The Dressage Foundation (TDF) is proud to announce the recipients of three $1,000 grants from its Para Dressage Fund. This Fund was established in 2018 to provide financial support for Para Dressage riders to attend educational events that will further their training and goals. Additional funds were donated in 2020 to provide grants specifically for Visually Impaired/Blind Riders.
Recipients of the Para Dressage Fund:
Natalie Abbott (CA, Region 7): Natalie is currently a Grade 2 Para Dressage rider. She has ridden since childhood and was classified in 2017 after learning about Para Dressage. She is currently leasing a FEI schoolmaster and trains with Mia Yellin. Natalie will use her grant funding to train with Chelsey Sibley and Lisa Hellmer.
Photo by Sandra Boos
Natalie said, “I will use TDF’s Para Dressage Fund grant for clinics on Wasabi, owned by Susie Wren, in preparation for our first shows together. The new USDF and USEF programs for novice Para-Equestrians are exciting for someone like me who is new to showing. I’m looking forward to using this grant to prepare myself and Wasabi for the year ahead.”
Bryanna Tanase (FL, Region 3): Bryanna is a Grade 1 Para Dressage rider and has been riding dressage for five years. She currently trains with Lisa Hellmer. Bryanna will use her grant funding to take lessons with Shayna Simon and to be a part of Max Goodman's first online cohort.
Bryanna said, “I am very grateful to have received a grant from The Dressage Foundation’s Para Dressage Fund. This award will help me access professional training I couldn’t otherwise reach and will put me one step closer to my long-term goal of reaching elite level and competing at the Paralympics. This award is proof that my efforts are paying off and I can’t wait to see where I go from here.”
Recipients of the Para Dressage Fund for Visually Impaired/Blind Riders:
Suzanne Ament (VA, Region 1): Suzanne is a Grade 4 Para Dressage rider and has been riding dressage for nine years. She is very active within the Blind Equestrian community and hosts a monthly online "get-together" with blind equestrians. Suzanne plans to use her grant to participate in clinics with Michelle LaBarre.
Suzanne said, “Let me express my heart-felt thanks that I was awarded this grant. I have two parallel goals this year, and really all the time. I hope to continue to improve my dressage riding, and I hope to advance the promotion and understanding of how blind riders can succeed and how important it is for those who wish to ride to be able to do so. Thanks again for helping me along this path!”
Applications for the Para Dressage Fund are due to The Dressage Foundation by November 1st of each year. For more information, please contact Sara Weiss, TDF’s Director of Grants and Programs, at (402) 434-8585 or visit www.dressagefoundation.org.
To support the Para Dressage Fund, contact Jenny Johnson, TDF’s Executive Director, at (402) 434-8585 or jenny@dressagefoundation.org. Secure online donations can also be made at www.dressagefoundation.org.
The Dressage Foundation
The Dressage Foundation is a 501(c)(3), non-profit, tax-exempt, donor-driven organization that is dedicated to educating, supporting, and advancing the sport of dressage. The organization solicits contributions, appropriately allocates the donations, and awards grants to dressage riders, judges, instructors, breeders, high-performance teams, nonprofit equestrian organizations, and more. For more information, please visit www.dressagefoundation.org.
