Awards and honors The USEA named O'Connor their Rider of the Year in 1996 and 1997, and in the same years named O'Connor's horse Lightfoot was the Horse of the Year. O'Connor was also named The Chronicle of the Horse's Eventing Horseman of the Year in 1996, in combination with his wife, Karen. In 1997, O'Connor was awarded the Whitney Stone Cup, an annual award by the United States Equestrian Federation which honors "an active competitor who displays consistent excellence in international competition and high standards of sportsmanlike conduct while serving as an ambassador for the United States and equestrian sport." In 1998, Lightfoot was named the USEA Horse of the Year, and in 1999, another O'Connor horse, Rattle & Hum, was awarded the honor. Rattle & Hum also took home The Chronicle of the Horse's Eventing Horse of the Year in 1999. The following year, The Chronicle of the Horse named O'Connor both Overall Horseman and Eventing Horseman of the Year, and his horse, Custom Made, was named both Overall Horse and Eventing Horse of the Year. Two years later, in 2002, Giltedge, O'Connor's other main horse, was named both Overall Horse and Eventing Horse of the Year. The United States Equestrian Federation named O'Connor their Equestrian of the Year twice, in 2000 and 2002. Also in 2002, O'Connor was awarded the USA Equestrian Sportsmanship Award. In 2009, O'Connor and Custom Made were inducted into the USEA Hall of Fame, and in 2012 Giltedge was awarded the same honor. As of 2013, four horses ridden by O'Connor (Giltedge, Custom Made, On a Mission and Wilton Fair) held positions in the list of the top 50 USEA high scoring horses. References External links O'Connor Event Team 1962 births Living people American event riders Equestrians at the 1996 Summer Olympics Equestrians at the 2000 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for the United States in equestrian Equestrians at the 1999 Pan American Games People from Gaithersburg, Maryland American male equestrians Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States Olympic silver medalists for the United States in equestrian Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in equestrian Pan American Games medalists in equestrian Medalists at the 1999 Pan American Games