Gladstone, NJ – The USET Foundation is pleased to announce that it has awarded the Amanda Warrington Grant to Eventing rider Heather Morris of Lewisville, TX. The Amanda Warrington Grant is awarded through the Amanda Pirie Warrington Fund, and Morris was the recipient of the grant in 2009 as well.
The Amanda Pirie Warrington Fund was established by Amanda’s family in her memory with the purpose of helping provide financial assistance to a developing event rider who has been identified as a rider with great talent and ability to represent the United States in the future.
The Grant Committee selects a recipient that they believe will benefit from the opportunity of continuing their training with top coaches and competing against the world’s best horse and rider combinations in three-day eventing, which is one of three Olympic equestrian disciplines. The Committee report was then considered and ratified by the USET Foundation Executive Committee.
As the recipient of the grant, Morris will receive up to $5,000 to help offset expenses associated with her training over the next year.
Morris competes with her three top horses: Slate River, a 13-year-old Oldenburg gelding owned by The Team Express Syndicate, Sportsfield Maisie Grey, a nine-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare owned by Cherye Huber, and First Mark, a 13-year-old Thoroughbred gelding owned by Lynne Partridge. Morris was just recently named to the USEF Eventing High Performance’s 2011 Developing Rider List.
This year, Morris successfully completed the 2011 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event CCI**** aboard Slate River, and placed second in the Advanced division during The Fork CIC***. She’s also had excellent results aboard Sportsfield Maisie Grey, riding the talented mare to a second place finish at the CIC**, and completing the Jersey Fresh CCI**.
Morris is a professional rider at Gold Chip Stables in Bartonville, TX, for Three-Day Eventer Mike Huber. She was very excited to be named the recipient of the Amanda Warrington Grant. “I feel very privileged that they picked me for a second time,” she commented. “I was pretty shocked when I heard. The last couple years have been up and down for me, but doing to Rolex this year and being able to compete was very special. I feel pretty lucky. There have been some setbacks, but it’s a tough sport.”
While Morris’ plans are not confirmed, she hopes to use the grant to train for a spot on the Team for the 2011 Pan American Games with Sportsfield Maisie Grey, and for the Galway Downs CCI**, where she was victorious in 2007. Morris also hopes to move to the USEF Higher Performance List and have the opportunity to compete abroad.
The United States Equestrian Team Foundation (www.uset.org) is the non-profit organization that supports the competition, training, coaching, travel and educational needs of America’s elite and developing international, high-performance horses and athletes in partnership with the United States Equestrian Federation.
For more information on the USET Foundation, please call (908) 234-1251, or visit USET ONLINE at www.uset.org.