Founded in 1991 by the Arabian Professional and Amateur Horsemen’s Association (APAHA), the annual Horsemen’s Awards are presented each February at an awards dinner on the last day of the Scottsdale Show. In 2003 the entire Arabian Horse Association membership was first asked to vote on line for nominees and this has been the annual tradition since that time.
The 2011 Horsemen’s Awards were held on the evening of February 26th at the Monterra facility on the Westworld Fairgrounds. Awards were presented to 23 recipients.
HORSEWOMAN OF THE YEAR Crystal McNutt
HORSEMAN OF THE YEAR Johnny Ryan
BREEDER OF THE YEAR Cedar Ridge Arabians, Inc.
DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD Mary Trowbridge
RISING STAR Jessica Clinton
PROFESSIONAL INSTRUCTOR Lisa Jo White
AMATEUR HALTER Van Jacobsen
AMATEUR ENGLISH Mike Beethe
AMATEUR HUNTER/SHOW HACK Katie Russell
AMATEUR WESTERN Joe Frizzell
AMATEUR WORKING WESTERN Audrey Hart
AMATEUR OF THE YEAR Irwin Schimmel
JUNIOR HALTER Josh Shino
JUNIOR ENGLISH Chloe Holmes
JUNIOR HUNTER/SHOW HACK Hannah Noelle Bell
JUNIOR WESTERN Colby Powell
JUNIOR WORKING WESTERN Colby Powell
HALTER TRAINER Keith Krichke
HUNTER/SHOW HACK TRAINER Cynthia Burkman
WESTERN TRAINER Stanley White III
WORKING WESTERN TRAINER Tyson Randle
ENGLISH/SADDLE SEAT TRAINER Jim Stachowski
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Kitty and Stan White Sr
Also during the Horsemen’s Awards ceremony APAHA Hall of Fame designations were announced to honor those horsemen and women who have been awarded Horsemen’s Awards three or more times in a specific division. Included in this group were: Bob Battaglia, Liz Bentley, Michele Blackwell-Betten, Vickey Bowman, Russ Brown, Dalton Budd, Michael Byatt, Cindy Clinton, Michael Desiderio, Larae Fletcher-Powell, Greg Gallun, Wendy Griffith Potts, Vicki Humphrey, Joel Kiesner, Lee Mancini, Marikate Matthews, Crystal McNutt, Kim Morgan, Josh Quintas, John Rannenberg, Andy Sellman, Mary Trowbridge, Sheila Varian, Eileen Verdieck, Stan White Jr and Greta Wrigley.
