mercredi 29 juillet 2015

How To Find Equestrian Scholarships

By Dorthy Lloyd


Education is expensive, and student loans can be crippling. However, there are literally thousands of financial aid packages available today. The great majority of students never take the time and trouble to find out about help that is offered to pay for tuition and textbooks. In fact, many funds go unused as no one qualified asks for them. Equestrian scholarships are available from many sources, so students interested in the many facets of this field will do well to investigate.

Of course, there will be some awards strictly for riders, but there are also academic ones. Beauty pageants often offer scholarship money as their prize, as do talent contests. Community organizations like the Rotary and Lions Clubs, or the 4-H, have money to give. The schools themselves have access to aid for qualified and deserving students.

Much of the money available is not too specific, but other awards may depend on certain courses of study or participation in certain activities. An academic scholarship may be used for tuition and textbooks of any kind, while an athletic scholarship might require consistent and active participation in a certain sport. Some may require maintenance of a satisfactory grade point level, while others are one-time awards that have no such stipulation.

Outstanding riders, both English and western, will find opportunities from show associations and from schools which field competitive riding teams. Equine sports are becoming more popular and more of a spectator sport, as jumping, eventing, and rodeo events are televised and high profile people compete. A well-rounded education can be paid for if a rider has shown true excellence in competition.

Another source of funds is breed associations. A boy or girl who owns an Arabian horse, for instance, should check out awards given by Arabian clubs. There are similar awards for those who work with Quarterhorses, Morgans, Saddlebreds, and other breeds. Most of these offers are small, consisting of perhaps a thousand dollars a year, but there is no limit to the number of awards one student can get from various sources.

Schools which offer complete equine industry degree programs often field competitive teams. A regional list can be found on the home site of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association. (Winning at intramural competitions is one way schools attract students who may go on to become leaders in the industry). There are dedicated websites that post scholarship offers of all kinds, including equine ones.

There are other areas of expertise in the horse world, too. Those who can't compete over high jumps, on the polo field, or in the rodeo arena may prefer to focus on barn management, teaching lessons, or equine nutrition. As with any kind of education, there is scope for individual talent and achievement.

There is a treasure trove of financial aid out there, given by groups like the Boy Scouts or retailers like Wal Mart. Many corporations offer aid packages, as do civic groups and individual philanthropists. Any serious student should be able to find help to pay for higher education.




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