2002 Eventing Athlete Development Scholarships Announced

Source :  Equine Canada

Jenna Brownjohn of Maple Ridge, BC, Jessica Ferguson of Uxbridge, ON, and Colleen Loach of North Hatley, PQ, are the 2002 recipients of the Eventing Athlete Development Scholarships. Awarded annually by the Canadian Eventing Committee, the scholarships are designed to help offset training and competition costs.

Brownjohn, 17, started riding at the age of nine and has been training her current mount Cosmo Kramer, an 11-year-old Canadian bred thoroughbred gelding for the past five years with great success. This season the duo placed fourth in the Open Intermediate Division at the Caber Farms Horse Trials in Onalaska, WA, won the CIC* Division at Johvale, and placed third in the CCI* Division at Chase Creek. Brownjohn is a member of the 2003 Canadian Eventing Talent Squad.


An avid eventor for many years, Ferguson, 19, had her first taste of victory with a Morgan-cross named Let’s Boogie. Presently competing at the Intermediate level, she is campaigning Little Joe, a ten-year-old Canadian bred thoroughbred gelding. Their 2002 results include tenth place at Bromont CIC**, third place at Glen Oro, and they finished 64th out of 118 starters at the CCI** Radnor International Three-Day Event with only time penalties on cross-country. Ferguson is also a member of the 2003 Canadian Eventing Talent Squad.


Working up the ranks, Loach, 19, and her horse Dare To Compare, 14-year-old Canadian bred thoroughbred gelding, started their eventing careers together. The pair has represented Quebec in 1999 and 2001 at the North American Young Riders’ Championships, and were chosen for the Quebec Team in the CCIY** division this year at NAYRC but were unable to compete. Loach and Dare To Compare completed CCI** Radnor International Three-Day Event in 2001.


To qualify, the applicants must have successfully completed a minimum of two preliminary level or above three-day day events, presently competing at the intermediate horse trial level, and aiming for an intermediate or higher level three-day event.


“We had 19 fabulous and well qualified applicants this year which indicates that eventing is alive and well with the younger generation,” noted Chair of the Eventing Athlete Development Scholarship Committee, Murray D. Acton. “We received special permission to increase the number of scholarships allocated from two to three and still had great difficulty choosing the recipients.”


Eventing encompass three separate tests: dressage, cross-country, and jumping held consecutively. Each is scored individually but added together for the final results. The rider with the fewest number of penalty points over the three tests wins the competition.