You’d be hard-pressed to find a better poster child for the American riding system than Lillie Keenan—both past and present.
The 28-year-old New York City native came up through the ranks in all three rings, graduating from Pony Finals Championships in every regular pony section at the age of 10 into the horse divisions. As a young junior, she won the two-phase Washington International and Small Junior Hunter Finals.
For Keenan, however, the 2013 season was an equitation barn burner.
She took home three of the ‘Big Four’ indoor titles, including USEF Hunter Seat Medal Finals, ASPCA Maclay Finals, and the Excellence in Equitation Championship. That year, she also took individual gold at USEF Junior Jumper Championships.
For these awards (and others) Keenan was awarded the title of 2013 Junior Equestrian of the Year by the United States Equestrian Federation.
While attending Harvard University, Keenan continued to deliver.
She made her international debut for Team USA at just 20 years of age aboard Super Sox in the 2016 Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup at Hickstead.
But individual success in the jumper ring didn’t come overnight—or, for another five years, in fact.
Keenan won her first 5* grand prix in 2022, when she and Queensland E took home the MLSJ Grand Prix at La Silla in Monterrey, Mexico. Up until that point, the American rider’s only grand prix win had been a 1.50m CSI2* in Opglabbeek in 2018, though she had podiumed in other international events.
According to Keenan, unlocking the keys to her true potential required a little wisdom from her coach and mentor, McLain Ward.
“I went to McLain when I was about 22, and to be honest, I had absolutely no self-confidence. I had a little bit of a rocky few years and I had experience at a high level, but I really didn’t believe in myself,” she told Horse Network last year.
“Obviously, he’s a very talented teacher and he gives a lot of technical advice, but with me, he basically just taught me to believe in myself again. He always jokes that I tell people he just told me to shorten my reins and have confidence. It sounds really simple, but that was a mountain for me to climb.
“[Having] him be the person to tell me that he actually believes in me meant more than anything. And he wasn’t just saying that.”
And if Keenan needed a little leg-up to make the leap from junior prodigy to serious grand prix contender, all signs indicate that’s she’s arrived.
At press time, the American rider was sitting in second place to Kent Farrington in the Major League Show Jumping (MLSJ) Individual Standings. She’s also ranked in the top-30 on the Longines Rankings, the highest American woman and the third-highest American rider behind Kent Farrington (#4) and mentor Ward (#8).
But Keenan’s Jumpr stats—and her consistency over the last three years—make an even more compelling case.
With more than $2,750,000 in total career earnings, Keenan, herself, finishes in the top 10 at 50% in 16 rounds this year at 1.60m.
Since her first victory in Monterrey in 2022, she’s notched a at least one *5 win a year. These include her 2023 victories at CSI5* Spruce Meadows with Fasther in June, and MLSJ Ottawa in August with Argan De Beliard. One year later, in August of 2024, Keenan and Kick On took the week’s hallmark grand prix at MLSJ Toronto.
Given those results, it’s perhaps unsurprising that Keenan currently sits at #5 on the Rolex/USEF Show Jumping Ranking list for U.S. riders, with the 10-year-old Kick On sitting at #6 for top horses.
But one thing’s for certain: Keenan’s decorated junior career was just the start.