Tag Archives: The Dressage Foundation

Riders May Now Apply for the Dressage Foundation Para-Equestrian Dressage Fund

Over the past several years, the sport of Para-Equestrian Dressage has grown and welcomed many new athletes.  Throughout this time, The Dressage Foundation (TDF) has received requests for support from these riders, and is proud to announce that the TDF Board of Directors has developed the Para-Equestrian Dressage Fund through a gift from the Lowell Boomer Family Charitable Remainder Unitrust.  TDF will continue its fundraising efforts to ensure that grants for Para-Dressage riders are available perpetually.

The purpose of the Para-Equestrian Dressage Fund is to provide financial support for para-dressage riders to attend educational events, such as clinics/seminars at the USEF/USPEA Para-Equestrian Centers of Excellence (COE), lessons with a trainer of choice, or other educational opportunities that will enable the rider to improve and reach his/her goals.  Funds should not be requested for competition.  US Equestrian’s Developing or Emerging para-dressage athletes are welcome to apply, as well as para-dressage riders who are dedicated to the sport but have not yet been named as a Developing or Emerging athlete (see US Equestrian for descriptions).

The amount of the grants can vary depending on the need and request of the applicants but will typically range from $500 – $1,000.  One or more grants will be available each year to qualified applicants, chosen by an independent selection committee.

The selection committee will take into consideration that the applicant:

  • Is dedicated to the sport of Para-Equestrian Dressage
  • Demonstrates qualities of horsemanship and sportsmanship
  • Can be an ambassador for the sport
  • Presents well-defined goals in the application with a clear plan to achieve goals

The selection committee will also take into account:

  • Availability of other funding for chosen event/training
  • Accessibility/availability of events in rider’s local area
  • Training plan that is different than the rider’s typical routine and not readily available to him/her on a regular basis

Additional Grant Information:

1. Applicant must be a U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident.
2. Riders designated as Elite Athletes by U.S. Equestrian are not eligible.
3. Funding must be used for the event/training specified in the grant application. Funds are not to be used for competition.
4. An applicant may not receive the grant in consecutive years.
5. The committee reserves the right to not award a grant in any given year if they determine that no candidate has met the criteria. Grant money would then be held in the Para-Equestrian Dressage Fund for use in future years. The applications and discussions of the selection committee are confidential, and their decisions are final.
6. If the grant recipient is unable to attend the specified event/training, The Dressage Foundation must be notified as soon as possible. Approval for a change in the use of funds is at the discretion of The Dressage Foundation and the grant Selection Committee.
7. The online application form and all required documents must be submitted to The Dressage Foundation on or before November 1st. A final decision will be announced by December 31st.
8. The grant must be used for an event that falls after December 31st of the year in which you apply. Recipients will have one year from the date of the award to use the grant funds.

For more information, please visit The Dressage Foundation.

For more information about the USPEA, please visit www.USPEA.org or contact USPEA President: Hope Hand by e-mail: hope@uspea.org or by phone: (610)356-6481.

The Dressage Foundation Chooses Four Young Riders for Olympic Dream European Tour

Jhesika Wills, one of the four 2011 Olympic Dream Program participants. Photo by Carolynn Bunch.

Lincoln, NE – Four advanced young riders have been selected for the 2011 Olympic Dream Program that annually sends young riders to Europe for an intensive 10-day dressage experience. The program is administered and funded annually by The Dressage Foundation (TDF). On May 2, an independent Selection Committee, after reviewing dozens of applications, chose Mary Bahniuk Lauritsen (MA), Jhesika Wells (WA), Kathryn Butt (SC), and Laura DeCesari (AZ) to make the 10th annual TDF trip to Europe. The committee chose Melissa Reese (NJ) and Ari Lopez (CA) as the first and second alternates, respectively; however, the original winners have all committed to go. The Selection Committee based their decision on candidates’ essays, competition scores, recommendations, DVDs of their riding and signs of commitment to the sport of dressage.

Jenny Johnson, administrative director of TDF, said, “The Board of Directors and staff of The Dressage Foundation congratulates the four candidates chosen for this year’s Olympic Dream Program! We received a record number of high quality applications, so the Selection Committee had quite a task.”

The program, conceived by Olympic medalist and TDF Board Member Michael Poulin (FL), will be led this year by Simone Ahern (CO) and Elizabeth Caron (CT). Beth Baumert (CT) is serving as administrator as she has since the program’s inception. Poulin believes TDF’s Olympic Dream program helps American young riders reach their potential. He aims to fuel “the power of the dream” for young people, and help them “develop a sense of proportion, a sense of themselves and of being proud of who they are and what they’re doing.”

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The Dressage Foundation Announces Changes to the Major Anders Lindgren Scholarship for Dressage Instructors

Lincoln, NE – The Dressage Foundation is pleased to announce that the annual Major Anders Lindgren Scholarship has recently been revised to provide scholarships to a greater number of qualified dressage instructors.

Major Anders Lindgren was an accomplished dressage rider, having won the 1971 Swedish Dressage Championship and ridden on the Swedish Olympic Team in 1972. He also won the Scandinavian Eventing Championship in 1959. Lindgren’s contribution to American dressage was large, as he was solidly committed to the education of U.S. dressage instructors. Over a ten-year period, almost 1,000 participating instructors learned from his systematic, structural approach to teaching Dressage at the USDF/Violet Hopkins National Seminars for Dressage Instructors, and then at the National Symposium. Major Lindgren passed away in 2010 at the age of 85.

Since 1996, The Dressage Foundation has offered annual scholarships in Major Lindgren’s name, for instructors to train in Europe. However, beginning this year, the Major Anders Lindgren Scholarship has been restructured to offer funding to more instructors, to train in the United States.

Continue reading The Dressage Foundation Announces Changes to the Major Anders Lindgren Scholarship for Dressage Instructors