2018 Sportsmanship Award Winner Announced
Hope Kohout has been named the 2018 Sportsmanship Award Winner.
Good sportsmanship is part of the tradition of equine events. Whether it is following rules and playing fair at a horses show, lending a hand to a fellow trail rider, or treating fellow equestrians with respect and courtesy, MFTHBA members exhibit good sportsmanship on a daily basis. The MFTHBA Sportsmanship Award was designed to recognize MFTHBA members who exemplify the principles of good sportsmanship and consistently put them into practice.
This year the MFTHBA will honor Hope Kohout with the award. The nomination letter for Hope definitely highlights why she is the epitome of good sportsmanship:
Hope Kohout is a wonderful competitor and exhibits the ideals of sportsmanship each time she is showing or competing in events. At the 2018 Show and Celebration, Hope was competing for the Ranch Horse Open Amateur World Grand Champion. On show day, she was awarded the Reserve World Grand Champion in that division. Hope didn’t think her scores that day added up to the 2nd place position so that night when she got home, she pulled up the placings and calculated it for herself. The next day, she drove back to the show grounds and found me to tell me that she should not have been awarded the Reserve Champion—rather, I should have been! And she brought all the loot and ribbons back and gave them to me also. Then, she insisted we go to the office and make sure that the MFTHBA corrected the mistake in their records!
Hope went above and beyond to make sure that the results were corrected and my horse was recognized.
I know for sure that Hope competes with passion and skill every day…on this day, she had a chance to highlight not just the beautiful partnership she has with her horse, but also her integrity—and she was absolutely shining! Hope should be recognized for this act of sportsmanship in the versatility arena.
The MFTHBA appreciates all members who practice good sportsmanship. Congratulations to Hope Kohout on being named the 2018 MFTHBA Sportsmanship Award winner. She will be formally recognized at the 2019 Spring Show and Three Year Old Futurity this coming June.