Pennsylvania Equestrian won three awards at the American Horse Publication’s Annual Awards Competition held in conjunction with the organization’s three day “Ride Into History” conference in Williamsburg, VA May 31-June 2.

Pennsylvania Equestrian writers took two of the three awards in the News Reporting, Single Feature Article category. Jennifer Autry’s article in the July 2011 issue, “Down But Not Out: Boyd Martin Looks Ahead After Deadly Barn Fire” won second place.  Judges commented, “This story has it all – the struggle, the climactic event, the recovery.  The writing was well paced and full of detail.” In the same category, Suzanne Bush’s article, “Bucking the Trend, Philadelphia Police Department Bets on Horses,” published in March 2011, won third place. “A no-frills, solid story that was just the right length and tone,” were the judges’ comments.  First place in the category went to the Chronicle of the Horse for an article on horse slaughter.

Suzanne Bush also won second place in the News Reporting, Breaking News Story category. Her article, “Commonwealth Court Sides with Horse Farm Owner, Setting Precedent for Pennsylvania,” was published in the February 2011 issue of Pennsylvania Equestrian. The judges commented “The writer gets at the story behind the story showing readers why one man’s battle is so crucial. This is a fine job detailing legal minutiae and showing readers the bigger picture.” First place in the category was won by Thoroughbred Times.

Participation in this year’s contest represented 90 American Horse Publication members and 686 entries. A total of 167 awards were presented to the finalists for first, second, third place or honorable mention. The AHP Annual Awards Contest provides members with an opportunity to be recognized for excellence in equine publishing, print and online, as well as professional critiques for improvement.