In July, the USEA Foundation announced a new set of educational grants spearheaded by the Broussard Family and the Broussard Charitable Foundation Trust that would be awarded to deserving candidates 18 years old and above who are passionate about moving their commitment to the sport forward. These grants cover three areas: Horsemanship Immersion Program, Instructors' Certification Program, and Eventing Officials “r” Training Program.
The response to these "Going Forward" grants was overwhelming, and the caliber and quality of each applicant were impressive. This made decision-making nearly impossible. The review panel reviewed every single application and letter of recommendation submitted and then decided on a list of finalists to be interviewed via Zoom.
Following further deliberations, the panel is delighted to announce the name of the successful applicants by category:
Horse Immersion Program
Instructors' Certification Program
Eventing Officials "r" Training Program
The total amount of grants awarded was $32,000.
The review panel and the USEA Foundation would like to thank Jerome Broussard for his generosity in supporting these grants and his willingness to increase the total amount available when it was clear there were so many deserving candidates. This allowed grants to be awarded to seven individuals instead of four or five as was initially planned.
More information about the Going Forward Grants is available on the USEA Foundation website.
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.