The United States P.R.E. Association is pleased to announce the recipients of its inaugural 2007 Horse and Rider of the Year Award: Rociero XV and Kristina Harrison-Naness.

The United States P.R.E. Association (USPRE), was formed in 2007 as an organization dedicated to the promotion of the Pure Spanish Horse (PRE) in the United States for sport and performance, and which provides a number of services and programs for PRE owners, riders, and breeders.

In 2007, Rociero XV, with Kristina Harrison-Naness, entered the field of Dressage Grand Prix competition in California and rose to top rankings within a very short time. As USDF Horse of the Year in 2006 at Intermediate II, Rociero had already begun a long line of “firsts” for the PRE breed in this country. This past year, under the coaching of Olympian Debbie McDonald and United States Dressage Team Coach Klaus Balkenhol, Harrison-Naness and Rociero finished Third overall in the National Grand Prix Championships in June. Later in the year, the pair were awarded a USDF Developing Horse Grant and traveled with McDonald to Balkenhol’s training facility in Germany where they competed for several months. Their trip culminated in their best performance at the Oldenberg CDI, where Rociero finished second in the Grand Prix, and fifth in the Special against challenging German and international competition. Rociero and Harrison-Naness are currently in the top five pairs in the USEF standings going into 2008, an Olympic Qualifying Year.

Rociero XV and Harrison-Naness have brought national and international attention to the PRE breed, and are the first to achieve such goals for the PRE horse outside of Spain.

Rociero  XV is owned by Margaret Carrera from Auburn, California.

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