Strides for Equality Equestrians (SEE) is pleased to announce the award of its Winter 2023 Ever So Sweet Scholarship to Micah Green, 23, of Jacksonville, FL. As the fourth recipient of the Ever So Sweet scholarship, Micah will receive fully-paid training and mentorship from Sara Kozumplik at her winter base in Ocala, FL.
Micah, who is a repeat applicant for the Ever So Sweet Scholarship, demonstrated determination and a clear-cut vision of his intentions should he be chosen as an ESS recipient.
“My hope as I excel in the horse world and obtain a name for myself through competing and networking [is that] I will showcase that your upbringing and your skin color do not affect your ability to excel in a sport,” Micah wrote on his application.
“As an African American male, this sport isn’t something that’s necessarily in my field,” Micah said in an essay for Optimum Youth Equestrian. “My friends didn’t exactly bully me, but they would tease me for riding “My Little Ponies” and would call me ‘the horse boy.’ This sport is something that is seen as feminine and people would always say to me, ‘you should be playing basketball,’ or ‘you should be playing football.’”
Micah began riding at a western barn when he was eight, eventually transitioning to riding English via his sixth grade science teacher. Since then, he’s competed primarily in the hunter, jumper, and equitation rings and has ridden for the University of Florida’s hunt seat team during his tenure as a student.
Micah is looking forward to using his time as an Ever So Sweet Scholarship recipient to improve his riding, try out eventing, and work on his networking skills, recognizing that this opportunity not only provides riding mentorship but also the chance to make valuable connections within the industry.
Strides for Equality Equestrians thanks Edy Rameika, Sara Kozumplik, and the USEA Foundation for their continued support of its mission to increase visibility and opportunity for riders of diverse backgrounds through once-in-a-lifetime educational opportunities such as ESS.
SEE the Change, Be an Ally!
You can follow along for updates on the SEE website at https://www.stridesforequality.org/
For more information please contact Erin Tomson, Ph.D., Strides for Equality Equestrians at 509.332.9486 / [email protected]
Thirty-five five-star horses presented today under sunny skies at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event.
If all goes according to plan in the first part of the extended weekend, we will see 36 horses galloping across Derek di Grazia's CCI5*-L cross-country course at the 2024 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event (DK3DE). We partnered up with the team at CrossCountry App to bring you a preview of both the five-star and CCI4*-s tracks this year.
Lights, cameras, action! The first formal horse inspection (which some might informally refer to as "the jog") at the 2024 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event (K3DE) takes place this afternoon at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. While this part of the event is a fan-favorite historically based on the impeccable turnout of the horses and the stylish and forward fashion choices of the riders (we are looking at you Boyd Martin in hopes that you bring back the American flag suit circa 2022), it serves a very important purpose: ensuring that each horse is fit, sound, and ready to compete at the five-star level.
There are so many things to love about the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event and the opportunity to peruse the booths of so many amazing vendors is definitely one of them! Don’t forget to stop by the USEA booth, located just behind the Rolex Stadium next to the large Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event booth, to stock up on all of your favorite USEA apparel.