Awards Presented for Horses in the WDAA Horse Lifetime Points & Awards Program at the 2017 WDAA Annual Meeting

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Many WDAA Horse Lifetime Points & Awards Program (WHLPAP) awards were presented at the Honors Luncheon at the 2017 Annual Meeting. The program had 215 horses enrolled at the time of the meeting, and test scores and rail class results were submitted for 62 horses this year. We were astonished and thrilled to see how many award levels had been earned in this second year of the WHLPAP program. A listing of horses and their awards is shown below. Details of each horse and the shows where they earned points are available on the WDAA website (https://westerndressageassociation.org/wdaa-lifetime-points-top-100-horses/).

This year, 23 horses achieved 35 points, enough to receive a Register of Merit award at the Honors Luncheon. Each horse at this level received an attractive wooden plaque with an engraved plate.

Eighteen horses reached 100 points and received the Register of Achievement award, including 12 that had also earned the Register of Merit this year. Register of Achievement horses received a wooden plaque and halter with an engraved nameplate.

Four horses reached 200 points and received the Register of Excellence award, which included a plaque, halter, and personalized cooler. Two of the 4 horses had reached Register of Merit, Register of Achievement, and Register of Excellence levels this year.

The program also proudly declared its first Bronze Medalist this year. Truly Unsurpassed, a 10-year-old Paint mare, owned and ridden by Nancy Conley from Calhoun, Georgia, was among those that earned a Register of Achievement and a Register of Excellence this year, and remarkably, she went on to earn over 300 points, with at least 5 of her tests ridden at Level 1 or

higher to earn the Bronze Medalist award. Nancy was beaming with pride as she received her mare’s plaque, halter, personalized cooler, and a stunning bronze medal mounted on a plaque.

The WHLPAP program, which relies on WDAA recognized shows for horses to earn their points, grew from 38 recognized shows in 2016 to 67 in 2017. Since the inception of the program, WDAA has provided for horses to earn triple points when they compete at the WDAA Western Dressage World Championship Show. This year, WDAA also made a new rule for horses to earn double points at WDAA recognized shows that are licensed by USEF and judged by a USEF-licensed Western Dressage judge. This option was available for 14 shows held this year, and this benefit will continue going forward.

The benefits of double and triple pointing opportunities have provided the opportunity for several horses to attain new award levels since the end of the World Championship Show. Just in October alone, 9 new Register of Merit; 5 Register of Achievement; 4 Register of Excellence; 2 Bronze Medalist; and 1 Silver Medalist levels were achieved. There were also 5 new horses enrolled in October who will go on through their competition years accumulating points for their turn to earn great awards from WDAA.

WDAA’s mission is to build an equine community that combines the traditions of the American West with classical dressage. We honor the horse, and we value the partnership between horse and rider.

WDAA is a 501(c)3 educational not-for-profit organization, focusing on educating riders and promoting the ethics and values inherent in western dressage. The United States Equestrian Federation has recognized WDAA as the sole affiliate representing the discipline of western dressage. To learn more, go online to https://www.westerndressageassociation.org.