Fashion Designer Reem Acra Encourages Equestrian Community to Celebrate its Stars

Fri, 06/10/2011 - 18:47
FEI Dressage News

International fashion designer Reem Acra, sponsor of the prestigious FEI World Cup™ Dressage series, is supporting the Best Athlete category of the FEI Awards for the second consecutive year.

The Beirut-born designer, whose clientele includes celebrities such as Angelina Jolie, Halle Berry, Beyonce Knowles, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Eva Longoria, built her successful design business with the same drive and determination that takes equestrian athletes to the summit of the sport. Commenting on the FEI Awards, which were launched  by the governing body of international horse sport in 2009 to reward talent in and out of the arena, Reem Acra said: 

“I am delighted to support the Best Athlete Award again this year. I have seen equestrian sport at its best and I know from my experience in the fashion world how tough it is to succeed when there is so much talent to compete with. This FEI Award will go to an athlete who has combined focused ambition with fair play, to a horse whose outstanding character and performances have endeared it to the public or to a really remarkable human and equine partnership. I hope the entire equestrian community will seize this opportunity to nominate their heroes, as it is a way of thanking them for the pleasure their inspirational performances have given us.”

Last year’s Reem Acra Best Athlete Award went to a combination – the superstar Dutch duo Edward Gal and Totilas – for their memorable contribution to equestrian sport. Gal, whose partnership with the much-loved black stallion ended in style in 2010 with, notably, three gold medals at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ in Kentucky, said that receiving the award had been “the icing on the cake”.

This year’s winners will receive their awards in November at a gala evening in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where the FEI General Assembly is taking place.

Nominations for the five-category FEI Awards (Reem Acra Best Athlete, HSBC Rising Star, Against All Odds, Development and Best Groom) are open until 31 July at www.feiawards.org.

Related Links
Nominations Now Open for FEI Awards 2011
FEI Award-Winning Grooms Says Employer's Nominations Boost Motivation

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Empty stands on Friday for the Grand Prix at the 2011 German Championships
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Totilas with his Swedish groom Dagmar Kallenberg
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Uta Gräf talking Le Noir for a walk
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It poured on Saturday and Sunday at the 2011 German Championships and the footing became muddy
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The warm up became so muddy that the dressage riders had to school their horses in the show jumping arena. Here you see Anabel Balkenhol on Dablino
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Anabel Balkenhol and Dablino won bronze in the Grand Prix Special
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Christoph Koschel with his son Philipp Constantin Koschel
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Christoph Koschel and Donnperignon win silver in the Kur to Music
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Helen Langehanenberg on Damon Hill NRW
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Isabell Werth on Warum Nicht FRH
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Uta Graf on Le Noir
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Nadine Capellmann on Elvis VA
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Wolfram and Brigitte Wittig share a kiss
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Fabienne Lutkemeier and D'Agostino win the Under 25 Grand Prix
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Isabell Werth and Der Stern win the Young Horse Grand Prix in Balve
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Dorothee Schneider and Van the Man in the Young Horse Grand Prix
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Uta Gräf schooling Dandelion (by De Niro)
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Isabell Werth brought four horses (and one groom) to Balve. She competed Laurenti in the Nurnberger Burgpokal qualifier but had to retire her powerhouse horse