Welsh of the Year Announced!
The Welsh Pony & Cob Society of America is pleased to announce that Section D Welsh stallion, North Forks Brenin Cardi is this year’s recipient of the Welsh of the Year Award. Cardi is owned by Cindy Miller, Winterlake Farm, Pleasant Hill, OR and trainer/rider Jessica Wisdom, Equi-Librium Equestrian, OR.
In 2013, seven nominees were submitted for Welsh of the Year, all of which were selected by committee to run for the award. WPCSA membership then voted a tightly contested competition culminating in the selection of the top winner awarded at Society’s annual meeting in February. The nominees demonstrate the versatility of the Welsh breeds and their successes in and out of the show ring. This program, started in 2012 is designed to promote ownership, encourage involvement and spotlight the achievements of extraordinary Welsh breed individuals and Cardi certainly exemplifies that!
Cardi began his dressage career as a three-year old in 2004 at Training Level and ended that season with his first of several Regional Championships. Since 2004, Cardi and co-owner/rider Jessica Wisdom progressed through the levels and they continued to win. The journey with Cardi has covered 3,000 miles to Devon in Pennsylvannia, and 1,000 miles to Southern California to compete at the highest level of dressage, the CDI competitions, which includes European riders and horses. Both pony and rider entered their first Intermediare II and Grand Prix classes at the Festival of the Horse in California in 2012. Last season the I-II, Grand Prix, and GP Freestyle tests, resulted in Cardi winning 12 Firsts, one Second, one Third, and one Fourth place. The season ended by scoring a 73% and winning the Grand Prix Freestyle at the Oregon Dressage Society Championship Show. In April Cardi competed for the first time at Grand Prix in a CDI at San Juan Capistrano and scored a best of 68%. The following weekend at Rancho Murieta, Golden State Dressage, Cardi won the CDI Grand Prix freestyle. Cardi was also showcased at the WPCSA AGM clinic, entertaining dozens of AGM attendees and performing an outstanding Grand Prix Freestyle as part of clinic’s “elements of dressage.”
Cardi has become a popular ambassador for the breed. The fact he has never had shoes and is happier in a snaffle than a double bridle, makes him quite the anomaly among towering warmbloods. And people love all the hair! He has graced the covers of Flying Changes and Northwest Inc., the Welsh Yearbook, The Review and been the subject of articles or had photos in Dressage Today, Massachusetts Horse, Warmbloods Today, USDF Connection and Equestrian magazines.
As a prepotent stallion, Cardi has produced exceptional sport babies. From coast to coast, his offspring are now competing in dressage, eventing, and driving and excelling. Once again, congratulations to Team Cardi on this spectacular honor!
To learn more about Cardi, visit www.winterlakewelsh.com and for more information on this prestigious award and how to qualify, visit www.welshpony.org.
WPCSA Junior Awards
This year’s All-Around High Point Youth Awards were presented at Saturday’s awards luncheon and we were fortunate to have our 4 top winners present to accept their awards. Our champion in the 12 & under age group was Robert Elwell with Jordyn Baxter reserve champion. In the 13-17 age group, Kaitlin Hofer was awarded the champion with Sara Frushour reserve champion. Congratulations to all of these young people for all their hard work and success showing their animals at WPCSA rated shows.
WPCSA is also pleased to announce the presentation of Junior Merit Program awards at this year’s annual meeting. The WPCSA Junior Merit Program, initiated in 2010, is designed to recognize and encourage juniors to enjoy, compete, work with and learn about their Welsh. The Society was pleased to recognize the following juniors for their 2013 accomplishments:
Andrew Heim - surpassed the 200 point mark and will receive his Silver Medal
Elise Heim - surpassed the 200 point mark and will receive her Silver Medal
Kaitlin Hofer - surpassed the 650 point mark and will receive her Small and Medium Trophy Cups
Audrey Schulze - in her first year in the program, surpassed the 200 point level and will receive her Pin, Certificate and her Bronze and Silver Medals
WPCSA juniors are encouraged to sign up and participate in this self-paced program in the year ahead so they can receive their awards at next year’s annual meeting. Details about the WPCSA Junior Merit Program can be found under the Youth tab at www.welshpony.org.
WPCSA Lifetime Awards – Order of the Dragon
The Order of the Dragon Award is the Society’s highest award. This coveted WPCSA award is designed to recognize those animals that have made a significant and lasting impact upon the breed as evidenced through their performance in the show ring. To achieve this high honor, the Sire Order of the Dragon is awarded to pony/cob stallions whose progeny accumulate a total of 25,000 points or who have three progeny with an AOE. The Individual Order of the Dragon is awarded to ponies/cobs that accumulate a total of 10,000 points or win an individual AOE and a sire or dam AOE. The WPCSA presents this prestigious award the following purebred animals:
Sire OD: *Cuelan Lwcus LOM/AOE/OD owned by David & Carol Maurer; Gayfields Call The Cops LOM/AOE/OD owned by Gerald & Jackie Verkuyl; *Telynau Royal Charter LOM/AOH/AOE/OD/OC owned by Tammy Burgin
Individual OD: Glynhafan Hermione LOM/AOE/OD owned by Elizabeth & Kaitlin Hofer
Other WPCSA Lifetime Awards
The Society is also pleased to present Awards of Excellence (AOE), Legions of Merit (LOM) and Sire Award of the Centaur (OC) to the following purebred animals:
Sire AOE: Glynhafan Red Hawk LOM/AOE owned by Glenda Armstrong
Dam AOE: K.D.’s Silver Lining LOM/AOE owned by Mark & Julie Helm
Individual AOE: Quail Hollow Cormac LOM/AOE owned by Maureen Ferrell
Sire LOM: Dandardel Lyric LOM owned by Charles Erickson, Rollingwood Easy As L LOM owned by Rollingwoods Farm and *Telynau Royal Anthem owned by Lynn Kiefer
Dam LOM: Clarwood Giggles LOM owned by Guy & Helen Clardy, Dandardel Barbara LOM owned by Charles Erickson, *Eyarth Dee LOM owned by Megan Burtness, Gayfields Butterfly Tattoo LOM owned by Ron & Valerie Dickey, Gayfields Call Yo’ Mama LOM owned by William Bowling, Gayfields Love Potion No. 9 LOM owned by Crystal Keller & Jayden Brook Buchanan and Goldhills As You Wish LOM and Goldhills Mystique LOM both owned by Gerald & Jackie Verkuyl
Individual LOM: Dragonval King Arthur LOM owned by Deborah Elliott-Fisk, Farmore Flirtatious LOM and Farmore Royal Gala LOM both owned by Tammy Burgin, and Rollingwoods She’s All That LOM owned by Michael & Kristi Clark
Sire OC: *Telynau Royal Charter LOM/AOH/AOE/AOD/OD/OC owned by Tammy Burgin
The Society is also pleased to present Individual Awards of Distinction (AOD) and Awards of Honor (AOH) to the following Half/Part bred Welsh animals:
Individual AOD: Farmore Royal Design AOH/AOD owned by Tammy Burgin and Silk Stockings AOH/AOD owned by Brenda & Teri Heberling
Individual AOH: Larks Token AOH owned by Elizabeth & Kaitlin Hofer, WHW Mazing Rockette AOH owned by Jaci Baxter and Glynhafan Taewyn AOH owned by Glenda Armstrong
Congratulations to these well-deserving animals and owners! Further information about these awards and the recipients can be found at www.welshpony.org.