Strides For Equality Equestrians is pleased to announce the award of its winter 2023 Ever So Sweet Scholarship to Micah Green, 23, of Jacksonville, Florida. 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, Florida.

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 8, 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.

Micah is looking forward to using his Ever So Sweet Scholarship 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 U.S. Eventing Association 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.