Lillie Keenan

Lillie Carmichael Keenan (born 4 October, 1996) is an American show jumping rider. She was successful as a junior rider, winning the ASPCA Maclay Finals, the USEF Medal Finals, and the Washington International Horse Show Equitation championship, as well as the USHJA International Hunter Derby Finals and double gold at the North American Young Rider Championship.
As a professional, Keenan has been part of many Nations Cup teams for the United States, most notably at the Dublin Horse Show where the Aga Khan trophy was won by an all female team for the first time.
Keenan attended Harvard University and graduated in 2019. 
== Early life ==
Keenan began riding at the age of six after discovering photos of her mother who rode as a junior. She first rode at a small stable in New York City called Claremont Stables, but moved to train at Heritage Farm and worked under the guidance of Andre Dignelli and Patricia Griffith where she began competing. Keenan trained with Heritage for the entirety of her junior career. 
After moving her training to Heritage Farm, Keenan quickly began showing. She spent a few months competing in the children's pony hunters before moving up to the regular pony hunters. At her first trip to the USEF Pony Finals in 2005, Keenan and the small pony, Dreamworks, were reserve champion in the regular small division, while in 2006 she was reserve champion in the Washington International Horse Show Pony Equitation Final. In 2007, Keenan swept the championships in the regular pony hunter divisions at Pony Finals, winning the small championship on Blackberry, the medium championship and overall grand championship on Enchanted Forest, and the large championship and overall reserve grand championship on Vanity Fair. The following year, Keenan won five out of the six championships at Pony Finals, taking championships home in every division except the regular small pony hunters. She claimed overall grand champion on Neverland, and overall green grand champion on Sparkle Plenty. She was also reserve champion in the USEF Pony Medal Finals on High Cotton. 
== Junior career ==
After several successful year at Pony Finals, Keenan moved to competing on horses. In her second year competing in the equitation, Keenan won the Washington International Horse Show Equitation Finals at the age of 13, and she did so on Uno, a horse she'd ridden for two weeks beforehand due to her horse coming up with an injury shortly before the finals. In 2011, with equitation success under her belt, Keenan made a name for herself on hunter horses, as well. At Junior Hunter Finals, she won in the small junior hunters on Confidential and in the large junior hunters on Madison, also claiming the grand overall champion and reserve on the two horses, respectively. Most notably, Keenan topped the professional riders to win the USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship on C Coast Z at 14 years old. She was also champion with C Coast Z at both The National Horse Show and the Washington International Horse Show and won classes in the High Junior Jumpers at The National Horse Show on Vanhattan. 
In 2012, Keenan anchored the Zone 2 team to the gold medal in the junior division at the North American Junior and Young Rider Championship. That year, she also won the North American Equitation Championship at the Capital Challenge Horse Show, and was reserve champion at both the USEF Medal Finals and the ASPCA Maclay Finals, all on Clearway. 
In 2013, Keenan rode Londinium to both team and individual gold at the North American Young Riders Championship, and she followed it up with individual gold at the USEF National Junior Jumper Championship. In the equitation, Keenan topped both the USEF Medal Finals and the ASPCA Maclay Finals, once again on Clearway, giving her championship honors in three out of the four major equitation finals. She also won the USHJA Hunterdon Equitation Cup. Keenan also won the Grand Junior Hunter Championship at The Devon Horse Show aboard Walk The Line, and won championships at the Pennsylvania National on Walk The Line and Brodeur. She won style awards for her riding at both horse shows. With so much success, Keenan was awarded Junior Equestrian of the Year by the USEF. 
== Professional career ==
Come 2014, Keenan became successful in international competition, although still a junior. She was given the opportunity to jump her first Nations Cup at the age of 17 at competitions in Ascona (SUI) and Bratislava (SVK). That year she also jumped at major shows such as world cup qualifier events and The Hampton Classic. In 2015, while a freshman at Harvard University, Keenan declared as a professional rider, and also moved her training to Cian O'Connor's Karlswood Stables. O'Connor was brought on to help Keenan learn the European system and how to train horses up and manage her own stable. With mounts such as Super Sox, Skyhorse, Be Gentle, and Balance, Keenan gained experience and took wins in many Under 25 events, as well as top placings in major classes. She was awarded the Lionel Guerrand-Hèrmes Trophy, given to a young rider in an Olympic discipline that exhibits sportsmanship and horsemanship, in 2015, as well as the Maxine Beard award in 2016, an award given to a rider that shows great potential to represent the United States in international competition. 
In 2017, Fibonacci 17 was added to Keenan's stable, a horse achieved success with former rider, Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, including the bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games. That year, Keenan was also part of the history-making team that won the Aga Khan Trophy at The Dublin Horse Show, the first time an all-female team had won the event. In 2018, Keenan rode for the New York Empire, a Global Champions League team. That spring she was shortlisted for the World Equestrian Games, her first consideration for a championship event. In September, following the World Equestrian Games, Keenan moved her training to McLain Ward's Castle Hill Farm, where she trains along side Adrienne Sternlicht. 
In 2019, Keenan had top placings at The Devon Horse Show, despite going back to Cambridge to graduate from Harvard. She also gathered good results at Hickstead, Munster, Calgary, Tryon, and Lexington. In 2020, she had several top finishes in Wellington, FL (USA) before the shows were halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Her current horses include Fasther, Cazaan, Skyhorse, Agana Van Het Gerendal Z, Be Gentle, Chaccolette, and Super Sox.
== Major results ==
Major Professional Results
Year	Place 	Horse 	Event 	Rating	Show 	Location
2020	3 	Fasther 	Douglas Elliman Grand Prix 	CSI5* 	Winter Equestrian Festival 	Wellington, FL (USA)
2020	1 	Fasther 	Martha Jolicoeur Leading Lady Rider 	CSI2* 	Winter Equestrian Festival 	Wellington, FL (USA)
2019	2 	Skyhorse 	Friends of the Meadow Cup 	CSI5* 	Spruce Meadows Pan American	Calgary (CAN)
2018	1 	Fibonacci 17	Champion Sentower Grand Prix 	CSI2* 	Opglabbeek 	Opglabbeek (BEL)
2018	2 	Super Sox 	Great American $1 million Grand Prix	NAT 	HITS Saugerties 	Saugerties, NY (USA)
2017	1 	Fibonacci 17	Nations Cup of Spruce Meadows 	CSIO5*	Spruce Meadows Masters 	Calgary (CAN)
2017	1 	Super Sox 	Nations Cup of Dublin 	CSIO5*	Dublin Horse Show 	Dublin (IRL)
2017	1 	Super Sox 	Lotto Hessen-Preis 1.50m 	CSI4* 	Wiesbaden 	Wiesbaden (GER)
2017	Bronze	Super Sox 	FEI Nations Cup Final 	CSIO5*	Nations Cup Final 	Barcelona (ESP)
2016	3 	Super Sox 	King George V Cup 	CSIO5*	Hickstead 	Hickstead (GBR)
Major Junior Results
Year	Place 	Horse 	Event 	Show 	Location
2013	1 	Clearway 	ASPCA Alfred B. Maclay Finals 	The National Horse Show 	Lexington, KY
2013	1 	Clearway 	USEF Hunter Seat Medal Finals 	Pennsylvania National Horse Show 	Harrisburg, PA
2013	1 	Clearway 	USHJA Hunterdon Cup 	USEF Junior Hunter Finals 	Saugerties, NY
2013	1 	Pumped Up Kicks 	$125,000 Purina Grand Prix 	HITS Saugerties 	Saugerties, NY
2013	Gold 	Londinium 	Young Riders - Team & Individual 	North American Young Riders Championship 	Lexington, KY
2013	Gold 	Londinium 	Junior Jumper Championship - Individual 	Pennsylvania National Horse Show 	Harrisburg, PA
2013	1 	Walk The Line 	Grand Junior Hunter Champion 	The Devon Horse Show 	Devon, PA
2012	Gold 	Vanhattan 	Junior Rider - Team 	North American Junior Riders Championship	Lexington, KY
2012	1 	Clearway 	North American Equitation Championship 	Capital Challenge Horse Show 	Upper Marlboro, MD
2011	1 	C Coast Z 	$100,000 USHJA International Derby Finals	International Derby Finals 	Lexington, KY
2011	Champion	Confidential 	Grand Junior Hunter Champion 	USEF Junior Hunter Finals 	Saugerties, NY
2011	Reserve 	Madison 	Reserve Grand Junior Hunter Champion 	USEF Junior Hunter Finals 	Saugerties, NY
2010	1 	Uno 	WIHS Equitation Finals 	Washington International Horse Show 	Washington, D.C.
2008	Champion	Neverland 	Grand Pony Hunter Champion 	USEF Pony Finals 	Lexington, KY
2008	Champion	Sparkle Plenty 	Grand Green Pony Hunter Champion 	USEF Pony Finals 	Lexington, KY
2007	Champion	Enchanted Forest	Grand Pony Hunter Champion 	USEF Pony Finals 	Lexington, KY
==In the media==
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== References ==
==External links==
* Lillie Keenan on instagram
* Lillie Keenan on facebook
* Lillie Keenan on twitter
* Lillie Keenan (10079018) | FEI.org
* Lillie Keenan :: The Hampton Classic
* Lillie Keenan Horses - LONGINES GLOBAL CHAMPIONS TOUR
* Lillie Keenan - GCL - Longines Global Champions Tour
* Interview with Lillie Keenan - Upper Echelon Academy
* Two new talents to Lillie Keenan | World of Showjumping
Category:1996 births
Category:American show jumping riders
Category:American equestrians
Category:Harvard University alumni
Category:Horse showing and exhibition
Category:Dublin Horse Show