Susan DiFelice, a North Carolina native, is a lifelong equestrian and the 2023 Pennsylvania National Horse Show cover artist.

Susan holds her USDF Bronze Medal and is a certified ARIA instructor. Out of the saddle, Susan is a professional illustrator, graphic designer, and web developer for large corporations and equestrian businesses.

Susan first visited PNHS in 2022 as an exhibitor in the educational symposium. During the show, she toured the complex and took photographs of horses in the warm-up rings. These photographs helped her to find inspiration for the piece that was ultimately selected for the cover of our 2023 program.

Says Susan, “This original illustration was created in Adobe Illustrator. It is inspired by the calm and focus I saw in the young riders as they prepared to enter the arena to show under the lights and scoreboard at the USEF Hunter Seat Medal Finals. The gold border design is inspired by the temporary fences that were set up within the show complex.” She continues, “I found the intense juxtaposition between the behind the scenes and what the audience sees when they watch the horses and riders from the stands is similar to the difference in the dim light inside the complex and the bright lights out in the arena. It reminds me of the balance between the calm focus and mental clarity needed to perform for both horse and rider.”

Interested in submitting your own piece for consideration for our 2024 program? Stay tuned for the 2024 art contest!