Introducing the Beacon Charm Grant Winner: Emily Pestl-Dimmitt
We are pleased to feature a series of blog posts written by the four winners of grants that were awarded during the 2013 USEA Annual Meeting and Convention—the Beacon Charm Grant, the Essex Grant and the Rebecca Broussard Developing Rider Grant. The $5,000 Beacon Charm Grant was given to Emily Pestl-Dimmit; the $10,000 Essex Grant was awarded to Lizzie Snow; Ellen Doughty received the the $10,000 Rebecca Broussard Developing Rider Grant; and the $30,000 Rebecca Broussard Developing Rider Grant was awarded to Katherine Groesbeck. The riders introduce themselves, their horses, and look toward the season ahead with their grants, made possible by the generous donors and USEA Endowment Trust, in hand.
The Beacon Charm Grant is named in memory of Mrs. Henry du Pont’s international horse, Beacon Charm. Ridden by Bruce Davidson, Beacon Charm came to eventing from the show ring as an eight-year-old and rose through the levels to win the National Intermediate Three-Day Championship at Radnor in 1981. The following year, Bruce took him to the Rome CCI in Italy and won, which made him Bruce’s second short-listed horse for the 1982 World Championships in Luhmühlen. Sadly, a brilliant future was cut short, when Beacon Charm died in his field of a heart related condition at ten years old.
The $5,000 Beacon Charm Grant was given this year to Emily Pestl-Dimmit, who was named this year to the 2014 Developing Rider/Eventing 25 List with her Advanced horse Airlington.
From Emily:
"My name is Emily Pestl-Dimmitt. I am twenty years old and I've ridden horses my entire life in Renton, Wash., in the heart of the Pacific Northwest.
I got my first pony, Phoebe, when I was only four years old. She was just as feisty and sneaky as the next Shetland pony, but it was surely her who sparked my love for eventing. I got my second pony, Sugar-N-Spice, when I was six, and it would be this 12.2 hand pony that would take me from my first recognized event all the way to successfully competing through the Training level when I was 11 years old.
From there I rode whatever horse I could, just trying to gain experience and miles. I ran my first preliminary at age thirteen on my horse Manolo, and later that year took over the ride on a former young-rider horse named Talus. I completed my first FEI events aboard Talus, one highlight of our time together being our win in the CIC1* at Rebecca Farms in 2008 when I was fourteen.
My current horse, Airlington, was imported from Germany in 2007 as a project for my mom. We started our career together in 2011, winning the Training at Rebecca Farms in Kalispell, Mont., and returned last summer to complete our first CCI2* there together.
Not to be too clichè, but my horse is absolutely my best friend. Over the last several years together we have developed a sense of trust and friendship that I had never experienced with any other horse. We just ran both our first advanced together last fall, and were also named to the Eventing 25/ Developing Riders list.
With all of these opportunities opening up for my horse and me in 2013, I was tremendously grateful to receive the Beacon Charm grant, as it would allow us to cover new costs we had to factor in to an already overwhelming budget. I would like to take a moment to thank everyone involved in creating and providing these grants for young riders like myself. It truly makes more of a difference than I could ever express in words.
Outside of horses (who am I kidding - there isn't really an outside life) I enjoy spending time with my family and three dogs. I am currently taking classes at a local college with an interest in studying marine biology. The ocean is one of the only other things that holds my heart and interest.
I also love hiking and traveling around the beautiful Washington coast. Since I can remember, I have had dreams of one day representing my country at the highest levels of this sport. And it is due to the opportunities provided by the wonderful people of the eventing community that those dreams seem more attainable for not just me, but young riders across the nation and throughout the levels of this sport. So once again, THANK YOU to all who make this sport what it is, and continue to feed the dreams of future generations.”
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