This year the Pennsylvania National Horse Show will debut the Claire Mawdsley Scholarship and Rider Recognition Program, which rewards junior hunter riders who attend traditional “brick and mortar” high school full time.

Four scholarships will be awarded, one to each of the top-placing eligible exhibitors in each section of the junior hunters. The scholarship will be held in trust and paid directly to a higher education institution, and there will also be a ribbon presentation for the top three eligible exhibitors in each section.  

Candidates must submit an application form, a letter of good standing written by a school official, and a school attendance record indicating at least 85 percent attendance during the spring 2014 semester. It’s free to apply, and applications may be completed online. Applications are due by Oct. 8, and the amount of the scholarships will be determined by that date.

Tom Brennan has been working on the scholarship, which is funded by tax-deductable donations, for two years. He named the scholarship in honor of Virginia Intermont College student Claire Mawdsley, who was killed in an automobile accident while driving back to school after grooming for Brennan’s Winter Hill Farm at the Middleburg Classic (Va.) on Sept. 26, 2011.

“She would have been a perfect candidate for the program,” said Brennan. “She was a focused and talented young lady who did not have extensive opportunities to ride and show full time, but she had ambition.”

To apply or donate to the scholarship program, visit panational.org and click on “exhibitors and entries.”