The Event at Rebecca Farm is set to begin in less than one month in Kalispell, Montana. Competitors from around the country are preparing to travel to the event, and thanks to the generosity of the Broussard Family Charitable Foundation and administration of the USEA Foundation, that trip will be made more accessible through the Rebecca Farm Travel Grants.
For 2024, applications for those grants were accepted through June 1, and recipients were notified by June 15 of their selection to receive those grant funds. Since the inception of these travel grants in 2011, over $200,000 has been awarded to help offset expenses related to competing at Rebecca Farm as riders pursue their eventing dreams of representing the U.S. at international competition.
These grants are available to any rider of any age who is successfully competing at the CCI3* or higher levels and has not already represented the U.S. at the Olympics, World Championships, or Pan American Games.
For 2024, the recipients of the grants will be:
CCI4*
Ashley Adams
James Alliston
Sophie Click
Auburn Excell Brady
Stephanie Goodman
Marc Grandia
Taren Hoffos
Morgan Houberg
Karen Oneal
Dani Sussman
Alexa Thompson
Samantha Tinney
Julie Wolfert
CCI3*
Madeline Backus
Rebecca Brown
Kristine Burgess
Kayla Dumler
Kristi Foresman
Erin Grandia
Anni Grandia-Dodson
Christina Henriksen
India McEvoy
Megan McIver
Olivia Miller
Emily Pestl-Dimmitt
Ellen Sebanc
New for 2024: While in the past all travel grant recipients were expected to sit for an interview with the Rebecca Broussard Developing Rider Grants Committee during the course of The Event at Rebecca Farm, the success of the program and resultant expansion of the pool of applicants have rendered such a universal interview procedure impractical.
Accordingly, starting in 2024 there will no longer be an expectation that all applicants must sign up to be interviewed; instead, the Grant Committee may, at its discretion, choose to invite certain applicants to sit for interviews during the event. Such invitations to interview will be conveyed by email, text, or phone communications directed to the applicants.
About the USEA Foundation
The fundamental mission of the USEA Foundation is to protect and preserve the sport of eventing for future generations and to provide support for the core educational, safety, and equine welfare programs of the USEA. In addition, the Foundation administers educational grants for riders with the intent of preparing them to reach their goals. Learn more about the USEA Foundation at www.useafoundation.org.
Ride iQ’s popular “Ask An Expert” series features professional advice and tips from all areas of the horse industry. One of the most-downloaded episodes is an expert session with Peter Gray, an accomplished dressage judge and Olympic eventer. He has recently judged at events like the five-star at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event, and he served on the ground jury at the 2022 FEI World Eventing Championships in Pratoni, Italy. His background as a competitor in the Olympic Games riding for Bermuda and as a coach and selector for the Canadian eventing team adds depth to his understanding of the sport.
With a total of 382 volunteer hours in 2024, Catherine “Cathy” Hale not only topped the USEA Area III VIP Volunteer leaderboard, but she also ranked fourth out of all eventing volunteers across the country. Hale (The Villages, Florida) has worked as a travel agent for over 30 years, a career that suits her love of travel nicely. At the time of being interviewed for this article, Hale was passing the equator on a cruise to Tahiti, New Zealand, and Australia.
The USEA office will close at 5:00 p.m. EST on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, and will reopen again on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. The USEA staff will return emails and phone calls when the office re-opens on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 or at their earliest convenience.
After the success of the first annual USEA Intercollegiate & Interscholastic Eventing Championships at Stable View in Aiken, South Carolina, members are not going to want to miss the second edition in 2025! Barry and Cyndy Olliff, owners of Stable View, and their team are gearing up for an even bigger and better event in the coming year. If you are a current or prospective member of the Intercollegiate Eventing Program or the Interscholastic Eventing League, be sure to block off the weekend of May 3-4, 2025 to attend these exciting Championships.