For the third time, LR Ami B-Line, a Morgan gelding owned, trained, and competed by Shelly Temple has been named the USEF Horse of the Year for Combined Driving-Single Pony. Cooper was honored twice previously in 2006 and 2007.
The 2010 HOTY honor capped a successful season for Shelly and her Team Catalyst. She won the National Championship for Combined Driving Single Pony for the second time in her career. Shelly, Cooper, and Shelly’s husband, Fran Doto, won many combined driving events across the U.S. in a variety of divisions including:
· Advanced Single Pony, Laurels at Landhope, Pennsylvania
· Advanced Single Pony, Iron Horse CDE, Illinois
· FEI Single Pony, Live Oak International CDE, Florida
· Preliminary Pair Pony, Pine Tree CDE, North Carolina
· Preliminary Pair Pony, Katydid CDE, South Carolina
Shelly is a well-respected competitor, trainer, clinician, and judge. She attends 10-12 major shows a year as a competitor or coach in addition to many smaller local shows. She is a frequent featured speaker at driving seminars, most recently the 2010 Driving Forum which had over 1600 attendees. Shelly also judged at 8 driving events during 2010 including events in New Hampshire, Florida, California, Wisconsin, and Missouri.
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In 2010 Shelly also welcome several new sponsors for Catalyst Driving. “I am pleased to work with a variety of sponsors in whose products and use and trust. Kentucky Equine Research, Leather Therapy, Sheetz, Omega Fields, Kombat Boots, and Charles Owens are all an important part of Catalyst Driving’s success,” remarks Shelly. In 2011 Shelly will team with Thin Line, a maker of saddles pads and boots. Shelly’s competition horses will wear Thin Line boots for protection during the rigors of combined driving.
Shelly has set her sights on the 2011 World Pony Championships in Slovenia where she hopes to build upon her 2007 success as a member of the U.S. Bronze medal team as well as silver medallist in dressage. To follow Shelly and Team Catalyst on their efforts to make the US Team for the 2011 Pony Driving World Championship visit her blog at http://catalystdriving.blogspot.com/
