United States Eventing Association

The recipients of the 2012 Worth the Trust Scholarships were announced at the USEA Awards Dinner on December 10. the USEA was pleased to award the Young Adult Scholarship to Lucy Gordon of Mount Sidney, Virginia and the Adult Amateur Scholarship to Erica Seas of Billings, Montana.

The Worth the Trust Educational Scholarships are awarded annually to one Young Adult and one Adult Amateur to help fund their educational training—clinics, working student opportunities, private, or group instruction. The $3,000 Amateur Young Adult Scholarship is available for riders between the ages of 16 and 25, while the $2,000 Adult Amateur Scholarship is available for eventers 26 and up.

Applicants must write an essay explaining why this scholarship is important, intended use of funds, and their ultimate goals. Entries are to be judged by a USEA panel and Joan Goswell. Winners must write an article for Eventing USA magazine for the following year telling about their educational experiences.

Read the 2012 winning essays below.

Young Adult – Lucy Gordon

My name is Lucy Gordon, and I’m a sixteen-year-old from Mount Sidney, Virginia. I have been a member of the Glenmore Hunt Pony Club (C3 rating) for nine years, the Glenmore Hunt Club for six years, and the USEA for the last year. I’ve ridden my whole life; I never remember a time when my life didn’t revolve around riding. I don’t own a horse currently, but am very lucky to be doing a great deal of riding and competing for other people. I rode hunters, jumpers, and equitation until I made the switch to eventing about three years ago. For the first two years, I did not have a suitable horse to event, but kept trying with various mounts because I knew this was the sport for me. I took a few dressage and cross-country lessons here and there, but I wasn’t getting anywhere. In the spring of this year, I got my first break: I had the opportunity to ride a friend’s 21-year-old, experienced horse in my first few recognized Novice events. Later in the spring, I made connections with an event barn where I was a live-in working student this past summer. I had the best and most productive summer of my entire life! Because it was a breeding farm instead of a competition barn, it was affordable for my family. I got many more hours in the saddle than the ordinary working student, and learned so much about starting youngsters from the ground up. Sharon White a close friend of the farm owner, even charitably gave me pointers and helped with course walks on many occasions. After being immersed in the event world and getting a taste of working with top professionals, I’ve fallen in love. I know this is what I want to do. I have and will continue to give blood, sweat, and tears to improve my riding. Because I started my eventing career late, I have a lot of training to catch up on, and this scholarship would help tremendously. Three thousand dollars would be an incredible asset to my riding and training in the upcoming year.

If I was to win the scholarship, the bulk of the money would be used towards lessons with professionals that I now only dream about. Sharon has been so nice to me, and I would love to actually work one-on-one with her. Stephen Bradley, Buck Davidson, Hannah Sue Burnett, and Phillip Dutton are others that I would love to work with. I’ve learned that everyone has something to teach and believe that it helps so much to work with a variety of instructors. It excites me to think how much winning this scholarship could improve my riding.

I really value setting and working to achieve goals, so I could probably write a ten page paper on all the goals I have for my riding, but I’ll try to make it short. I’ve completed four Training events this year; for the rest of the fall season, my goals are to keep improving myself and the horses I’m competing, and to pass my United States Pony Club B rating at the end of this month. In the next year, the goal will be to gain more experience and improve at Training level and eventually make the move up to Prelim when I’m ready and have the appropriate horse. As for long term goals, they’re endless. I’m planning on going to college as a backup plan in case the riding doesn’t work out, but I will continue to ride throughout those four years. My aspirations include becoming a top trainer, a four star rider, and while I’m dreaming big, an Olympian.

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Adult Amateur – Erica Seas

My five-year-old Thoroughred/Holsteiner mare, Jamborandi, and I are successfully competing at the Training level. And, I am happy to report that we are ready to move up. It is well known that this transition to Preliminary is a serious one. I will need to feel confident, to be riding solidly, and to have a horse willing to take on the questions presented. In order to do this, I will need to increase the training intensity. Problem is that I ride in Billings, Montana, where the average commute to a recognized horse trial is six hours. Due to my remote location, getting more education and experience can be very costly. It not only involves the clinician’s fees, but the travel expenses to get there, and the income lost from all that time away from my office. Furthermore, I have made a promise to my husband and children that I will always be safe. This Trust would afford me the added opportunity to seek that help while simultaneously providing access to a diversified level of cross-country venues.

My ultimate goal is to be the best rider I can be considering my limitations as an adult amateur: I work full time, have two young children, ride only one horse, and am married to a loving husband. It’s not clear just how far I can safely go. But, as long as I have the instruction and a willing horse, I will continue to strive for the best. Specifically for 2012, I would like to qualify for a CCI 1* competition in the fall - a goal I never thought possible for someone like me.

It should not go unmentioned the work that I also do with just a few other key individuals to keep Arrowhead Horse Trials a recognized competition. Arrowhead is a “grass roots” horse trial located in a community dominated by rodeos, reining, and cutting. We have no major financial backing or sponsors. Every year I feel like myself, and literally, three other individuals are the only ones putting it together. It frequently feels like a thankless job. But, after it’s all said and done, all those smiles and exhilarating rounds on cross-country keep us going year after year. The bottom line is that we are competitors putting on a horse trial for our fellow competitors to keep eventing alive in our region.

My use for the funds is simple: Horse and rider education. I am lucky to have three qualified clinicians in the region: Jil Walton (4* rider and Olympian), Martha McDowell (3* rider), and Michael Larsen (ICP 2). There are two large spring eventing clinics that are held in Area IX and one in Area VII. I would like to participate in these clinics which average about $500 each. My lessons with Martha would be weekly, lessons with Jil and Michael would be monthly. If Worth the Trust grants me this scholarship, I vow not to disappoint. I will use the funds for my endless education while continuing to serve as a co-organizer for the Arrowhead Horse Trials in a volunteer capacity for as long as I can.

Thank you very much for your consideration.