Press Release Recipients of The Claire Norcross Memorial Scholarship for 2003

The Carriage Barn Equestrian Center is pleased to announce the recipients of The Claire Norcross Memorial Scholarship for 2003.

The Claire Norcross Memorial Scholarship was established by Equiglobal Ltd in memory of Claire, and, in particular for her efforts through her company, Emerald Valley Botanicals to promote natural healing for horses. Claire formed Emerald Valley Botanicals in the 1990's and Equiglobal were and still are delighted to be associated with the company as a primary supplier of products. Emerald Valley Botanicals remain a leading supplier of botanical products to the equine industry in the USA and the company is a tribute to their founder Claire Norcross.

Equiglobal Ltd offered the first scholarship [2003] to The British Driving Society who was asked to nominate two young driving enthusiasts who show proficiency and dedication to the sport of carriage driving. They will visit the United States for a month, from mid July to mid August, as goodwill ambassadors.

Their preoccupation will be to encourage young drivers, ten to fourteen years of age, to take up this fun sport. They will be available to discuss the British exam system, as well as topics of interest to all those who enjoy driving.

Zoe Smith, twenty, has won National Junior Whip Championship in 2000, as well as academic scholarships. She has worked with Jane MacInnes, driving single, tandem, and team. Zoe has also won the David Snowden Award for accumulating the most point for participation in driving events throughout the season. She was one of only twenty selected to ride sidesaddle in the celebration for The Queen’s Golden Jubilee at Windsor. We are very pleased to welcome such a talented young woman to The Carriage Barn’s special educational summer programs.

Tine Amholt, twenty-five, will be coming to The Carriage Barn from Norway where she is working with Fjord horses in a wildlife park children’s camp. Her experiences include training, vaulting, and driving. She has worked at the Carlsberg Brewery stables with their Jutland horses, which pull drays, appear at parades and travel the country with teams to various events. Tine’s experiences also include Draft Horse work with plows, harrows, and hitch. She has passed her intermediate level British Driving Society exams while working with Jane and Ewan MacInnes, who compete at the national level in Great Britain. Her goal is to return to her native Denmark in September 2003 to attend veterinarian college.

The Carriage Barn Equestrian Center, in conjunction with EquiGlobal and Emerald Valley Botanicals, are honored to present The Claire Norcross Memorial Scholarship to two such talented young women. We wish to thank The British Driving Society for their support in identifying these young women.

Emerald Valley Botanicals are dedicated to improving the welfare of all horses and ponies with the use of natural products and for full information on their products can be contacted on 603 382 4884.

The Carriage Barn seeks to bring together people from all walks of life to enjoy horse drawn activities. We support the driving community in its various sports, while being mindful of the need to introduce young people to safe and proper training. Families also enter into a great horse sport together when they climb aboard the four wheel carriage of yesterday, or the governess cart, and trot off into the sunset.

Tine and Zoe will be available for private lessons during our summer sessions and for our Sunset Series and Kids Clinics.