Gilbert & Evelyn Miller Scholarships Awarded
Established in 2022 in honor of her parents by DeeDee Miller , this scholarship is unusual in that it is based on the rider / horse combination .
Gilbert & Evelyn Miller were instrumental in the establishment of the Walking Horse Owners Association in 1976 . They were longtime supporters of the Tennessee Walking Horse thru their raising , showing and promoting of the breed . Both the Miller ’ s daughters , Paula and DeeDee , showed extensively on the Kentucky , Tennessee , and North Carolina show circuits . DeeDee ’ s love for the horse and her interest in showing never diminished . In 1997 , DeeDee won the Amateur World Grand Championship aboard the Miller ’ s horse , Masquerading . The stallion was named World Grand Champion the following year at the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration with trainer Knox Blackburn in the irons . Masquerading is one of only three horses to win both the Amateur World Grand Championship and the World Grand Championship in consecutive years !
When her parents passed away , DeeDee wanted to honor them by showcasing their love of WHOA and the TWH thru our youth . What better way than to establish a Gilbert & Evelyn Miller Scholarship for youth riders ? These scholarships are a first of their kind scholarship as the rider / horse team is involved to win . The scholarships were available to the five Youth Championship Classes at The International plus an additional Sportsmanship Scholarship .
The youth voted on the Sportsmanship Scholarship . Each youth entered in any youth class could pick up a ballot to vote for the Sportsmanship winner . The ballot
14 • Walking On had places for three names of participants whom that youth thought deserved to be awarded the Sportsmanship Scholarship . It was DeeDee ’ s idea to let the youth pick that winner as they knew their peers the best . Each scholarship consists of $ 500 and can be used at the University , College , or Trade School of the recipient ’ s choice . A youth may win the scholarship more than one year as long as they are “ age ” eligible .
DeeDee established these scholarships keeping in mind the thought that when teamed with horses , youth are taught many skills outside of riding such as ; responsibility , dependability , reliability , sportsmanship , team work , making new friends , and learning to get along with others . They learn that it isn ’ t about the ribbon but the ride , and the friends you make along the way . All these things came into play when DeeDee created the Gilbert & Evelyn Miller Scholarships . Six scholarships were won in 2022 .
The first rider to receive the Gilbert & Evelyn Miller Scholarship was Macy James aboard Poppy Cat winning the Youth Academy Championship on Sunday night .
The Friday evening performances found Eliza Dekleyn and Labeled A Parolee the Classic Trail / Trail Pleasure Championship receiving that scholarship .
The Saturday evening class lineup included three youth championships in which scholarships were awarded . The Classic All Day / All Day Pleasure Youth Championship went to Riley Gregory aboard Poppy Cat , and the Classic Country / Country Pleasure Youth Championship winners were The Big Bang with Kylie Duvall .
Chosen by her peers to receive the Gilbert & Evelyn Miller Sportsmanship Scholarship was the very deserving Emma Carter . Lexi Nelms ended the show as Youth High Point and claimed the sixth scholarship .
A huge thank you to DeeDee Miller for establishing this tremendous way to honor her parents , while encouraging our youth riders to participate in youth classes . Congratulations to all the deserving recipients .