What have you been up to since winning the Lindsay Maxwell Charitable Fund/USHJA Emerging Athletes Program last year?
Since winning EAP, I have been competing at IHSA shows with my team at Penn State, as well as continuing to ride my own horses and work as a full time student. I also attended the Gold Star Clinic East Coast with Todd Minikus in January.
We heard you got an apprenticeship, what you will be doing, and who is it with?
Things are a little undecided right now, especially with Coronavirus causing horse shows to be shut down. I would hopefully be spending some time at horse shows and at home learning from Val Renihan, and then going to Germany to learn from Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum.
How did you get the apprenticeship?
I am very lucky to have Peter Wylde connecting me with both Val Renihan and Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum. I will be using the grant that I won at the EAP National Training Session in order to fund training with Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum in Europe.
Do you think EAP has helped open doors for you in the sport?
EAP has helped open so many doors for me already, and I have been able to start creating my own connections in the industry. I had little to no connections of my own when I attended my first regional EAP session a few years ago, and so this has been a huge help for me.
What would you tell someone who may be interested in applying for EAP?
I would strongly encourage any passionate horse person to apply for EAP. Through EAP I learned so many valuable skills not only in the saddle, but in the barn as well. I would tell anyone interested in applying for EAP that not only is this an incredible opportunity to further your knowledge and horsemanship, but it is also a great way to make lifelong friendships and connections in the industry.
