February 25, 2000

Lauren Bailey rode her way back into the winners circle in the AHSA Reining Seat Equitation Medal Finals at the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show, AZ, on February 21 - 22. The 19 year-old from Louisiana impressed judges with her calculated maneuvers, demonstrating perfect harmony with FX Melody, American Quarter Horse reiner. Bailey created history with this week’s victory, as she became the first winner of the AHSA Reining Seat Medal. Bailey took Jabbor’s Impack to the title of 1998 AHSA Stock Seat Equitation Medal Champion during the final contesting of that trophy for the Stock Seat Medal before it was retired.

Lauren Bailey also won a new award, the High Point Amateur Trophy, sponsored by Stablegate.com. Joanna Dahlhauser received the new title of High Point Junior Exhibitor and was presented with the AHSA’s prestigious Adrian Van Sinderen Trophy.

The accolades an AHSA Reining Seat Medal Champion receives far exceed the honored Glenn Gimple Memorial Bronze perpetual trophy, which is also awarded to the winner. Bailey was presented with a Bob Haley custom-made saddle, a custom silver buckle by Broken Horn, a champion jacket, ribbon, wool cooler and a $1,500 academic scholarship from the AHSA, and also a hand-tooled leather photo album from Rick Nab. The Reserve Champion and other placed finalists received merchandise compliments of sponsors including Mike and Renee Baker, Larry Gimple, Ariat International, Terri Deering - The Hat Lady, Exhibitor Labs, Inc., Schneiders, and Treatwells, the official horse treat of the AHSA.

Unveiled in 1999, the AHSA Reining Seat Equitation Medal joined the family of Equitation Seat Medals which have honored exemplary junior riders in the Hunter, Saddle, and Stock Seats for over 50 years and were begun as a derivative of the cavalry training in classical horsemanship. The Reining Medal has become the contemporary version of the Stock Seat Equitation Medal to include amateur competitors.

The American Horse Shows Association, as the National Equestrian Federation of the U.S., is the regulatory body for the Olympic and World Championship sports of combined driving, dressage, endurance, eventing, show jumping, and vaulting, as well as 19 other breeds and disciplines of equestrian competition. As the country’s largest multi-breed organization, the AHSA has over 70,000 members and recognizes more than 2,600 competitions nationwide each year. It governs all aspects of competition, including educating and licensing all judges, stewards, and technical delegates who officiate at these shows.

For more information, please contact Chris Stafford, Director of Communications, at (606) 225-6923 or via e-mail at cstafford@ahsa.org.