Five NSBYA members have been named finalists for the 2024 NSBA Foundation’s Youth Of The Year award. Each year since 2017, this award has been presented to a deserving youth who has exhibited exemplary character in helping others through community service.
The Susan Scott Memorial Scholarship is also presented to the Youth Of The Year. The Youth Of The Year will receive a $4,000 scholarship from the Susan Scott Memorial Fund along with a $500 award, presented by the NSBA Foundation, to the charity of the youth’s choice. The finalists for this year’s award will also receive scholarships. 2024 will be the fourth year to award the Susan Scott Memorial Scholarship in memory of the late Non-Pro exhibitor, horse owner and breeder Susan Scott.
Calen Braden: Therapeutic Volunteer
Calen Braden, Libertyville, Illinois, volunteers at Partners For Progress therapeutic riding program. Since starting college, her ability to volunteer has decreased, but not her passion for the program, as she promotes the benefits of therapeutic riding to fellow students.
Calen recently completed her freshman year at Black Hawk College, where she is involved with equine science and the horse science technology programs and is a competitor on the Western equestrian team. She plans to complete her sophomore year at Black Hawk College and transfer to the University of Platteville to obtain a degree in animal science and pursue a career in equine nutrition.
Lili Drinkall: Cards For Kids
As 2023-24 president of NSBYA, Lili Drinkall, of Milledgeville, Illinois, has led a card drive at different horse shows for children in children’s hospitals. Along with the rest of this year’s NSBYA board of directors, she has been traveling to horse shows to invite people to write messages and color pictures in cards to send to children’s hospitals located near regional shows.
Lili plans to attend college majoring in psychology with a concentration in child psychology and earn her master’s degree in psychology or social work and pursue a career as a behavioral health clinician or children’s therapist.
Abigail Eddy: Sharing Agriculture’s Message
Abigail Eddy, of Rocheport, Missouri, has spent approximately 500 hours educating her peers about agriculture through Columbia Public Schools FFA events including Agricultura Day and Hickman High School Aquaponics.
She contacted key administrators and teachers to develop a curriculum for various core classes to have assignments related to Agriculture Day, and on the day of the event brought her horse to the school, gave a presentation and provided handouts about the horse industry. In the Hickman High School Aquaponics project, Abigail rehabilitated an aquaponics system in the agricultural department’s greenhouse as a STEM service project for her math honors society, Mu Alpha Theta. The project tested different aquaponic conditions to determine the best yield, and donated all produce cultivated to the school’s food pantry.
Abigail will attend Auburn University in 2025 as a member of the equestrian team. She will major in agricultural economics and plans to pursue a career in the animal pharmaceutical industry.
Taylor Hinely: Service Dog Therapy
After learning that a friend’s mother-in-law was bored and downhearted since moving to a nursing home, Taylor Hinely, of Norco, California, joined her friend in a project to engage residents in activities and asked if she could bring her dog, Katie, a four-year-old golden retriever, to visit the residents. Taylor and Katie have visited residents twice per month for three hours and have spent 54 hours at the facility.
Taylor has verbally committed to Fresno State University’s equestrian team to attend in the fall of 2025, and plans to major in agricultural business and minor in criminology. She would like to become a college coach of an equestrian team or pursue a career in the criminology field.
Margaret Meyer: Helping Challenged Riders
Margaret Meyer, of Findlay, Ohio, was introduced to Challenged Champions Equestrian Center by a barn mate, and began volunteering three years ago for one hour per week. She picked up more classes and began volunteering one to two days per week for three to four hours at a time assisting riders, some of whom are non-verbal or suffer from behavioral issues.
Margaret will begin her college career this fall at the University of California-Davis majoring in political science with a minor in philosophy, and will be a member of the Reining and Horsemanship equestrian teams. She plans to pursue a career in the legal field with a focus on the equine industry.
The Youth Of The Year will be announced during the NSBA Honors Banquet on Sunday, August 11, at the Simulcast Building at Fair Meadows. The 2024 NSBA World Championship Show and Breeders Championship Futurity is being held at the Built Ford Tough Complex at Expo Square in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
ABOUT THE NSBA FOUNDATION
The National Snaffle Bit Association Foundation is the non-profit 501(c)3 arm of the National Snaffle Bit Association. Operating under a separate board of directors, the NSBA Foundation serves NSBA’s more than 20,000 members, the equine therapeutic community and the equine community at large through educational programming, scholarships, and financial assistance to equine professionals in crisis. The NSBA Foundation also works to keep animal welfare at the forefront of the equine industry.
The National Snaffle Bit Association’s mission is to grow the show horse community through various equine programs and events where every activity benefits horses, breeders, owners and exhibitors alike. In addition to its extensive membership, NSBA has more than 44,000 registered horses across its eight alliance breed organizations. Annually, NSBA members earn more than $13.6 million in monetary awards at NSBA-sanctioned horse shows. The association sanctions nearly 600 horse show events and close to 200,000 horse show entries each year.
To learn more, please visit nsba.com/foundation.
ABOUT THE NSBA
Established in 1983, the National Snaffle Bit Association has expanded from its roots in the Western Pleasure discipline to recognize various disciplines and eight breed associations in competition. NSBA’s mission is to grow the show horse community through various equine programs and events where every activity benefits horses, breeders, owners and exhibitors alike.
The National Snaffle Bit Association has more than 20,000 active members and more than 44,000 registered horses across its eight alliance breed organizations. NSBA members earn more than $13.5 million in monetary awards at NSBA-sanctioned horse shows annually, and the association sanctions nearly 600 horse show events and close to 200,000 horse show entries each year.
To learn more about the NSBA, please visit nsba.com.
National Snaffle Bit Association, Inc. – 120 Mesa St., Weatherford, TX 76086 - Phone: (847)-623-6722
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