United States Eventing Association

Below is the winning essay of the 2015 Worth the Trust Young Adult Amateur scholarship. Congratulations to Rebecca Barber, and best of luck in the future!

I was supposed to be done riding once I graduated high school. Instead, I traded in my car for a truck and went to the racetrack and bought a horse. That was nearly two years ago. Now my little racetrack reject is successfully running at Training level and we are looking to move up to Preliminary in the late spring. Unfortunately, while my horse is going better than I could have ever imagined, I will also be graduating from college and entering the “real world” this spring.

While I have worked in order to be able to ride since I was 14, upon graduation I will have additional expenses such as rent and insurance. And since I have been riding throughout college, I have no true savings. Realistically, training and advancing up the levels will likely not be financially feasible. My young horse is just too talented to spend his life trail riding and jumping around an occasional Training level. As cliché as it sounds, he has the potential to be my “once in a lifetime” horse and I would love to take advantage of the incredible opportunity that he presents.

Growing up, I never had “the horse.” I spent most of my childhood working with and catch riding whatever horses other people didn’t want. While at the time I looked enviously at my friends who had their own horses, took lessons multiple times a week and quickly advanced up the levels, in retrospect I wouldn’t change a thing about my experience. Not only did it make me a stronger rider, but it also taught me the value of hard work and perseverance. I know, based on my previous experiences, that if I want something badly enough, I can make it happen. Whether it was relentlessly fundraising to pay for my trip to Canada with the international USPC North Atlantic Rally Exchange Team, or qualifying and competing at the American Eventing Championships on a horse that I acquired when his owners gave up on him and threw him into a field, I know that I can accomplish whatever I set my mind to. Despite numerous setbacks along the way, I am still a child at heart. I have big dreams of making it to the upper levels of our sport, and I am not ready to give up on them.

If I were chosen as the recipient of the 2015 Young Adult Worth the Trust Scholarship, I would use the funds to stay in consistent training. For the first part of the year, I will be finishing up my degree and graduating from The College of William and Mary. William and Mary is located in an area that has limited access to event trainers. As such, the scholarship would grant me the flexibility to cover travel expenses out of pocket, as lessons would be paid for. Ideally, I would start the spring 2015 season with a few days of “boot camp” with Holly Payne in Aiken. Once Lynn Symansky returns from her winter down south, I would like to continue my education as a rider by taking lessons with her on a regular basis. I would like to have the financial flexibility that should an ICP Certified clinician came to my area, I could take full advantage of the educational opportunity.

I believe that if I am able to receive quality instruction, my horse and I can realistically aim to complete a Training Three Day and to successfully move up to Preliminary in the spring/early summer of 2015. Beyond that it is hard to say. If my horse is game, I would love to shoot for a one-star, however it is up to him to let me know what he wants to do and what he is capable of and ready for.

One thing I have learned is that with horses, even the best-laid plans often go astray. My “riding journey” has not gone as planned and as a result it has made me a stronger rider as well as a better person. I have learned to love the journey and not just the destination. Yes, I would love to one day go Advanced but I am also happy to bring along young horses, giving them a positive introduction to eventing. I am in this great sport for the long haul. Receiving this scholarship would allow me to take my riding to the next level and to ultimately ride my young horse to his full potential.