Dayton O. Hyde, founder of a South Dakota wild-horse sanctuary, is the 2002 recipient of the American Association of Equine Practitioners’ (AAEP) equine welfare award, the Lavin Cup. Named for AAEP past president A. Gary Lavin, VMD, the award is presented annually to a non-veterinary individual or organization that has demonstrated exceptional compassion or developed and enforced rules and guidelines for the welfare of the horse.

The Lavin Cup was presented to Hyde at the President’s Luncheon during the AAEP Annual Convention, December 7, in Orlando, Fla. Past winners of the Lavin Cup include trainer Tom Dorrance, the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, Inc., the American Quarter Horse Association, and the California Horse Racing Board.

The American Association of Equine Practitioners, headquartered in Lexington, Ky., was founded in 1954 as a non-profit organization dedicated to the health and welfare of the horse. Currently, AAEP reaches more than 5 million horse owners through its 6,500 members worldwide and is actively involved in ethics issues, practice management, research and continuing education in the equine veterinary profession and horse industry.