Todd Minikus, 39, of Loxahatchee, FL, has been named as USA Equestrian's 2001 Equestrian of the Year. Minikus was chosen from a group of six of the nation's most distinguished athletes that were bestowed the title of Equestrians of Honor.

The Equestrian of the Year award is presented to the individual who has "excelled above all others in equestrian competition for the current year, while demonstrating superior sportsmanship and dedication to the principles, vision, and mission of USA Equestrian." The winner is determined by vote of the general membership, USA Equestrian Board of Directors and equestrian media. Minikus achieved this pinnacle based largely on his performance throughout the year on the stallion Oh Star.

Minikus was presented with the Robert P. Strub Trophy by the 2000 recipient and Sydney Olympic gold medal winner, David O'Connor, at the Pegasus Awards Dinner, Friday, January 11, 2002 during the USA Equestrian Annual Meeting in Charlotte, NC.

For more information, please contact Sarah Holt, Public Relations on (859) 225 6974 or via email at sholt@equestrian.org. USA Equestrian press releases are available on our web site - http://www.equestrian.org/ .

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.