Rules for Performance Awards

Awards Program Rules

Program Guidelines
Discipline Requirements
Form

Guide for the ATA Awards Program

The purpose of the ATA Awards Program is to help preserve and further the Trakehner horse in the Western Hemisphere by promoting the performance of Trakehners in dressage, eventing, hunting, jumping, driving, and other disciplines. In this way we hope to urge our members on in their pursuit of recognition in public competition. Not only will this encourage a more widespread understanding of the special qualities of the Trakehner horse, but will also provide the measurement of results that our breeders need to evaluate their work.

The main emphasis of this program is on the horses themselves. All but a few of the awards are made to horses, yet the horses must have trainers, riders, and owners to reach their full potential and to show themselves properly in competition. It is especially enjoyable to the Awards Committee members to review the personal successes of so many of our members, our friends. Anyone who has followed the course of the Awards Program over the last fifteen years will know that there has been a steady trend toward rising success, not only in the level of performance reached by our horses but, equally importantly, in the number of ATA horses entered in competition. Each year there appears a new crop of superstars, heralded in our magazine. Also, many new horse people appear on the lists; they will be our strength in the future.

It is in the interest of the Association to find ways to include as many horses and people as possible in the pool from which award winners come. With this in mind, the committee has for several years sought to simplify the process of entry for the Awards Program. Procrastination, annoyance with paperwork, and other factors have led to many horses not being entered; a great loss to the Association and an injustice to some horses. One thing we can all do to help is to encourage and remind owners of actively competing horses to send in results. We will still need a great deal of help from horse owners in sending in performance results in some disciplines.

One seemingly unsolvable problem we have faced is the issue of deadlines. Ideally we would include all competitions in each calendar year for our Horse of the Year awards; but the date of the annual meeting of the Association and the time needed to collate results, make determinations, and obtain plaques prevent us from achieving that goal. Each discipline has its own special situation and problems. Through experience we have learned what our limits are in getting the job done in time. These are reflected in the detailed information that follows:

Important Note: No special registration is needed for the Awards Program. Every Trakehner horse registered with the ATA whose owner of record is a current member at the time of determination will be eligible to receive awards. PSB Thoroughbred and Arabian horses without any Trakehner blood are not eligible for this program.

Requirements by Discipline

Dressage: The USDF will provide us with all needed performance results. The horse must be registered with USDF, identified as a Trakehner, and fulfill all requirements for USDF year-end awards. The owner must be a participating member of the USDF. Canadian results must be reported to the ATA office by the owner or rider on provided forms by mid-October, exact date will be announced in Trakehner Times. Competition year ends September 30.

Eventing: We follow the points system of the USEA (formerly USCTA). Beginning in 2001, all recognized shows results are collated by their computer and reported to us in October each year for all the levels we award (Novice, Training, Preliminary, Intermediate and Advanced). This covers all US competitions, and means that we do not need any report forms from US competitors. However, it is essential for individual competitors to be certain that the USEA has their ATA-registered Trakehner and part-Trakehner horses properly listed as such, preferably with the ATA registration number entered in the USEA database (easy to arrange: call (703) 779-0440, ext 3006). Canadian competitors will still need to send their scores to the ATA Central Office before the annual deadline.

Breeding: All results must be reported to the ATA office on provided forms by the mid-October deadline (announced in Trakehner Times). Competition year ends on deadline date.

Hunters/Jumpers: All results must be reported to the ATA office on provided forms by the mid-October deadline (announced in Trakehner Times). Competition year ends on deadline date. Only divisions recognized by the AHSA or CEF at AHSA or CEF competitions are considered for awards. Jumper awards are determined strictly on total amount of prize money won.

Miscellaneous Disciplines: From time to time the Awards Committee will give Horse of the Year Awards to ATA registered horses that have excelled in other disciplines. Results must be reported to the ATA office on provided forms by the mid-October deadline.

Youth Awards and Prizes: Very substantial cash prizes and scholarships are given each year to junior/young riders on ATA registered horses. At the present time separate prizes are given in three areas:

Engelhardt/Diehm Prize: to the highest scoring young/junior rider in combined training on one or more ATA horses.
Samurai Scholarship: to a promising young/junior rider on an ATA horse in one or more of the following three disciplines: combined training, dressage or showjumping.
Koenig Dressage Prize: to the highest scoring young/junior rider on an ATA horse in dressage.

Candidates for all three prizes must be brought to the attention of the Awards Committee by an interested person. Please help us by notifying the ATA Central Office if you know a youngster with potential to qualify for any of these large prizes.

You can help your association by encouraging others who have Trakehner horses excelling in competition to report results to us. Let us know about prospects; we will send forms for results reporting. All suggestions for improvement in any facet of this program are very welcome.

Your Awards Committee:

Timothy Holekamp, Chairman,
Darren Chiacchia, Rhea Gibble, Pat Goodman, Pat Luttgen, Pat Sullivan, Helen Gibble

Form

Performance Results Form - available in PDF format.

To open PDF documents you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. If you don't have it, click on the icon to download it for free.

Results must be received no later than October 11, 2002 at:

The American Trakehner Association
1514 West Church Street
Newark, OH 43055

Fax: (740)-344-3225

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