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Special Competitive Breed Awards Initiated at Select Events in 2007

The Haflinger breed will be recognized by some special awards at two CDE’s and one Pleasure Driving Show in 2007. The Haflinger Owners Promotional Enterprise (H.O.P.E.) is seeking to recognize excellence in the driving disciplines with these awards, created to reward competitive Haflinger horses and ponies in both combined and pleasure driving. One event was selected in the west, Ram Tap CDE, April 20-22, Fresno, California, and one in the east, Metamora CDE, June 22-24, Metamora, Michigan, as well as one pleasure driving show, the Walnut Hill Carriage Driving Show on August 15-19, Pittsford, New York. In each case, there will be championship ribbons awarded for the high point (or low score) entry in each division, as well as a beautiful show cooler and neck sash for the entry which, in the opinion of the Chief Judge and Ground Jury, is the Best Overall Entry at the event.

The purpose of the awards is two-fold. Firstly, the awards will recognize the achievements of Haflingers in the traditional driving venues, in an effort to increase awareness about the capabilities of the Haflinger in those disciplines. Secondly, the sponsors hope to encourage more Haflinger owners to get out and compete by recognizing the accomplishments of others, in other words, by pointing to examples of “what is possible”, thus attracting new competitors to the sport of driving.

Owners of Haflinger horses that will be competing this summer should contact HOPE director Jennifer Rousseau (rousseaj@dls.net) to inform her of their intent to compete at one or more of these events. The Haflinger Owners Promotional Enterprise is proud to be a sponsor of these special breed recognition awards, which they intend to continue and expand on an annual basis from this year forward. Similar awards are planed for several other non-driving events, including the USPC Festival and Championships in Lexington, Kentucky this July, the Paxton Farms Spring Classic Dressage Show in Batavia, Ohio this coming May, and Dressage at Devon, Pennsylvania in late September. Look for further coverage of these soon-to-be coveted awards in your favorite publication or on the HOPE web site, www.haflingerhope.com.

Special Competitive Breed Awards Initiated at Select Events in 2007

The Haflinger breed will be recognized by some special awards at two Dressage Shows and one United States Pony Club event in 2007. The Haflinger Owners Promotional Enterprise (H.O.P.E.) is seeking to recognize excellence in the classic disciplines with these awards, created to reward competitive Haflinger horses and ponies in dressage and other traditional disciplines. As many people know, and many more are discovering, the Haflinger makes an excellent child’s or amateur’s mount in a multitude of competitive venues, including the Dressage ring. This “Austrian Riding Pony” (actually more of a cob – up to 15 hands in height) is renowned for its willing attitude, for its sound, capable and athletic conformation, as well as for its inherent eye-catching coloring consisting of the signature golden coat and snow-white mane and tail.

The events chosen to initiate the awards in 2007 are the Paxton Farms Spring Classic Dressage Show, May 11-13, Batavia, Ohio, the USPC Championships and Festival, July 24-31, Kentucky Horse Park, Lexington, Kentucky, and Dressage at Devon, September 25-30, Devon, Pennsylvania. At each event, there will be championship ribbons awarded for the high point or high score entry in each division, as well as a beautiful show cooler and neck sash for the entry which is deemed the Best Overall Haflinger Entry at the event. At Dressage at Devon, the show cooler, neck sash and championship ribbon will go to the winner of the Haflinger IBC class, and championship ribbons will honor participants in the IBC Under Saddle or DAD Performance classes as well.

The purpose of the awards is two-fold. Firstly, these awards will recognize the achievements of Haflingers in the classic disciplines, in an effort to increase awareness about the capabilities of the Haflinger in those types of competitions. Secondly, the sponsors hope to encourage more Haflinger owners to get out and compete by recognizing the accomplishments of others, in other words, by pointing to examples of “what is possible”, thus attracting new competitors to the sport of dressage.

Owners of Haflinger horses that will be competing this summer should contact HOPE director Jennifer Rousseau (rousseaj@dls.net) to inform her of their intent to compete at one or more of these events. The Haflinger Owners Promotional Enterprise is proud to be a sponsor of these special breed recognition awards, which they intend to continue and expand on an annual basis beginning this year. Similar awards are planned for several other competitive driving events as well, including the Ram Tap Combined Driving Event this April, the Metamora CDE in June, and the prestigious Walnut Hill Carriage Driving Show in August. Look for further coverage of these soon-to-be coveted awards in your favorite publication or on the HOPE web site, www.haflingerhope.com.