The former United States showjumping team leader, who served for every Olympics between 1992 and 2008, and rode at Badminton and Burghley, has won the 2020 US Equestrian (USEF) lifetime achievement award.
Former international eventer Sally Ike will be presented with the award at the virtual 2020 USEF Pegasus and Horse of the Year Awards celebration on 16 January, as part of the 2021 USEF annual meeting (13-17 January).
A spokesman for USEF said Sally’s many roles have included course-designer, technical delegate, steward, and judge at numerous events across the US, as well as managing the jumping department and travelling around the world with top international US jumping teams.
She also competed at Burghley Horse Trials in 1967 and completed Badminton Horse Trials the following year on Evening Mail. Following this Sally earned an Olympic team nomination and she was selected as a non-travelling reserve for the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games.
The spokesman said 1 September 2020 marked the “end of an area” for USEF as Sally, who had been with the organisation more than 30 years, transitioned from her post as managing director of licensed officials and education into an independent contractor role.
“Ike has been an integral part of USEF’s success and growth since 1989, working extensively with the sport department,” he said.
“She has managed countless responsibilities and held numerous titles throughout her tenure, including chef de mission, discipline director of Eventing, managing director of jumping, and director of vaulting activities. She also served as the jumping team leader for every Olympic Games, Pan American Games, World Equestrian Games, and World Cup finals from 1990 through to 2008.”
The spokesman added Sally has always been a “welcoming and dependable” supporter of all equestrian disciplines.
“Her pledge to ensure the success of USEF’s teams and programs has left a lasting impression not only on the disciplines she has been so deeply tied to throughout her career, but also on those she has mentored and worked with over the years,” he said.
USEF junior equestrian of the year
Driver Lucy Enns, who has participated in the equestrian industry both in the arena and in its governance, was named USEF junior equestrian of the year.
Lucy was a finalist in the American Morgan Horse Association (AMHA) youth of the year contest in 2019 and 2020, and serves on the AMHA youth council as vice-president of the central region.
“She is an accomplished young driver, earning five top-10 finishes with her mare Mabelene at the 2020 Morgan Grand National and World Championship Morgan Horse Show,” said the spokesman.
“She has also tried her hand at officiating, participating in multiple AMHA youth judging clinics. Enns started at Friends University in Wichita, Kansas, in August and intends to start her own Morgan breeding program.”
Lucy first competed at the Morgan Grand National and World Championship Morgan Horse Show in 2008 aged six in the leadline class.
“She was starstruck watching the show horses proudly move around the arena that night and was determined to become one of those competitors,” the spokesman said.
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“She faced many obstacles on her way to that goal. Her four older siblings all have some form of disability, so she always prioritised family and understood that her equestrian dreams would rely on hard work and her characteristic independence. She worked at her barn, the Wichita Riding Academy, and volunteered at local shows, observing people and learning about their training methods. She quickly learned that difficult decisions are part of life with horses when two of her competition horses got sick and ultimately needed to be put down.”
The spokesman added that Lucy tried many different disciplines to find what Mabelene “loved to do”.
“They finally found their niche in 2020 when Enns started training Mabel to drive with the support of Jim McCune,” he said. “Everything fell into place at the Morgan Grand National where the pair earned third place in the carriage pleasure driving single World Championship. She was very pleased with the result but was most elated to be back in the competition ring after working so hard to be there again.”
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