Photo credit: John Borys Photography
The Amanda Johnson Freestyle Fund provides two grants to young professionals between the ages of 20 and 30 to pay for the costs of creating a professionally prepared musical freestyle for competition.
Amount of Grant: $1,500
Application Deadline: October 15
The Amanda Johnson Freestyle Fund was established at The Dressage Foundation in 2020 by Amanda’s family and friends, in memory of her dedication to the sport of dressage.
Applicant Requirements:
Applicant must
- Be a U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident.
- Be between the ages of 20 and 30 at the time of the application.
- Be a professional in the dressage community who competes in recognized competitions with excellent scores.
Additional Grant Information:
- Training funded by this grant can start no sooner than two months after the application deadline date.
- Funding cannot be used for competition entries, vet and/or farrier expenses, or the purchase of a horse or equipment.
- The recipients of these grants must use the funds within one year of the date of the award.
- Recipients are chosen by an independent selection committee comprised of dressage industry leaders. The applications and discussions of the selection committee are confidential, and their decisions are final.
- The selection committee reserves the right not to award a grant in any given year if they determine that no candidate has met the criteria.
- If the grant recipient is unable to attend the event/training specified in their application, The Dressage Foundation must be notified as soon as possible. Approval for a change in the use of funds is at the discretion of The Dressage Foundation and the grant selection committee.
- This grant may only be received once.
- The Dressage Foundation feels strongly that this grant should be based on merit and need. If your financial situation permits you to pursue these goals without the help of TDF, we urge you to allow other riders who are not in that position to apply.
Reporting Information:
- For all recipients, 75% of grant funds will be paid prior to the recipient’s departure for training; 25% will be paid after the applicant has completed training and has submitted a training and financial report to The Dressage Foundation.
- The recipients of the grants are required to provide a training and financial report of their experience to The Dressage Foundation. The reports may be written, video, photo journal, or in other ways pre-approved by The Dressage Foundation. The report is due within two months following the completion of the training.
- Throughout their training, recipients are encouraged to share training/event updates with The Dressage Foundation via email or tag The Dressage Foundation on social media.
History of the Amanda Johnson Fund
Amanda passed away in 2018 at the age of 37 after a three-year struggle with triple negative breast cancer. She was kind, generous, humble, talented, and brave. Amanda lived her life to the fullest. She was a well-respected member of the dressage community as a trainer, coach, competitor, and clinician. She was a USDF Bronze, Silver, and Gold Medalist and earned her USDF Silver and Gold Freestyle Bars. Amanda was a lifelong student of dressage and especially enjoyed showing in the Musical Freestyle classes. One highlight for her was in 2017 when she was invited to the World Cup in Omaha, Nebraska, to ride the freestyle demonstration for the Dressage Showcase event. It was a thrill for her to do what she loved in front of an appreciative audience.
