United States Eventing Association

Deadline Approaching: Apply for the 2020 Worth the Trust Scholarships

Applications for the 2020 Worth the Trust Educational and Sports Psychology Scholarships are due in two weeks on Saturday, October 5. The Worth the Trust Scholarships were established in 2000 with the support of Joan Iversen Goswell to provide financial assistance to amateurs to pursue their education in eventing. The funds from the Worth the Trust Educational Scholarships may be used for training opportunities such as clinics, working student positions, and private or group instruction, or to learn from an official, course designer, technical delegate, judge, veterinarian, or organizer.

The $3,000 Young Adult Scholarship is available to riders between the ages of 16 and 25, while the $2,000 Adult Amateur Scholarship is available to eventers 26 and up. Young Adult Scholarship applicants must contribute at least 10 hours of volunteer work to a national or local charitable organization, any minority/disadvantaged group, or local eventing association or horse trials, while Adult Amateur Scholarship applicants must contribute at least 6 volunteer hours. Applicants must be current members in good standing with the USEA.

The sport of eventing challenges the rider’s body and mind, testing intelligence, bravery, and skill over the three phases of competition. From professionals at the highest levels of the sport all the way to amateurs and juniors at the lower levels, riders can experience obstacles including loss of confidence, fear of injury, and the inability to focus or perform under pressure, inhibiting their path to success. In 2017, Iversen Goswell created the Worth the Trust Sports Psychology Scholarships to help amateurs master the ever-challenging psychological side of the sport.

The Worth the Trust Sports Psychology Scholarships are awarded yearly to one Adult Amateur, age 26 and up and one Young Adult, age 16-25. The recipient of the Adult Amateur Scholarship will receive $500 while the Young Adult Scholarship recipient will receive $700.

The deadline for the 2020 Worth the Trust Educational and Sports Psychology Scholarships applications is October 5, 2019. Applicants should submit an essay explaining why the scholarship is important to him or her, how they intend to use the funds, and their riding and competing experiences.

The 2020 Worth the Trust Educational and Sports Psychology Scholarships will be awarded at the 2019 USEA Annual Meeting & Convention, December 12-15, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts.

2020 Worth the Trust Educational Scholarship Applications: Young Adult | Adult Amateur

2019 Worth the Trust Sports Psychology Scholarship Applications: Young Adult | Adult Amateur

For more information, please contact Nancy Knight at [email protected] or (703) 669-9997.

About the Worth the Trust Scholarship

Since 2000, the Worth the Trust Scholarships has provided financial assistance for young adult amateurs and adult amateurs for the purpose of pursuing continued education in eventing. These scholarships is provided by Joan Iversen Goswell in honor of her horse, Worth the Trust, a 15.3 hand Thoroughbred gelding (Wind and Wuthering x Stop Over Station), who competed successfully for many years, including winning the Kentucky Three-Day Event in 1997 with Karen O'Connor. In 2017, to continue to offer a helping hand, Goswell created the Worth the Trust Sports Psychology Scholarships to help amateurs master the ever-challenging mental side of the sport. Click here to read the story of Worth the Trust's 1997 Kentucky Three-Day Event win.

Interested in learning more about sports psychology and how it can help improve your riding? Click here and here to read articles from Horse and Hound.

"During the morning, Carl [Hester] was asked two other unusual questions. The first [was] about his mental preparation for competitions . . . Carl said that he didn’t need additional help with his mental preparation as what he already did worked for him. A ‘no stone unturned’ preparation combined with a ‘just another day at the office’ attitude and a supportive team. However, he said that the regular use of a sports psychologist was a valuable tool for Charlotte [Dujardin] and he could tell by her riding if she had recently had a session. At a competition Charlotte needed her own space, [Hester explained;] ‘She needs to hide in a darkened lorry while other students need to have constant positive support. In most cases, mental problems are about a lack of confidence, so we do what each rider needs as an individual to maintain confidence.’" – William Micklem