The inaugural presentation of the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) EQUUS Foundation Humanitarian Award will take place at the USEF Pegasus Awards Dinner during the Federation's Annual Meeting on January 16, 2010.

The EQUUS Foundation is searching for equine artists to design the permanent trophy, which may be a painting or sculpture that depicts the humanitarian achievements made by a member of the equestrian community. The submission may be an existing portfolio piece of the artist.

Equine artists interested in submitting their artwork for consideration should contact Lynn Coakley at [email protected]. Photos at high resolution and a complete description of the artwork must be submitted electronically by December 1, 2009. If selected, the art must be received at the United States Equestrian Federation Headquarters in Lexington, KY, by January 1, 2010.

The United States Equestrian Federation Pegasus Awards honor individuals who have made a unique impact on the horse world. The Pegasus Awards include a wide range of distinctive honors, including the Walter B. Devereux Sportsmanship Award, Ellen Scripps Davis Memorial Breeders' Award, Junior Equestrian of the Year Award, the Marty Simensen Memorial Trophy, the Richard E. McDevitt Award of Merit, Equestrians of Honor/Equestrian of the Year, Horse of the Year Award, the USEF Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Pegasus Medal of Honor.

The goal of the Humanitarian Award is to spotlight and exalt the selfless dedication one individual or a group of individuals has made, whether on a regional or national scale. From improving the health and welfare of the horse to promoting and expanding the general public's appreciation and respect of the diverse role of horses, not just in equestrian sports but also as aides to the general public, the recipient of this award will be someone who has devoted considerable personal time to make the lives and quality of life of our equine partners paramount. The recipient of the Humanitarian Award will receive a $5,000 grant from The EQUUS Foundation to be awarded to the equestrian or horse-related charity of his or her choice.

The EQUUS Foundation Humanitarian Award is limited to individuals. Corporations, organizations, affiliate groups and businesses are not eligible. However, this may be amended in exceptional circumstances based on a case-by-case basis. While the winner of the award is limited to individuals, an organization may serve as a nominator. Posthumous nominees will not be accepted.

Those individuals who are professionally employed in a full-time manner by a company or entity whose sole purpose is to work for the aforementioned qualities and philanthropic ends will only be considered as an acceptable nominee in certain circumstances. These include if their contributions have been widely viewed as exceptional beyond their required work performance or if their achievements and dedication is noted as being far beyond the call of duty.

Any member of the equestrian community may make a nomination for an individual to be considered for The EQUUS Foundation Humanitarian Award. This information will include the following:

- An explanatory, written statement as to why the individual is worthy of the award;
- Biographical information of the nominee;
- Specific examples of their philanthropic work, including their involvement (time spent, duration of work, type of work, etc.);
- Supportive materials such as written testimonials or letters from those who have been affected by the nominees contributions; and
- Any additional materials deemed worthy by the nominator.

The nomination process for The EQUUS Foundation Humanitarian Award will close on November 9, 2009. The nomination form is available on the USEF website at www.usef.org/_IFrames/Nominations/EQUUS.aspx. Nominations may be received by U.S. mail to United States Equestrian Federation, ATTN: Melissa Davis, 4047 Iron Works Parkway, Lexington, KY 40511, overnight carrier and via email to Melissa Davis at [email protected].