vantage point of early 2025, the partnership between Boyd Martin and Fedarman B stands out as one that’s entirely reliable and consistent. They were the top U.S. finishers at the Paris Olympics—finishing 10th individually, Martin’s best finish in four Olympic appearances—and “Bruno” earned a top-five finish at Pau, his third five-star, in November. But when Martin first took over the ride unexpectedly three years ago, a partnership forged in tragedy after the death of Bruno’s longtime rider Annie Goodwin, he wasn’t at all sure that it was a good match.

2024 Eventing Year In Review

Between Rounds with Jon Holling: 2024 Paved The Way For Exciting Opportunities This Year

“While we left the Olympics disappointed, we truly were just one little blip on cross-country from a very good finish. You can be glass-half-full or glass-half-empty when you look at these things, and somewhere in the middle is probably about right,” writes Holling.

USEA Annual Meeting Focuses On Diversity And Safety Issues

Four years ago, the world—including the equestrian community—faced difficult discussions around diversity, equity and inclusion, and the lack thereof in some spaces in the horse world. Those conversations led to the creation of DEI committees within the equestrian associations, which have worked to address such concerns. But the results of a study conducted by the U.S. Eventing Association’s DEI Committee and Dr. Jill Stowe, a professor of agricultural economics at the University of Kentucky, presented during the USEA Annual Convention showed there’s still a lot of work to be done.

HORSE SPORT

2024 We’ll Miss

Remember This?

The Chronicle’s Horses & People Of The Year

Winter 2024 Untacked

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INSIDE:

On The Cover: What In The World Is Working Equitation?

Working equitation is not trail, extreme cowboy, or western dressage. It’s not jumping, dressage or eventing. Instead, working equitation takes elements of all of those disciplines to make a unique sport that requires elegance, confidence, maneuverability and accuracy.

For The Team At StrideFull, Creating Show Jumps Is About Amplifying Moments

If you tuned into the coverage of show jumping at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, you may have noticed the exquisite detail carved, painted or sculpted into each of the unique obstacles on course. From ornate wine barrels draped with oversized grapes, to a mock Rodin sculpture, to an ode to the beloved novella, “Le Petit Prince,” each fence was thoughtfully designed to evoke emotion in the observer and to honor the culture, history, knowledge and people of the host country.

The Season’s Best Gifts To Give—And Receive

Use our curated list to find something for all the special people and horses in your life.

Behind The Scenes Of Safety

Helmet certification replicates the dangers of riding through lab testing. We explain what ASTM, SEI and BSI stand for, and what they mean to you.

Try A Cool-Weather Equestrian Trip

The winter months aren’t when most people think of taking riding vacations, but the off-season can offer different experiences, plus less hectic travel days. We offer five ideas here.

A Closer Look At: The Livestock Conservancy’s Endangered Equine Alliance

For nearly 50 years The Livestock Conservancy has led U.S. efforts to promote, protect, and bank genetic materials from rare and threatened breeds of livestock, poultry and rabbits.

Plus: In The Frame, The Warm-Up, 5 Questions With and Parting Ways! There’s even more inside the Winter Issue of Untacked, at the intersection of equestrian life and style.