“Dressage Riders of the Future” scholarship winner, Rianna Reeves.
Pony dressage scholarship winner announced
By Equestrian Life
The inaugural “Dressage Riders of the Future” scholarship program has announced its first winner on 1 August, with young rider Rianna Reeves being awarded the amazing opportunity.
Select Pony Breeding, together with Grand Prix dressage rider Michelle Baker, created the scholarship, which offers one lucky young rider the unique opportunity to undergo nine months of coaching on a purpose-bred pony to help them develop their skills and work towards future goals.
“We were impressed with the quality and number of applications that fulfilled this criteria. This made the decision a very difficult one for the panel, yet how exciting is this for the future of dressage! There was an initial short list of 10, then 5 finalists and finally 1 winner,” announced Selected Pony Breeding stud principal, Leanne Shead. “Congratulations to Rianna Reeves a very deserving winner of our inaugural scholarship.”
The scholarship has been created to not only help develop young riders, but also promote FEI pony dressage — and the German Riding Pony breed — as a pathway for our next generation of future dressage stars.
“It has been a vision of Select Pony Breeding from its conception to develop the quality of ponies through the breeding and training of German Riding Ponies in Australia,” says Leanne. “We believe for young riders to achieve their potential, they need suitable mounts that are suitably trained; we aim to follow the German model and produce quality ponies that are specifically trained in their early years by professional riders to then partner with aspiring under-16-year-old dressage riders. These ponies are invaluable to the genesis of the sport, as one pony will educate and partner with multiple young riders during their careers.”
The scholarship program spans nine months and includes multiple residential training camps with Michelle Baker on a pony provided by Select Pony Breeding, with an emphasis on support and mentoring. The program culminates with an opportunity for Rianna to put her learning into practice at a competition.
Congratulations Rianna!
