FRESNO, Calif. - Former Fresno State equestrian student-athlete Kirsten McKillop is a nominee for the 2024 National Equestrian of the Year, announced by US Equestrian this week. McKillop was a Bulldog student-athlete in the western discipline from 2011-14 (student-athlete profile).
The International and National Equestrians of the Year will be announced during the 2024 Pegasus Awards Dinner on Thursday, Jan. 23, at the 2025 US Equestrian Annual Meeting in Lexington, Ky.
Equestrians of Honor are nominated by their USEF affiliate organization or USEF breed or discipline committee, and the finalists are selected by the USEF Awards Committee. The final Equestrians of the Year are determined by member voting.
Voting is open now through 11:59 p.m. ET on Dec. 31. Click here to vote now.
Background on McKillop
Kristin McKillop comes from a long history of prominent equestrians and following in the footsteps of her mother, Jill Mitchell, has become one of the top Arabian trainers in the U.S. Before transitioning her focus to the Arabian breed, McKillop competed successfully across several disciplines, ultimately earning a spot on the Fresno State Equestrian Team.
To date, McKillop has earned 43 Regional Championships, 29 Reserve Championships, and more than 40 top-five finishes since 2002. Nationally, she has earned five championships, thirteen reserve championships, and nearly 40 top ten finishes. In 2024, McKillop earned multiple top finishes in the Arabian Hunter Pleasure Futurity as well as the Half-Arabian/Anglo-Arabian Hunter Pleasure Open. With Ashley Reimer Caprio's 2020 purebred mare Aria Vixxen, McKillop took home the coveted AHPA $100,000 Arabian Hunter Pleasure Futurity Champion title, where she topped the class of 24 stellar entries.