THE IHSA HALL OF FAME

Born in Lynchburg, Virginia, Greg Best was introduced to riding by his mother. He showed panache in the hunter ring, and as a teenager, started to train with Frank Chapot.

Best attended the University of Pennsylvania, which was where he was introduced to the IHSA. “My senior year, some horse enthusiasts started the [IHSA] program at Penn,” said Best. “It took a group of somewhat socially awkward horse kids at university and gave us a really neat commonality that we were all pretty excited to be a part of.”

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Naomi Blumenthal, from Manlius, New York, served the IHSA for over 40 years. She taught equestrian studies and equine business management at Cazenovia College for 27 years and coached their IHSA Equestrian Team. She was a longtime member of the IHSA board of directors, first as a regional president, then as zone chair and for many years as executive treasurer.

IHSA Director Emeritus and founder of the State University of New York at Stony Brook Equestrian Team, George Lukemire was Blumenthal's predecessor in the IHSA treasurer role. He credits her with making everything function seamlessly as the organization grew.

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Jon Conyers, a revered figure in the equestrian community, began his riding career as a child on his family farm in Staunton, Virginia. His passion for horses and dedication to the sport propelled him to remarkable achievements throughout his lifetime.

Conyers' journey in equestrian sports began with riding lessons at Shenandoah Farms under esteemed instructors Bud Hickman, Linda Wetterston and his cousin, Diane Hinch. He honed his skills and diversified his riding experience, competing in various disciplines, including 4-H, jumper shows and US Pony Club events.

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George Lukemire served on the IHSA board of directors, was the organization's original treasurer and second vice president and managed the Intercollegiate Equestrian Foundation. He was born in Tennessee, but spent the majority of his life in New York, where he was an assistant professor at Stony Brook University (SBU) from 1967-2007. He also ran his family farm, Smoke Run Farm, during these years.

”In 1967, I got a call from Robert Cacchione inviting Stony Brook University to show in New Jersey in what was to become the IHSA,” said Lukemire. “In 1969, his idea was to spread to New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut."

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A legendary presence at Hollins University, Nancy Peterson joined the Virginia school’s equestrian program as a staff member in 1972, eventually becoming the director of riding; she retired in 2018 after 46 years.

Peterson, a native of Roanoke, Virginia, and a graduate of Roanoke College, made a considerable impact at Hollins as the IHSA team’s coach. Her teams made 12 different appearances at the IHSA national show; Hollins riders earned 19 IHSA individual national championships, two team national titles (1993 and 1998) and four Cacchione Cup wins. She was recognized by IHSA in 2007 with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

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A second-generation Virginia horseman, Russ Walther is well-known as a rider, trainer, judge and horse show manager. In the 1950s, he rode for Waverly Farms in Warrenton, Va., and in the 70s and 80s, Walther ran hunter/jumper businesses in Indiana, North Carolina, Maryland, and later in Virginia.

For more than 60 years, Walther was a USEF ‘R’-rated judge, officiating at many of North America’s top hunter, jumper and equitation competitions, including at Harrisburg and the Maclay finals. As a horse show manager, Walther managed numerous prestigious hunter/jumper and all-breed competitions, including the Commonwealth Park horse shows (Virginia), Germantown Charity Horse Show (Tennessee), the Estes Park Colorado summer series, Tulsa Charity Horse Show (Oklahoma), the St. Louis Charity Horse Show and the USEF Pony Finals. He has been a member of the USEF Show Management Committee, and president of the Virginia, North Carolina, and Indiana Horse Show Associations, and was also a USEF-licensed hunter and jumper course designer.

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Peter Wylde began riding at 7 years old in his hometown of Medfield, Massachusetts where he ventured across the street to his neighbors farm and asked if he could ride their pony. He quickly knew he would be involved with horses as a life passion. Wylde showed successfully in the pony divisions, followed by Equitation, Hunters and eventually Junior Jumpers. Wylde worked his way up as a junior rider to win the New England Horseman’s Council’s Equitation Final in 1981 and the Rolex-Maclay National Equitation Championship at the National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden in 1982. In his last junior year Wylde was Junior/Amateur Jumper champion at the prestigious International Jumping Derby in Portsmouth, RI and co-Champion at the Washington International Horse Show.

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Case In Point, or “Casey,” arrived at the Cazenovia College equestrian program in 1997 from donor Gary Moose of Metzville, New York. The 16.3-hand Thoroughbred mare had shown in the adult and green conformation hunters before joining the college.

Liz Pinto, former assistant coach for the IHSA team at Cazenovia and Cazenovia graduate (2002), knew the mare well. Casey participated in team practices, gave lessons and some summers, went out on lease.

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Idol Talk, affectionately known as "Billy," captured the hearts of all who had the privilege of witnessing his ability in the arena. Developed in the late 1980s by Canadian rider Dina Mazzola (Loube) and her trainer Terry Lee, Idol Talk rose to prominence as a champion in various competitions. His partnership with Loube resulted in numerous significant wins, including major Canadian junior hunter championships and a qualification for the 1986 Maclay final.

Following his remarkable early career, Idol Talk spent eight years under the care of Skidmore graduate Heather Parish and her family. Together, they achieved extraordinary success, clinching over 400 victories and securing the Zone 6 Small Junior Hunter Championship consistently from 1988 to 1992.

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Robert E. 'Bob' Cacchione

Bob Cacchione, from Harrison, New York, and now Fairfield, Connecticut, founded the IHSA, the first official collegiate riding and competition organization, in 1967. With many as 250,000 men and women that have participated in the IHSA, he has made a profound impact on the equestrian world.

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John H. 'Jack' Fritz

(1925-2012)

Jack Fritz was originally from Rockford, Illinois, and later from Gladstone, New Jersey. Fritz was the equestrian coach of Fairleigh Dickinson Madison, one of two inaugural teams that competed at the first IHSA horse show in 1967.

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Sally Batton

Sally Batton, from Canton, Ohio, coached and taught at Centenary University before accepting the position as head coach of the Dartmouth College Equestrian Team. Batton coached the Dartmouth team for 29 seasons and has coached at the collegiate level for 35 years.

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Cindy Ford

Originally from Albany, New York, Cindy Ford coached at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs from 1988-2019. She is the winningest coach in the IHSA, earning eight IHSA Team national championships.

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Elizabeth 'Beezie' Madden

Beezie Madden, originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was the 1984 IHSA Cacchione Cup winner as a member of the Southern Seminary team. She launched her grand prix show jumping career in 1985. She was the first woman to achieve $1 million in earnings in show jumping.

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Cindy Morehead

Cindy Morehead, from Milford, New Hampshire, joined the Findlay University equestrian program upon its inception in 1977 and served as the IHSA team coach from 2005-2017. Morehead led the Findlay Western team to four national titles (2005, 2007, 2009, 2010).

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J.T. Tallon

(1953-2015)

Born in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, and later moved to Lexington, Virginia, J.T. Tallon coached the Southern Seminary and Randolph Macon Women’s College teams. With his leadership, he held the longest winning streak in IHSA history.

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Clifford the Big Red Horse

For 14 years, Clifford has been an IHSA star representing Cornell University as an athlete, a teacher, and an institution. For the Cornell University Equestrian Team coaching staff, Clifford is more than just another horse: he is a colleague.