Ethos Award Gala, Recipients Announced

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The 2024 Ethos Awards, which recognize individuals who advance the engagement of black and brown people in the world of equestrian sports, will be presented at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs on August 31.

This year’s recipients include:

• Mayisha Akbar, founder of the Compton Jr Posse (CJP) in 1988, which offers youth hope, connection, and success by teaming them with horses

• Dr. George & Ann Blair, who started the New York Riding Academy in 1970 in Manhattan’s Randall Island Park, making horseback riding more inclusive for everyone

• Anastasia Curwood, co-founder of Strides for Equality, an organization working in numerous ways to create equitable opportunities for BIPOC equestrians

• Caitlin Gooch, founder of Saddle Up and Read, a program that connects horses, kids, and libraries to increase literacy rates in North Carolina

• Lezlie Hiner, founder of Work to Ride, a community-based prevention program in Philadelphia that engages and empowers under-resourced urban youth through interactions with horses

• Patricia Kelly, President and CEO of Ebony Horsewomen, Inc., created in 1984 as a way to introduce the joys of riding to women in the Hartford, Connecticut area

The Ethos Award is a bi-annual event that partners with unique equine venues across the country who share the organization’s mission to change the narrative of equestrian sports.

For more information about this year’s gala, visit ethosawardequestrian.com/gala.