The Fourth Annual NARG Riders' Grant Congratulations go to...

Wellington, FL - February 17, 2014 - 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. NARG, and the grant recipients, are extremely grateful to the Southern-Heathcott family who make this grant possible.

 

The North American Riders Group congratulates twenty-six-year-old Julie Welles as the recipient of the 2015 NARG Riders' Grant.    

 

Julie Welles and Twan at WEF this year. Photo by The Book

 

Not a new face on the circuit, 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 fifteen 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.

 

"Catch riding is all I did when I was a junior. That was the only way for me to further my riding and become a competitor. Most of the time I would be showing a horse I had never shown before, but I loved it! I was given the opportunity to ride so many nice horses. They weren't all easy, but I knew I had to make it work out. I didn't have anything else, and I had to make the best of when I did have the opportunity to ride. There was one year at Harrisburg when I didn't know what horse I was riding in the Medal Finals until the night before, but it didn't bother me. You just go with it. Catch riding so many different horses helped tremendously, especially when it came to the final four at USET Finals and the third phase of the Washington Finals," explained Welles.

 

Welles aboard North Run's Bazooka De Muze. Double K Photography

She didn't stop at the equitation ring; Welles also excelled in the jumper arena. She represented Zone 1 for three years in the Prix de States, helped to earn a team gold at NAJYRC and earned style awards along the way.

 

Welles epitomizes the hard-working, devoted individual that NARG seeks to give a leg-up with the NARG Riders Grant. As a junior she was a working student, working long hours at the barn while earning the accolades mentioned above. For the past six years as a young professional, she has been an assistant to several top names including Laura Kraut and Nick Skelton, Lauren Hough and currently Missy Clark and John Brennan. The 2015 NARG Grant Winner maintains the same strong work ethic she learned as a junior and continues to earn catch rides, now in the grand prix arena. Last winter she rode in the HITS AIG Million in Ocala at 1.60m on a horse she had known for one week.  

 

    

Julie Welles in the 2014 AIG Million in Ocala

"I'd never jumped a class that big before, and I really didn't know the horse. I didn't have any specific concerns when I was walking the course. I just trotted in the ring and realized, 'Oh wow, I'm really doing this."

 

When asked how she would use the grant money, Welles was thoughtful. "I want to make sure I apply it to something special when the right time comes around. I am not in any hurry to use it tomorrow, I want to be smart with my decision because money like this just doesn't come around every day." Her goal is to potentially invest it in a sale horse that once sold would give her a return on the investment.  

 

 

Welles and Daloubet du Rouet. Photo by Sunny Drescher   


Welles is not only a solid competitor, hard-worker and devoted horsewoman, she is appreciative. "My parents did everything they could to support me and without them I would have never accomplished what I did. I also owe a huge thank you to Kenny and Linda Langmeier and Missy Clark and John Brennan. Without their instruction and teamwork I wouldn't be where I am today."

 


Julie Welles and Daloubet du Rouet. Photo by Katherine Hay
ABOUT THE NORTH AMERICAN RIDERS GROUP - NARG

The North American Riders Group, NARG, remains steadfast in achieving an essential goal - improving our sport so that once again show jumping in North America will rank among the greatest in the world. It takes teamwork to achieve a goal of this magnitude. Representing the riders, trainers and owners in North America, NARG takes the necessary steps to work openly with show managements, governing bodies and associations, as collectively we all make up the team that must evolve with the times to see this come to fruition.


With your participation, NARG's voice becomes incrementally stronger and clearer. To bring change we must be able to speak with a singular voice. Join us. Visit www.narg.org or call 561.386.4525 for more details.