OYES Feature: Grace Chung

OYES Feature: Grace Chung

Grace is the recipient of the Spring 2023 Dream & Scheme Horse Show Award, sponsored by Dreamers & Schemers.

My name is Grace Chung, and I am a 22-year-old equestrian from Saratoga, California. I am currently a third-year student majoring in Human Biology at Stanford University, and I compete on Stanford’s western equestrian team.

I’ve been horse-crazy since I was 3, begging my parents for pony rides and Breyer collectibles at any chance I could get. My family tried to support my addiction, paying for my lessons at the local hunter-jumper barn, but ultimately the lessons became too expensive for us to afford. Because of my family’s difficult financial situation, I never got the chance to ride consistently throughout my childhood. So as a teen, I began to volunteer at a local therapeutic riding barn, working with special-needs children and assisting them with basic horsemanship and horse care. I found this position to be extremely rewarding, as it gave me the opportunity to work with horses and share my passion for horses with other horse-crazy kids.

In college, I started my own business as an artist making custom horse portraits, and I also became a research assistant at a stem cell laboratory to pay for my riding lessons. During freshman year, I began riding at a western barn with retired reining horses, and this is where I found my true passion. I fell in love with Quarter horses, particularly for their honesty, their big hearts, and their athleticism, and sought to get one of my own. While I couldn’t afford anything with fancy papers or an extensive show record, I was able to acquire a quirky, retired western pleasure horse for free. An arthritic, barn-sour cribber, my horse Joey proved to be more of a handful than I had bargained for, and I often struggled to pay for his extensive maintenance. Still, I was able to accomplish many firsts on him, including my first patterns, first flying lead changes, (first emergency vet visits!), and first solo trail rides. He truly became my lifeline and my source of happiness, and I was proud of the team we became together. Although I often struggled financially as a horse owner, Joey taught me not just how to be a better equestrian but also how to be a better horsewoman–and what it means to put my horse first. After a few years of ownership, I was able to find Joey a stellar home where he could live out his days in a pasture as a family horse. Although our time together was short, Joey has made me the horsewoman I am today.

After rehoming Joey, I still wanted to improve as a rider–so in the fall of 2022, I joined the Stanford western equestrian team. Because I had no prior show experience, I began showing in the Walk-Jog division, and I unexpectedly placed 2nd at my very first IHSA show. Being in my university’s equestrian team has allowed me to ride tons of different horses of all backgrounds and abilities, from reiners to ponies to pleasure horses, as well as learn from many different trainers, and I have become a much more versatile rider as a result. Showing was one of my bucket-list goals, and as I think about my future show goals, I know the experiences I made at the intercollegiate level will help me when I show my own horse in the future.

Currently, my main goal is to continue improving my skills as a horsewoman and excelling further in the show ring as I continue to practice with my team in preparation for the next show season. I also have bigger goals of competing in ranch versatility, reining, or reined cowhorse with my next horse, and I am working with a ranch versatility trainer outside of Stanford to learn more about these disciplines as well.

Some of the main roadblocks to my current goals include finances: as a student on financial aid at my school, I have difficulty paying the dues necessary to continue being a member of the equestrian team. I pay $500 horse-use fees quarterly and $750 team dues yearly, and all of the money from the Optimum Youth Equestrian Scholarship would be used to pay for my team dues and part of the quarterly dues in the 2023-2024 school year. Through this scholarship, I would be able to continue to both show and receive coaching. Paying these fees is the only way I can continue to compete as a college student, and this scholarship would greatly alleviate that need.

Additionally, as a queer Asian American equestrian, I have often faced scrutiny, exclusion, and racial discrimination from old trainers and fellow boarders and riders. I felt out of place growing up as a horse crazy girl and never seeing any representation of people of color in horse-related TV shows and media. As a first-time horse owner, it only got harder when I began boarding at a predominantly-white barn and experienced bullying from other horse owners. I am still usually one of the only minorities at IHSA shows, and not much has changed since I was little. However, I would like to continue occupying space in the equestrian community as a queer person of color, and I hope to inspire other horse people in marginalized communities to pursue their passions as well.

Within the next few years, my plans are to graduate and go to medical school to become a physician focusing on rural settings. I plan to continue being involved with horses and showing before medical school and beyond as well. Although I am not sure where my equestrian journey will take me, I am excited to continue learning and growing as a horsewoman, and I am proud to be a queer rider of color in the equestrian community.

OYES Feature: Emma Powers

OYES Feature: Emma Powers

Emma is the Spring 2023 Dressage Dreamer Award recipient, sponsored by Optimum Equine LLC

I didn’t get the opportunity to grow up riding, as unfortunately it wasn’t realistic for my family financially. Something always drew me towards horses though, and the moment I was able to get my first job at 14 I worked towards being involved with them. I did what I could given my circumstances, volunteering all of my free time to a local horse rescue in order to gain as much experience as I could with horses. Something about them just made me feel better, and gave me something to work for. I thankfully was able to get my own horse and begin showing at my local competitions. Working with horses is still the highlight of my day, and so for that I hope to make it my goal to one day do it professionally.


Because I had a “late” start in riding, I’m trying to learn everything that I can to help continue advancing myself in Dressage. More specifically, I would like to move up the levels in Dressage, and once more hopefully ride professionally one day. As of right now, I ride in 1st Level and so am certainly not close to where I would one day hope to be. I ride on the daily and am constantly thinking of what I can do to help get better through lessons and reviewing videos of myself riding. I dream of becoming a professional rider, or even giving lessons of my own. As little or as big as the goal may be, in the end I wish to simply land in the equine industry by the end of it all.


Since I have started working with horses, I have been able to overcome quite a lot. I struggled with social anxiety for all of my life, and still do. Once I began handling and training horses, most of it has since alleviated. The same could also be said for my depression. I feel so much better than I once did, and found it to be more therapeutic and beneficial than anything else I have tried. My former social life had to be dropped as well, but it was certainly for the better, as now I’m able to surround myself with supportive individuals to share the same passion as I do.


If I am to receive the scholarship, I primarily am going to be putting it towards lessons, as I find that more valuable than showing at this stage. This all would help me immensely, as I would be able to further my experience under saddle to hopefully one day apply towards a working student or an apprenticeship position.

OYES Feature: Grace Rogers

OYES Feature: Grace Rogers

Grace Rogers smiles while sitting on a palomino horse

Grace is the recipient of the Spring 2023 OYES Dream It Award.

After attending a close friend’s 8th birthday party at the barn where she rode, my horse interest began. However, it would take another ten years before I got on my first horse and took my first lesson. When I started, though, the excitement and joy I felt as an eight-year-old quickly returned, and I was hooked.

Since then, I have developed a particular interest in the hunter/jumper disciplines. It’s been my dream to participate in the hustle and bustle of a horse show. Due to the demands of being a full-time college student, I’ve never had the opportunity to show my skills in a show; however, competing in a hunter/jumper show is one of my most incredible riding goals.

My future dreams and plans include starting my equine-assisted learning facility that would combine the knowledge I’ve gained through pursuing my bachelor’s (and eventually master’s) in psychology. I believe that the healing power of horses, combined with proven effective therapy practices, can positively impact others’ mental health. In addition to this goal, I am working to reinstate the Equestrian Club on my university’s campus.

Unfortunately, student interest in the university’s horse program is little to none. I want to educate my peers and the local community about these beautiful animals and inspire lifelong participation in the equestrian sport. I plan to use my free time to use this club to teach people of color about horse-centered horsemanship and increase their representation in the sport. I am moving forward with pursuing my Equestrian Club goals.

I have gained a lot of interest surrounding the horses available to students at my university, and I am excited to offer classes to students and the local community. There is a parade that the university puts on annually that showcases students’ hard work and commitment to their respective organizations. It also showcases community members and small businesses and is a unifying force throughout the Hampton Roads community.

I dream of having members I’ve helped to teach leading or riding on horses in this community parade. Our presence in the parade as equestrians of color will hopefully inspire someone who may not have felt represented or included in what it means to be an equestrian. Hopefully, seeing me, an African American, first-generation college student, riding horses will show them that they can simultaneously accomplish their dreams, ride horses, and pursue their educational goals!

The financial and racial challenges of breaking into the horse world have been steep in my riding career. However, I have been allowed to take lessons with an instructor, and I’ve had many opportunities for growth in the sport I’ve had to turn down because of finances. However, I continue to overcome this challenge by working in exchange for lessons and instruction. I am proud to be a rider of color, and I always feel like I am changing the narrative of what a horsewoman looks like whenever I talk to new people about my riding passions. Showing people that the horse world is a diverse place filled with people united by our shared love for horses despite race, socioeconomic status, physical ability, mental ability, gender identity, and even body type.

I would use the scholarship funds to replace the 12-year-old tack that the equestrian club members would utilize. I will purchase a used all-purpose English saddle so that I can teach English lessons to my riders. Having an English saddle at our disposal will also allow me to properly educate people about the features of the saddle and its proper use in a hands-on manner. Thus, I can introduce the community to English disciplines in horsemanship and Western ones using the appropriate riding equipment. In addition, I will purchase helmets for riders to use so they do not have to buy them out of their pocket; this ensures that no one has to choose between cost and safety.

OYES Feature: Reanna Barin

OYES Feature: Reanna Barin

Reanna Barin poses with a black horse

Reanna is the recipient of the Spring 2023 Reserve Champion Award.

As my mom says, I got bit by the horse fairy at birth, and I have been involved in horse riding since I was four years old. My passion for horses started when I joined a lesson program for toddlers in Denver, Colorado, where the barn was located next to a women’s prison. I spent most of my childhood riding and learning the ins and outs of horse care. A few years later, my family and I moved to Carmel, California, where I joined a women-owned private ranch to further my riding skills.

My riding goals have always been ambitious, and I am currently training to reach the Grand Prix level in Dressage. I am also training my two-year-old Friesian Sport Horse, which has been an exciting and challenging experience. However, my passion for horses goes beyond just riding. I aspire to establish an equine therapy center that will cater to the needs of disabled riders, individuals with financial hardship, and those struggling with mental wellbeing and trauma.

In 2022, I launched my own magazine called KISMET, a sustainable digital and animated magazine featuring female sustainable fashion designers, artists, photographers, writers, musicians, athletes, business owners, and much more. As the editor, photographer, fashion stylist, and video editor, I have poured my heart and soul into the magazine. We are currently releasing our third issue in April and have hired Holly Lovejoy, a para dressage Olympic hopeful as our Executive Creative Coordinator and Sales Account Manager. (Holly is the Fall 2021 OYES Travel Fund Awardee.)

To further my reach and help the equestrian and para-equestrian community, I am in the process of creating a KISMET App that will include meditations called Mind, Body, and Soul. The meditations will be created by equestrians/para-equestrians who are struggling with different mental health topics and will be customized by a licensed meditation therapist. The app will also include KISMET Magazine, KISMETTV, KISMETFashion, KISMETItalia, KISMETKids, and much more.

As an entrepreneur and a rider, I have experienced financial difficulties, and it has been up to me to financially own a horse. Thus, I have saved every cent since birth. With the scholarship funds, I will allocate 30% towards building the app, 10% towards administrative costs such as website fees, 10% towards horsemanship training for my two-year-old horse in dressage, 30% towards travel expenses to go to a clinic in Fresno to photograph para-Olympic hopefuls in dressage, and 20% towards unexpected business expenses.

My equestrian goals are not just from a personal level but an entrepreneurial perspective as well. My ultimate goal is to establish a center of excellence barn that caters to para and non- para equestrian needs, involving therapy horses. With hard work, dedication, and a passion for horses, I believe that anything is possible.

OYES Feature: Leo Xander Foo

OYES Feature: Leo Xander Foo

Leo is the Spring 2023 OYES Scholarship winner, sponsored by Kerrits Equestrian Apparel.

I am a firm believer in letting love guide you through life. Pretty much every equestrian says this, but horses are my life force- nothing drives me more than my passion for these remarkable animals. I started riding when I was about five years old, but just a few times a year on trail rides. When I was eight, I rode English for the first time, and I realized I wanted to learn to jump. By the time I was 14, I was having so much fun jumping hunter courses in my lessons, although I never had much interest in showing. The connection and learning experience with the horse was most important to me, not ribbons or points. I am currently still doing hunters, but also learning natural horsemanship, and I still ride western for my own enjoyment.

My main riding goal is to have the most symbiotic connection with the horse I’m working with, where the horse does not feel pain or fear, is not overwhelmed, and feels safe when learning. I want to learn more about why a horse reacts the way it does, on both a physical and emotional level; a mentor would be super helpful with this. I also have a growing interest in showing in hunters, as the competitive nature of shows will put healthy pressure on me to improve as a rider.

One of my major long-term goals is to grow safe spaces for equestrians of color and LGBTQ+ equestrians, as well as safe spaces for horses in need. I have a passion for helping both people and animals in need of love and care, and helping horses and helping people strongly goes hand-in-hand. I am currently learning horse training through natural horsemanship and working with a few project horses so that in the grand scheme of my plans, I will be able to rehabilitate, gentle, and train troubled horses.

Mustangs, slaughter-bound horses, neglected horses, ‘problem’ horses, off-the-track Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds, senior horses, and any horses in need of care have always had a soft spot in my heart, and it is my goal to provide better lives for them. So many horses end up in neglect cases or the slaughter pipeline, often due to irresponsible owners and breeders. Three of the project horses that I am working with are Arabians that have been rescued from slaughter by a friend of mine, and he is having me help rehab and retrain them. The quality of a horse’s life depends on the human taking care of them. Thus, it is also a part of my goal to open an equestrian facility and rescue program to teach people about horse care and compassionate horsemanship, and at the same time create a place to be very people-of-color and LGBTQ+ friendly. A place where all types of people and all types of horses feel loved and safe is my absolute dream.

Horses are my safe space in a hostile and ostracizing world, even when the horse industry is the world that makes me feel ostracized. The first strain of alienation that I felt when it came to the horse world was being Asian-Latino. My parents are immigrants-my dad is from Shanghai, and my mom is from Peru. I have been surrounded by preppy white kids my whole life, constantly feeling like the odd one out, but I did find joy when I would seldom meet a fellow Asian equestrian. Unfortunately, I’ve never met a fellow Latino equestrian. I also don’t come from an equestrian family, nor a family that can afford a single horse.

Almost everyone I’ve met in the horse industry has come from a generation of equestrians and are particularly wealthy. Growing up, when not in school, all of my time and energy went toward planning my life to revolve around horses. Within those years, and still to this day, I worked hard both volunteering and being employed at as many horse facilities as possible, taking the jobs that nobody wanted in exchange for riding lessons (and life lessons), driven by the force of love that I have for horses. One thing I particularly love about horses is that every horse has something different to teach me.

What made me feel ostracized the most from the horse world was when I started realizing that I am queer and transgender. I felt so unsafe, as many horse people that I know are rather conservative, that I distanced myself from being involved with horses for about 4-5 years. Stepping away from the people in the horse industry was vital to growing into my true self, but that entire time I felt that a large part of my soul was missing.

I got extremely depressed and suicidal, feeling very lost and that my life was on the wrong path, and was consumed by fear. Luckily, within the past couple of years, I’ve been so blessed to find safe spaces in the equestrian world where I can be myself without fear and my quality of life and my mental health has significantly improved with horses back in my life.

The funds from the OYES scholarship will help aid my equine education and training. I will be majoring in Equine Science and Management this fall and am planning to join the university’s equestrian team. A portion of the scholarship will help pay for what it costs to join and participate in the equestrian team, as well as buying appropriate hunter show attire, such as tall boots, a show coat, show shirts, show breeches, and an ASTM/SEI-certified show helmet; I currently only have paddock boots with half chaps, casual riding pants, and a colorful helmet that may not be appropriate dress code for shows. Outside of school and the university’s equestrian team, I will be using the scholarship funds to take lessons in natural horsemanship, as well as hunter lessons, to improve both my overall ability and experience with horses on the ground and in the saddle. I am planning to take natural horsemanship lessons and hunter lessons.

Becoming a better rider as well as better understanding of horses and what they need both emotionally and physically is key to helping me achieve my goals of helping horses and helping humans.

OYES Feature: Nia Walters

OYES Feature: Nia Walters

Nia is the Fall 2022 OYES Travel Fund recipient.

“In riding a horse, we borrow freedom.” In one short quote, Cambridge University professor Helen Thompson best captures the feeling of every rider. My name is Nia Walters, I am a 26-year-old aspiring equestrian living in Berwyn, IL and I am tapping back into my love for horses. I graduated from Stetson University in 2018 with a major in French language and a minor in Chemistry. But my love for riding started long before then. 

As a child, I knew I wanted to become a veterinarian. Once I learned the word for an animal doctor, I made it my life’s purpose to fiercely pursue the career path. The very first time I rode a horse was for a trail ride on a Girl Scout trip. I was always fascinated with the connections that we have with animals, especially with horses being so integral to the history of humanity. Lessons were not feasible for me at that point, and once I was finally able to start learning, I was in high school joining the Equestrian club. From there, I started taking lessons once a week at a local barn, but the highlight of my experience was spending Friday afternoons volunteering with hippotherapy lessons. 

This portion of my riding journey, however, was short-lived, as I could not afford lessons. This financial hurdle continued through college, as I couldn’t afford to join my college equestrian team. As disappointing as it was, I knew this wasn’t the end, just a detour. Although my career pursuits pivoted away from veterinary medicine, I knew I still had a heart for helping both animals and people. 

I am a first-generation U.S. born citizen in my family. My parents emigrated from Jamaica in their youth. In learning my family’s history, my great-grandma Ruby Wilson grew up riding horses and caring for animals. Her father managed a plantation called Braco Stables in Jamaica where she first learned to ride. She had a giving heart and always ensured that whoever was around her, person or animal, had their needs met. Later in life, she became a single mother and had to set aside her passions to take care of her five children. Truly, she was a hard-working woman and when life handed her lemons, she made lemonade. 

On February 5, 2022, she passed away. With the pandemic occurring and her passing, I decided that I shouldn’t forgo my passions, as life was too short to not do what you truly love. My current riding goals include taking group lessons to quickly improve my abilities and to enter my very first competition in Spring 2023. Outside of the saddle, I would like to work part-time at an English barn to learn barn management as well as understanding the behind-the-scenes work that goes into maintaining the business.

In terms of my future dreams and plans, I will own a teaching barn that provides the opportunity for Chicago minority children and teens to learn how to ride horses and care for animals.  Experiences like this aren’t easily accessible both financially and physically to many Chicagoans, which limits the number of minority farmers and future equestrians that will pursue the career path. Bridging the equity gap in the horse industry brings about a greater diversity of riders and a development of equestrian sports for the better. Making more progress with this dream is one of my top priorities so that it can be brought to life. Currently, I’m seeking mentors with experience in business, especially farm management, to provide their expertise in supporting this mission.

The financial cost of equestrian sports has prevented me from participation as well as staying involved. Currently, I work full time, but don’t make enough to support my basic needs and take riding lessons. As a black woman, it can be incredibly discouraging to pursue a field in which others may feel that you are unworthy of participation. From both a racial and socioeconomic front, I stand out at a barn. I will help change the face of what an equestrian looks like and to properly level the playing field, we must first get to the playing field.

OYES Feature: Grace Bakeman

OYES Feature: Grace Bakeman

Grace is the Fall 2022 Platinum Stables HJ Excellence Award recipient, sponsored by Platinum Stables.

A little over two years ago, as I was entering college in the middle of a pandemic, I began exploring extracurricular options for my collegiate career and learned that Randolph-Macon College has an Equestrian Team. With encouragement from a peer who was already on the team, I signed up for a month of hunt-seat lessons at the school equestrian center and from my first lesson, I was hooked. Only two months into my riding education, I officially joined the Randolph-Macon IHSA team in the walk-trot division, and I began working with Ashley Adams and the R-MC Eventing team.

Throughout the past two years, I have remained connected with the school teams and have been learning as much as I can whenever I can by working in various local barns, taking lessons with Hunt Seat and Eventing coaches, attending clinics as an auditor and as a participant, and catch riding horses. In March of 2022, I purchased my mare, a 10-year-old broodmare, who I have worked with and started under-saddle. Now, we are working together with the school Hunt Seat and Eventing coaches toward walk-trot equitation classes and a starter horse trial in the spring semester. In addition, I am continuing to work towards gaining as much education in the equestrian world as possible so that I may remain in the equestrian world upon graduation. 

In the future, my plan is to learn about the corporate side of the equine industry while seeking out every learning opportunity I can so that my mare and I can be the best that we can be. Currently, I am seeking out internship and education opportunities that I can pursue while I am in college so that I can be well prepared for my future career. One opportunity that I seek to take advantage of soon is the SaddleFit4Life Certified Equine Ergonomist course so that I can learn more about saddle fit both for myself and for others. I also would like to take advantage of as many riding and horsemanship clinics as possible. Finally, prior to the time I turn 25, I aim to learn and train as much with the hopes of being on the Area II Young Riders list. 

In order to be involved in the equine world, I have faced many challenges including financial and social challenges. Since I started riding much later in life, I often feel that I am behind in the equestrian world. Many of my peers grew up in the equine world and participated in Pony Club and 4-H, and as such developed a significant knowledge base in the equine world and have significant advantages in experience riding a variety of horses with a range of experience. With the shared experiences of growing up in the equine world, I have always found that becoming involved in conversation can be more challenging since I do not have as much experience. In addition, due to my late start, when I started riding, my family and I agreed that riding and any other horse responsibilities would be mine and mine alone. Due to the financial limitations of fully funding both myself and my mare on a college student’s budget, I am unable to afford boarding at the college-owned barn and often find myself unable to afford to go to clinics, schooling, and competitions as often as other students can.

Between the general stressors of college, the heavy responsibility of owning my own horse, and gaining an education among my peers, I have found that on occasion, my mental health suffers. To continue in this sport, I am frequently working or trying to find the time to maintain a well-rounded plan for my wellbeing and that of my horse. However, with the aid of financial assistance programs like this one, I can make connections with others in the equine world and learn more about financial assistance that is available to me.

OYES Feature: Julia Miller

OYES Feature: Julia Miller

Julia Miller is the Fall 2022 OYES Dream It Award recipient.

My name is Julia Miller. I recently turned 21, and I have been riding horses since I was 12 years old. I ride hunter-jumper, low level dressage, and enjoy trick training and riding bareback and bridleless as well. I currently own a retired thoroughbred named Wasabi. Last year, I bought a severely abused ex-bucking horse from a kill pen and rehomed him after getting weight back on him and starting to gain back his trust. I do not show, but I enjoy working with all sorts of different horses, retraining them to English careers whether it be an ex-barrel racer or an ex-racehorse to a jumper or trail horse. I am particularly fond of thoroughbreds because I love the underdog and disproving stereotypes of all types.

My horse Wasabi was intended to be my jumper step-up horse in the making, but after purchasing him, we faced many setbacks. When I got him, he was undermuscled, had no idea on giving to bit pressure, and was extremely unmotivated to work. A few months into working through these problems, our farrier of many years went through personal issues that impacted his work, resulting in cutting my horse’s hooves so short and poorly that he was lame for 8 months.

From there, back pain, ulcers, and general discomfort followed. Then Wasabi was diagnosed with hock arthritis and sacroiliac issues. I did extensive research into the best and most economical supplements, treatments, and therapies as I am on a college budget. While my initial passion was jumping, that wasn’t in the cards for us yet, so I continued to ride many other horses in that time.

Wasabi’s lameness spanned years, which in that time allowed me to find passion in dressage and focusing on flatwork, as well as pursuing trick training with Wasabi and other horses while he was in stall rest or only sound enough to do groundwork and eventually rehabilitating him for low-level dressage and jumping. Owning Wasabi has been my biggest financial and mental challenge because owning him has been a rollercoaster. Behaviors which originated from pain led to some behavioral issues while we figured out his lamesss. For example, he created new twisting and jumping variations of bucking and other days he would absolutely refuse to move at all even with spurs and whips. It was difficult to see my horse in pain but also to justify having a miserable horse that bites and bucks from pain and may never be sound enough to ride.

Though my parents help me pay his board and weekly lessons, I pay for Wasabi’s supplements, therapies, and my own tack and extras. Last winter, my barn wasn’t able to turn out during very icy weather, which resulted in low grade ulcers, which cost me $1,300 to scope and treat for. Wasabi is the most expensive horse I could’ve owned despite a low purchase price, but he has taught me a lot about equine care and arthritis. I’ve learned a lot about how horses function and the best ways to treat physical challenges. After all his therapies and such, he is doing fantastic and is able to return to jumping and has so much life and personality again.

That said, it has been difficult affording his care, and I have always had to do 3-4 side jobs while being a full time college student to be able to provide the best care for him. I feel it is my responsibility as a horse owner to provide the best for him and I wouldn’t trade him for anything now. While Wasabi has held me back from my jumping goals and from my more recent dressage goals as well, I have definitely learned to sit a buck and I have opened my mind to liberty work and bridleless riding through him as well. I aim to ride all the horses I currently ride in just a neck rope one day, but still have my goal of moving up the heights in jumping. 

I struggle with anxiety and depression myself, and I have been tentatively diagnosed with Bipolar II Disorder, though my therapist didn’t want to make the jump too soon and I did not want medication, so never pursued a diagnosis for it. While I struggle with those issues, the barn has never been severely impacted by it. Horses and riding always gives me a reason to get out of bed even if I can’t make myself clean my house or barely turn in my school assignments. 

While my mental health has always been a change for me since middle school, finding myself through horses and photography has been wonderful for my mental health. I started taking photos of Wasabi and friends’ horses for fun years back, but recently turned it into a business. Next year, I hope to register my business and get everything official now that I am sure I want to pursue it seriously, so I would be amazed if there were a mentor who was an equine photographer or other small business owner I could talk to for advice and guidance. I hope to own my own business and be successful whatever that might be, but currently it is photography for me.

I would use guidance and money to help fund my photography business and support Wasabi and my riding journey. I would use funds to invest in online photography classes or mentorships to help me grow my business and further my skills. One day, I hope to be in a position of being able to mentor others myself and become an approved photographer for Equestrians of Color Photography Project which provides short biographies and photoshoots to highlight equestrians of color’s contributions to the equestrian community. I hope to be able to inspire others struggling with mental challenges and physical limitations of either themselves or their horses as I grow my business and continue to work with my horse and others. I am very grateful to have had the opportunities I have been offered and my hard work to be paying off, but I would always appreciate an extra boost of support and guidance.

OYES Feature: Brielle Dorsey

OYES Feature: Brielle Dorsey

Brielle is the Fall 2022 Dream & Scheme Horse Show Award recipient, sponsored by Dreamers & Schemers.

I was an equestrian before I was anything else. I have always had an innate fascination with horses. Before I could walk, I was eagerly crawling toward horse toys. As I grew older, my love for horses grew even stronger. My mother assumed every little girl’s dream room was an embellished pink room adorned with Disney princesses. She soon learned it was the opposite for me after I begged her to switch my princess-themed room to a horse-themed one. My mother knew she had to satisfy my adoration for horses and took it upon herself to find me a place to ride. Unbeknownst to me, this would be the most meaningful experience of my life as I met an equestrian whom I would never forget.

Malcolm Dickinson was the name of the cowboy who changed my life. Malcolm was an older man who kept no value in his appearance and wore tattered brown boots and dirt-stained jeans every day. He drove around with goats in the passenger seat of his ramshackle truck and bathed in the water troughs of the horse pasture. Nevertheless, Malcolm was a knowledgeable equestrian who thoroughly understood the nature of horses. He was eager to fill my youthful brain with the information he had obtained throughout his long life, and I was equally eager and intrigued to learn. Although these untamed qualities of Malcolm were engrossing, it was not what initially caught my attention; instead, the first thing that sparked my interest in Malcolm was that he was an African American equestrian.

My passion for horses only furthered with Malcolm. He taught me the ins and outs of navigating a less-than-ideal world of equestrianism as an African American. I spent every evening at Malcolm’s ranch learning and loving the world of horses. Malcolm was so impressed by my interest and hunger for knowledge that he and I eventually convinced my mother to buy me my first horse by the age of nine. Malcolm made this possible by allowing us to purchase a horse from him at a much-reduced price and much hard work on my part, mucking stalls, feeding, and exercising his herd. The more I became involved, the more horses I wanted for my own. Eventually, my mom and I became the proud owners of 5 horses. By age 13, I was teaching local youths what Malcolm had once taught me through lessons at a leased barn and volunteering our horses at local festivals providing horse rides and petting experiences.

I am sure everyone knows the saying, “life gets in the way,” I would use this to describe precisely what happened to me. Standing 6 feet tall at age 14, I was lured away from my horses and into the world of basketball, a sport that was not my passion but a way to pay for college. I was often reminded that being an African American equestrian would not afford any opportunities to pay for my education. As a result, basketball consumed me, causing me to spend long summers with my travel team far away from the barn. By my senior year, I received several scholarship offers for basketball and decided to attend a two-year college for financial benefit, leaving my true passion behind. While in school, I struggled to acclimate to my new environment in a primarily restricted COVID world. I found myself self-isolating from others, questioning my identity and, more significantly, my purpose. I ultimately decided it was not beneficial to continue beyond the second year playing basketball because my heart was not in it but rather with my horses. With my time no longer consumed by basketball, I realized that the young girl who was once a passionate rider and who loved sharing that passion and knowledge with others still lived inside me. I yearn to get back to my true passion.

I am currently a part-time student pursuing a biology major, with the ultimate goal of attending veterinary school and becoming a Doctor of Veterinary medicine specializing in equids. Through my degree, I would like to continue my education in the equine industry to better assist other underrepresented youth in pursuing their passion for horses and advancing the veterinary field in terms of equity. My recent anxiety diagnosis, coupled with my father being 100% disabled after serving in the military for 23 years, has unfortunately resulted in financial obligations that caused me to take the current semester off from school full-time. I will resume my education endeavor as a full-time student in the spring semester of 2023 at either The University of Texas or Baylor University.

My current riding goals include joining a riding club, improving my riding skills, and furthering my horses’ training. Both of my prospective Universities offer riding clubs, which I wish to join.  Jointly, I want to begin formal training for my horses, who have unfortunately suffered the seemingly untameable “barn sour” fate due to our inability to afford quality training. Training for my youngest horse, Diamond, would be geared toward barrel racing with the hopes of eventually competing at the AQHA Barrel Racing World Championship. Additionally, having limited interactions with my horses over the past two years, it would be best if I began training to tune up my riding skills at Peaceful Acres, a local ranch where I have had the opportunity to  volunteer. The Optimum Youth Equestrian Scholarship would be a stepping stone in that direction.

Receiving the Optimum Youth Scholarship would help to relieve financial strain and allow me training opportunities that I could not afford due to the cost of college tuition and at-home obligations. Moreover, a mentorship would serve as an opportunity for growth in both my equestrian and professional goals. Most importantly, this scholarship would serve as a vessel to help launch me toward achieving my lifelong dream of being a successful equestrian.

OYES Feature: Mia Rodier-Dawallo

OYES Feature: Mia Rodier-Dawallo

Mia is the Fall 2022 Dressage Dreamer Award recipient (sponsored by Optimum Equine, LLC).

One of my first memories of my entire life was on the back of a horse. I was two years old, and I still remember it like it was yesterday. This is a memory that changed my life forever, and no matter how many decades go by, I will never forget it. Her name was Honey Buns, and she was one of a kind. She was a beautiful, loyal, and special mare who above all else was kind.

On a warm summer evening in North Carolina, and sort of on a whim, my auntie Nancy, who has recently passed on, threw me up onto Honey Buns and told me to hold on tight to her beautiful mane. And I felt a feeling I had never felt before in my young life. I was changed. It was transcendent. It was like an out-of-body experience. And in that moment I knew, that is what I needed to feel every single day. And naturally, when it was time to dismount, I didn’t want to stop. I never wanted to stop. Over the last few decades since then, I have worked every single day to make my dreams come true, and for the first time in my life, I have horses of my own, and I feel like I can finally breathe; like I am finally whole.

My ancestors, for millennia, have been horsemen and horsewomen. Their blood runs through my veins. From my ancient, tribal, Bedouin ancestors who escaped persecution and fled from genocide on the backs of horses; to my father, who trained horses for work and ran a taxi company in Iran using horse drawn carriages. Just as generational trauma leaves memories via scars on your soul, I also think that you can have generational muscle memory that draws you to the same passions of and lives of your ancestors. So, in a way, I feel like horses are a part of my DNA that predates my existence and the common era as we know it. Like a fingerprint left on your heart.

My current goals are the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, The World Dressage Champions in 2026, and the LA 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. I am a top contender for all of these. If I am to be successful in this goal, I would be the first ever Person of Color to represent US Dressage or Para Dressage in any Olympics, Paralympics, or World Championship.

I am not only on track but also ahead of the timeline necessary to be able to qualify for not only Paris 2024 but also WC 2026 and LA 2028. The steps I have taken toward my goal are as follows: I currently have 3 horses, Pudding, Meo, and Leo that are ages 8, 5, and 4. I have strategically bought these horses at these ages to have my bases covered not only for Paris but also for LA and the World Championships. Not only will I have 2-3 horses in contention at one time, they give me security against lameness, age, etc. so I need not lose a second of time training and qualifying for each of my goals. I am also exceeding every qualifying score necessary at each and every CPEDI (international Para Dressage competition) and breaking records at both The World Championship Selection Trials in Tryon in June but also The Festival of Champions National Championship (at which I won overall champion) in Chicago IL in August. I am also currently a finalist for one of the most prestigious international awards for riders of all disciplines: The FEI Against All Odds Award which is awarded to “an inspiring individual who has pursued their equestrian ambitions and overcome challenges and obstacles along the way.” In this last year, I have gone from 29th to 13th in the FEI World Individual Ranking for ALL riders from ALL countries in the world that are in my grade. And for Team USA, I am ranked second in the World Individual Ranking for grade 2. I am now considered to be an athlete of distinction by the Selection Committee and The US Team. I will be competing all over the world to make my dreams a reality, and I am closer than ever to making that happen.

In 2013, my life changed forever when I survived a brutal assault that left me with a TBI, PTSD, and several other debilitating conditions. I had to relearn how to speak, read, and write. It was like my hard-drive being wiped clean and having to start my entire life over from nothing. One year later, I was hit head on by a drunk driver which left me with a fractured T12 and subsequent TBI. After that, I am now and forever will be a wheelchair user for the rest of my life.

I am very open about my mental and physical health. People think that “surviving assault” is just staying alive through being attacked, but the reality of the situation is that the real fighting for your life comes after. Fighting for your life after trauma comes in the form of living life through victim blaming, through coming to terms with your newly different and permanently disabled body, through learning to love yourself unconditionally, being patient with your brain while you struggle with brain fog, confusion, and fatigue, and being patient with your heart while you learn to manage the symptoms of your PTSD. This gave me a whole new perspective on life and gratitude. There were a few days where I wasn’t sure that I would live to see another day. But with a lot of work, I am thankful for every moment that I am alive. I am thankful not only that I have a future but that it has been made so bright by the people in my life. I have survived everything life has thrown at me to make it to exactly where I am meant to be, today.

Outside of my Dressage career, I have been an avid advocate for the intersectional rights of marginalized people, women, People of Color, the disability community, and low income communities, amongst other causes. These causes are especially personal to me because I check every box. As a disabled woman and wheelchair user who is the child of an immigrant family, from a first generation American, Muslim and Baháʼí family, growing up in a post 9/11 world, life has been a slippery slope. Most recently, I made a feminist statement at the World Championship Selection trials by in the middle of my freestyle, dropping my reins, doing a free walk, and playing part if a speech on feminism by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. (Kismet Magazine recently did an article about this.)

It is easy to feel invisible when you don’t fit the mold and it is even easier to feel erased when your sport, your struggle, and your generational trauma is invisible too. But my baba always used to tell me when I was a kid, through actions and the wise words of Rumi ” ت و با بال به دنیا آمدی. شما هرگز در زندگی

نخواهید خزید .” “You were born with wings. You will never crawl through life.”

Dressage has always been my safe space. But as I got older and got more serious about my own dressage career I started to feel different and realized that I didn’t have any idols who looked like me. It might not seem like much to feel ”other” in the sport that’s your whole world, but it carries a heavy and silent weight only those who’ve experienced it will truly understand. I channeled the feelings of isolation and detachment into fuel for my dream to fill that space and be the person that young me would’ve done anything to see on that podium. I’ve chased this dream for decades and it’s finally coming true. My win is a win for all the unapologetically Brown and beautiful people who grew up feeling different. It’s our differences that make us beautiful and together we’re unstoppable. To anyone who feels other, under-represented, this is for you. You deserve to take up space and wear your team’s colors. You deserve to be seen and heard. You deserve to be celebrated. You deserve to be extraordinary.