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USDF Congratulates 2016 GMO Award Winners

For Immediate Release
Thursday, October 27, 2016

Lexington, KY (October 27, 2016) - The United States Dressage Federation (USDF) is pleased to congratulate all of the winners of the 2016 GMO Awards, which will be presented during the Board of Governor's General Assembly at the 2016 Adequan®/USDF Annual Convention, in St. Louis, MO. These awards are given annually to recognize outstanding achievement within USDF's Group Member Organizations. Recognition is given in the following categories: GMO amateur photograph, website user experience, and newsletter first person experience and general interest articles. USDF also recognizes outstanding volunteers at the regional level, along with the recipient of the Ruth Arvanette Memorial Fund grant.

This year's winners are:

GMO Photography Awards:
Best Amateur Photograph:

GMOs with less than 75 members:

No Nominations

GMOs with 75 to 174 members:

First Place: Southern Eventing and Dressage Association, Bleeps, July 27, 2016, Photographer: Nicole Landreneau
Honorable Mention: Nebraska Dressage Association, The Contact, July/August 2016, Photographer: Casey Blum

GMOs with 175 to 499 members:

First Place: Dressage Association of Southern California, DASC Collected Comments, July 2016, Photographer: Cheryl Pelly

GMOs with 500 or more members:

No nominations

GMO Newsletter Awards:
First Person Experience Article:

GMOs with less than 75 members:

First Place: Columbia Dressage and Combined Training Association, Direct Rein, June 2016: The Wheelbarrow Load by Elizabeth Hussey

GMOs with 75 to 174 members:

First Place: Nebraska Dressage Association, The Contact, July/August 2016: The Image of Success by Kate Rawlinson
Honorable Mention: Southern Eventing and Dressage Association, Bleeps, January 10, 2016: Riding with "The Man" by Morgan Vaughn

GMOs with 175 to 499 members:

First Place: STRIDE, STRIDE Newsletter, August 2016: Moving Forward Again - My Gifted Fund Scholarship Week by Jody Simonton
Honorable Mention: Northern Ohio Dressage Association, NODA News, January 2016: It's All Roberta's Fault by Dr. Jennifer Gaffney

GMOs with 500 or more members:

First Place: New England Dressage Association, A Tip of the Hat, February 2016: A Day in the Life by Bethany Larsen
Honorable Mention: Oregon Dressage Society, The Half Halt, February 2016: ODS Winter Retreat by Valerie Stallings

General Interest/Informational Article:

GMOs with less than 75 members:

First Place: Columbia Dressage and Combined Training Association, Direct Rein, September 2015: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: Writing an Effective Sales Ad by Leah Strid

GMOs with 75 to 174 members:

First Place: Southern Eventing and Dressage Association, Bleeps, July 21, 2016: Badminton, Anyone? by Nicole Landreneau
Honorable Mention: Nebraska Dressage Association, The Contact, May/June 2016: The Western Edge of Dressage by Michaela Schieffer

GMOs with 175 to 499 members:

First Place: Indiana Dressage Society, Indiana Dressage Society Newsletter, November 2015: Auditing Dressage Clinics by Jan Engle and Terry Luley
Honorable Mention: STRIDE, STRIDE Newsletter, November 2015: Enough Already of Oval Circles! (Accuracy mistakes that judges see over and over) by Charlotte Trentelman

GMOs with 500 or more members:

First Place: California Dressage Society, Dressage Letters, June 2016: PV Chapter's Ride-a-Test Success! by Karen Nocket
Honorable Mention: Rocky Mountain Dressage Society, e-Centaur, August 2016: Cleanliness Best Biosecurity for 2016 Competitors and Managers; Managers Must Plan Ahead for Safe Show by Linda Gaber

GMO Website Awards:
Best User Experience:

GMOs with less than 75 members:

First Place: International Equestrian Organization (www.ieodressage.org)
Honorable Mention: First Coast Classical Dressage Society (www.fccds.org)

GMOs with 75 to 174 members:

First Place: Southern Eventing and Dressage Association (www.sedariders.org)
Honorable Mention: Nebraska Dressage Association (www.nebraskadressage.org)

GMOs with 175 to 499 members:

First Place: Northern Ohio Dressage Association (www.nodarider.org)
Honorable Mention: Central States Dressage and Eventing Association (www.csdea.org)

GMOs with 500 or more members:

First Place: Oregon Dressage Society (www.oregondressage.com)
Honorable Mention: Georgia Dressage and Combined Training Association (www.gdcta.org)

Regional GMO Volunteers of the Year:

Region 1: Beth Ann Adams (Bethlehem, PA - Eastern States Dressage and Combined Training Association)
Region 2: Robert Marr (Sheridan, IN – Indiana Dressage Society)
Region 3: Mary (Dibbie) Dunnam (Micanopy, FL – STRIDE)
Region 4: Heather Salden Kurtz (Chanhassen, MN – Central States Dressage and Eventing Association)
Region 5: No Nominations
Region 6: Jaimie Lewellyn (Elmira, OR - Oregon Dressage Society)
Region 7: Erin Marshall (Westlake Village, CA – Dressage Association of Southern California)
Region 8: Carol Morris (Dryden, NY – Cayuga Dressage and Combined Training Inc)
Region 9: Tina Zehnder (Elgin, TX - Central Texas Dressage Society)

Ruth Arvanette Memorial Fund Grant
Sandra Thompson (Sherwood, AR – Arkansas Dressage Society)

For more information on GMOs in your area or GMO award programs, please visit the USDF website at www.usdf.org, or contact the USDF Group Member Organization Committee liaison 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.