The North American Riders Group has selected Julie Welles as the recipient of the 2015 NARG Riders’ Grant.

Now in its fourth year, the NARG Riders’ Grant is designed to give an emerging rider, dedicated to the sport of show jumping, an opportunity to receive a boost in order to achieve goals not otherwise available to them financially. The grant provides the winner with $15,000 USD for expenses within North America approved by the NARG Board.

Not a new face on the circuit, 26-year-old Welles made a name for herself as a junior rider in both the equitation and jumper disciplines. A shining example of the American system, she started her winning equitation path at the age of 15 with the top call in the New England Equitation Championships, and picking up reserve champion in the WIHS Equitation Finals as well as the coveted ASPCA Maclay Finals. The next year, she won the challenging and competitive USEF Talent Search Finals – East and came back to win the WIHS Equitation Finals. And in her final junior year she was reserve champion in both the USEF Medal Finals and the ASPCA Maclay Finals. Quite notably, she earned all those wins on catch rides.

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