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De
Leyer Named As Recipient Of Pegasus Medal Of Honor
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Harry
de Leyer, 75, of Dyke, VA, joins Charles Crabtree of Simpsonville,
KY, as a recipient of the 2002 USA Equestrian Pegasus Medal of
Honor.
One
of 12 children, de Leyer was born in the Netherlands. He learned
to ride as a member of an agriculture youth group and in 1950
he moved to the United States with just $160 in his pocket. In
the mid-1950's he became the riding instructor at the Knox School
on Long Island in New York while operating his own Hollandia Farm
in nearby St. James. It was during this time that de Leyer discovered
a horse that was on it's way to slaughter. Despite the ragged
appearance de Leyer purchased him for $80, $20 more than the going
rate for a slaughter horse and named him Snowman. This pair went
on to hold the AHSA Open Jumper title and to dominate shows like
the National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden.
The
Pegasus Medal of Honor was created as an annual award to recognize
individuals who have exhibited outstanding service to horses and
the sport. Through their dedication, recipients of the Pegasus
Medal of Honor have attracted people to the sport and contributed
to horse sports by advancing its popularity. Harry de Leyer and
Charles R. Crabtree will receive a commemorative USA Equestrian
Pegasus Medal of Honor to be formally presented at the Pegasus
Dinner held during the USA Equestrian Annual Meeting, January
15-19, 2003, at the Marriott Griffin Gate in Lexington, Kentucky.
USA
Equestrian Inc., as the National Equestrian Federation of the
U.S., is the regulatory body for the Olympic and World Championship
sports of dressage, driving, endurance, eventing, reining, show
jumping, and vaulting, as well as 19 other breeds and disciplines
of equestrian competition. As
the country's largest multi-breed organization, the Federation
has over 80,000 members and recognizes more than 2,800 competitions
nationwide each year. It governs all aspects of competition, including
educating and licensing all judges, stewards, and technical delegates
who officiate at these shows.
VISION STATEMENT
The vision of USA Equestrian is to provide leadership for equestrian
sport in the United States of America, promoting the pursuit of
excellence from the grass roots to the Olympic Games, based on
a foundation of fair, safe competition and the welfare of its
horses, and embracing this vision, to be the best national equestrian
federation in the world.
www.equestrian.org
.
