Panadero with Shelly Martin. He just won the American Idol P.R.E. Contest at our National Show.

The winning Cobra from the National Celebration 2009 show owned by Sabas Trujillo, Rancho Trujillo.

P.R.E. Horse owned by Medieval Times and handled by David Hilliard of the Los Angeles Castle doing the Capriole.

True to the Rap Video promoting the event, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMZsT7zvowo&feature=email, National Celebration 2009 was a lot of fun and a huge success. Filled with amazing examples of the breed in the show ring and an incredible day of learning from three of the most respected judges in the world, and lots of parties, there was indeed something for everyone.

The week of celebrating the P.R.E horse began with fifty people participating in the practical portion of the First International Seminar for Judging P.R.E. Horses. Colonels Velázquez, Olmedo, and Zorrilla traveled from Spain to instruct the international group in the fine points of what the perfect P.R.E. horse should look like and just how to evaluate and give points to horses in the show ring. The course was given in Spanish and in English so that no one would miss out on the opportunity to learn from the best. It is an impossible thing to pack over 100 years of judging and breeding P.R.E. Horses into one day’s worth of information, but our three expert judges did a remarkable job of trying just that in this informative, hands on seminar and practical clinic. Education about the breed is the focus of The Foundation and everyone agreed that this was an amazing seminar.

Those who attended the judging seminar then had the opportunity to observe at the rail and grand stands for the next three days of morphology or in hand competition. Sabina Holle, DMV, from New Zealand was given the opportunity to shadow judge for the entire competition and is well on her way towards becoming a judge herself.

In a new feature this year at Celebration, Book of Merits Nominated Horses were honored with their very own ribbon hanging from the VIP tent wall. Everyone enjoyed searching the ribbons for their favorite horse and loved to see what other horses they knew that were in the program. It was a wall of who’s who for horses in the USA P.R.E. World. Is your horse there? The Book of Merits wall of fame was so popular that it was decided to continue the idea for other shows and events.

Two other first time programs were popular at Celebration this year. The Spanish Treasure Private Treaty Sale and the Stallion Showcase provided breeders with center stage to show off their horses that were standing at stud and those that were offered for sale.

One of the most popular Celebration classes is the American Idol P.R.E. class, and this year was won by Panadero and his human companion/trainer Shelly Martin. Lisa Alley-Zarkades owns Panadero but in true P.R.E. fashion thinks that he owns Lisa. Shelly and Panadero won the coveted prize with their wonderful liberty act. After his win Panadero was seen bragging about his registration in the Munidal Registry to anyone who would listen. There are two other classes that always capture the hearts of the crowd: The National Champion Piaffe and National Champion Spanish Walk. The Champion Piaffe class was won by Suzanne Punch Randall and her beautiful stallion Jertes. Jertes and Suzanne are regulars in the dressage arena at the FEI level and once again proved that a horse trained in dressage is a well-trained horse in any circumstances. The Champion Spanish Walk trophy was carried away by Argento, ridden by Martin Juarez and owned by Amador Rodriguez Lozano. This year a special prize was given to Garrido owned by George Allan MacDonald and ridden by Mylessa Nickelson for having the most beautiful mane in the performance classes.

Lastly, the Theater of the Spanish Horse is always a favorite event for all who attend Celebration, and this year was no exception. Sharon Hittner always puts together a varied and talented group for the public to see. Medieval Times sent two wonderful horses under David Hilliard’s capable hands. He wowed the audience by performing caprioles in hand and amazing high school movements under saddle. The Escaramoza all female side saddle riding group thrilled everyone with both their horsemanship and their precision riding which was done approaching the speed of sound. The many other acts that made up the Theater were enjoyed by a full house of spectators who braved the cold weather to see the P.R.E. breed shine under the lights.

The Foundation is a family and is proud to have a 10-year record of supporting, celebrating, and honoring our treasured horse. We welcome all who feel the same way and are continually amazed at the commitment of wonderful people who own and are dedicated to our very special breed. The Tenth Anniversary of Celebration was a true Celebration of the dedication, passion, and love that is felt for this breed, the P.R.E. Horse. Come and join us next year! You will have a great time!