The Dressage Foundation (TDF) is pleased to announce the 2024 recipients of the Jane Savoie Fund for Adult Amateurs. Thanks to generous donations, two $5,000 grants are being awarded this year. The recipients are Kristen Allen (CO) and Caryn Vesperman (WI).
Kristen Allen is a member of the Rocky Mountain Dressage Society and is on the Board as Marketing Chair. She owns "Davos," a 15-year-old Hanoverian gelding. Kristen trains with Petra Warlimont (CO) virtually and plans to use the funding to train with Petra in person and hopes to attend three clinics with Christine Traurig. The selection committee appreciated Kristen’s volunteerism and that this grant will provide her in-person training which is has been difficult to obtain due to costs.
Photo by Susan J Stickle
Kristen said, “I am so honored that I have been chosen to receive TDF’s Jane Savoie Fund grant! Words cannot possibly convey the tremendous amount of gratitude I have to Mrs. Savoie’s family and friends, The Dressage Foundation, and its donors for creating this opportunity. In my quest to become the very best partner I can be for Davos there are many hurdles, finances being my largest. It is incredibly humbling to know that this hurdle has been removed. I have several lofty goals for the 2024 season and the grant funds will allow me to have more training than ever before in an effort to achieve them. I am excited to get started!"
Caryn Vesperman is a long-time member of the Wisconsin Dressage and Combined Training Association and the American Hanoverian Society. She plans to train with Janet Foy and Claudio Oliveira on her 11-year-old Hanoverian, "Tanqueray MRF," in Florida for three months. The selection committee was impressed with her volunteerism and dedication to learning. Caryn has just been accepted into the USDF "R" judge's program.
Photo by John Borys Photography
Caryn said, “Persevere is my middle name. For years, I persevered in my dressage training, attempting to balance a career, family, and my 30 plus years of GMO volunteer work. Then I had a health scare, a breast cancer diagnosis that also required perseverance to get through treatment and side effects, while still trying to ride. While I’m now nearly six years clear, the diagnosis helped open my eyes to taking advantage of opportunities that come my way. That’s when I decided to get serious about my dream of completely immersing myself for a period of time in an environment that, unlike Wisconsin, is conducive to riding in the winter: Wellington, Florida! I persevered in applying for the Jane Savoie Grant several times, and when I was told I had been selected this year, I was nearly speechless (uncommon for me). Jane was an inspiration to me. We chatted about our cancer diagnoses and doing our best to ‘dance in the rain’ a couple of years ago. I look forward to the intensive learning with Tanqueray with no outside distractions and then sharing what I learn with others. Thank you to The Dressage Foundation for managing these opportunities and to all the people who donate to TDF—their generosity is appreciated and meaningful.”
The Jane Savoie Fund for Adult Amateurs was established in 2021 by Jane’s family and friends in memory of her lifelong love of horses and career as a trainer, teacher, author, and motivational speaker. A grant of up to $5,000 will be awarded from the Jane Savoie Fund to an adult amateur rider of any age, who is training any breed of horse at 4th Level or Prix St. Georges, and who reflect Jane’s ethos of developing each horse to its potential. These grants are intended to enable recipients to achieve knowledge and training that would otherwise be financially out of reach.
The grant guidelines and application for the Jane Savoie Fund for Adult Amateurs can be found on TDF’s website at www.dressagefoundation.org. The application deadline is April 10th of each year.
TDF welcomes donations to the Jane Savoie Fund for Adult Amateurs. Gifts can be made by credit card at www.dressagefoundation.org or by calling Jenny Johnson, TDF’s Executive Director, at (402) 434-8585. Donations by check can be mailed to TDF’s office at 1314 ‘O’ Street, Suite 305, Lincoln, Nebraska, 68508.
About The Dressage Foundation
The Dressage Foundation is a 501(c)(3), non-profit, tax-exempt, donor-driven organization that is dedicated to educating, supporting, and advancing the sport of dressage. The organization solicits contributions, appropriately allocates the donations, and awards grants and scholarships to dressage riders, judges, instructors, breeders, high performance teams, and nonprofit equestrian organizations. For more information, please visit www.dressagefoundation.org.
