We’re excited to announce that the USET Foundation has given Matt Brown this year’s Jacqueline B. Mars National Competition and Training Grant to help offset the costs of his trip east to compete at the Dutta Corp Fair Hill International with Super Socks BCF and Happenstance.
Matt launched an ambitious fundraising plan earlier this summer to help reach their goal of getting the horses to the American Eventing Championships and ultimately Fair Hill. With friends and family rallying around them, Matt and Cecily were able to raise enough money to make the trip from their base in Petaluma, Calif., and this grant will go a long way to offset the total cost of traveling across the country to compete, Matt said.
“Experience competing outside of the West Coast is something I lack, and in order to truly begin working toward becoming the competitor and horseman that I long to be, I must begin to travel outside my comfort zone,” Matt said in a press release.
“It’s a huge honor to receive the grant,” he said. “This is our first trip back east. We made the decision to come back and do Fair Hill after the Rebecca Farms event. Having the grant means we can relax and focus on the competition and not worry about how we are going to pay for this.”
On how Super Socks BCF feels leading up to Fair Hill: “He has been feeling really confident at the last couple shows, and we are just hoping to continue that confidence going into Fair Hill. Derek di Grazia made the comment after Rebecca Farms that Super Socks was ready to come back and go for it here at Fair Hill. If Derek tells you that you are ready, you better go and do it.”
We’ll be cheering Matt and his horses on at Fair Hill next week. Go West Coast Eventing!
[USET Foundation Awards Jacqueline B. Mars Training Grant to Matthew Brown]