We had a wonderful crop of applicants for our 2019 All American Youth Horse Show Scholarships. We are pleased to announce the winners below.
Congratulations to you, and we wish you much success in the future!
2019 Scholarship Winners
$1,000 Scholarship Winners
Nicole Kanary
Hi everyone, my name is Nicole Kanary and I am currently a freshman at the University of Findlay. I am in a 6-year pharmacy program pursuing a doctorate of pharmacy. I hope to be able to use this degree and combine it with my love of animals by pursuing a career in veterinary pharmacy.
I attended my first All American Youth Horse Show in 2013 and have been hooked ever since. This will be my 7th and final trip to the youth show as it is my last youth year. I always look forward to this show over the long winter months. It has always been a great opportunity to compete at a higher level
I have been lucky enough to show the same horse, I Gotta Stinger aka Shorty, for seven years and we have gone from the local show pens all the way up to the All American Quarter Horse Congress. We have faced many setbacks on the way, but in the ways of the horse world, we had to learn how to overcome with time, patience, and determination. I would have never thought that the 14.2 pony we bought in 2012 would go as far as we did, but this just goes to show what you can accomplish by putting in the time and effort with any horse.
Lastly, I would like to thank the All American Youth Horse Show for holding such a wonderful opportunity for kids to compete at a higher level and for all the opportunities they offer. I wish all the returning, as well as the first-time competitors, good luck and urge them to enjoy their youth years while they can!
Kailyn Foutty
My name is Kailyn Foutty and I am a senior at Cardinal High School in Middlefield, Ohio, inside of school, I am the Lieutenant of the Cardinals Silks Flightline, the head statistician for the Cardinal Huskies wrestling team, the National Honor Society secretary, and a member of student council. I also have a cumulative GPA a 4.235. Outside of school, I am a cashier at Maggie's Donut Shop and Cafe, a high school tutor for the subject of English and Government, and an 8 year member and vice president of the Geauga County Braided N’ Banded 4H club, A 7 year member of the Chelsea Nau Performance Horses, a member of the Pinto Horse Association, The United Way youth distribution fund representative, an alumni of the esteemed Leadership Geauga class of 2018. I have also had the opportunity to attend multiple leadership conference is, such as the iBelieve Leadership Summit in the American Legion Auxiliary Buckeye Girls State. In addition, I did compete in the IEA circuit for about 2 years. In all honesty, the best showing experiences of my life, (and I've been showing for about 7 years), have been brought about by the all American youth horse show. It was amazing to watch both myself and my horse grow throughout our 5 years there. In 2015, my first year making the track down to Columbus, my Pinto pony Boomer and I brought back a whopping 3 ribbons from 12 classes. Having been used to rocking up a nice collection of awards local shows, I was both devastated and frustrated. We increased steadily at each Youth Show attended after that, and I'm proud to say that at the conclusion of Boomer and my last All American Youth Horse Show (the 2018 show), we entered 12 classes, managed to place in every single one and in addition ended up as an All American Youth Horse Show Pony English Equitation Grand Champion and the All American Youth Horse Show Pony Western Horsemanship Reserve Champion. We also placed 3rd in the western pleasure championships. When all ribbons, awards and championships are put aside, the All American Youth Horse Show has instilled in me both a greater appreciation for the sport I love and the realization that hard work really does pay off. I will greatly miss being able to participate in my favorite show.
After graduating from Cardinal high school, I will be attending Otterbein University in the fall of 2019. I plan to major in international business, with a double major in business administration and global studies. I will ride on Otterbein’s ISHA team after my first semester. I also plan to study abroad multiple times in my 4 years. From there, I hope to be hired by a business with a branch of their company located overseas, so that I am able to constantly be traveling.
$500 Scholarship Winners
Jonathan Borbonus
Winston Churchill once said, “No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle.” In my six years’ experience as an equestrian, I find this to be a very true statement. My name is Jonathan Borbonus. I am a freshman at Saint Vincent college in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, pursuing a Bachelor of Engineering Science. Sadly, this is my final year to compete at the All American Youth Horse Show.
As a naive 12 year old, I begged my parents for a horse. However, I began riding much later than the majority of riders in the Westmoreland County 4-H program. This late start pushed me to work harder and develop skills, which secured a huge impact on my life.
It was a difficult balance, spending time at the barn with “Hottie” (I Be Plenty Fierce) and on the baseball field. Both disciplines required my time and dedication. I lettered as a catcher and pitcher for my high school, Greensburg, Salem. I also played for Hempfield junior and senior Legion baseball throughout my high school career, resulting in the state final 4 last year. On the other side of the scale, success with riding Hottie did not come easy. Our journey began with many obstacles, and our first year together was a challenge. As a result, I focused on ground work and building the basics of good horsemanship. That first year, Hottie and I placed at the PA 4-H state horse show , which remains a testament to hard work, an honestly, her patience with a green rider. Together, we went on to earn 2 state back-to-back titles in western pleasure. State titles are awesome and created some great memories, that the journey to a championship remains priceless. These life lessons began a passion to work with 4-H production projects. My gelding, “Regan” (HP Good Hotrod), has also earned state titles as a 3, 4 and 5 year old at the PA junior horse show. Working with a young horse also brought many challenges that I tackled with knowledge gained from my first horse.
These problem solving experiences definitely lead me too my desire to be an engineer. I enjoy the challenge of learning how things work and designing a means to improve its existence.
In addition to horse showing, daily rides and baseball games, I actively volunteer at my church, word of life, in Greensburg, PA. I teach monthly Sunday school and direct games for Vacation Bible School period I also remain on production staff, operating sound and camera for services. Further, at Saint Vincent College, I recently was inducted into Alpha Lambda Delta for academic accomplishments.
I've showed horses at some tremendous events, but my very first show with Hottie was the All American Youth Horse Show. I had a great first pattern in showmanship and enjoyed many more years, showing Hottie and Reagan at AAYHS. As I close a chapter, I look forward to my final ride this May, spending time with family and friends in the AAYHS horse community.
Hannah Belich
My name is Hannah Belich and I am currently a senior at Cornerstone Christian Academy. In school, I am the Vice President of my class, a member of National Honor Society, and I am a four year varsity letterman in volleyball. I am also involved in many service projects including food pantry distribution, Special Olympics, and a junior year missions’ trip to Ometepe, Nicaragua, where I worked at a local orphanage.
Outside of school, I participate in open and breed shows with my three year old APHA/PUHA mare Pure Pop of Color (Cleo). I bought Cleo as a yearling and I am very sure that in the few years that I have owned her, she has taught me way more than I will ever be able to teach her. I have been involved in Geauga County 4-H for six years and I have held various leadership positions including president of Braided-n-Banded 4-H horse club. I was recently given the opportunity to represent them by not only being interviewed and selected to sit on the 2018 Geauga County Junior Fair Court, but also receiving the 2018 Geauga County 4-H Gold Leadership Award. Over my high school career, I also have taken part on teams in the Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA), as well as the Youth Equestrian Development Association (YEDA). Both organizations have done a great job of teaching me how to improve my riding skills on different types of horses over various disciplines.
I am looking forward to this year at the AAYHS as it is the first large show, I had the opportunity to attend when I was young. It is also the first major show Cleo and attended after only a few months of riding. This show for me represents many beginnings to very happy experiences and it is such a positive way to start the show season every year.
Next year, I plan to attend Lake Erie College to pursue a major in business management with a minor in finance. Whether my career is involved in the equine industry or not, I feel that this combination will help me to succeed in all areas of life. I have plans to compete on the LEC English and Western IHSA teams as well as continuing to compete with my own horse. I look forward to riding this year at the AAYHS and spending time with my friends, family, and my horse.