Wellington, Fla. – Jan. 20, 2018 – The United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation is honored to name the accomplished young show jumper Jennifer Gates of Medina, Washington, as the recipient of the 2018 Lionel Guerrand-Hermès Trophy.
This prestigious award is presented annually to a young competitor in one of the Olympic disciplines who demonstrates the utmost in sportsmanship and horsemanship.
“It is a huge honor to join the many incredibly talented riders who have received this award before me,” said Gates. “It’s humbling to have the opportunity to represent the United States in this sport. The Lionel Guerrand-Hermès Trophy’s values of sportsmanship and horsemanship are ones that I try to embody every day with my riding.”
At just 21 years old, Gates has made a name for herself in the sport as an accomplished athlete and is currently thriving among the U25 ranks. On top of her success in the show ring, the amateur rider is also a stellar student in the classroom. She balances her riding career with being a full-time student at Stanford University where she studies human biology. Upon graduation this spring, she will focus solely on her riding career for a year, and then has plans to attend medical school.
Gates trains at her Evergate Stables, which has bases in Rancho Santa Fe, California, as well as Wellington, Florida. Throughout the winter, she travels back and forth to Florida to compete at the annual Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF).
“2017 was a really important year for me, and I feel like I hit a new level with my riding. Some of my favorite moments include wearing the pinque coat while competing on my first U.S. Nations Cup team in Slovakia, competing at the highest level at the Global Champions League events and winning the Under 25 National Championship and placing fourth in the [Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Lexington CSI4*-W] at the National Horse Show in Lexington, Kentucky,” Gates recalled.
Looking ahead, Gates is excited for the upcoming year and is hoping for continued success. Paired with hard work and the same values which earned her a spot on this year’s Lionel Guerrand-Hermès Trophy, Gates will undoubtedly find great results in 2018.
“I have three goals for my riding in 2018: to continue being competitive at the 4* and 5* levels, to represent my country as much as possible and to take every opportunity to grow and learn from the many talented riders who are part of this amazing sport,” Gates said.
Gates was presented with the Lionel Guerrand-Hermès Trophy during the USET Foundation’s “Triumph in Tryon” gala, a benefit to support U.S. equestrian teams at the upcoming 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games™, on Jan. 19 in Wellington, Florida.
Lionel Guerrand-Hermès Trophy Winners:
Patrick Guerrand-Hermès established the Lionel Guerrand-Hermès Memorial Award in 1983 in memory of his son, Lionel, who was tragically killed in an automobile accident in 1981 at the age of 18. Lionel trained with the USET and was talented enough to be considered an Olympic hopeful. A perpetual trophy designed by Patrick Guerrand-Hermès is inscribed annually with the winner’s name and permanently displayed at the USET Foundation’s headquarters in Gladstone, New Jersey. Previous winners are:
1983 – Mark Leone
1984 – Jeffery Welles
1985 – Holly Mitten
1986 – Gregory A Best
1987 – Susanne Owen
1988 – Christopher Kappler
1989 – Mollie Bliss
1990 – Kim Keenan
1991 – McLain Ward
1992 – Abigail Lufkin
1993 – Mark Combs
1994 – Gabriella Salick
1995 – Megan Johnstone
1996 – Jonathan Elliot
1997 – Alison Firestone
1998 – Bruce Davidson Jr.
1999 – Chad Geeter
2000 – Elise Haas
2001 – Marilyn Little
2002 – Clark Montgomery
2003 – Will Faudree
2004 – Kristin Schmolze
2005 – Brianne Goutal
2006 – Katie Hamilton
2007 – Carolyn Kelly
2008 – Hillary Dobbs
2009 – Laura Noyes
2010 – Jennifer Waxman
2011 – Tiana Coudray
2012 – Lucy Davis
2013 – Reed Kessler
2014 – Katie Dinan
2015 – Lillie Keenan
2016 – Lucy Deslauriers
2017 – Chloe Reid
2018 – Jennifer Gates
The USET Foundation is a nonprofit organization that supports the competition, training, coaching, travel and educational needs of America’s elite and developing international and high performance horses and athletes in partnership with US Equestrian.
For more information on the USET Foundation, visit www.uset.org.
