USDF All-Breeds Award

Because my GMO (California Dressage Society - CDS) is so big and offers so many awards, I only join USDF as a Group Member (GM). As a GM I am only eligible for Rider Awards but not Horse Performance Certificates, the Adequan Awards, or the All-Breeds Award. Like I said though, CDS offers so many awards, plus a great championship show held in conjunction with the USDF Region 7 Championship show, that I've never felt the need to join as a Group Member.

CDS's Regional Adult Amateur Competition Second Level (Elite Division) - 2018

The only thing that kind of calls my name though is the Adequan/USDF All-Breeds Award. Each year when the Yearbook edition of the USDF Connection arrives in my mailbox, I hungrily flip to the All-Breeds Award section and check out how we might have fared against the Arabian Horse Association (AHA) winners. For adult amateur awards, a rider must have at least eight scores from four judges from four different shows AND a median score of 60% or greater (Training through Fourth Levels). In 2019, Speedy and I had eight scores from two judges from two shows and a median of (roughly) only 56.5%. We wouldn't have qualified for this year's All-Breeds Award.

2019 Arabian Horse Association, Third Level Adult Amateur.

There have been years though, like in 2018, where we might have been competitive. In 2018, we had a median score of (roughly) 61% at Second Level which included sixteen total scores from five shows and five judges. 2019's first and second place riders (at Second Level) clocked in at 63% and 62%. We might have been close.

CDS's Regional Adult Amateur Competition (Elite Division) First Level - 2017

The main reason I don't declare for All-Breeds is because it's pretty expensive.

• Each year I join USEF in order to obtain my Adult Amateur status - $80.
• I have to join CDS (which I want to do anyway) for $75 annually, which includes a USDF Group Membership.
• But if I wanted to be eligible for an All-Breeds Award, I'd have to join USDF as a Participating Member (PM) which runs $90 a year.
• I would then need to spend $35 on the All-Breeds declaration fee.
• Next, I would need to join AHA for $50 a year and pay $35 for a Competition Card. AHA also charges $35 each year to participate in the All-Breeds Award program.

So what's my grand total to participate in a program where I might, maybe be competitive? $400 annually, that's how much. Without being eligible for All-Breeds, all I spend is $155. The price to be eligible for All-Breeds just isn't worth it for me, especially since I probably wouldn't win any way. 

$120 a year? Meh.

That doesn't mean I still don't find the idea attractive. If I didn't ride two such popular breeds - a lot of Arabians get All-Breeds Awards, and the RPSI horses all have scores in the high 60s and 70s, I might be more interested in signing up. If I rode a rescue horse or maybe a Clydesdale, I'd be much more interested in showcasing my breed. Which brings me to the real point of this post. Have you seen some of the Participating Organizations (PO) that give out awards? The list is fascinating!

Page 221 of the March/April 2020 edition of the USDF Connection

A few of the associations really jumped out at me, so I thought I'd do a little research and learn more about them. First of all, who doesn't want to ride a Clydesdale? The one and only time I did, I had an absolute blast. My non-horsey husband did, too! The Clydesdale Breeders of the U.S.A, a new PO in 2019, had a winner - Kim Fiore riding Freedom Royal Legacy at Training Level.

2018 - My husband and I riding Clydesdales. He's 6'3" by the way.

Another association that caught my eye was the Hungarian Horse Association of America. This is definitely a breed that is new to me. Apparently more people know something about these horses than me since in 2019, the HHA awarded All-Breeds Awards from Training Level to Prix St. Georges, including a Freestyle winner. 

Image shamelessly borrowed from the HHA's website.

The International Drum Horse Association would cause anyone to stop and take a second look. According to their website: Actually named after a “job” performed by the horse, The Drum Horse is an important member of the Queen of England's Band of the Life Guards. These horses carry two large solid silver kettle Drums, plus a fully outfitted rider, through crowds of thousands, during the Queen’s processions! The fact that the Drum Horse can remain quiet in large crowds of people while being controlled entirely by reins attached to their rider’s feet is a testament to the Drum Horse's extraordinary disposition.

​It doesn't appear as though IDHA awarded any horses an All-Breeds Award this year, but they're not a new PO, so they must have had winners in the past. I'm going to keep my eye open for one of these beauties.

Image also borrowed, but I'll take one please!

The International Georgian Grande Horse Registry gave out All-Breeds Awards from Training through Fourth Level to Open and Adult Amateurs alike in 2019. During the 1970s, a breeder named George Wagner Jr. started crossing drafts to Saddlebreds to recreate the[m] as closely as possible the original Saddlebred type. He wanted to bring back the heavier boned, bigger Saddlebreds of the historic past, which were more robust and sensible. One example of the original type Saddlebred was General Robert E. Lee’s horse, Traveler, who was Lee’s favorite horse throughout his many battle campaigns.

​This definitely sounds like a breed that can work all day comfortably!

FLYING W FARMS BARON VON CAPRIOLI 2011 Horse of the Year Champion in Dressage: Third Level Open! - Image borrowed from the IGGHR.

We know that dressage is good for all horses, but the International Rescue Horse Registry is making sure that all horses, no matter their breed, get a chance to be recognized. This registry is the dream of a horse rescue board member, trainer and supporter. We'd like to give the wonderful people who give new life to abused and rescued horses a chance to register them (even if the pedigree is unknown) and earn End-of-Year Awards and scholarships.

​The IRHR recognized ten different horses in 2019 by giving All-Breeds Awards from Training through Second Level.

We don't qualify, but I love the idea.

The USDF All-Breeds Award isn't really for me, at this point anyway, but I sure do like that so many registries and associations are stepping up to get their breeds recognized by USDF. Another thing that I like about the program is that most of the breeds listed aren't warmbloods. No bias against warmbloods, but dressage really is for all horses, so it's great to see so many breeds and types of horses getting out there and showing in the sport. 

As I look over the list of All-Breeds Participating Organizations, the one breed I am dying to try out is the Haflinger. I keep threatening to get one as my next horse. By the time I'm ready for a new horse, I am going to need one that is short, sturdy, and not at all interested in breaking a sweat. Is there a breed you'd like to take for a spin?