Skip to content

USEF Honors Three Morgan Women





The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) recently honored three women from the Morgan community. Their honor was announced at the USEF Pegasus Awards Dinner, which took place on Friday, January 16, in Lexington, Kentucky, during the 2015 USEF Annual Meeting.

Ellen Di Bella (pictured left) was the recipient of the Walter B. Devereux Sportsmanship Award. This annual award, given in memory of Walter Bourchier Devereux, III, is presented to the horseman or horsewoman who personifies the ideals of the current sportsman's charter through commitment and dedication to the sport.

Mary Woolverton received the Pegasus Medal of Honor. This annual award recognizes individuals who have exhibited outstanding service to horses and the sport, and who, through their dedication, have attracted people to the sport and contributed to horse sport by advancing its popularity.

Longtime Grand National & World Championship Morgan Horse Show® manager, the late Fern Bittner, received the Honor Roll of Distinguished Officials Award. This is awarded to retired USEF licensed horse show officials who had outstanding and influential careers officiating at competitions both large and small, and whose officiating standards helped improve the quality of show ring competition.

Bittner also was the recipient of the Richard E. McDevitt Award of Merit. This annual award, named for Richard E. McDevitt, President of AHSA, is awarded posthumously for meritorious service to equestrian sport.

More Stories

  • Latest Issue 2 25 HW

    Read More
  • ASHBA Annual Meeting Highlights

    The annual meeting of the American Saddlebred Horse and Breeders Association saw a substantial turnout of membership. More than half of the active, eligible members at the time of the vote let their voices be heard either in person or by proxy on two topics: a bylaw amendment proposal and the vote to elect two people to represent the membership on the nominating committee for the board of directors. Read More
  • Morgan Stallion Sweeps Date Changed

    The New England Regional Morgan Horse Show and Association along with the United Breeders Committee announces a date change for the upcoming Morgan Stallion Sweeps drawing to March 15th. Read More
  • AHHS Board of Director Election Results

    The results are in and the AHHS would like to congratulate the five successful candidates on their election to the AHHS Board! The five candidates elected are Chris Gantley, Maureen Quackenbush, Bryan Earehart, Amber Kildow, and Melissa Moore. Read More
  • Latest Issue 2 10 25

    Read More
  • Update on ASHBA Website

    Earlier today, we noticed that the server that supports the ASHBA database was experiencing a lot of activity. After a brief investigation, we discovered that certain parts of the system were being hit almost constantly and slowing down the server. This was leading to performance issues across the board. We pulled server logs and saw more than 77,000 requests for show results for this morning alone. Read More
  • Over $60,000 Raised At New York Morgan Stallion Service Auction

    It was a new year and a new committee for the New York Morgan Stallion Service Auction. With committee members emeriti Ivan Beattie and Lynn Peeples, Chairperson Jennifer Peek focused on the young trainers in the New York area, tapping Anna Kufs, Chris Bernard, Keith Friday, Lindsay Perry Atkinson, Rebecca Arotsky and Will Vidler, and Tuffy Owens to fill out the revamped team. Read More
  • Topping The Ladies Division

    Read More
  • 2025 Annual Membership Meeting of American Saddlebred Horse and Breeders Association

    The Annual Membership Meeting of the American Saddlebred Horse and Breeders Association, Inc. will be held on Thursday, February 13, 2025 at 2 pm EST at the Lexington Marriott City Center, 121 West Vine Street, in Lexington, KY.  Read More
  • Michigan Morgan Horse Breeders Futurity Activities

    The Michigan Morgan Horse Breeders Futurity (MMHBF) will host its annual stallion service auction on Saturday, March 1, with a full day of activities on Friday, February 28. The events will be held in the Middlebury, Indiana area with the Hampton Inn serving as the host hotel.  Read More