CANTER PA grants scholarships to OTTB riders

Karessa Dress, a scholarship winner, with Dance on the Double

CANTER Pennsylvania has announced the winners of an educational scholarship intended to boost the skills of equestrians and their off-track Thoroughbreds.

On Jan. 7, three Pennsylvania-based Pony Club riders were each awarded $500 to be put toward lessons, clinics and camps aimed at improving their skills, says Sue Smith, executive director of CANTER PA.

Funds for the scholarships were provided by a grant from the USA Equestrian Trust, without whose support the first-time award would not have been made possible, Smith says.

“The USA Equestrian Trust was just fabulous! We’d never applied for a grant before, but we had a strong goal to offer educational scholarships to the next generation of horsemen” who are riding ex-racehorse Thoroughbreds, Smith adds.

Although it was difficult to choose from a stellar list of Pony Club members and applicants, who all ride registered Thoroughbreds, three $500 winners and five runners-up, who each received $75, were finally selected.

Winners of the $500 scholarships are:

• Karissa Dreese and her 2004 gelding Dance on the Double. Dance had seven starts, and earned $7,640.
• Colleen Mauro and her unraced 2004 OTTB Kingsdreamofdreams.
• Hannah Simmons and her 2000 bay gelding Cubanero, who had 29 starts, and earned $56,065.
  

  Sue Smith, executive director of CANTER PA

Winners of the $75 scholarships are:

• Cayla Hammaker and her 2007 bay gelding Copper Socks Jr. Cooper Socks had three starts and $300 in earnings.
• Jill Johnson and her 2004 gray gelding Kaz Silver. He was unraced.
• Victoria Kager and her 2006 gelding Elwood Blaze. Elwood Blaze had one start, and $0 earnings.
• Hailey Rudicille and her 2008 gray gelding Long Island Duck. He was unraced.
• Courtney Sarson and her 2005 bay gelding Editor’s Column. Editor’s Column had 49 starts and earned $106,260.

CANTER PA was “overwhelmed” by the quality of the applications.