On Jan. 18, the Long Island Professional Horseman's Association (PHA) named Allison Haspel the 2007 Year-End Champion of their 3'6" Medal Equitation Class. Allison is a junior at Manhasset High School and received this honor with her new horse, Arion. The PHA Junior Medal class required Allison and Arion to execute a very technical course with a minimum of eight jumps 3 feet 6 inch high and up to 3 feet 6 inch wide. The PHA Junior Medal class is judged primarily on the position, technique and finesse of the rider, as well as analysis of jump execution. Allison and Arion became a team on May 27; so winning this year-end award was particularly special to them. Last year Allison and her previous horse, Marengo, received the 2006 Year-End Champion honors for the PHA 3 foot Medal Equitation Class.

Allison could never have achieved this without the untiring efforts of her trainer, Sharon Rice. "Sharon and I had to work really hard in a very short period of time to be able to compete at a national level this year . . . a lot of my training happened in the show ring," says Haspel. Sharon, Allison, and Arion also worked very closely with Jimmy Rice, Sharon's husband, who operates Rice Farms in Old Brookville and runs 23 Long Island horse shows annually.