USPC Recognition Awards: Introducing the Scandalously DanDee Best-Presented Pair Award and the Tiny but Mighty Character Award

By Erin Roland, USPC Activities and Events Director

At the USPC Championships and USPC Festival, attendees not only get to enjoy the thrill of competition, but also the joy that comes with winning awards for a job well done. During the awards ceremony on the last day of the events, USPC recognizes teams and individuals in each respective discipline for their riding and horse management skills. Various breed recognition awards are awarded, as well. And at the end of each discipline’s award ceremony, there are two very special recognition awards that competitors can win—the Scandalously DanDee Best Presented Pair and the Tiny but Mighty Character Award. These awards are donated by two National Office staff who wished to give back to the organization they love to recognize individuals for traits they themselves value and to honor special horses in their lives.

Scandalously DanDee Best-Presented Pair

This award is donated by Alyssa Sands, USPC’s Information Technology Director, Provisional Chief Horse Management Judge, current USPC National member, and a long-time Pony Club supporter. The Scandalously DanDee Best-Presented Pair Award honors her previous USPC mount, a grey Appaloosa, Scandalously DanDee (aka DanDee).

Alyssa and DanDee competed at the 2014 USPC Festival in the Eventing Championships, where she remembers working tirelessly to keep her mount clean and well-prepared for the long show week ahead. The pair went on to receive ZERO horse management penalties during the Championships and a clean turnout inspection—a feat for a grey horse who always liked to stay dirty.
Recognizing the hard work and effort it takes to present yourself and your mount at your best at the horse inspection, the Scandalously DanDee Best-Presented Pair Award is presented to one member who goes above and beyond in presentation and turnout of both themselves and their mount at the horse inspection.

Any mounted competitor is eligible to receive this award, and it is presented at the USPC Festival and at USPC Championships in all mounted disciplines (Dressage, Eventing, Polocrosse, Mounted Games, Show Jumping, Tetrathlon, and Western Dressage). The Scandalously DanDee Best-Presented Pair Award was initiated at the 2022 USPC Championships.

Tiny but Mighty Character Award

The Tiny but Mighty Character Award is donated by Erin Roland, USPC’s Activities and Events Director, in honor of her childhood pony, Tiny but Mighty (aka Timmy).

“Even though this award is named after my pony, I was not originally inspired by him to give this award,” said Roland. “I’m a firm believer that a person of character will make it much farther in life than someone who has all the answers. In Pony Club, we strive to grow people and well-rounded equestrians, and I realized there was not an outlet to recognize members who show excellence in character at Championships, and I wanted to change that.

“Timmy is not an easy mount,” she continued. “He’s actually quite spooky at times due to his past abuse, so those who do ride him have to be confident in their abilities, kind and soft in their intentions, have a good attitude, and the ability to pick themselves up (sometimes off the ground), and continue on. Because of Timmy, I have stronger character. And thus, the Tiny but Mighty Character Award was born!”
Timmy has touched the lives of everyone he meets with his dedication to his riders, his perseverance through thick and thin, his upbeat and positive attitude, and an overwhelming love for equestrian sports. After teaching many students and helping to grow their love of horses during his time in lesson programs, camps, and even Interscholastic Equestrian Association programs, he is now enjoying retirement at Indian Ridge Farm in Frankfort, Ky.

Dedication, perseverance, attitude, and sportsmanship are but a few attributes to a person of character. The Tiny but Mighty Award recognizes one member in each discipline who displays excellence of character inside and outside of the arena during USPC Championships.

“Character is who you are when no one else is around,” said Roland. “It’s your moral center driving you forward. When all is said and done, no matter who you are or what you’ve accomplished in life, people will always remember your character first.”

All competitors at USPC Festival and USPC Championships are eligible for the Tiny but Mighty Character Award in their respective discipline. Competitors, officials, and volunteers will have the opportunity to submit award recipients on site. All submissions will be reviewed, and the winner will be hand selected. The Tiny but Mighty Character Award was initiated at the 2021 USPC Festival.