The United States Dressage Federation (USDF) announced the winner of the 2007 USDF Volunteer of the Year Award, presented by The Paddock Saddlery, at the 2007 Adequan/USDF Annual Convention. This award recognizes a USDF member who, through consistent and cumulative volunteer activities, has demonstrated exceptional commitment towards carrying out USDF’s mission. As the winner, Higgins was presented with a perpetual trophy, which is permanently on display in the Roemer Foundation/USDF Hall of Fame, will be featured in the yearbook issue of USDF Connection, and received a “keeper” trophy and $500 gift certificate from The Paddock Saddlery.

Hailing from Winter Springs, FL, Higgins has been volunteering for USDF for a very long time, attending his first annual convention in 1984 and soon becoming a member and eventually chairing the Fiscal Review Committee and later the USDF Budget and Finance Committee. Higgins has also served as co-chairman of the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Representatives Committee since 2004 and serves on the USEF Fiscal Review and Competition Management Committees.

Additionally, he played an integral role in the USEF committee that restructured competition licensing rules. Higgins’ most recent involvement in the USDF council and committee structure includes conceiving the newly created USDF Audit Committee and serving as its first chairman.

In 2007, Higgins served as the Master of Ceremonies for awards, coordinator of judges’ transportation, and coordinator of the Gentleman’s Committee for the Raleigh, Dressage at Devon, and New England Dressage Association CDIs, the FEI North American Junior and Young Riders’ Championships, and the Great American Insurance Group/USDF Region 1, 3, and 8 Dressage Championships. In 2006, Higgins also stepped in at the last minute as manager for the entire 2006 Raleigh CDI competition.

USDF Secretary Janine Malone praised Higgins for his “extraordinary commitment to his volunteer responsibilities,” adding that, “He is very dependable and thorough in carrying out his commitments and actively promotes USDF to other disciplines outside the dressage community.”

For more information on the USDF Volunteer of the Year Award, presented by The Paddock Saddlery, visit the USDF website at www.usdf.org or contact the USDF office at [email protected].