USET Foundation Honors Award Winners At Wellington Reception
Story by Alice Collins | Photos by Jump Media
The United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation celebrated award recipients and donation milestones at its Gold Medal Club reception held Jan. 17 at the National Polo Center in Wellington.
The 2025 Whitney Stone Cup was presented to Rebecca Hart, who won three gold medals at the 2024 Paralympic Games riding Floratina in Paris. The award acknowledges the para dressage athlete as an active competitor whose consistent excellence in international competition and sportsmanlike conduct exemplifies the USET Foundation’s and US Equestrian’s (USEF’s) highest ideals.
“I am incredibly honored to be selected for this trophy,” said Hart, a Grade III athlete who resides and trains in Loxahatchee. “It is an incredible testament to just how far para dressage has come as an equestrian discipline. I have loved helping to bring adaptive sport forward and hope to continue to do so. It’s an honor and a privilege to represent the USET Foundation, USEF, and my owners and sponsors.”
Kat Fuqua, who has the unique distinction of competing in both show jumping and dressage at the international levels, was awarded the 2025 Lionel Guerrand-Hermès Trophy. This prestigious award is presented annually to a junior or young rider in an Olympic discipline who exemplifies the USET’s ideals of sportsmanship and horsemanship.
“I’m really excited because the riders who have received this award previously have gone on to achieve unbelievable accomplishments as professionals,” said Fuqua, 17, who divides her time between Wellington; Atlanta, Georgia; and Tecklenburg, Germany. “The fact that I’m on that list alongside those athletes is really special.”
Fuqua swept the Young Rider division for athletes aged 16 to 21 at the 2024 FEI North American Youth Championships in Traverse City, Michigan, claiming all three gold medals on offer riding Dreamgirl.
Patti Scialfa Springsteen and Zacharie Vinios were named the co-recipients of this year’s R. Bruce Duchossois Distinguished Trustee Award. This annual honor pays homage to the late Bruce Duchossois by annually recognizing a member or members of the USET Foundation Board of Trustees who embody his leadership and generosity.
Vinios, a Wellington resident, and Scialfa Springsteen, of Colts Neck, New Jersey, have both made outstanding contributions to the USET Foundation’s philanthropic efforts since joining the board.
A renowned singer and songwriter, Scialfa Springsteen’s involvement began through supporting her daughter and Olympic team silver medalist, Jessica Springsteen. Scialfa Springsteen has been instrumental in raising significant funds through the “Pathway to the Podium” campaign and by co-chairing several benefit galas alongside her husband, famed musician Bruce Springsteen.
“I am deeply grateful to the USET Foundation for this recognition,” Scialfa Springsteen said. “To receive this award in memory of Bruce Duchossois, a remarkable horseperson and steward of the sport, is truly humbling.”
Vinios and her husband, Louis, own the impressive training facility, Five Rings Farm, in Wellington. It served as the venue for “Victory in Versailles,” a fundraising event that helped the USET Foundation raise more than $2 million for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Vinios generously opens Five Rings Farm to USEF and USET Foundation programs and events, including clinics and team training camps.
“As a country, we are so fortunate to have the USET Foundation funding our equestrian sports and programs and supporting our U.S. teams,” Vinios said. “I have seen the fruition of the USET Foundation’s efforts and the incredible support and enthusiasm they have generated for our teams and our country.”
The USET Foundation also recognized its longest-standing Gold Medal Club donors during the reception. These are individuals who contribute $1,000 or more annually to the organization, providing a financial base that helps ensure the foundation’s support of U.S. equestrian athletes.
Gold Medal Club donor anniversaries were celebrated for 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 years. Jane MacElree and Robert Ridland/Moore Memorial Trust both reached the 40-year mark and were among those recognized for their continuous and vital support.
For more information, or to support the USET Foundation and U.S. equestrian athletes and horses, visit www.uset.org/donate.
