David O'Connor (equestrian) 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. David O'Connor (equestrian) David John O'Connor (born January 18, 1962) is a retired equestrian who represented the United States in the sport of three-day eventing. He competed
National Collegiate Equestrian Association of being an Emerging Sport. The NCAA states that "Sports in the emerging sports program are expected to grow to 40 varsity teams within 10 years – the minimum level of sponsorship needed to be considered for the ultimate goal of becoming a full-fledged NCAA championship sport." Although the 10-year mark has been passed for equestrian, the sport remained on the list because of continued growth and support. However, it has faced several threats of removal from the list. In January 2016, some 200 college administrators voted for equestrian to continue in Division II at the NCAA Convention. Dr. Leah