McLain Ward Wins 2017 USA Equestrian of Year, Laura Graves & McLain Share William Steinkraus Trophy

7 years ago StraightArrow Comments Off on McLain Ward Wins 2017 USA Equestrian of Year, Laura Graves & McLain Share William Steinkraus Trophy

McLain Ward on HH Azur celebrating Omaha World Cup Final victory. © 2017 Shannon Brinkman

LEXINGTON, Kentucky, Jan. 18, 2018–McLain Ward, the two-time Olympic team gold medalist and 2017 World Cup champion, won the Robert P. Strub trophy as the 2017 United States Equestrian of the Year. Laura Graves shared honors with McLain in winning the William C. Steinkraus trophy.

In addition to the Omaha World Cup victory McLain, of Brewster, New York, anchored several American teams to Nations Cup medal-winning performances including a silver medal finish at the Nations Cup Jumping Final in September.

McLain, No. 3 on the world jumper rankings, and Laura Graves of Geneva, Florida, No. 4 on the world dressage rankings with her Verdades, were both named as winners of the Steinkraus Trophy.

Laura. now 30 years old, also shared the honor in 2016 with individual Olympic bronze medal event rider Phillip Dutton who was named that year’s Equestrian of the Year.

Willy Arts of D.G. Bar Ranch in Hanford, California along with Hetty Mackay-Smith Abeles was awarded the Ellen Scripps Davis Memorial Breeders Award.