Lexington, KY - Each year a grant of $1,000 is awarded to a Junior Hunter Finals competitor for educational purposes. The grant winner is the applicant who constructs the best essay detailing how their competitive experience has affected them, and what it would mean to be awarded the grant. This year’s winner was Rachel Heist, a competitor on the east coast. Rachel competed in the Large Junior Hunter 16-17 with her own horse Cordelanne.

Rachel positive  philosphy, as expressed through her essay, was seen as one her her finest atributes. “Whenever things don’t go my way," she says, "I know to just move on. I think I’d be a very different person if I hadn’t learned this mindset.”