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The NZ Hanoverian Society Mare Awards, 2009
At the NZ Hanoverian Society annual Awards Dinner, which was held this year at the beginning of August in the More FM Tennis Centre in Albany, two mares received recognition for having the highest classification scores in their respective categories.
 Robyn Hirst accepts her Mare Award from Dr Lee Morris. Photo: Sue French |
The NZ Hanoverian Society Young Mare Award
This award is presented to the highest scoring three or four year old, eligible mare classified for entry into the Hanoverian studbook between 1 August and 31 July. The award was initiated by past President Jane Vallings to encourage early breeding of good fillies before their bloodlines are lost to the gene pool by sale or competitive career and was first introduced in 2004. The owner is presented with a silver salver and, upon the registering and branding of a Hanoverian foal within three years of the mare's classification, a financial reward of $500 to assist with the breeding costs of that foal. This year the award went to the breeders/owners of Stoneylea Waiata (Weltmeyer /Stoneylea Aurora, by Anamour), John and Angela Smith.
Waiata scored 9.0 for several points in her classification, including swing and elasticity, arguably her strongest feature. She is a good example of Hanoverian breed type. Born 2005, Waiata, granddaughter of the Smith's foundation mare, Felicitation, represents 12 years of breeding effort aimed at improving the progeny with each generation. She has a filly foal at foot by Locksley II. This is the second time John and Angela have received this award since its inception, having won it in 2004 with another Felicitation descendant, Stoneylea Delicia.
The Equibreed New Zealand Limited Mare Award, which was introduced to reward the owners of the highest scoring five years or older Hanoverian mare classified for entry into the Hanoverian studbook between 1 August and 31 July, recognises the older mare entering the broodmare paddock. Dr Lee Morris of Equibreed presented the award to Robyn Hirst of Palmerston North, breeder/owner of the two full sisters, Ascot Rose and Anaruby, by Anamour from the Thoroughbred mare Saffron xx, by Blazing Keel xx. Both mares had equal scores. Robyn will choose which mare she uses the award for.
