Amanda Leithead, Champion Scholarship Recipient
with Sonya at Special Equestrians

Amanda Leithead

Amanda Leithead will be entering Saint Joseph's University as a freshman in the fall of 2013, where she will be pursuing a degree in Psychology, and in future, hopes to complete the certification required to become a therapeutic horsemanship instructor. She has volunteered for Special Equestrians in Warrington, Pennsylvania, for the past two years.

The impact of horses in her life started with playing with stuffed ponies, Breyer Horses, and Barbie's Riding Adventure which led to her first horseback riding lesson at the age of nine. "I was a cautious child. I'd skip all the rides at the amusement park, but for incomprehensible reasons, I was more than willing to jump on the back of a 1,000 lb. lazy Paint named Dakota.

Riding and working with horses became especially therapeutic throughout my middle school years when I wore a back brace for scoliosis. I was allotted only a few short hours without my brace, and I spent them at a stable whenever possible.

I now compete in local hunter-jumper horse shows, am president of my 4-H club, work as a summer camp counselor, and even muck out stalls with a smile on my face, knowing that this was the life that my younger self wanted."

Catherine Chan, Champion Scholarship Recipient

Catherine Chan

Catherine Chan is currently a first-year medical student at SUNY Downstate College of Medicine and volunteers for Giving Alternative Learners Uplifting Opportunities (GallopNYC) in Brooklyn, New York. Ever since she can remember, she has always loved horses and began horseback riding at the age of seven.

Fast-forward to high school and college - the time when horseback riding took a backseat to her studies and the desire to become a doctor, she often found herself yearning to interact with horses. Thankfully, she found GallopNYC and couldn't imagine a better way to integrate her love for horses with her passion for medicine and healing. Chan's experiences at GallopNYC with horses have significantly broadened her perspective on healing and the benefits of the horse-human interaction.

Chan joined GallopNYC with the intention to not only work with horses, but also to observe their therapeutic nature. GallopNYC students are children, young adults, and even seniors suffering from a range of mental and/or physical disorders.

Christina Ho, Champion Scholarship Recipient

Christina Ho

Christina Ho is a Southern California native and a first year student in the Masters of Occupational Therapy program at the University of Southern California. After graduation, Christina hopes to work with active duty military, veterans, and military families. When she isn't busy studying, Christina enjoys traveling, trying new foods, attending ballet classes, and volunteering for the Therapeutic Riding Center of Huntington Beach (TRCHB) in California.

A car accident in Christina's senior year in college, resulting in her suffering from chronic back pain, sparked her interest in becoming an occupational therapist. She started volunteering at TRCHB in 2011, she confesses, "as a resume builder" to gain experience working with people with disabilities and an interest in working with horses, but she adds, "volunteering at TRCHB has become part of my identity. I love working with the riders and their families. I love seeing the other volunteers. These people have become my second family. We celebrate each other's triumphs in the arena and out of the arena; we offer each other comfort during times of sadness. Volunteering at the TRCHB has been a transformative experience for me."

Emma Behr, Champion & IEA Scholarship Recipient

Emma Behr

Since she was very young, Emma has had a love and passion for horses and was eager to volunteer, but she had to wait until she was 16 years old to volunteer at the Therapeutic Riding Equestrian Center (TREC) in Fairview, Pennsylvania.

Emma started riding at the age of eight at a summer camp at the Willows Equestrian Center. But, as she grew older and her schedule became increasingly rigorous, finding time for riding became more difficult. But then the opportunity arose for Emma to attend The Grier School on a full scholarship and participate on their IEA Team. Riding on a team has turned what I once thought was an individual's sport into a group effort," said Emma.

Riding also helped prepare her for her volunteer experience at TREC. As fate would have it, the Willows became TREC.

Last summer, Emma was asked to train a horse that was not suitable for the disabled clients to ride her. She worked with her every day, helping Dixie reach her full potential. "Because of Emma's skills and attention, Dixie is now a valuable horse in our program," said Kimberly Danylko, Emma's Supervisor at TREC.

Hallie Austin, Champion & IEA Scholarship Recipient

Hallie Austin

Hallie Austin is a Junior at Ledford High School in High Point, North Carolina, and volunteered for Horsepower, in 2012. "By volunteering I have seen how horses change lives and benefit mentally and physically challenged children, teens and adults. Some of the children can't or don't speak, so they have come up with their own way of letting the horse know when to walk, stop, and turn. Volunteering has taught me patience, and to be grateful that I get to spend some time with these amazing children, volunteers and well trained horses."

Hallie has always had a love of horses and was first introduced to riding at summer camp when she was six years old. At 14, Hallie joined the Fox Run Farm Interscholastic Equestrian Team, a team of riders from area barns, many of whom had competed against each other.

"Being a part of the IEA Team has given me confidence in my riding, a new perspective on how to ride, but most of all it has taught me to be part of a team and that the team is more important than the individual in the long run." Hallie is also a United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Equine Athlete and a member of the United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA).

Hannah Bentz
Champion CPI & IEA Scholarship Recipient

Hannah Bentz

Hannah Bentz is a 10th grader at the Spanish River Community High School in Boca Raton, Florida. She excels in the classroom, maintaining a 3.965 GPA, and manages a busy schedule that includes horses, singing and community service.

She is co-captain of the Wall Street Farm Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) team in Wellington, Florida. She received the 2012 United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) Youth Leadership Award in January and placed in both sportsmanship and horsemanship at the 2012 IEA National Finals.

Hannah volunteered her time for a number of organizations in 2012, including the College Preparatory Invitational (CPI) Horse Show, a unique program to prepare and educate student riders for college equestrian competition, encourage academics and horsemanship, and provide the riders with resources to create their desired college equestrian experience.

"Hannah has a cheerful disposition that translates into her work ethic and her care of horses. She was essential in the barn set-up and tear down for the show and did an amazing job," said Jeanne Rouco-Conesa, CPI's President.

Natalie Morden, Champion IEA Scholarship Recipient

Natalie Morden

Natalie Morden is in 7th grade at Ooltewah Middle School in Ooltewah, Tennessee. She has been on the Ocoee IEA Equestrian Team and competing in the IEA shows for two years and has been volunteering at Tri-State Therapeutic Riding Center in Cleveland, Tennessee for over three years.

Natalie started riding at eight years old. Participating on the IEA Team gives "me the chance to demonstrate what I've learned in my lessons and the opportunity to meet others that have the same love for horses and horse competitions that I do. I also love working at Tri-state. It has given me the opportunity not only to work with horses but to help the disabled."

Denise Wright, Natalie's supervisor at Tri-State said, "Natalie began her volunteer position by doing barn work (cleaning stalls, tacking and grooming horses, organizing tack room) and as she got older she advanced to side-walking with students with disabilities and becoming a horse leader. Natalie encourages teens from her school to volunteer with the program and has even held fundraisers to assist with scholarships for our students. With the riding skills she has learned from IEA, she is also one of our volunteer riders. Natalie is one of our most committed volunteers and one of the best examples of a therapeutic riding volunteer that we have."

Shelby Cashman, Champion IHSA Scholarship Recipient

Shelby Cashman

Shelby Cashman is a freshman at Centenary College on the Dean's List pursuing a degree in equine studies. Cashman grew up on a fifty horse farm in West Point, New York. "It was the best way to grow up."

While at Centenary College, she competes on the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) Team in both English and Western. Cashman hopes to have a career in the sport as a trainer, judge, show manager, and rider. She chose to volunteer for IHSA at their Regionals and Nationals to learn more about horse show management and competition. "IHSA has been a huge part of my life. My parents coach the West Point team - so it seemed a natural fit for me to volunteer for IHSA. "

In high school, Cashman competed as a member of the local Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) team. Her hard work paid off. In her junior year of high school, she was accepted into the United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) Emerging Athletes Program, a program to provide opportunities for talented young riders to advance their education as they strive to become knowledgeable horsemen within the hunter/jumper community. Cashman now serves on the USHJA Youth Committee.

CHAMPIONS is the EQUUS Foundation's incentive-based equine service volunteer program sponsored by Ariat International.

It's easy to become a CHAMPION, an individual must log a minimum of 24 volunteer hours from January 1st to December 31st for an organization on the carrrots4acause network.

2014 Equine Service Scholarships

EQUUS Foundation will award a minimum of four $1,000 "Champions of Equine Service Scholarships" in 2014 based on the volunteer service performed by Champions in the calendar year 2013 for undergraduate and graduate studies.

The EQUUS Foundation will also award academic scholarships in partnership with the United States Pony Clubs (USPC) and the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF). Additional scholarships will be awarded to members of the Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) and the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) to pursue equestrian and/or academic education.