Leslie Burr Howard and David Distler, who were just voted into the Show Jumping Hall of Fame, have been two of the most successful members of the equestrian community for half a century. They were set to be installed at the Devon Horse Show this month, but when it was cancelled the ceremony was postponed and will be held at a future date.
David Distler is truly the indispensable man of show jumping, both nationally and internationally.
He rose from in-gate starter in the early 1970s to show manager, Olympic judge and FEI Steward General, as well as being a valued member of key committees. 
He has been involved with five Olympics games: Two as a judge (2008 and 2016), one as an FEI Steward (2012), one as event coordinator (1996) and one as starter (1984). He also has been part of three World Equestrian Games, two as a judge (2014 and 2018) and one as co-manager (2010). Had it not been cancelled, the Las Vegas World Cup Final would have been his 13th world indoor championship, six as a judge (including four as Ground Jury president), four as Steward, one as manager, and two as starter.
In addition, David has served as manager of several of the country’s biggest competitions, including the USET Show Jumping Olympic Trials; the Devon, Washington International and National Horse Shows, as well as the Winter Equestrian Festival and USEF Show Jumping Talent Search. He also held many positions, including technical coordinator, at the Lake Placid Horse Shows, where he was honored in 2019 for his nearly 50 years of service.
Highly respected for his encyclopedic knowledge of the rules, as well as his honesty and integrity, David is regarded as one of the leading show jumping judges in the world. David also serves the sport through his leadership roles with its major organizations including working many years as the FEI’s Steward General for show jumping and as chairman of the USEF Show Jumping Committee. He is also vice president of the USHJA and treasurer of the Show Jumping Hall of Fame.
David, a resident of Palm Beach County, Florida, and his wife, Sharon, have a son, Liam.
Leslie Burr Howard has been one of the most competitive and admired show jumpers in the world. “Leapin Leslie”.was an integral part of U. S. squads that won the team gold ,edal at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and the team silver at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. She also won team Gold and Silver medals in the Pan American Games and was the 1986 FEI World Cup™ Champion.
By the time she was four, Leslie already knew two things–that she liked horses and she liked speed. Leslie grew up riding ponies at Highfield Farm in Long Valley. She entered her first show at age six and in 1972, she won the ASPCA Maclay Finals at just 15 years old, the second youngest ever to take that title.
In 1983, Leslie was part of the gold medal U.S. team with Boing at the 1983 Pan American Games in Caracas, Venezuela. She was also named the American Grandprix Association (AGA) Rider of the Year and her eventual Olympic mount, Albany, was Horse of the Year, a feat he repeated in 1984.
In 1986, she won the FEI World Cup™ Final in Gothenburg, Sweden aboard McLain, and was honored as the AHSA Equestrian of the Year. Over the course of her career, Leslie has competed in 18 FEI World Cup™ Finals and is one of only five female champions in the event’s 41-year history.
One of Leslie’s career highlights was being named as Gem Twist’s rider after an injury suffered by Greg Best, who rode him to double silver in the 1988 Olympics. She successfully completed the 1992 season, helping Gem earn AGA Horse of the Year honors for a record third time. In 1994, Leslie rode Gem Twist and Charisma to first-place tie in the USET Show Jumping Championship at Gladstone and represented the U.S. at the FEI World Equestrian Games™ in The Hague. Riding Jane Clark’s Extreme, Leslie was part of the U.S. team that clinched the silver medal at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
In 1997, the USET honored Leslie with the Whitney Stone Cup for long and meritorious service. Later that year, she won the world’s richest show jumping event at the Spruce Meadows Masters aboard Sblieft. In 1999, with Clover Leaf, she helped the USET win the team silver medal at the Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Canada. She topped the USA East Coast FEI World Cup™ League in 2000, and that summer won the prestigious Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Spruce Meadows. She also earned the Leading Rider Award at the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto. In 2002, she was part of the U.S. Team at the FEI World Equestrian Games™ in Jerez, Spain.
Leslie has taught and influenced many top jumper riders, including Molly Ashe-Cawley, Debbie Dolan-Sweeney, Kent Farrington, Judy Garofalo Torres, Lisa Jacquin, Christine Tribble McCrea and Fernando Martinez. She was inducted into the Show Hunter Hall of Fame in 2016 and the Pennsylvania National Horse Show Hall of Fame in 2018.
She and her husband, Peter Howard, split their time between Florida and Connecticut.