Two Teens Split the $13,000 Equestrian Merit Scholarship
This year brought a large group of exceptionally well-qualified candidates for the Equestrian Merit Scholarship sponsored by The WHOA Foundation, the Mounted Patrol Foundation, and San Mateo County Horseman’s Association. Impossible to choose between the top two candidates, Maya Zechman and Ward Piazza, who represent two very disparate ends of the equestrian spectrum, will be sharing the $13,000 award.

Maya Zechman
Maya is a Three-Day Eventer from San Jose, who maintained a stellar grade point average while acting as a working student at a horse training facility in the East Bay. She happily hopped on any horse that was offered to her because she has never had a mount of her own.
Maya will attend Cal Poly SLO, where she plans to continue riding. Her goals are to compete up to 4-star in eventing and produce young horses up the levels.

“I am so grateful for the support to continue my education. I’ve grown up competing at the Horse Park, and it holds so many special memories for me, so receiving this scholarship means that much more.”

Ward Piazza
Ward is a true cowboy from Livermore and will attend Cisco College in Texas working towards an AA degree in agriculture and will be a member of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association in the Lonestar Region.

“I grew up on a working cattle ranch, played baseball, raised and showed hogs at the Alameda County Fair, enjoyed hunting and fishing and participated in horse shows and rodeos. I started riding horses in 4-H horse shows, then branding calves and eventually doing rodeos.”