American-bred Hanoverians vied for several special cash awards offered at Dressage at Devon, September 23-28. This was the second year that Paul Cohen of Associations Underwriters, Inc., & Ziplow Horse Insurance Agency (AUIZHI) donated $2,000 for Hanoverians bred by members of the Mid-Atlantic Hanoverian Breeders Club (MAHB) competing in the breeding division of the prestigious show in Devon, PA. The AUIZHI-MAHB award endows $1,000 to the highest-placed young horse and $1,000 to the highest-placed mature horse, money to be split between owner and breeder. The only stipulation is that the horse must be an American Hanoverian Society (AHS)-registered Hanoverian that was bred by a member of MAHB. The current owner need not be a MAHB member.

In the young horse division this year, Rhodora (Royal Prince x Con Dia, by Contucci) placed second in the yearling fillies class but went on to be Young Horse Champion. Her accomplishments earned owner and breeder, Hilltop Farm of Colora, MD, the $1,000 AUIZHI-MAHB award for this division. Then on Wednesday, Hilltop revisited the the winner's circle for the four-year-old and older maiden mare class with Conturri (Contucci x SPS Komtess V, by Riverman) to earn the second $1,000 AUIZHI-MAHB award. Quite a remarkable accomplishment given the quality of horses presented at Devon!

Earlier this year at the AHS Annual Meeting in Lexington, KY, Paul Cohen proposed another set of cash awards for Hanoverians, this time for horses competing in the young horse dressage classes. Cohen and five other AHS members donated a total of $6,000 to create the "All-American Hanoverian Young Dressage Horse Awards" with $2,000 to be awarded to the highest-placing All-American-bred Hanoverian in each of the three classes—USEF Dressage Test for Four-Year-Olds, FEI Dressage Test for Five-Year-Olds, and FEI Dressage Test for Six-Year-Olds. Criteria for eligibility includes that the horse must be registered with the AHS, bred by an AHS member, sired by and out of AHS member-owned stallion and mare, and born in this country. The prize money in each class is to be split between owner and breeder.

Sponsors of the four-year-old class were Mary Lou Winn of Home Again Farm in Waldo, FL, and Barb Schmidt, DVM, of Bridlewood Farm in Union, KY. Sponsors of the five-year-old class were Paul Cohen of Associations Underwriters, Inc. & Ziplow Horse Insurance Agency in Westminster, MD, and Anne Sparks Whitten of Horses Unlimited in Albuquerque, NM. The six-year-old class was sponsored by Wendy and Marty Costello of Kent Island Sporthorses in Stevensville, MD, and Dee and Don Kapper of Outer Banks Farm and Progressive Nutrition in Beach City, OH.

Recipient of the cash award in the four-year-old class was Pikko Del Rio (Pik L x Rohweena, by Rohdiamant) owned and bred by Whitten. In the five-year-old class, Pikko Del Cerro (also by Pik L x Rohweena, by Rohdiamant) and owned and bred by Whitten, was the winner, earning another $2,000 for Horses Unlimited. Winner of the six-year-old class was Cabana Boy (Contucci x Britania, by Bordeaux) owned by Hilltop Farm, and bred by Doug and Shannon Langer of Wisconsin.

For further information on the All-American Hanoverian Young Dressage Horse Awards, please contact Pat Limage at (703) 754-7555 or [email protected] or visit the Mid-Atlantic Hanoverian Breeders Club website at www.mahanoverians.com.