Youth Bursary ProgramCLICK HERE to download the 2011 Youth Bursary Application
Introducing the 2010 OEF Youth Bursary Recipients
Every year, the Ontario Equestrian Federation (OEF) is proud to offer a minimum of five bursaries of $1,000 to junior members to help them achieve their equestrian goals. The recipients are awarded the bursaries based on their current involvement with horses and their future goals, as well as letters of recommendation from their respective coaches. Family resources and academic achievements are also considered. The bursaries can be used towards riding lessons, clinics, competition fees, continuing education, or other activities that will assist the recipients in reaching their equestrian objectives for 2010. The OEF Youth Committee would like to commend all of the bursary applicants on their exceptional applications and announce that thirteen bursaries were awarded.
The OEF Youth Bursary Committee would like to extend their extreme gratitude to J'Equine Sport Inc. for their kind donation of a full $1,000 bursary.
The OEF would like to congratulate our 2010 bursary recipients!
| Sarah Anstey – Sarah is seventeen years old and is in her final year at North Hastings High School in Bancroft, ON. Sarah is a multi disciplined equestrian and is involved in dressage, eventing, Clydesdales and barrel racing. In addition, she has also started to take reining lessons and volunteers with a local therapeutic riding program. Sarah plans to pursue a career in the horse industry as an EC Instructor, a CanTRA Instructor and an equine massage therapist. |
| Stéphanie Boland – Stéphanie is an avid barrel racing competitor and is the current 2009 NBHA District 3 Youth Champion and has qualified to compete at the 2010 Youth World Barrel Racing Championship and the 2010 Open World Barrel Racing Championship, both to be held in Mississippi in July. Stéphanie is completing her final year at ESC Algonquin and is planning to attend the University of Guelph to pursue her goal of becoming an equine veterinarian. |
| Kristen Dowd – Kristen started riding ten years ago at a summer camp and has never looked back. She now works and rides at Ladybug Stables in Mattawa, ON and enjoys riding and caring for young horses. Last year she competed in her first two Trillium Hunter/Jumper shows and plans to continue competing with her mare in 2010. |
| Miranda Given – Miranda attends Kingston Collegiate and Vocational Institute and is a keen eventing competitor. Through natural horsemanship techniques, Miranda has worked with her young quarter horse to successfully move up to Training level eventing. Last year, Miranda qualified and competed at the provincial evening championships. She is a C1 pony club member and is working on achieving her A level. |
| Shawna Hielema – Shawna has experienced many different facets of the horse industry. She has worked at a Standardbred harness farm, a dressage facility and at a quarter horse breeding farm. She began taking western riding lessons and achieved her Level 1 in the EC Western Learn to Ride program. In addition, Shawna has also taken dressage riding lessons and enjoys going on trail rides with her mom. Shawna is in her final year at Holy Trinity Catholic High School in Simcoe, ON and her goal is to become a veterinarian. |
 | Haley Langstaff – Haley is a student at Almonte & District High School and is an eventing competitor. She was the 2008 National Capital Horse Trails Association Pre-Entry champion and placed second in both the Entry and Pre-Training Levels last year. Haley now has a young horse she is working with and is planning to attend more clinics, take additional lessons and complete her EC English Learn to Ride Levels in order to help her achieve her competition goals in 2010. |
| Diana Manella – Diana is sixteen years old and is a student at Saint Joseph Scollard Hall in North Bay, ON. Diana is a keen barrel racing competitor and successfully qualified to compete in the NBHA Youth World event in both 2009 and 2010. Diana’s goal is to take more lessons in 2010 to attend more competitions in Southern Ontario to be able to accumulate more points. |
| Keanna McIntyre – Keanna is from Temagami, ON and is a student at Temiskaming District Secondary School. For the past nine years, Keanna has been taking lessons and last year started competing in local shows. Keanna is member of the Northwoods Pony Club and is working on her D2 level. Her goal is to compete at Trillium Hunter/Jumper shows in 2010 and plans to pursue a career in horses with a focus on training. |
| Emma McKnight – Emma attends Haliburton Highlands Secondary School and is a hardworking student who works for her coach. She helps with all aspects of the stable including mucking stalls, bringing in hay, grooming and preparing horses for competitions. She is also very keen on learning about training, coaching and shoeing. Emma recently bought a new horse that she is planning to work with over the summer. Her goal is to become a veterinarian. |
| Megan Pagniello – Megan is from Markham, ON and is a student at Markville Secondary School. Megan started riding four years ago and is very interested in the care of horses. Megan has had the opportunity to learn about rehabilitation and how to properly care for sick horses. In addition, she has groomed, ridden in clinics and competed in dressage, hunter and eventing. Unfortunately last June, Megan lost her thoroughbred mare to colic and is planning to part board one of her coach’s horses in the summer. |
| Ashley Reeson – Ashley is fourteen years old and lives in Lindsay, ON where she attends I.E. Weldon Secondary School. She is a multi disciplined rider competing in both English and Western classes in Morgan breed shows. She has successfully achieved her EC English Learn to Ride Level 4 and is working on Levels 5 and 6. In addition, she is also working towards her Western Levels 1 and 2. She plans on continuing her lessons to reach Grand Prix success like her idols. |
| Allysa Wagner – Allysa is a true cowgirl! She started taking western riding lessons when she was seven years old, competing in Western gaming. She took a brief break from the Western world and obtained her Groom’s License through the Ontario Harness Horse Association and showed Clydesdales. She later returned to gaming and represented Canada at the National Barrel Horse Youth World Championships in Mississippi. Allysa is a student at St. John Catholic High School in Perth, ON and her goal is to attend the University of Guelph to specialize in equine genetics. |
| Andrea Van Veghel – Andrea is a student at Port Perry High School and she is a keen equestrian. For the past few years Andrea has been working at her coach’s stable helping with daily chores, riding horses, grooming, working with foals and going on buying trips. Andrea just recently received her first horse and her goal is to work towards more riding lessons to become a better technical rider. |
The OEF grants a minimum of five bursaries annually to junior members attending a high school in Ontario. If you will be between the ages of 14 yrs and 17 yrs (as of January 1, 2011) you are eligible to apply. The 2011 OEF Youth Bursary application will be available beginning July 1, 2010 on the OEF website and in the Summer issue of WHOA!