The United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation has awarded the 2026 Amanda Pirie Warrington Grant to U.S. eventing athlete Savannah Gwin of Temecula, California. As the philanthropic partner to US Equestrian (USEF), the USET Foundation’s mission is to ensure U.S. equestrian athletes and teams have the resources necessary to maintain excellence on the greatest international stages. Grants and funding from the USET Foundation, through philanthropic contributions, go to USEF to help support the training, competition, travel, and educational needs of America’s horse and human athletes.
The Amanda Pirie Warrington Grant is awarded annually through the USET Foundation’s Amanda Pirie Warrington Fund. Pirie’s family established the fund in her memory to provide financial assistance to an eventing athlete identified as having the talent and ability to represent the United States on senior teams.
Gwin is the head groom at Next Level Eventing for Olympian Tamie Smith, who was the recipient of the 2019 USET Foundation Jacqueline B. Mars International Competition Grant and winner of the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event CCI5*-L in 2023.
Gwin began working for Smith in California when she was 17. After graduating from high school, she spent two years training with David O’Connor on the East Coast before rejoining Smith’s team four years ago. In 2021 and 2022, Gwin was named to the US Equestrian (USEF) Eventing 25 Emerging Athlete Program — one of the many USEF High Performance Pathway Programs the USET Foundation helps to support.
The now 24-year-old Gwin had a successful Young Riders career with mount Glock Pullman. After his retirement, she found herself without a competition ride for some time. In January 2025, she was allocated the ride on Molly Duda’s British-bred Oldenburg, De Facto (by Diarado x Now Or Never M). However, just a month later, Gwin suffered a serious accident, putting the duo’s plans on hold.
“In February last year, I had a bad fall and fractured the base of my skull,” said Gwin. “I partially tore some ligaments that basically hold your head onto your neck. It was a big blow, and I was told I’d be out for six months to a year, with the potential that I wouldn’t ever be able to ride again. It was a really big setback, so getting the grant after a slow competition season last year was a shock.
“When I found out I’d won it, there were a lot of emotions because I had not expected it at all,” she continued. “I feel overwhelming gratitude for this opportunity and to the people who have helped support me and make this crazy dream of riding horses a reality. Tamie has helped bring a lot of opportunities my way, and some of her owners — including the Dudas and Ruth Bley — now own horses for me. It’s a big group effort of people coming together to try to help make this possible.”
The Amanda Pirie Warrington Grant is intended for a recipient who will benefit most from the opportunity to continue their training with top coaches and to compete against the world’s best in eventing. As the recipient, Gwin will receive up to $5,000 to help offset expenses associated with her training throughout 2026.
“I had a great Young Riders career, but when my horse retired, my family stopped supporting me financially,” explained Gwin. “I was faced with a reality check about what it realistically takes to succeed in this sport. I’ve been trying to find my own way since, which is not easy. It takes a lot of work, but the journey has made me really fall in love with the whole package of eventing. It’s not just about the competition highlights; I also love the process of learning to train horses.
“This is my first grant, and I’m overwhelmed with gratitude,” she continued. “Most of it will go towards De Facto as we’re taking him to the East Coast for three months. As someone always trying to figure it out financially, this takes some pressure off and opens up a lot of opportunities for me. The grant will allow me to concentrate on riding and training and free up more of my focus for my horses and the people that help me. My partnership with De Facto is developing into something strong; I’m really excited for this spring.
“It’s special that these opportunities exist,” added Gwin. “They create possibilities that otherwise wouldn’t happen. It only takes one person, one thing, or the USET Foundation to step in and help jump-start progress to make a difference. The support, experience, and opportunities provided through the grants and programs the USET Foundation supports give riders exactly what they need when it’s time to move up to senior teams.”
Gwin aims to make the step up to CCI3* level in 2026 with the 11-year-old De Facto — who has not had a single cross-country jumping fault in his four international starts — a transition that the Amanda Pirie Warrington Grant will help facilitate.
See the full list of previous recipients of the Amanda Pirie Warrington Grant here.
