Montreux, Switzerland– HRH Princess Haya, President of the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) led the applause tonight as the five winners of the FEI Awards 2013 went on stage in Montreux, Switzerland to receive their honours.
Winners of the FEI Awards 2013 (FEI/Edouard Curchod)
Master of Ceremonies Jonathan Edwards, Olympic gold medallist in Triple Jump and the current world record holder, described the accomplishments of the recipients of the FEI Awards to more than three hundred guests, including representatives of the 132 Member Federations of the FEI – the world governing body of horse sport – journalists, VIPs, friends of the winners and FEI staff.
The winners of the FEI Awards 2013 are:
Longines Rising Star Award
Reed Kessler (USA)
Reem Acra Best Athlete Award
Charlotte Dujardin (GBR)
Best Groom Award
Carmen Thiemann (GER)
Development Award
National Army Riding School “Grito de Asencio” (URU)
Against All Odds
Joann Formosa (AUS)
Longines Rising Star Award
Reed Kessler (USA)
The years 2012 and 2013 will certainly remain engraved on Reed Kessler’s memory. In her first year of eligibility in the senior Jumping ranks, she shared the 2012 USEF National Jumping title with the legendary Olympian Margie Engle. A few months later, shortly after her 18th birthday, Reed headed to London as the youngest equestrian athlete to compete at the Olympic Games.
Early 2013 saw Reed achieve top results over twelve weeks of competition at the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, USA, where she rode a double clear on her Olympic mount Cylana at the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping and contributed to Team USA’s victory. She also competed at the FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final in Gothenburg, Sweden and finished in 10th position. At Spruce Meadows, Canada, she again represented the USA in the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping then claimed her biggest victory to date in the ATCO Power Queen Elizabeth II Cup.
The vision of the United States Equestrian Federation® is to provide leadership
for equestrian sport in the United States of America by promoting the pursuit
of excellence from the grassroots to the Olympic Games, based on a
foundation of fair, safe competition and the welfare
of its human and equine athletes.
