LEXINGTON, Ky. — Temecula-based eventer Tamra Smith, who just won a pair of titles at the Galway Downs International (related story, page 32), was named last week by the U.S. Equestrian Federation to its High Performance Winter/Spring Training List for 2016. She will train as a member of the World Class list with U.S. Eventing Team Coach David O’Connor.

Tamra Smith and Chatwin at Galway Downs.

Sherry Stewart photo

The appointment caps a stellar year and remarkable month, during which Smith turned heads nationally with a win at the Fair Hill International CCI3* in Maryland, where she had led start-to-finish on Mai Baum Oct. 15-18. At Galway, she won both the CCI2* and CCI1* events, on Chatwin and Fleeceworks Royal, respectively.

“This year has just been an amazing journey for me, and I want to thank all of the owners of the remarkable horses I have been so blessed to ride,” Smith said after the Galway Downs International.

Joining Smith on the World Class list of the High Performance Winter/Spring Training line-up were fellow Galway Downs champion Phillip Dutton (West Grove, Pa.), Boyd Martin (Cochranville, Pa.), Will Coleman (Gordonsville, Va.), Lauren Kieffer and Lynn Symansky of Middleburg, Va., and Clark Montgomery (Tetbury, England). Six other eventers named to the High Performance line-up with National (not World Class) designation included Buck Davidson (Ocala, Fla.), Emily Beshear (Somerset, Va.), Matt Brown (Cochranville, Pa.), Marilyn Little (Frederick, Md.), Colleen Rutledge (Mt. Airy, Md.), and Kim Severson (Charlottesville, Va.).

The USEF also involved Eventing 25 and Eventing 18 levels of High Performance eventers, several of whom hail from California.

Chloe Smith of Poway and Mackenna Shea of Temecula both were named to the Eventing 25 line-up, along with Madelina Backus (Larkspur, Colo.), Jenny Caras (Cartersville, Ga.), Jacob Fletcher (North Little Rock, Ark.), Woodge Fulton (Ocala, Fla.), Alexandra Green (Loudon, Tenn.), Avery Klunick (Midland, Texas), Caroline Martin (Miami Beach, Fla.)Lexi Scovil (Ocala, Fla.) and Lizzie Snow (Southern Pines, S.C.).

Mia Farley of San Clemente and Madison Temkin of Sebastopol were both named to the Eventing 18 group. Joining them were fellow eventers Karri Bellamy (Scotia, N.Y.), Kristine Burgess (Lino Lakes, Minn.), Camilla Grover-Dodge (Lancaster, Pa.), Morgan McCue (West Chester, Pa.), Patience O’Neal (Fall City, Wash.), Makenna Rold (Delano, Minn.), Margaret Stocker (Bartonville, Texas), Kristen Turner (Dallas, Texas), and Cassandra Wallskog (Mequon, Wis.)

The Eventing 25 and 18 athletes will work with USEF Eventing Developing Rider Coach Leslie Law in their respective training sessions. Training session dates and locations will be announced at a later date.