The U.S. Eventing Association has begun a new program—Youth Board Advancement Grants—that places deserving young riders in an environment where they’ll have the opportunity to experience first-hand what it takes to compete successfully at the upper levels.
The USEA will invite one young rider from the East Coast to work and train for two weeks with Boyd Martin at Philip Dutton’s farm in West Grove, Pa. One young rider from the West Coast will work and train for two weeks at Gina Miles’ farm in Atascadero, Calif.
“[My wife] Silva and I are very excited to be involved with the live-in training program of one of tomorrow’s future cham-pions,” said Boyd Martin. “We believe that true understanding of what happens behind the scenes of training top event horses can be gained by this live-in experience. But, make no mistake, whoever gets the grant, it won’t be a holiday camp! There will be a lot of hard work and intense training sessions with your horse. But at the end of the day, if we can play a small part in helping one young rider become an American eventing champion, then it’s worth it.”
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The grants will cover all costs associated with the time each rider spends with Martin and Miles. Riders will be selected based on the following criteria:
1. Riders must be between the ages of 10 and 21 and active competitors in the sport of eventing, or demonstrate the desire to compete regularly and advance.
2. While there’s no requirement for minimum level of competition completed, riders must not have competed beyond the preliminary level.
3. Riders should demonstrate a strong aspiration to compete at a North American Junior And Young Riders Championship or at the advanced level.
4. Applicants must complete the Youth Board Advancement Grant Application and submit it to Youth Board representative Nate Chambers by Aug. 17. Riders receiving grants will be selected Aug. 31.
5. Selected riders will be asked to keep a diary of their experiences at their respective high performance barn, which will be published in the USEA’s online and/or print magazines.
Download the USEA Youth Board Advancement Grant Application here.
For questions, please contact Youth Board representative Nate Chambers at NCEventing@aol.com.
