Lexington, KY (September 3, 2014) -The United States Dressage Federation (USDF)  is pleased to announce that Janine Malone and Maryal Barnett will be presented with the 2014 Lifetime Achievement Awards at the Salute Gala & Annual Awards Banquet, on December 6, 2014, during the Adequan/USDF Annual Convention in Cambridge, MA. Recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award are longtime members of USDF who have shown a lifetime of dedication to USDF through volunteering and developing programs, projects, and committees that have contributed to USDF's mission.

            Janine Malone was a member of the USDF Executive Board for eighteen years in the roles of USDF Region 1 Director and USDF Secretary. She was the recipient of the first ABIG/USDF Volunteer of the Year award in 1998.  Janine is currently chair of the US Dressage Finals Organizing Committee, and was honored at the 2013 inaugural US Dressage Finals with a perpetual trophy in her name, given to the Adult Amateur Prix St. Georges Champion.  Janine is a USEF “R” dressage judge, an “R” dressage sport horse breeding (DSHB) judge, an “R” dressage technical delegate, and an FEI Level 3 chief steward for dressage. For nearly 20 years, Janine was also a combined-training judge, technical delegate (TD), and event organizer.   Janine is a charter member and past president of the North Carolina Dressage and Combined Training Association and has managed past AHSA, now USEF, and Ljungquist Championships, USEF dressage and DSHB judges' clinics, and has served as a clinician for several USEF dressage TD clinics. Janine has served on numerous USDF and USEF committees, was a USEF Vice President for FEI affiliates and served on the USEF Board.      USDF Vice President Lisa Gorretta says, “I can think of no one more deserving of this award, as fitting recognition of her years of tireless volunteer service for the benefit of USDF and the sport.”

            Maryal Barnett is an FEI “C” Dressage Judge, a USEF “S” Dressage Judge, and a Canadian Equestrian Federation Senior Dressage Judge.   Maryal has hosted many judges' mini-forums throughout the United States and is a member of the USDF “L” Faculty to teach others to be dressage judges.  In March of 1998, the AHSA, now USEF, appointed Maryal to be an Instructor, Examiner, and Senior Official for the “r” and “R” Dressage Judges Training Program.  Maryal attended the USDF/Violet M. Hopkins National Dressage Instructors' Seminar since its inception in 1979, participating as a rider and later as an instructor.   As chairperson of the USDF/Hopkins National Seminar for Dressage Instructors Planning Committee, Maryal had the responsibility of planning the annual seminar held in Union Lake, MI.  In 1997, Maryal was elected to the Executive Board of The Dressage Foundation, and in 1998, she was chosen to be an official USDF Instructor Certification Examiner and Faculty Member.

            Fellow examiner Lilo Fore says, “For Maryal, teaching is more than just a profession. It is a passion. Nothing gives her greater joy than seeing her students gain the ability to grasp a skill or concept through lessons that she developed.”

            For more information about the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Roemer Foundation/USDF Hall of Fame, visit the USDF website, or contact the USDF office at [email protected]. 

Founded in 1973, the United States Dressage Federation is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to education, recognition of achievement, and promotion of dressage. For more information about USDF membership or programs, visit www.usdf.org, email [email protected], or call (859) 971-2277.