Category Archives: Awards

Awards, Community/Charity, FEI

FEI Development Award Winner Values International Recognition

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Lausanne (SUI), 1 July 2011 – A month before nominations close for the FEI Awards 2011, Ros Spearing, founder and director of the London-based Ebony Horse Club, the winner in last year’s Development category, recalls her pleasure in receiving it.

Ros Spearing, founder and director of the Ebony Horse Club, a charity that has in 15 years enabled more than 300 children living in one of London’s most deprived boroughs to enjoy the benefits of riding and caring for horses, said: “Receiving international recognition from the FEI was a fantastic boost after years of hard work.”

When Spearing accepted the FEI’s Development Award on behalf of the Ebony Horse Club in November 2010, the charity was £79,000 away from its goal of raising £1.4 million to build a community equestrian centre in Brixton, south London.

The club achieved its objective several weeks after the FEI Awards ceremony. Building work on the equestrian centre is currently underway and the first riding lessons will take place in October of this year. More information is available at www.ebonyhorseclub.org.uk.

The FEI’s Development Award rewards a person or organisation dedicated to making equestrianism accessible to a wider public or developing the sport in some way. It is one of five FEI Awards that reward equestrian heroes from around the world.

This year’s winners will fly to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to attend the FEI Awards ceremony at a gala evening organised at the Copacabana Palace, the famous Art Deco hotel facing Copacabana Beach.

Nominations in the five awards categories (Development, Against all Odds, Reem Acra Best Athlete, HSBC Rising Star, Best Groom) should be made via the dedicated website www.feiawards.org.

Media contact:
Marianne Burkhardt
Publications Coordinator
FEI Corporate Communications
Marianne.Burkhardt@fei.org
Tel. +41 21 310  84 71
Mobile: +41 79 789 90 25

Auctions, Awards, Benefits, Community/Charity, Equestrian Aid Found., Events, Media/Radio/TV Sources, Products/Services, WHIN, Wild Horse Sources

Rhythm and Hooves Awards to Recognize Country Music Industry

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June 29, 2011 – Nashville, TN – The Women’s Horse Industry is pleased to announce an awards program dedicated to the men and women in country music who have a passion for helping and saving horses.

The event will be held in conjunction with the Rhythm & Hooves benefit auction on Thursday, October 6 at the Radisson Opryland. Nominees from the country music industry will be presented awards for their efforts with horses. After the awards are presented, there will be an auction to benefit the Cloud Foundation, The Equestrian Aid Foundation and Stolen Horses/NetPosse.com. “These are great equine charities and we hope the Nashville music industry will help us raise money by providing items for the auction,” states Debby Lening, VP of the Women’s Horse Industry.

“I know that there are a lot of country music artists and other music industry executives who have a real passion for helping horses so we thought that it would make a lot of sense to identify, recognize and award them for their efforts,” states Catherine Masters, Executive Director of WHIA.

If you would like to nominate someone from the country music industry for these awards, please send an email to: whra44@yahoo.com with the nominee’s name and why they should be nominated.

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Awards, Eventing/H.T., USEF

USET Foundation Awards Amanda Warrington Grant to Heather Morris

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Heather Morris, here on Slate River. Photo by Anthony Trollope/ Stock Image Services.com.

Gladstone, NJ – The USET Foundation is pleased to announce that it has awarded the Amanda Warrington Grant to Eventing rider Heather Morris of Lewisville, TX. The Amanda Warrington Grant is awarded through the Amanda Pirie Warrington Fund, and Morris was the recipient of the grant in 2009 as well.

The Amanda Pirie Warrington Fund was established by Amanda’s family in her memory with the purpose of helping provide financial assistance to a developing event rider who has been identified as a rider with great talent and ability to represent the United States in the future.

The Grant Committee selects a recipient that they believe will benefit from the opportunity of continuing their training with top coaches and competing against the world’s best horse and rider combinations in three-day eventing, which is one of three Olympic equestrian disciplines. The Committee report was then considered and ratified by the USET Foundation Executive Committee.

As the recipient of the grant, Morris will receive up to $5,000 to help offset expenses associated with her training over the next year.

Morris competes with her three top horses: Slate River, a 13-year-old Oldenburg gelding owned by The Team Express Syndicate, Sportsfield Maisie Grey, a nine-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare owned by Cherye Huber, and First Mark, a 13-year-old Thoroughbred gelding owned by Lynne Partridge. Morris was just recently named to the USEF Eventing High Performance’s 2011 Developing Rider List.

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Associations/Breeds, Awards, Community/Charity, Conferences, Contributors/Press, Products/Services, Publications/Media, Seminars

American Horse Publications Awards Excellence in Equine Publishing Media

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June 18, 2011 – San Diego, CA, welcomed American Horse Publications members to “America’s Finest City” and AHP recognized their “finest” in equine publishing media during the AHP “Hoofprints in the Sand” Seminar. The three-day conference held June 16-18 was jam-packed with educational sessions and activities, but on Saturday evening, the winners in the AHP Annual Awards Competition took center stage.

Sixty-nine American Horse Publications members were named finalists in the 2011 AHP Annual Awards Contest for material published in and dated 2010. Participation in this year’s contest represented a record-breaking 118 AHP members and 839 entries, an increase of 57 over last year. Held since 1974, the AHP Annual Awards Contest provides members with an opportunity to be recognized for excellence in equine publishing as well as professional critiques for improvement.

Always an anticipated event, the awards presentations were held Saturday, June 18, 2011, during the AHP “Hoofprints in the Sand” Seminar in San Diego. The evening began with a reception co-sponsored by Dover Saddlery and Branch Smith Printing and was followed by the Awards Banquet sponsored by Publishers Press. Breyer Animal Creations sponsored the centerpieces, and one lucky attendee at each table took a Breyer “Under the Sea” model horse home. This year’s beach-themed banquet was enhanced by elegant scenic décor produced and sponsored by Red Pony Productions, LLC and If Your Horse Could Talk.

The coveted General Excellence Award is presented to publications who fulfill their statement of purpose and show excellence in editorial content and design. Honorable mention is presented in classes with over five entries. General Excellence in the Tabloid/Newspaper category went to Quarter Horse News, a biweekly tabloid covering the cutting, reining and reined cow horse industries published by Cowboy Publishing Group. Thoroughbred Times, a national newsweekly magazine of Thoroughbred racing, claimed honorable mention.

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Awards, Community/Charity, Dressage, Eventing/H.T., FEI, Show Jumping

FEI Announces Judges of FEI Awards 2011

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Lausanne (SUI), 20 June 2011 – The Fédération Equestre International (FEI), the governing body of equestrian sport, is pleased to announce the FEI Awards 2011 judging panel, which will be presided by FEI President HRH Princess Haya for the third consecutive year.

Diane Fissore-Wathelet, President of the Monaco Equestrian Federation, Zoë Kayes, Secretary General of the Malawi Equestrian Federation, and Juan Andres Sauce, International Delegate of the Venezuelan Equestrian Federation, will have the tough task of deciding which nominees will be applauded for their contribution to the sport at the FEI Awards Ceremony in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in November. HRH Princess Haya will attend the ceremony, which will take place at the Copacabana Palace, the famous Art Deco hotel that opened its doors in 1923 and has played host to celebrities ranging from Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers to Madonna, Elton John, Luciano Pavarotti and the Rolling Stones.

Diane Fissore-Wathelet is a qualified lawyer and has presided the Monaco Equestrian Federation since 1995. She has also been president of Jumping International de Monte-Carlo since its creation in 1995. In parallel to her activities within the Federation, Diane Fissore heads a communications, publishing and event management company. Despite her professional commitments, Fissore, who began riding when she was very young, continues to live her passion for horses. She is a Dressage rider and owns many horses.

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Awards, Community/Charity, FEI

Fashion Designer Reem Acra Encourages Equestrian Community to Celebrate Its Stars

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10 June 2011 – International fashion designer Reem Acra, sponsor of the prestigious FEI World Cup Dressage series, is supporting the Best Athlete category of the FEI Awards for the second consecutive year.

The Beirut-born designer, whose clientele includes celebrities such as Angelina Jolie, Halle Berry, Beyonce Knowles, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Eva Longoria, built her successful design business with the same drive and determination that takes equestrian athletes to the summit of the sport. Commenting on the FEI Awards, which were launched by the governing body of international horse sport in 2009 to reward talent in and out of the arena, Reem Acra said:

“I am delighted to support the Best Athlete Award again this year. I have seen equestrian sport at its best and I know from my experience in the fashion world how tough it is to succeed when there is so much talent to compete with. This FEI Award will go to an athlete who has combined focused ambition with fair play, to a horse whose outstanding character and performances have endeared it to the public or to a really remarkable human and equine partnership. I hope the entire equestrian community will seize this opportunity to nominate their heroes, as it is a way of thanking them for the pleasure their inspirational performances have given us.”

Last year’s Reem Acra Best Athlete Award went to a combination – the superstar Dutch duo Edward Gal and Totilas – for their memorable contribution to equestrian sport. Gal, whose partnership with the much-loved black stallion ended in style in 2010 with, notably, three gold medals at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, said that receiving the award had been “the icing on the cake”.

This year’s winners will receive their awards in November at a gala evening in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where the FEI General Assembly is taking place.

Nominations for the five-category FEI Awards (Reem Acra Best Athlete, HSBC Rising Star, Against All Odds, Development and Best Groom) are open until 31 July at www.feiawards.org.

Media contact:
Marianne Burkhardt
Publications Coordinator
FEI Corporate Communications
Marianne.Burkhardt@fei.org
Tel. +41 21 310 84 71
Mobile: +41 79 789 90 25

Awards, Competitions, Events, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

Callan Solem Wins the Richard E. McDevitt Style Award at the Devon Horse Show

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Callan Solem was presented with the Richard E. McDevitt Style Award after placing second in the $100,000 Wells Fargo Grand Prix of Devon aboard VDL Torlando. Photo By: James Parker/The Book LLC.

Devon, PA – June 7, 2011 – With its home base just a few miles away in Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, Callan Solem Show Stables competed at the prestigious Devon Horse Show this past week. Professional rider Callan Solem showcased her two leading mounts under the lights in the historic Dixon Oval, during the $100,000 Wells Fargo Grand Prix of Devon.  Solem placed second aboard VDL Torlando, and eighth with Magic Cruise. Following the Grand Prix ride for ribbons, Solem was pleased to be named the winner of the Richard E. McDevitt Style Award. “It has always been a goal of mine,” she said. “So many amazing riders have won it before; it certainly is an honor to win that award, it added to a very exciting week.”

Designer Olaf Peterson presented the country’s leading riders with a challenging grand prix course, but Solem had clear first rounds on both of her horses. She went in the first slot to show in the jump-off with VDL Torlando, and the duo paved the way with a second clear effort, which would eventually garner them the second place honors. Solem then tackled the track with Magic Cruise to score the eighth place award.

“It is such a great show and a really special place to do so well, so I was very happy,” commented Solem. “I think Olaf did a great job with the course, it was difficult but he got the result he wanted. VDL Torlando is just turning 11 years old, so he’s entering the prime of his life. I’ve had him since he was six and he has so much experience now; it’s fun to have developed him. He’s starting to go like a professional. He came out there and knew exactly what he needed to do, he felt very knowledgeable.”

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Awards, Community/Charity, FEI

Hollywood Superstar Michael Douglas Supports FEI Awards

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1 June 2011 – Multiple award-winning actor and producer and United Nations Messenger of Peace Michael Douglas has lent his support to the FEI Awards 2011 by highlighting their significance and calling on the worldwide equestrian community to make nominations.

Commenting on the FEI awards, which reward the horses, men, women and youngsters who have contributed to the progress and excellence of equestrian sport, Douglas said:

“The FEI Awards provide a platform for the global community to applaud riders and organisations for their outstanding achievements. I am delighted to offer my support and urge you to submit your nominations for the 2011 FEI Awards. At the end of the year, in Rio de Janeiro, we will pay tribute to equestrians who have gone above and beyond the call of duty and in doing so, celebrate the very best of equestrian sport.”

Over his hugely successful career, Douglas has walked the red carpet numerous times to receive prestigious awards. These include two Oscars (Best Picture for his production of One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1979) – a film that scooped Oscars in five categories – and Best Actor for his role in Wall Street (1987).

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Awards, Breeds, USEF

Steffen Peters Shares Tips for Identifying Superstars at the KWPN-NA Annual Meeting

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Plus How Totilas Impacts Modern Breeding, the Road to Grand Prix with Idocus, and Other Hot Topics

Cor Loeffen and Steffen Peters answered questions about identifying talented horses. Photo by Monica Sakurai.

Sutherlin, OR – If your goal is to breed, own or ride the next Ravel, Totilas, Judgement ISF, Idocus, or Popeye K, the KWPN-NA Annual Meeting added to your inspiration. With insights from Olympic medalist Steffen Peters and renowned breeder and KWPN judge Cor Loeffen, along with networking with some of the world’s biggest and best KWPN horse breeders, the event was the largest in recent years. Two hundred enthusiastic equestrians gathered in Visalia, California to discuss and debate the best way to produce and manage superstar equines.

Longtime breeder, Scot Tolman of Spofford, NH, attends the KWPN-NA Annual Meeting in search of adding even more knowledge to his 20-plus years of breeding Dutch horses. “The breeders lead the KWPN; it’s an evolving studbook. Ravel and Totilas are shaping the breeding of dressage horses,” he says. “As breeders, we must be aware of what is happening in sport and [understand] what [qualities] stallions are producing.”

Conversations throughout the meeting always turned to particular stallion and mare lines and the traits they are known for producing. Scot referenced Jazz. Although the stallion has produced 40 Grand Prix horses, Jazz is often recognized only for producing hot temperaments. Scot continues, “Sometimes people hyper-focus on one trait. You can’t knock down horses because of one trait. You have to grasp the big picture.”

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Awards, Community/Charity, FEI

FEI Award-Winning Groom Says Employers’ Nominations Boost Motivation

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Lausanne (SUI) 25 May 2011 – A week after nominations opened for the FEI Awards 2011, Michelle Tipper, the British winner in last year’s Best Groom category, has called on athletes and horse-owners to make their nominations.

“I highly recommend that employers nominate their staff,” said Tipper. “It is such a boost to your motivation to have this recognition and it’s great for the employer, as good grooms work so much better for employers who care.”

The freelance groom, who works regularly with British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler and Nicky and Richard Barrett, said it was an “honour and a privilege” to win the 2010 Best Groom Award. “It is fantastic that the hard work that grooms do behind the scenes is being recognised internationally,” Tipper said.

Nominations for all five categories of the FEI Awards (Best Groom, Reem Acra Best Athlete, HSBC Rising Star, Against All Odds, and Development) can be made via the dedicated website www.feiawards.org.

The winners will fly to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to attend the FEI Awards Ceremony at a VIP gala dinner, which will take place during the FEI General Assembly in November.

Nominations close on 31 July.

Media contact:
Marianne Burkhardt
Publications Coordinator
FEI Corporate Communications
Marianne.Burkhardt@fei.org
Tel. +41 21 310 84 71
Mobile: +41 79 789 90 25