HORSEBACK RIDER GIVEN MEMORIAL AWARD

GRANT WILL BE PUT TOWARD TRAINING, BOARDING AND EVENTING COSTS

An up-and-coming Muskoka horseback rider with hopes of representing her country, has received a $6,000 grant to assist in achieving her dreams.

Addison Howarth, 14, of Bracebridge, was selected as the recipient of the 2023 Zara Buren Memorial Award, out of a pool of 19 young riders from across Ontario.

"You have to have a letter of reference from your coach, along with a training plan on how you would use this award to further advance your eventing goals," Howarth said, referring to one of the criteria required as part of the application process.

"We also have to address our commitment to the sport and how we plan to give back to the whole eventing community," she said.

Howarth said she volunteers at events held by the Ontario Eventing Association, assisting other riders and their horses, when she's not showing with her own horse, Griffin.

"They want them involved, giving back, volunteering at the horse shows, and volunteering for fundraising and just kind of participating with the whole junior team things that they have going on," said Howarth's mom, Tracey, elaborating on some of the selection criteria.

Addison has been riding horses since around age four. She started training Griffin, who is five, going on six, when he was about the same age.

"Addy's done all the training on this horse, all by herself," Tracey said. "You have to be pretty gritty to do it, because they can be a lot sometimes, these young horses."

"They're predictably unpredictable," Addison added. "There's never bad days; it's just good days and learning days."

Griffin is the horse Addison hopes to ride for Team Canada one day, and in the meantime, for a junior riders team that represents Canada at events in the United States.

"Probably 2025 is like the big goal in the near future," Tracey said. "And then whatever happens after that will be bonus to get her to the next phase."

The money won through the Zara Buren Award will be put toward training, boarding and eventing costs during the next couple of years, to help Addison work toward those goals.

Zara Buren was an upand-coming young rider who tragically lost her life at age 14 while on a trail ride with her horse.