The Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) will induct Duncan Peters, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVSMR, ISLEP, of East West Equine Sports Medicine, into the IHSA Hall of Fame during the organizations National Championship, held May 1-3, at Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Spring, North Carolina.Driven by his love for the horse, Peters has made a name for himself as one of the preeminent sport horse veterinarians in the country. And while hes served as an official U.S. Equestrian Team veterinarian at world championships and Paralympic Games, hes just as passionate about helping pleasure horses as top international athletes.Its nice to go to those (championship) eventstheres so much spectacle to them and theyre lovelybut I really like the preparation and getting up to that point, said Peters. I like that part of it, helping people and horses along the way.Peters grew up paying for his early riding lessons by working around the stable for a quarter an hour. When his first horse came up sick, he was enthralled by the veterinarian who came to treat him, starting Peters down his path toward veterinary medicine.As a young person, Peters joined the Fairfield County Hounds Pony Club, earning his B rating and establishing a record as a talented hunter/jumper rider and an enthusiastic fox hunter. He attended the University of Connecticut, in Mansfield, joining the IHSA, horse judging, and polo teams, and he was on the squad that won the U.S. Polo Association Mens Intercollegiate Championship team three years in a row.During his sophomore year, their IHSA coach left, so Peters and Anne Brzezicki took over training the team. Incredibly, the student-coached team won the IHSA Hunt Seat National Championship in 1972, while Peters won the inaugural Cacchione Cup that same year.Brzezicki described Peters as a gifted rider who would always find eight out of eight jumps.He was always helpful with the other riders and he did not have an ego, said Brzezicki, who is also to be inducted into the IHSA Hall of Fame this year.He never expected anything special, because he was the top dog. He was kind and helpful and just a really good guy.After graduating, he loaded up his polo equipment, a few suitcases, and a new puppy into his Volkswagen Bug and crossed the country to earn his masters in reproductive physiologyand eventually his DVMat the University of California-Davis. Along the way, he coached their polo team to a national championship, eventually earning a 4-goal rating and dabbling in riding as a professional in the sport. While at UC Davis, he also participated in Ride & Ties endurance events and hunter/jumper competitions.After graduating from veterinary school, Peters worked at veterinary practices in California, Vermont, Montana, Michigan, and Kentucky, specializing in sports medicine, lameness evaluation, poor performance, and rehabilitation.During his career, he served on the American Association of Equine Practitioners board of directors, as well as numerous committees for the U.S. Equestrian Federation, including his present roles as a member of the Veterinary Committee and the Human and Equine Safety and Welfare Committee. Hes also worked as a member of the USEF Veterinary Selection Panel for major championships for dressage, eventing, endurance, and driving. Hes certified by the International Society of Equine Locomotor Pathology and served on their board of directors for 18 years. He was inducted into the International Equine Veterinarian Hall of Fame in 2019, and he and his wife, Lori Bidwell, DVM, Dipl. ACVAA, CVA, were awarded the David Peterson Perpetual Trophy for their dedication to equine welfare by the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association.These days, Peters and Bidwell run East West Equine Sports Medicine based out of Lexington, Kentucky. Their team serves as the official veterinary practice at the Desert Circuit in Thermal, California, for 16 weeks a year, as well as the summer-long Traverse City Horse Shows series in Williamsburg, Michigan. He still finds time to get in the jumper ring when hes at shows.My motto with both veterinary medicine and riding is that Id like someone to say, at the end of it all, Well, he did the best he could, said Peters. I dont consider myself highly talented or having incredible physical ability or the smartest person on the block, but Id like to think that I put every effort into it to try to perform the best.