Lexington, KY (October 26, 2016) - The United States Dressage Federation (USDF) is pleased to announce that Janne Rumbough will be the inaugural recipient of the USDF Member of Distinction Award at the Salute Gala and Annual Awards Banquet, on December 3, 2016, during the Adequan®/USDF Annual Convention in St. Louis, MO. The USDF Member of Distinction Award is a prestigious, national award that annually recognizes one USDF member, who has demonstrated exceptional commitment in his or her local area or region.

Janne is an Adult Amateur rider who has been a role model to amateurs, professionals, and juniors, in many capacities. She was a founding creator of the Palm Beach Derby 30 years ago, which is the longest standing CDI in Florida and one of the longest running CDIs in the United States, earning her the nickname “Wellington's First Lady of Dressage”. At the USDF National Education Center in Lexington, KY, Janne has a plaque honoring her gracious contribution to help fund the first permanent offices for USDF. Janne was presented with the 2016 Carol Cohen Global Dressage Visionary Award, for her continued dedication to dressage as a rider, owner, and longtime supporter of the sport.

As a competitor, Janne is a USDF Bronze, Silver, and Gold medalist, as well as a USDF Silver and Gold Freestyle Bar recipient. She was won the Master's Challenge Award at all levels of competition, and has won ten USDF/Dover Saddlery Adult Amateur Medals. In 2014, she won the Grand Prix Freestyle Amateur Championship at the US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan®, with her crowd pleasing Mary Poppins Freestyle. Janne has competed in a just over thirteen-hundred tests spanning twenty horses, at all levels, and over twenty five years of competition. In addition to her riding career, Janne owns several top level horses competed by other dressage professionals, at both national and international levels.

USDF Historical Recognition Committee Chair Bettina Longaker stated, “I cannot think of a better recipient in this inaugural year of the USDF Member of Distinction Award than Janne Rumbough. As a lifetime Adult Amateur rider, Janne has given to dressage in many areas. Janne has set the bar for this new USDF award very high, and I am privileged to know her.”

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.