Ten outstanding horses have been selected to be included on the Horse Stars Hall of Fame for 2017 during the Old Salem May Horse Show in North Salem, New York. One special IEA horse, “Billy White Shoes,” is among the ten inductees for his life-changing impact on people.

When the Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) held its inaugural Interscholastic Invitational in 2002, “Billy White Shoes” was considered an exceptional draw. “Billy” went on to compete in several IEA National and Zone 5 finals and touched the lives of so many IEA members.

“Billy was the centerpiece of our riding program at Andrews School. Everyone knew him and loved him. He could make any rider feel like a pro, and was considered the ‘wonder draw’ at IEA and IHSA events. He won classes from x-rails to 3’6″ medals as he methodically packed his riders to predictably perfect rounds. I am honored that this horse shared so much of his life with me and with students in our programs. He was truly a horse of a lifetime for anyone that had the privilege of sharing his expertise. I am thrilled that he can be nationally recognized through the Horse Stars Hall of Fame. Many thanks to Equus Foundation and US Equestrian for honoring this wonderful horse that tapped the hearts of so many people!” stated Roxane Durant, IEA Co-Founder and Executive Director and owner of “Billy White Shoes.”

The Equus Foundation and US Equestrian founded the Hall of Fame in 2013 to celebrate the extraordinary talent of horses and the magical bond between horses and people.

Celebrating its 15th season, the IEA has more than 13,500 middle and high school student-riders across the United States. The IEA was organized to promote and improve the quality of equestrian competition and instruction available to middle and secondary school students and is open to public and private schools and barn teams. Its purpose is to set minimum standards for competition, provide information concerning the creation and development of school associated equestrian sport programs, to generally promote the common interests of safe riding instruction and competition and education on matters related to equestrian competition at the middle and secondary school levels. For more information, please view the IEA website at: www.rideiea.org.