Palmetto Paint Horse Club has established a scholarship fund in memory of Chelsea Lynn Tanner. Chelsea was an active Youth member of PPHC who passed away unexpectedly at only 15 years of age.
Each year a deserving college student will receive a $1000 scholarship.
Donations for the Chelsea Tanner Scholarship Fund will be accepted in memory of or in honor of someone special to those who donate.
Here's Chelsea's story as told by her Mom:
Chelsea Tanner was born January 14, 1991 and started riding horses shortly after that. She rode on the front of the saddle with her mom and dad as soon as she could sit up. When she learned to hold on to her sister, she rode behind the saddle on the pony. Soon, she started showing in lead-line and costume classes at local shows. When her sister outgrew the pony, Chelsea took over. At the age of four, it was almost impossible to get her off of that pony. If she wasn’t ready to stop riding, she would grip the saddle with her legs and hold on!
Chelsea was a real helper around the barn, taking care of dogs, cats, rabbits, a deer and horses. Chelsea especially loved it when there was a new foal arrival. She was good with animals because she was usually very calm, but very determined.
Around age seven, Chelsea decided that casual, western riding was not enough. She needed to learn English riding, and that meant that she needed to take riding lessons. So, for her eighth birthday, all she asked for was riding lessons and she got them. She started lessons the next week at The Equestrian Center and the course for the rest of her life was set!
After watching shows most of her life, Chelsea was very excited the first time she showed at Camden on her quarter horse, in a Paint show, in an open class. She finally got to ride up and down the hill! Soon after that, she lost that horse to colic, but a paint became available at the barn, and she got Max. Chelsea and Max worked hard and even got to go to the World Championship Paint Horse Show in Fort Worth in 2002. Chelsea was eleven, Max was six. They competed bravely. This was the highlight of Chelsea’s life. She was able to spend two weeks in a place where there was nothing but horses and horse – people! She spent more and more of her time and energy at the barn with Max and her horsemanship, in all senses of the word, increased.
Chelsea was a good student, she was an outstanding athlete, she was dedicated to her church, and she loved being with her family, but she was thoroughly devoted to Max and to the people in her horse world. She spent many hours currying, washing, banding, braiding, lunging, riding and jumping her horse. The rest of her time was spent anxiously awaiting the next trip to the barn!
Chelsea learned many life lessons from her involvement with her barn and horse show friends. She was dependable, objective and honest. She was hard working, focused, patient and persistent. She was responsible, knowledgeable and helpful. She was confident, but humble (having been dumped a number of times!) and she was brave. But most of all, Chelsea felt blessed to be able to live the kind of life she lived and she was grateful.
Saturday, March 4th was spent at the barn with Max, her friends and the new foals that had just arrived. It was a happy, smiling, Chelsea-kind-of-day. There was a show to prepare for and plans to make for the new show season.
Chelsea died on Sunday, March 5, 2006 at the age of fifteen.
Chelsea Tanner Memorial Scholarship Fund Donation Form
Chelsea Tanner Memorial Scholarship Fund Rules
Chelsea Tanner Memorial Scholarship Fund Application
Chelsea Tanner Memorial Scholarship Fund Recipients
Applications for the 2009 Scholarship are due by May 1, 2009. |
