The Professional Riders Organization announced the winners of the Triple Crown Junior Young Rider PRO Scholarship Award after the conclusion of this year’s competitions. East Coast winners are Jamie Miess, 19, from Indian Trail, N.C., and Margo Goldfarb, 17, from Franklin, Tenn. West Coast winners are Madison Langerak, 16, from Boise, Idaho, and Sydney Rice, 16, from Redmond, Wash.

“Supporting deserving riders with a week of training from some of the best professionals in the world of eventing allows us to invest in the future of our industry and have an impact on individuals at a crucial point in their development as horsemen,” said Michelle Mulcahy of Triple Crown Nutrition.  “All of us at Triple Crown applaud the efforts of those competing for the scholarship and look forward to hearing from Jamie, Madison, Margo and Sydney about their experiences. Many thanks to World Equestrian Brands LLC for joining us as a supporting sponsor this year.”

Miess is the leading rider on the Triple Crown Junior Leaderboard with 94 points. This is the second time that Miess has tried to win the scholarship award, having first attempted in 2012 with her previous horse. Miess is currently riding Eren, a Hanoverian gelding she acquired two years ago as a project. Eren had a history of bucking with his previous owner, who was training him as a dressage horse. Miess earned a scholarship week with Jan Byyny, and as the top-ranked rider on the East Coast she will also be awarded a full complement of tack from World Equestrian Brands.

“When I acquired Eren, he didn’t even know how to gallop, and he was 13 years old. It soon became apparent that he loved to jump, [and he] loves cross country. Funny enough, dressage is still where he struggles because he gets nervous and tense in the ring,” said Miess. “I cannot wait to do a week of training with a professional rider. What a great learning experience this week will be for us! I look forward to working on our skills. This fabulous scholarship will help us reach our goal of competing at the two-star level. I encourage everyone to keep trying for the scholarship. It took me a couple of years of perseverance, but we did it “

“World Equestrian Brands LLC is pleased to be supporting sponsor of the Triple Crown JYR PRO Scholarship Award Program. We congratulate Jamie Miess and Madison Langerak, earning first rankings for the East and West Coast, respectively,” said Robin Moore, CEO of World Equestrian Brands. “This is a huge accomplishment and winning the award shows great commitment from both of these young riders. WEB firmly believes well educated riders are the future of our sport and appreciates the awards are not only based on placings but also overall technique and horsemanship.” 

Goldfarb, ranked second on the Triple Crown Junior Leaderboard for both East Coast riders and overall, also earned a scholarship week. Goldfarb will train with Lynn Symansky early next summer.

“To me this scholarship not only recognizes the hard work and perseverance of aspiring young riders, but grants them the unique opportunity to further improve their skills with an upper level event rider, as the grading scale recognizes a comprehensive list of proficiencies rather than an emphasis on result. It is a privilege to be considered among those individuals worthy of such an honor,” said Goldfarb. “The Triple Crown JYR PRO Scholarship is undeniably a great milestone in my development as a rider. I extend my gratitude to my mother and my grandparents for helping me in every bit of my goals—training, competing and encouraging me to pursue this opportunity. And I am looking forward to strengthening my skills as a rider and my partnership with my horse.”

Langerak finished the season as the highest-ranked West Coast rider, earning her both the Triple Crown JYR PRO Scholarship Award and the World Equestrian Brands prize package. Langerak used the Event at Rebecca Farm as her designated qualifier for the training level scholarship and will train with Matthew Brown of Petaluma, Calif.

“The experience is just beginning with the opportunity to ride with and learn from one of the PRO [professionals],” said Langerak. “I’m hoping to continue to improve my horsemanship skills as well as my riding skills to continue to move up the levels while having fun.”

Rice heard about the program at the end of the summer but was still able to enter Aspen Farms Horse Trials in Yelm, Wash., which she used as her designated qualifier. Rice’s score there enabled her to place second in the West Coast rankings and capture the final West Coast scholarship award.

Rice is enthusiastic about the feedback provided during the scholarship program. “Because of this program, I have a better insight on what type of training style will help me and my horse Rocky progress to our fullest potential. I can’t wait for my week of training,” she said. “Thank you so much for providing me with an opportunity of a lifetime.”

To learn more about the Triple Crown JYR PRO Scholarship Award Program, please visit the PRO website.