A Letter From Your WDAA President
Dear Members,
By now, you have received the email about our annual membership rate increase. Deciding to implement this increase was a difficult decision for the board because we want to keep Western Dressage affordable for all, but we cannot maintain operations on our current budget. The modest rate increase will help. We will still rely mostly on volunteers like myself and the other board members to do as much as possible. We appreciate every one of you and we take seriously our obligation to be good stewards of your organization and your funds directed to it.
In the last newsletter, I promised you an update to policy regarding USEF Lite Shows. WDAA and USEF have agreed that beginning with the 2019 competition season, there will be two changes to Western Dressage Competition Lite:
1. Half points for Horse of the Year (HOTY) Awards will only be awarded for tests judged by USEF-licensed Western Dressage judges judging levels for which they are licensed. Individuals who have attended the WDAA judges’ seminar in the past two years will still be eligible to judge Lite shows, but HOTY points will only be awarded when licensed Western Dressage judges officiate. Dressage judges who are not also Licensed Western Dressage judges and who have not attended the judges seminar in the past two years will not be eligible to judge Lite shows. We have implemented this change to ensure our members will be evaluated by the best trained Western Dressage judges.
2. A competition may be approved as a Lite Competition for two years instead of only one year before it must graduate to USEF Local or Regular status.
This month, we say goodbye to one board member and hello to a new one.
Lisa Blackstone has been a valued board member for WDAA. She has stood up for Western Dressage and taken on any challenge as our Vice President. Lisa is leaving the board because her other obligations demand more of her time now. Lisa will remain on our Risk Management Committee and continue to advise us as needed, but we will miss having her involved on a daily basis.
Mike Corcoran is joining us as the newest board member. He was a unanimous choice and we are all excited to have him on our board. Many of you know Mike as a saddle maker who produces outstanding Western Dressage saddles, or as the guy who rides the gorgeous Haflingers or maybe as the President of Western Dressage Association of Oklahoma. Any way you know him, we are sure you will agree he is a great horseman, leader, and promoter of Western Dressage. Welcome aboard the board, Mike!
I could go on and on about how great the 2018 World Show was, but for now, I would just like to congratulate all our exhibitors, our fabulous show committee chairman, Ellen DiBella, and the team of amazing contractors and volunteers who came together to celebrate Western Dressage as only WDAA does it. You all make me so proud!!!
Enjoy the Journey,
Cindy Butler, your President
Western Dressage Association Of America |
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Looking Back On A Successful Show
Competition with camaraderie:  That’s what summed up the sixth annual Western Dressage World Championship Show, held Sept. 27-30 at the Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, Okla. There was camaraderie between fellow exhibitors, amongst the cadre of volunteers who showed up to make things happen, and most especially between horses and their riders – the most important beneficiaries of this sport that fosters that essential partnership.
 Final numbers showed nearly 900 rides, 202 exhibitors and 178 horses, hailing from 32 states from coast to coast, as well as Canada. Forty breeds of horses were represented, everything from stock breeds to gaited horses to POAs and ponies – and even one mule.
Competitors were vying for 77 world championships, more than 30 breed high-score awards and 20 divisional championship belt buckles. Full results are available here: http://www.showsecretary.com/rs.asp?Show_ID=715. World Show judges were Ronald Bartholomew (Martville, N.Y.), Donna Longacre (Longview, Wash.), Fatima Pawlenko-Kranz (Algonquin, Ill.), and Charlotte Trentelman (Anthony, Fla.).
CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE!
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WDAA Honors Awards Dinner Recap
 The first annual WDAA Honors Awards Dinner was held on Thursday night Sept 27th in The Ropers Cantina at the Lazy E Arena. After a very full day of World Championship rail classes, over 70 WDAA members gathered together to celebrate the achievements of their fellow horse and rider combinations.
Beginning with the WDAA Horse Lifetime Points and Awards Program awards there were a total of 83 awards presented, 38 Register of Merit, 16 register of Achievement, 14 Register of Excellence, 9 Bronze medals, 4 Silver medals, 1 gold medal and our very first WDAA Supreme Champion! Nancy Conley was over the moon about receiving this beautiful award.
Bill Moroney the CEO of USEF was on hand to address the attendees and see what wonderful and enthusiastic participation we have in the WDAA Horse Lifetime Points and Awards Program, you all made WDAA look great!
The WDAA Top Hand Awards are presented to a volunteer whose contribution to WDAA and its educational mission was outstanding during the current award year. This year we had so many hard-working volunteers it was so difficult to name just one volunteer. The WDAA Board decided to award the Top Hand status to three unbelievably dedicated WDAA volunteers. This Association owes these three a huge debt of gratitude.
Congratulations to:
- Katharina Nowotny-Boles - Shelbyville, TN
- Kelly Coldiron – Wellston, OK
- Cliff Swanson – Castlerock, CO
The WDAA Hall of Champions is presented in memory of a World or Reserve World Champion horse who has won in the discipline of Western Dressage. This year's recipients are:
- Canabar Kokopelli GCH - Mai Wisdom – Sterling, CO
- Mountain Rose Charisma - Emily Johnson - Kearney, NE
The Western Dressage world will miss both horses deeply.
For a full list of the WHLPAP Awards presented at the 2018 WDAA Honors Awards Dinner visit our new WDAA Honors page - Click the button below! |
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WDAA Nomination for USEF Youth Sportsman's Award
 Every year WDAA nominates a youth member to be considered for the USEF Youth Sportsman’s Award. This year the WDAA Board of Directors is very proud to announce that Aubrey Albers of Coulterville, IL is their nominee. Applicants submit a 9-part submission packet to be considered, they go to quite a bit of effort just to apply to be nominated! The following was written to describe Aubrey’s dedication to Western Dressage.
“Aubrey’s development has been phenomenal! She was amazingly cool, calm and collected during the World Show! She has been to a few away shows with us, but nothing of this caliber and we were all amazed at how well she coped. Her horse was rock steady, and we are sure a lot of that was because Aubrey was just so incredibly rock steady herself. We are incredibly proud of all that Aubrey has accomplished and she is raring to go for next year.”
Aubrey and the other applicants receive a free WDAA youth membership. |
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