Awards Program

The American Hanoverian Society Awards Program was developed to reward Hanoverians competing in sport. It has evolved over the years and awards are now given for Dressage, Eventing, Hunters, and Jumpers, and Sport Horse Breed Shows. In addition to the regular year-end performance awards in the categories below, a number of Perpetual Trophies have been established to acknowledge outstanding individual performances in sport as well as during the Annual Inspection Tour.

Awards Eligibility Chart
Please use the information in the Awards Eligibility Chart to help determine the requirements for the AHS Awards Program. To be eligible for awards, the owner of the horse must be a current AHS member as of September 30, and the horse must be properly transferred and/or recorded in their name.

DO YOU COMPETE IN THE HUNTERS & JUMPERS or EVENTING?
Horses competing in these disciplines MUST be enrolled in the AHS Awards Program in order to be eligible for year-end awards! Please complete and submit the Performance Awards Form by September 30th of the competition year!

2021 will mark the inaugural year of this award which is presented to the Hanoverian with the highest score in the Jumper division. The winner receives a keeper plaque and a beautiful ribbon. Neil and Mary O'Connor of Inner Bay LLC have committed to sponsoring this award for at least 3 years. They breed jumpers at …
This award was originally conceived by Maurine (Mo) and Jim Swanson of Rolling Stone Farm in Slatington, Pa., as a new year-end award for American Hanoverian Society breeders and owners in 2006. The Swanson's commissioned a beautiful painting that hangs in the AHS office in Lexington, Ky. Each year, the names of the winners are …
2017 marked the inaugural year of this award which is presented to the overall Champion Hunter of the Year—for the Hanoverian horse who placed the highest in the standings of their USEF Hunter Division that year. The winner receives a keeper plaque and a beautiful ribbon.   In 2020, Bent Hickory Farm signed on to sponsor …
In 2001, the AHS Board of Directors has accepted a proposal for a new year-end award honoring the "Best North American-Bred Young Mare." This award is to reward the young mare that has the best-combined scores from her Studbook Inspection and her Mare Performance Test. This award is restricted to mares that are three and …
In July of 1998, the American Hanoverian Society saw the passing of two of its most prominent members in former President Hermann Friedlaender and long-time board member Dr. Reto Engler. Each in his own way served the Society with distinction for many years. That fall, John and Tracy Weyl, owners of Maplewood Farm in Lexington, …
In addition to the trophies that are awarded annually by AHS through its comprehensive awards program, AHS is also associated with one of the most coveted trophies awarded each September at Dressage at Devon. Based at the show grounds in Devon, Pennsylvania, Dressage at Devon, or “DAD” as it is fondly known, has grown in …
2017 winner HPMC Pentheselia Photo credit: © 3rd Shutter Donated by a generous AHS member who wishes to remain anonymous, The Benchmark Farm Trophy recognizes mares that show exceptional jumping ability during their Mare Performance Test (MPT). This award is presented to the mare that achieves the highest combined score on the jumping part of …
Donated to the Society in the early 1990s, the Bari von Buedingen Memorial Trophy is a beautiful bronze depicting an exquisite Hanoverian mare and foal. This, the first of AHS’s perpetual trophies, is awarded in memory of noted breeder Bari von Buedingen, who, together with her husband, Dr. Richard von Buedingen, developed their Graf Bae …