The William J. Moroney Visionary Award honors an individual, group, organization, or corporation deemed inspirational, influential, and integral to furthering the Hunter and Jumper disciplines. Like the award’s namesake, the winner should have a keen ability to plan for the future, demonstrate endless passion and depth of knowledge of and for the Hunter/Jumper sport. They should offer innovative thinking at every opportunity and inspire others, as well as challenge them to their best at all times. This year, as USHJA celebrated its 20th anniversary, it was fitting to recognize an individual whose contributions reflect the core values and vision upon which our association was founded: David O’Connor of The Plains, Virginia.

“He is one of those people that is constantly looking for opportunity out there. This organization and all the people who have ever been involved in it and all the people that have been members of it, he is the one that made this happen,” said Moroney. “If anything, he is the father of USHJA. He is the guy that made it happen.”

O’Connor’s future-focused leadership and dedication has been a cornerstone of USHJA’s growth and success. His unwavering belief in the need for a dedicated affiliate led to the formation of USHJA, an organization he envisioned would elevate the sport in unprecedented ways. His continued work underscores his commitment to preserving and growing equestrian sport for future generations. With a strategic, long-term approach to tackling challenges and securing a sustainable future, O’Connor has fundamentally shaped the Hunter/Jumper community. His leadership and vision continue to leave a lasting impact on USHJA’s legacy.

“It’s been a great experience all the way through. I think every time you do one of these things, you end up learning more than you expect because of the people you get to work with. You always end up getting more out of all of the experiences and all of the people and all of the situations that you end up in,” said O’Connor. “And this is such an unusual thing because it’s the horse, so we all get to wrap our lives around the horse, and we have to make sure that we never put the economics over the ethics over the care of the horse. And the elation and the disappointments of competition can’t overrun our basic love for what we do. And we all have to remember why we did it in the first place.”