USDF Congratulates 2022 GMO Award Winners

For Immediate Release
Monday, October 31, 2022

Lexington, KY (October 31, 2022) - The United States Dressage Federation™ (USDF) is pleased to congratulate all the winners of the 2022 Group Member Organization (GMO) Awards, which will be presented as part of the Board of Governors General Assembly during the 2022 Adequan®/USDF Annual Convention, in Lexington, KY. These awards are given annually, to recognize outstanding achievement within USDF's GMO community. Recognition is given in the following categories: GMO amateur photograph, website user experience, newsletter first person experience and general interest articles, and creative GMO-sponsored program. USDF also recognizes outstanding volunteers at the regional level, as well as awarding one lucky winner is selected from the nominees for a Ruth Arvanette Memorial Fund Grant, to help offset the cost of one deserving Group Member to attend the annual convention.

This year's winners are:

GMO Photography Awards:

Best Amateur Photograph:

GMOs with less than 75 members:

First Place: NEW Dressage Association, Forward, Summer 2022, Photographer: Cecelia Conway
Honorable Mention: Columbia Dressage & Combined Training Association, Direct Rein, November 2021, Photographer: Lora Blair

GMOs with 75 to 174 members:

First Place: Arkansas Dressage Society, Arkansas Dressage Society Newsletter, October 2021, Photographer: Jennifer Landers
Honorable Mention: St. Louis Area Dressage Society, Hoofprints, May 2022, Photographer: Erica Schwan

GMOs with 175 to 499 members:

First Place: Northern Ohio Dressage Association, NODA News, 2021, Issue 11, Photographer: Lauren Wade

GMOs with 500 or more members:

First Place: New England Dressage Association, A Tip of the Hat, August 2022, Photographer: Paul Cormier
Honorable Mention: Georgia Dressage & Combined Training Association, Collected Remarks, July/August 2022, Photographer: Alison Cochran

GMO Newsletter Awards:

First Person Experience Article:

GMOs with less than 75 members:

First Place: Columbia Dressage & Combined Training Association, Direct Rein, December 2021/January 2022: Thus endeth the warmblood experiment... by Elizabeth Hussey
Honorable Mention: NEW Dressage Association, Forward, Fall 2021: The Road to Arabian Sport Horse Nationals by Nyssa Crane Sheridan

GMOs with 75 to 174 members:

First Place: St. Louis Area Dressage Society, Hoofprints, April 2022: To Listen by Toni Kanne
Honorable Mention: Three Rivers Equestrian Association, TREA Branches, October/November 2021: Building Anew: Finding Peace Among the Ruins after a Fallout by Nicole Coleman-Hammett

GMOs with 175 to 499 members:

First Place: Northern Ohio Dressage Association, NODA News, 2022, Issue 8: Dressage Professional Initiative by Jacqueline Boonekamp

GMOs with 500 or more members:

First Place: New England Dressage Association, A Tip of the Hat, May 2022: My Florida Immersive Training Program by Iris Berdrow
Honorable Mention: Georgia Dressage & Combined Training Association, Collected Remarks, May 2022: Springtime in Kentucky! by Kelli Agnew

General Interest/Informational Article:

GMOs with less than 75 members:

First Place: NEW Dressage Association, Forward, Spring 2022: Appreciate the Journey by Jacqueline Golosinski

GMOs with 75 to 174 members:

First Place: Southern Eventing & Dressage Association, Off Course Online – The 'Bleep', August 2022: Not the Clinic Experience I Expected by Nicole Miller
Honorable Mention: St. Louis Area Dressage Society, Hoofprints, April 2022: The Low-Down on Spring Vaccs by Taffy Ross

GMOs with 175 to 499 members:

First Place: Northern Ohio Dressage Association, NODA News, 2021, Issue 11: Great American/USDF Region 2 Dressage Finals: NODA Recap by Taya Workum Byers

GMOs with 500 or more members:

First Place: Georgia Dressage & Combined Training Association, Collected Remarks, July/August 2022: Competing and Volunteering? Why, yes, you can! by Penny Morse
Honorable Mention: New England Dressage Association, A Tip of the Hat, March/April 2022: Young Rider Development and Tip for our Youth Aspiring Riders by Suzy Fraser

GMO Website Awards:

Best User Experience:

GMOs with less than 75 members:

First Place: NEW Dressage Association (http://www.newdressage.org)
Honorable Mention: Santa Fe Dressage Association (http://www.santafedressageassociation.com)

GMOs with 75 to 174 members:

First Place: Southern Eventing & Dressage Association (http://www.sedariders.org/)
Honorable Mention: Central Plains Dressage Society (http://www.centralplainsdressage.org)

GMOs with 175 to 499 members:

First Place: Central States Dressage & Eventing Association (http://www.csdea.org/)
Honorable Mention: Northern Ohio Dressage Association (http://www.noda.wildapricot.org/)

GMOs with 500 or more members:

First Place: New England Dressage Association (http://www.neda.org)
Honorable Mention: Georgia Dressage & Combined Training Association (http://www.gdcta.org/)

 

Creative GMO-Sponsored Program Award:

First Place:

Equestrians' Institute – EI's Horse Camp for Adults

Honorable Mention:

Northern Ohio Dressage Association – Dressage Professional's Initiative

 

Regional GMO Volunteers of the Year:

Region 1:

Christine Dickenson (North Wales, PA – Lehigh Valley Dressage Association)

Region 2:

Christina Gemmel-Gnidovec (Pataskala, OH – Ohio Dressage Society)

Region 3:

Mark Fornwalt (Newnan, GA – The Good Horseman Foundation and Georgia Dressage & Combined Training Association)

Region 4:

Sheri Pederson (Bloomington, MN – Central States Dressage & Eventing Association)

Region 5:

Kathleen Martin (Albuquerque, NM – Santa Fe Dressage Association)

Region 6:

Charlene Cohen (Anchorage, AK – Alaska Dressage Association)

Region 7:

Jona Williams (Kailua, HI – Aloha State Dressage Society)

Region 8:

Shannon Ryan-Dinmore (Spencer, NY – Cayuga Dressage & Combined Training)

Region 9:

Kimberly Beard (Stillwater, OK – Central Plains Dressage Society)

 

Ruth Arvanette Memorial Fund Grant:

Virginia (Ginny) Sorenson – Draper, UT (Utah 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 Organizations Committee liaison at gmoliaison@usdf.org

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 usdressage@usdf.org, or call (859) 971-2277.