Hunter Harrison Awarded Posthumous Richard E. McDevitt Award of Merit from US Equestrian

The late Hunter Harrison, prominent owner of Double H Farm and driving force behind the corporate sponsorship of CN and CP in the horse show world, was awarded a Richard E. McDevitt Award of Merit at the Pegasus Awards Ceremony on January 10 during the 2019 US Equestrian Annual Meeting in West Palm Beach, FL.

Named for Richard E. McDevitt, AHSA President from 1975-1987, the Award of Merit is given in memory of an individual or individuals who have passed away during the competition year, and who have given “meritorious service to equestrian sport.”

Harrison, whose involvement in the horse world began when his daughter, Cayce, began riding as a child, became an enthusiastic and generous supporter of the sport. Horses with the HH prefix, like 2017 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup® Final champion and 2016 Rio Olympic Games team silver medal winner HH Azur, have won grand prix events all over the world. In addition, Harrison spearheaded the extensive corporate sponsorship of show jumping by the rail companies Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway. He passed away on December 16, 2017.

“E. Hunter Harrison made a lasting impression on the sport of jumping in the horses he bred, the athletes he supported, and the ways that he helped them to grow,” said Elisabeth Goth, Vice President of the Board of Directors of US Equestrian. “Hunter was a beloved leader, supporter and friend of equestrian sport. Double H Farm was established in 2002 originally as a show stables for Harrison’s daughter, Cayce. The facility quickly developed from a hobby into a well-respected equestrian business that included breeding, buying and selling horses, and sponsorship of international show jumpers. Hunter owned a number of horses with the HH prefix for U.S. rider and son-in-law Quentin Judge and his daughter, Cayce Harrison Judge. Hunter also owned horses for top riders such as Brazil’s Rodrigo Pessoa and Ireland’s Darragh Kerins.

“The HH horses have made their mark on the top levels of jumping throughout the last 15 years. Harrison owned many elite jumping horses like HH Azur, Sapphire, HH Carlos Z, HH Rebozo, HH Rufus, Night Train, and more. Hunter was passionate about bringing great horses and athletes together. People will never forget the partnership of McLain Ward and Hunter’s two-time Olympic team gold medal-winning mare Sapphire, or Ward’s home-turf win with HH Azur at the 2017 FEI Jumping World Cup® Final,” Goth continued.

Harrison’s wife Jeannie, daughter Cayce Harrison Judge, and son-in-law, Quentin Judge, accepted the award on his behalf. “We’d like to thank the USEF for this honor on behalf of Hunter Harrison, for his family and in his honor. He, as in everything in life, jumped into show jumping head first. He loved to see his horses, his riders, his farm, and the sport of show jumping progress. He would be honored to have this award,” Quentin Judge said.

How Harrison achieved such remarkable success both professionally and in the horse world is detailed in the insightful biography “Railroader: The Unfiltered Genius and Controversy of Four-Time CEO Hunter Harrison.” The book describes Harrison’s rise from his early days working in a rail yard through his strikingly successful rise to serving as Chief Executive Officer of four publicly traded companies. While the book focuses on Harrison’s career in the railroad world, equestrians reading it can learn from Harrison’s innovation, determination, and leadership. The author also shows Harrison’s softer side with an insightful look at his family life. It’s an intriguing look behind the scenes of an extremely successful man.

“I think the essential point of the book is that Hunter, when he got involved in anything, did it in the best possible way he could,” said the book’s author, Howard Green. “He was really about excellence in whatever he did, whether it was railroading or golf or show jumping.”

“Railroader” has been received with great acclaim in the business world.

"This book energized me to approach business and life just a little more like Hunter Harrison… Howard Green masterfully puts you up close and personal with a man who's both utterly straightforward yet complicated, all while giving a great perspective on what was happening in business at the time… This is one of the best books I've ever read," said Nicole Verkindt, founder and CEO, OMX.

Review copies of “Railroader: The Unfiltered Genius and Controversy of Four-Time CEO Hunter Harrison” are available upon request and the book is available for purchase at Amazon and at the WEF Boutique at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Florida.

“Railroader: The Unfiltered Genius and Controversy of Four-Time CEO Hunter Harrison” is an unflinching biography of the railroad CEO Hunter Harrison, who also made a lasting impact on the world of show jumping through his ownership of top horses at his Double H Farm and by bringing corporate sponsorship from CN and CP to multiple venues such as the venerated Spruce Meadows and the Winter Equestrian Festival. The author, Howard Green, was a broadcast journalist for 33 years and is best known as founding anchor at Canada's Business News Network. During his almost 15 years at BNN, he conducted more than 14,000 interviews, many with leading CEOs and the biggest names in business and politics, including Sir Richard Branson, Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan, and former British prime minister Tony Blair. Green is a two-time Emmy nominee and winner of Canada's top television prize for his documentary work, and his films have been broadcast worldwide. In 2013, Green became a bestselling author with the release of his first book, Banking on America: How TD Bank Rose to the Top and Took on the USA. Howard Green lives in Toronto.