IHSA HALL OF FAME

2026 Class of Inductees

The IHSA leadership will soon announce the Hall of Fame 2026 class of inductees.

Inductees are recognized across four categories:
• Founders
• Coaches
• Riders
• Horses

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

To be considered for induction, nominees must:

  • Be retired from active IHSA participation (Emeritus status is acceptable)

  • Demonstrate outstanding competitive achievement

  • Show exceptional contributions to the IHSA

  • Have achieved notable success or influence in equestrian sport or the equestrian industry

  • Be recognized with other significant industry honors or awards

  • Each Hall of Fame class may include up to eight inductees.

Class of 2024 Hall of Fame

GREG BEST

RIDER

  • Born in Lynchburg, Virginia, Greg Best was introduced to riding by his mother. As a teenager, he trained with six-time Olympian Frank Chapot, who would later play a pivotal role in his professional career.

    While attending the University of Pennsylvania, Best discovered the IHSA when the program launched during his senior year. Despite joining late in the season, he qualified for Nationals in just three shows and competed against riders who, like himself, would go on to represent the United States on the world stage. His IHSA experience gave him a sense of community and belonging, while also instilling lessons in adaptability and humility.

    Through Chapot, Best was paired with the legendary Thoroughbred Gem Twist. Together, they won the 1985 USET Talent Derby and their first two grand prix competitions in 1987 before helping the U.S. team earn silver at the Pan American Games in Indianapolis. At just 24 years old, Best and Gem Twist earned individual and team silver medals at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, followed by a fourth-place finish at the 1990 FEI World Equestrian Games in Stockholm.

NAOMI BLUMENTHAL (1942-2020)

COACH

  • 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.

    Blumenthal was active in governance at the United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA), where she served on multiple committees. She was a USEF R-rated judge and steward, officiating at shows across the nation. Blumenthal also devoted time to the Professional Horsemen's Association (PHA), serving as national president and the Syracuse chapter's chair.

JON CONYERS (1961-2008)

COACH

  • Jon Conyers, a revered figure in the equestrian community, began his riding career as a child in Staunton, Virginia, before pursuing collegiate riding at St. Andrews University in North Carolina. There, under the guidance of Shelby French, he became a key member of the IHSA team and laid the foundation for his future as a coach and leader in collegiate equestrian sport.

    Conyers returned to St. Andrews as an assistant coach before leading the University of Virginia equestrian team to the IHSA National Championship in 1992. He went on to direct the riding program at Wesleyan College, guiding numerous IHSA riders to success at the regional, zone, and national levels. In 2000, he joined the Savannah College of Art and Design as an IHSA coach and later served as an adjunct professor at the University of Findlay. In 2003, Conyers became head coach at Sweet Briar College, a position he held until his passing in 2008.

    Conyers held leadership roles as an IHSA regional president, zone chairperson, alumni director, and director at large, while also serving as a USEF R judge. His dedication earned him the IHSA Pioneer Award in 2004, the IHSA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008, and induction into the Southwest Virginia Hunter/Jumper Association Hall of Fame that same year.

GEORGE LUKEMIRE

FOUNDER

  • George Lukemire was born in Tennessee but spent most of his life in New York, where he served as an assistant professor at Stony Brook University (SBU) from 1967–2007 while also running his family’s Smoke Run Farm. In 1967, he received a call from IHSA founder Robert Cacchione inviting Stony Brook to compete in what would become the first intercollegiate horse shows, and by 1969, he was part of expanding the program across the Northeast. A lifelong supporter of the association, Lukemire was the original treasurer of the IHSA.

    Under his leadership, SBU became the first IHSA national champion in 1971 and shared the national title with Southern Seminary College in 1980. Lukemire coached three Cacchione Cup winners, cementing his program as a powerhouse in the formative years of collegiate riding. In 2013, a trophy was established in his honor to be awarded to the coach of the Hunter Seat Team Champion at IHSA Nationals.

    Beyond his IHSA contributions, Lukemire was deeply involved in his community. He was a lifetime member of the National Professional Horsemen’s Association and chaired the Long Island chapter.

    Lukemire’s influence extended far beyond the show ring, shaping generations of riders with his guidance, encouragement and high standards.

NANCY PETERSON

COACH

  • A legendary presence at Hollins University, Nancy Peterson joined the equestrian program in 1972 and served as director of riding until her retirement in 2018, marking 46 years of leadership. Under her guidance, Hollins made 12 appearances at IHSA Nationals, earning 19 individual national championships, two team national titles (1993 and 1998), and four Cacchione Cup wins. In recognition of her impact, IHSA presented her with its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.

    Peterson was a prominent figure in Virginia’s hunter/jumper community, serving in leadership roles across horse shows, associations, and venues. The Virginia Horse Shows Association honored her as Horseperson of the Year in 2004, and she was recognized with numerous sportsmanship awards. Hollins University honored her with the Roberta A. Stewart Service Award (1999), the Distinguished Service Award (2009), and the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award (2011). In 2019, she was inducted into the Hollins University Hall of Fame.

    Her legacy has been further enshrined with inductions into the VHSA Hall of Fame (2012), the Virginia Horse Center Hall of Fame (2008), the Roanoke Valley Horse Show Hall of Fame (2001), and the Southwest Virginia Hunter/Jumper Association Hall of Fame.

RUSS WALTHER

COACH

  • A second-generation Virginia horseman, Russ Walther is well-known as a rider, trainer, USEF R-rated judge, licensed course designer and horse show manager. In the 1950s, he rode for Waverly Farms in Warrenton, Va., and in the 70s and 80s, Walther ran multiple hunter/jumper businesses.

    In the early 1980s, Walther was named director of the Southern Seminary College equestrian team, qualifying for IHSA Nationals from 1980 to 1985. He coached Beezie Madden (then Patton) to her 1984 Cacchione Cup victory. His influence in collegiate equestrian sport extended to his daughter, Devon Walther, who competed as a high-point rider for Savannah College of Art and Design.

    Walther joined the University of Findlay (Ohio) in 2013 as head coach of the IHSA hunter seat team. Under his leadership, the team earned three individual national championships, two reserve national titles, and placed third overall at IHSA Nationals in 2016. Known for his encouragement, high standards, and commitment to his riders’ success, he mentored countless students and remained a trusted guide long after graduation.

PETER WYLDE

RIDER

  • 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.

CASE IN POINT “CASEY”

HORSE

  • 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.

IDOL TALK “BILLY”

HORSE

  • 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.

Class of 2020 Hall of Fame

SALLY BATTON

COACH

  • 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 coached at the collegiate level for 35 years. She led the Dartmouth equestrian team to five Ivy League titles in 1997, 2007, 2010, 2014 and 2016.

    Batton also sent numerous Dartmouth riders to the IHSA National Championship.

    She served on the IHSA board of directors from 1984 to 2017, first as a regional president, then as chair of several committees and as IHSA national steward from 2001 to 2017.

    In 2008, Batton was named the American Riding Instructors Association (ARIA) Instructor of the Year and is an ARIA certified Level III hunter seat trainer and a United States Hunter Jumper Association certified trainer.

    Batton was awarded the IHSA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013. She retired in 2019 and continues her support of collegiate riding through her Athletic Equestrian podcast, her book, The Athletic Equestrian, co-written with fellow former IHSA coach Christina Keim, and the Athletic Equestrian League she founded in 2010.

ROBERT “BOB” CACCHIONE

FOUNDER

  • Bob Cacchione, from Harrison, New York, and now Fairfield, Connecticut, founded the IHSA, the first official collegiate riding and competition organization, in 1967. With as many as 250,000 men and women participating in the IHSA, he has profoundly impacted the equestrian world.

    When he launched the program, he was just 18 and a student at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, New Jersey. He made the organization his life’s work and passion. He served as IHSA executive director for over 52 years. The organization now has over 400 participating colleges and universities and 8,000+ members. Because the IHSA offers all levels of competition, from beginner through advanced and offers college students a way to learn how to ride, IHSA significantly contributes to the grassroots development of equestrian sports.

    Cacchione has been recognized for his commitment to college riding with the IHSA Lifetime Achievement Award, the USHJA Presidents Distinguished Service Award, US Equestrian/EQUUS Foundation Humanitarian Award, a Doctor of Humane Letters from Centenary College and the Equine Industry Vision Award, sponsored by Zoetis and presented by American Horse Publications. He also served as vice chairman of the Gentlemen’s Committee of the National Horse Show at the Kentucky Horse Park. He retired from the executive director position in September 2019 and continues to promote the IHSA and serve as founder emeritus.

CINDY FORD

COACH

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

    Ford guided her first team to a repeat national championship in 1991 and then won national titles in 1995, 1996, 1999, 2010, 2013 and 2018.

    Her peers honored Ford with the IHSA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011.

    Her 1991, 1995, and 1999 teams were inducted into the Skidmore Athletics Hall of Fame, along with Courtney Phibbs '97, one of her most decorated and successful riders.

    In 2019, Ford announced her retirement. She then led her team to an unbeaten regular season, won Regional and Zone championships and finished fourth at IHSA Nationals.

JOHN “JACK” FRTIZ (1925-2012)

FOUNDER

  • 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. He served as an adviser and mentor to Cacchione in the early days of the IHSA.

    Fritz founded several key equestrian organizations, including the United States Combined Training Association (USCTA now the USEA) and the United States Dressage Federation (USDF). Fritz was a member of the United States Equestrian Team (USET) board of directors since the early 1960s, serving as USET vice president for administration and the chief executive officer from 1974-1989.

    He served on various committees of the American Horse Shows Association (now USEF) and was a sustaining member of the United States Pony Club (USPC) since 1955 was named USPC governor in 1960 and in 1961 became a national examiner, a role he held for 30 years. He was elected president in 1981.

    Fritz dedicated his life to equestrian sports, promoting the IHSA and the greater horse industry.

ELIZABETH “BEEZIE” MADDEN

RIDER

  • 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.

    Madden was the first woman to achieve $1 million in earnings in show jumping. Madden is an Individual Olympic bronze medalist and was a member of the two gold medal U.S. teams from the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games, where she rode Authentic. She was also a member of the U.S silver medal team in 2016 with Cortes 'C.' In 2013, Madden won the FEI World Cup Finals in Gothenburg, Sweden, aboard Simon. Madden followed up that win with a repeat in 2018 with Breitling LS. She became the first rider to win the $1 Million AIG HITS Grand Prix in all three locations offered in 2019, with her win with Darry Lou at HITS Thermal.

    Madden is one of the greatest riders in U.S. history. In September 2019, she notched a second win of the CP International Grand Prix, earning the victory gallop of coveted $1 million event with Darry Lou.

    Madden, who bases out of her farm in Cazenovia, New York, is a four-time recipient of the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s Equestrian of the Year award.

    Photo by Shannon Brinkman

CINDY MOREHEAD

COACH

  • 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 to 2017.

    Morehead led the Findlay Western team to four national titles (2005, 2007, 2009, 2010). She also led the Oilers to four reserve national championships, coached four National Champion High-Point Western Riders, won 13 Regional Team Championships, 12 Semi-Final titles and coached 13 Regional High-Point Western Riders. During her tenure with the team, she coached 29 of her riders to capture national titles.

    In 2018, the University of Findlay presented Morehead with the Lifetime Achievement Award, a part of the Oilers Athletic Hall of Fame, to honor outstanding individuals who have attained an extremely high level of success in their industry, sport or profession.

    She is a long-standing director of the Ohio Quarter Horse Association. Morehead is also a well-respected clinician and judge.

J.T. TALLON (1953-2015)

COACH

  • 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.

    As an assistant coach for Southern Seminary, the team won four back-to-back national championships and, as the head coach and equestrian director for Southern Seminary, won the team title four times.

    Tallon was known as an enthusiastic teacher and competition judge throughout the Virginia horse community. He retired from Randolph-Macon in 2011 and died in an automobile accident in 2015.

    In 2016, Tallon was posthumously awarded the IHSA Pioneer Award for his contributions to collegiate riding.

CLIFFORD THE BIG RED HORSE

HORSE

  • For 14 years, “Clifford” was 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.

    During his tenure at Cornell, this 16.3-hand warmblood gelding—donated by trainer Gary Duffy—was ridden by numerous IHSA hunt seat champions, taught countless riders from the beginner to Open divisions, and even helped vaulter Megan Benjamin prepare for the FEI World Equestrian Games.

    Clifford helped to prepare CUET for many wins at the Ivy League Championship Show, their first IHSA Regional Championship in 2011, and the team’s first appearances at Zones and Nationals. Clifford competed at IHSA Nationals nine times, with each appearance in contention for Horse of the Year awards. In 2012, he was named the Leading Hunter Seat Horse at the IEA National Championships.

    Clifford helped Cornell's program grow from a once-small club sports team into one of the most consistent and competitive varsity athletic teams at Cornell University. 

    In Spring 2019, Clifford’s happy and healthy retirement came sooner than anticipated, at 23 years young. 

    Photo by Lisa Cameron