Special Award Nomination

General Criteria for SEDRA Special Awards and Hall of Fame Awards

• Special Awards (human and horse) nominees must be nominated by their peers in a written nomination.
• A member may nominate no more than one person for a particular award.  The SEDRA BOD will reject all nominations if a member submits more than one nomination for the same award.
• Written nominations may be submitted to the SEDRA Vice President at any time after the annual membership meeting, but must be postmarked no later than March 31 of the current year.
• New nominations postmarked after March 31 of the current year will not be considered. Nominations from the floor at the annual membership meeting will not be accepted.
• A member or horse may receive a Special Award more than once. (every three years)
• The SEDRA BOD, based upon review of the written nominations, reserves the right to not award a specific award in any year if the criteria for receiving the award have not been met by any of the nominees.
• Special Award nominations will be reproduced and published in the annual membership meeting program, since they are voted on by the membership at the annual membership meeting.

The Cathy Booth Memorial Horsemanship Award

This award was established in remembrance of a special SEDRA member. A SEDRA member under consideration for this award must be nominated by one or more of his or her peers and must have successfully competed in, and completed at least one ride during the current SEDRA year.

Criteria:

1. The nominee must have at least 500 successful competition miles on record with SEDRA.
2. The nominee must have exemplified excellent horsemanship and sportsmanship for at least the past SEDRA year.
3. The nominee consistently stands out as an individual others would most want to have along on a ride as a mentor/companion and during stressful events such as: a trail accident.
4. The nominee rides for the love of the sport. He or she enthusiastically shares this love as well  as his/her  knowledge of distance riding and care of the horse with anyone interested in learning more about the sport.
5. Specific qualities the nominee demonstrates may include, but are not limited to: focused pursuit of meaningful and safe goals , excellent care of their equine partners and of themselves as riders, a command of respect from peers and new riders , the horse’s wellbeing is the priority,  an above average knowledge of the sport, an above average capability to apply that knowledge,  very good to excellent riding ability, consistent courtesy in ride camp and on the trail, genuine concern for other riders and their horses, and overall positive attitude.
6. Specific examples of how the nominee meets criteria are to be addressed in the nomination write up.

The Mickey Blanford Excellence in Competition Award

This award honors the memory of SEDRA member Mickey Blanford by recognizing a current SEDRA member, who has been nominated by his or her current SEDRA member peers, and who has successfully competed in and completed at least one ride during the current SEDRA year.

Criteria:

1. The nominee must have at least 500 successful competition miles on record with SEDRA.
2. The nominee must be devoted to improving his/her riding skills and physical fitness (takes horseback riding lessons, attends exercise classes, and/or participates in clinics).
3. The nominee consistently works with his/her horse to improve its athletic ability while also maintaining a balance in the horse’s life promoting its wellbeing.
4. The nominee cross-trains his/her horse in other disciplines (such as: basic dressage, trail obstacle challenges, and working cattle).
5. The nominee is current in the latest distance sport research to include, but not limited to: effective conditioning of the horse, appropriate use of electrolytes, types of tack to be utilized, hoof care, safe effective nutrition, safe trailering, and safe camping.
6. Specific examples of how the nominee meets criteria are to be addressed in the nomination write up.

The King’s OCS Lad Memorial Trail Horse Award

This award honors the memory of a very special SEDRA trail horse by recognizing a horse registered in the SEDRA Horse Mileage Program, who has been nominated by one or more current SEDRA members, and successfully competed  in and completed at least one ride during the current SEDRA year.

Qualifications:

1. The horse must have at least 1000 miles of successful competition on record with SEDRA.
2. At minimum, the horse must exhibit the following characteristics:
   • Willingness to compete (“heart”).
   • Cooperation and ease of handling on the ground and under saddle (a horse that riders would want to ride if they could not ride their own horse).
   • Impeccable ground and under saddle manners on the trail, in ride camp, and the camp site.
   • Boldness on the trail when facing new obstacles and potentially dangerous situations on the trail, but never out of control.
   • Ability to stand out in a group of horses in a unique way of going, behavior, and attitude.
3. Specific examples of how the horse meets criteria are to be addressed in the nomination write up