Florida Driver and His Morgans Win USEF National Pairs Championship
Monday, October 30, 2006
LODI, CALIFORNIA - Alan Aulson and his team of hearty Morgans, Duke (Nordby Coalie Duke) and Chief (Meddo's Chief George), proved to be winners as they earned the 2006 USEF National Horse Pairs Championship on October 6-8 at the Shady Oaks CDE in Lodi, California. A Massachusetts native and the owner of Black Prong Equestrian Center in Bronson, Florida, Aulson was also a member of Team USA at the 2005 FEI World Pairs Driving Championships held in Salzburg, Austria.
Aulson praised his California hosts Fritz Grupe and the team at Shady Oaks, explaining, "They welcomed us and all the competitors very warmly and made us feel at home at their vast and delightful facility - which sprawls thousands of acres of spectacular wine country. At both Shady Oaks and the Horse Park in Woodside, CA, where we competed before the national championships, our west-coast counterparts appreciated that we made the trip. When we won, they were happy for us, but understandably disappointed to see the trophy go back east!"
Aulson is a member of the American Morgan Horse Association, a nonprofit association that exists solely to preserve, promote and perpetuate the Morgan horse. The Association is comprised of five departments that strive to accomplish this mission: Administration, Marketing, Membership, Publications, and Registry.
In support of other advanced-level drivers working toward qualifying for the world championships, Aulson has added advanced levels to the 2007 Nature Coast CDE in January and the 2007 Black Prong CDE in March, making them qualifiers for the 2007 pair and pony world championship contenders. These events will provide a valuable opportunity for drivers to qualify themselves and their animals before the first selection trial at Live Oak.
Located in Bronson, Florida within the 250,000-acre Goethe State Forest, Black Prong Equestrian Center is a unique 250-acre training, driving and lodging facility that hosts annual combined driving events as well as numerous equestrian workshops with international trainers. For more information, visit www.BlackProng.com.
Courtesy of AMHA
|