Best in Breed Conservation Group Sponsors Devon Breed Show to Promote U.S. Dressage Horse Breeding

Breeding

U.S.A.

Dressage at Devon welcomed a new group of loyal DaD supporters to the breed show this year as a new kind of sponsor.

Ten breeders have gathered together to form the inaugural “Best in Breed Conservation Group.” Exclusively offering funds to the breed show this year and in years to come, the group was founded by Melanie Pai to help preserve and expand the historic event.

Best in Breed Conservation Group

The Best In Breed Conservation Group is comprised of ten breeders committed not only to the conservation of breeding for dressage, but also to the continued evolution of the sport through quality breeding. The Group is comprised of ten breeders that have come together to offer funds exclusively to help preserve and expand the historic event that is the Breed Division at Dressage at Devon.

The 2023 group's founding members: Melanie Pai, Jim Welsh, Anne Sparks, Lauren Dearlove, Melanie Peterson Ramey, Terry Smith, Janet Rae, Stacy Brass, Klaus Schengber, and Judy Yancey.

Avid Dressage at Devon competitors, the founding breeders of the group have come to show at DaD for many years, for most. Dressage at Devon gave them a place to take their elite breeding stock and helped to place each of the prominent breeding programs on the map. The Best in Breed Conservation Group plans to perpetually give back to the show that has given the greater dressage breeding community in North America so much for so many years.

Promote U.S. Breeding

Best in Breed Conservation Group founder Melanie Pai, shared how the syndicate got started, its purpose, and its goals for the future:

“Karen Ramsey, who is a very good friend of mine, came to Florida and said what can we come up with to support Dressage at Devon, they have been so good to us over the years,” Pai said on how it all began, “I came up to see Sabine Schut-Kery and I had this idea of forming syndicate. I consider myself a small breeder, and I thought ‘how can we help small breeders?’ I put together the idea of putting ten people together, each would contribute $1,000, for a total of $10,000 to go towards Dressage at Devon. I found ten committed people and together, we formed this breeder’s syndicate, the Best in Breed Conservation Group, to support Dressage at Devon.

Pai hopes the initiative will pay forward and promote U.S. dressage horse breeding.

"I am hoping that the syndicate will continue to grow, and that next year we will have another 5-10 additional breeders that want to participate in supporting DaD," she said. "In addition to benefiting DaD, participation in the syndicate also benefits small breeders as it gives them a voice and people would start to recognize the names - my hope is that it will help participating breeder’s really increase their business as well."

She continued, "the USA small breeders desperately need help because everyone tends to go to Europe these days. There are some exceptional breeder’s here in the USA, but nobody really knows where they are. We are trying to find a way for Americans in this big country, to find the amazing small breeders that are here on US soil. The Best in Breed Syndicate is our first effort in achieving that mission.”