The 2013 Breed Sport Awards were presented during the Equine Canada Annual Awards Gala held on Feb.7 at the Radisson Hotel in Winnipeg, MB.
The Breed Sport Awards presented during the gala by Breed Sport Chair Terry Johnson included:
Arabian Horse of the Year – Sur Teddy’s Magna
Lorraine Prowse and Terry Johnson, Chair of Breed Sport. Photo by Shereen Jerrett
Sur Teddy’s Magna, a 17-year-old Purebred Arabian gelding, was named the 2013 Arabian Horse of the Year by Breed Sport Canada. Teddy was born and raised in the County of Strathcona, just outside Edmonton.
Accepting Teddy’s award was his owner Lorraine Prowse of Sherwood Park, Alberta. Prowse has owned, ridden and exclusively trained Teddy since he was three. Teddy and Prowse have successfully competed in many disciplines and won two Canadian National Championships, one Reserve Canadian National Championship and six top ten awards in 2013.
Teddy has accumulated a total of 72 national titles over his career. This total includes 35 Canadian National and US Sport Horse National Championships and Reserves.
Teddy has successfully competed in multiple disciplines, including Working Hunter, Dressage, Hunter Hack and Sport Horse under Saddle. Over the last three years, Teddy has won National Championships in every discipline in which he competed in.
Half-Arabian Horse of the Year – Shake it Up Baby!
Natalie Alves and Terry Johnson, Chair of Breed Sport. Photo by Shereen Jerrett
Shake it up Baby, otherwise known as “Stella”, was named the 2013 Half-Arabian Horse of the Year by Breed Sport Canada. Stella came to Canada in 2011, and is ridden and owned by Natalie Alves who accepted the award. It didn’t take long for the pair to develop a very special bond and for Alves to realize this was a horse of a lifetime.
After training together over the winter and spring of 2011, Stella and Alves started the 2012 show season competing in Country English Pleasure, Show hack, Side Saddle, and Native Costume. Their first year together brought great success and excitement, ending 2012 with multiple ‘A’ show wins, Championships and Reserves at Regionals, National Top Ten’s, and a Reserve Championship at Canadian Nationals.
As the 2013 show season came around, the duo entered the Scottsdale Arabian Horse show, entering eight classes in total. The pair brought home three firsts in the qualifying classes, two Championships and one Reserve Championship.
Regionals and Nationals in 2013 continued to provide opportunities for Stella to shine, bringing home three Regional Championships and one Reserve Championship. At the Canadian Nationals, Stella earned three Reserve Championships in Country English Pleasure JOTR, Native Costume AOTR and Show Hack JTR and earned two top ten’s in JTR Country, a third in the Open Show Hack, placing fourth overall. Their final class together brought the coveted roses and a Canadian National Championship in the Half Arabian Open Ladies Side Saddle.
Morgan Horse of the Year – Intrepid Rock Festival
Monica Smyl and Intrepid Rock Festival. Photo by Linda Finstad
Intrepid Rock Festival, also known as “Rocky”, is the recipient of the 2013 Morgan Horse of the Year Award. Intrepid Rock Festival is owned by Monica Smyl of Wainwright, AB. Smyl’s introduction to Rocky came in 2011 at the Grand National and World Championship Morgan Horse Show in Oklahoma City, OK. She brought Rocky home to Alberta, and under the coaching of Faye Stone of Birch Valley Morgans, has developed an unlimited relationship.
The 2013 show season started off in Red Deer at the Parkland Spring Horse show where Rocky won seven firsts, two seconds, and one fifth place finish in 10 classes. In June of 2013, the duo was at the Alberta Classic, winning the Morgan Western Pleasure Championship and placed first in the All-Breed Western Pleasure Stake. They also attended the Western Canadian Championship and Futurity Horse Show in Ponoka, AB, where Rocky won the Western Canadian All Breeds Western Pleasure Championship and the Morgan Western Pleasure Reserve Champion titles.
Terry Johnson accepted the 2013 Morgan Horse of the Year award on behalf of Smyl and Rocky.
Stephanie Brown and Foxcroft Firestorm. Photo by Brooke Jacobs
Saddlebred Horse of the Year – Foxcroft Firestorm
Foxcroft Firestorm, otherwise known as “Caesar”, is the recipient of the 2013 Saddlebred Horse of the Year Award. For the last two years, the eight-year-old American Saddlebred chestnut gelding has been training with Archie Hurst of Cloverleaf Stables in Sherwood Park, AB.
Caesar is consistently placing in the top ribbons in Alberta, and is showing strongly in the United States. He is a force to be reckoned with, in the deeply competitive 3-Gaited Show Pleasure Division.
Terry Johnson accepted the 2013 Saddlebred Horse of the Year Award on behalf of Caesar and his owner Stephanie Brown.
Saddle Seat Rider of the Year Award – Mackenzie Leubner
Mackenzie Leubner, Saddle Seat Rider of the Year recipient. Photo by Don Stine
This year’s recipient of the Saddle Seat Rider of the Year Award is Mackenzie Leubner of Leduc, AB. Leubner has won many classes at many local shows and has won three top ten awards at the Canadian National Arabian Championships in Brandon.
“Receiving this award is a once in a life time opportunity. Since I was young I knew horses were for me. Starting out in the walk trot division with my first Country/English horse showed me the essentials, and with a large amount of practice at home, I was successful in the show ring. I’ve been fortunate to have great and talented horses that have made me the rider that I am today.” says Leubner.
“Some of my accomplishments include winning the English Rider Award for our local club four years in a row, placing seventh out of 30 horses against world class horses in Scottsdale, AZ, Reserve National Champion in English Pleasure, and 17 national top ten’s and 66 regional awards. I grew up in a household where we had to do all the grunt work which included grooming, tacking, feeding, stall cleaning, not to mention riding every day and 4 am practices at horse shows. I’d like to thank my family for their support, my brother Brandon and my sister Khennedy and I deeply appreciate the hard work from my mom/trainer because without her and my dad’s help, I would of never been able to make it this far with so much achievement. Being involved in horses has kept our family close and grounded and I recommend horses as a great sport for anyone at any level. ”
Leubner has also won four Regional Championships in Western Canada and Washington State and took three top ten titles at the prestigious Scottsdale Show, in a class of over 30 horses. Leubner has shown in Country English Pleasure, Saddle Seat Equitation, and Side Saddle.
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