Showcasing the Qualities of Arabian-bred Sport Horses
As part of its mission to raise awareness of and to promote Arabian-bred sport horses, the Arabian Sport Horse Alliance has several different award programs for recognizing achievements of Arabian-bred sport horses and ponies in all levels of competition as well as in sport horse breeding.
Awards are an important mechanism for drawing attention to exceptional Arabian-bred sport horses in competition and in sport horse breeding and of some of the people who have made significant contributions on behalf of the Arabian sport horse community. These are some of the awards that the Arabian Sport Horse Alliance began offering in 2015. The Alliance will also be seeking suggestions and sponsorships from members for other specialty awards.
Arabian Sport Horse Alliance Horse of the Year*
Horses must belong to an Alliance member and achieve a noteworthy performance related achievement.
(As the organization grows we hope to expand to have a HotY for each major sport horse performance discipline.)
Arabian Sport Horse Alliance Highlight & TOP Awards
The Highlight Awards are for high placing or high score Arabian-bred horses at prominent rated open sport discipline events including venues like National Dressage Pony Cup Finals, Eventing Championships, Pony Nationals, USPC Festival Championships, Young Horse Show Finals, etc.
Anyone may co-sponsor ASHA TOP Awards for the high point/high score Arabian-bred horse or pony at any rated all-breed sport discipline venue in their area.
(Winners are determined based on show/event placing. Winners need not be Alliance members since this is part of the Alliance’s education and outreach mission. )
Arabian Sport Horse Alliance Hall of Fame*
Two posthumous awards given annually –one for a horse, one for a person who did something significant during the history of the Arabian-bred sport horse. Can be related to performance achievements, breeding, or promotion/advocacy.
(Winners need not have been Alliance members since this is part of the Alliance’s education and outreach mission.)
Arabian Sport Horse Alliance Lifetime Achievement*
Given to a living person who has made a significant contribution to and had a sustained impact on some aspect of the Arabian sport horse world.
(Winners need not be Alliance members since this is part of the Alliance’s education and outreach mission. Winners will get 1 year honorary membership)
Arabian Sport Horse Alliance Annual Points Program
with affiliated Milestone and Versatility Awards
In addition to exceptional merit awards like those described above, we’ve designed a points program that is affordable to join and offers opportunities for horses at all levels of sport horse competition in all venues to earn recognition. This is a multi-faceted program for members’ horses that includes categories for the traditional sport horse disciplines of Dressage, Jumpers, Hunters, Combined Driving, Driven Dressage, and Eventing plus the adjunct disciplines of Equitation, In-hand, and Suitability classes as well Endurance and the emerging disciplines of Western Dressage and Working Equitation. Each discipline is divided into all-breed (open) and breed restricted (AHA) categories when both exist. Annual points are earned from class/event results at schooling venues, rated venues, area championships, and FEI rated competitions. Points are weighted according to how high the horse placed and the rank of the venue. Pony Divisions and Youth Riders are recognized by special awards within each discipline.
A separate point system for “Milestone” points is used to achieve three tiers of lifetime achievement points –Bronze, Silver, and Gold in a particular discipline category.
Whenever any of a horse’s Milestone Points toward that tier were earned at an advanced level then the Milestone Award will include the “Elite” designation.
Reaching Bronze Milestone Award levels in three different performance disciplines earns the Arabian Sport Horse Alliance Versatility Award. Details can be found in the Competition Points Program Handbook.