LEXINGTON, Ky. – The US Equestrian Federation has announced the recipients of the 2023 USEF Higher Education Equestrian Scholarship to five individuals, two of them being NCEA riders, awarded on October 4.
 
South Carolina’s Abby Bauknight and UT Martin’s Marley Rizzi were each awarded the scholarship.
 
The scholarships are awarded annually to graduating high school seniors who are committed to continuing their involvement with horses and equestrian sports through their higher education careers. Each recipient receives a $1,000 grant to be used toward education expenses at their college or university.
 
Bauknight, a native of Irmo, S.C., is a freshman USC where she is a jumping seat rider and pursuing a degree in economics. She has been competing in hunters and equitation on the USEF circuit since 2019.
 
“One of the biggest goals that I set for myself was to ride on a Division I Equestrian Team,” said Bauknight. “I didn’t let myself compromise and I didn’t let my desire to be on a team falter. I was firm in my decision and decided that whether or not I was offered a spot, I was going to put myself out there for the world to see. I wasn’t the kid who was traveling around winning the medals every weekend or going to WEF for the winter. I was the kid that had been showing in the Children’s for two years, waiting for the right time to make that big move-up. I was offered a spot to ride for the University of South Carolina alongside some of the best riders in the country,” said Bauknight. “I knew that it wasn’t just because of my ability to ride; it was because of my leadership, my personality, and the way I interact with my peers and support them.”
 
A Wall, N.J., native, Rizzi is a Sport Business Management major at UTM. A former gymnast, she turned her focus to the sport of hunter seat equitation and has been a successful competitor in that discipline at the regional and national level.
 
“Equest Show Stables is a working barn, meaning that we do not have hired help to take care of our horses,” said Rizzi. “I am responsible for washing, brushing, and wrapping my horses’ legs. We help the owners water, hay, and clean the stalls. I come home dirty, sweaty, and smelly daily. Where do academics and volunteerism fit into this puzzle? Free time is limited and being a student always comes first. I have been on the honor roll every semester during high school and a member of the National Honor Society since my junior year.”
 
Rizzi volunteers as a religious education aide at St. Catharine’s Church with the first and fourth grade classes and has a special affinity for working with children with disabilities, informed by her own experience with dyslexia. After college graduation, Rizzi aims to use her studies in Sports Business Management and her passion for childhood education to work for a national professional sports foundation and make a positive impact.
 
About the NCEA
A non-profit corporation, the NCEA is a governing body to advance the sport of equestrian. The NCEA is responsible for the development and administration of equestrian rules and guidelines. Equestrian is subject to all NCAA policies and procedures in the same manner as other sports. In 1998, Equestrian was identified and adopted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Committee on Women's Athletics (CWA) as an emerging sport for women at the Division I and II levels. 
 
NCEA competitions are in a head-to-head format, and schools may choose to compete as a single or dual discipline team (Jumping Seat and Western). Each discipline has two events: in Jumping Seat, Fences and Flat, and in Western, Horsemanship and Reining. Teams can have five riders per event, with horses assigned by random draw at the start of the competition. Riders from opposing teams compete on the same horse, and whichever rider receives the higher score earns one point for her team. The level of difficulty is demonstrated by the accuracy of the pattern and how the competitor uses the horse to the best of her ability.
 
To stay up to date all year long on all things NCEA Equestrian, follow the organization on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @NCEA_Equestrian and @ncea_eq.