Zara Buren Memorial  Award

The Zara Buren Memorial Award (the Award) was created in 2021 by the Haque-Buren Family through the Zara Buren Memorial Foundation (the Foundation) to honour the legacy of Zara Mathilde Buren who died at age 14 on September 21, 2020, trying to save her beloved horse. Zara will be remembered as an extraordinary child and exceptional athlete who gave love and kindness to every human and animal she encountered and she is missed beyond measure.

 

The Award, offered to Ontario’s Junior eventers, sets a high bar for excellence, sportsmanship and horsemanship. It is made possible through donations by the Foundation to Equestrian Canada (EC) with the ongoing support of the Ontario Eventing Association (OEA).

 

The Award is intended to support training, rider development and competition participation throughout Ontario’s Eventing season each year. The amount of the Award is $6,000 annually. These funds are intended to support training, rider development and competition participation throughout the season and will be distributed by EC in three equal installments throughout the season each year.  In addition to the main Award, the Foundation under the guidance of EC, may also award a number of Grants of Distinction ($1,000) and Grants of Potential ($500).

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Eligibility

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Athletes must meet the following:

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• hold a current EC Sport Licence and OEA membership

• be resident of Ontario

• be under 18 years of age on January 1 of the year of application, and

• have competed in EC-sanctioned horse trials in Ontario at any level up to EV110 in the year prior to the year of the application.​

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Athletes who have been sanctioned for actions contrary to the EC Code of Conduct, the EC Horse Welfare Code of Conduct or a violation of the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport will not be considered for the Award.

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The selection process follows a rigorous evaluation before a Selection Committee that includes representation from the Foundation, EC and the OEA’s Board of Directors. The selection process is designed to support athletes who embody traits shared with Zara and who:

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• exhibit a passion for Eventing and a commitment to their horse

• demonstrate exceptional horsemanship and sportsmanship, and

• show a desire to compete in Ontario’s EC-sanctioned horse trials and/or train in the OEA’s U25 development program.

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Recipients of Zara Buren Memorial Award and any associated Grants of Distinction and Grants of Potential agree to serve as ambassadors for the Award, the Foundation, EC and the OEA, sharing stories throughout the season (notably through social media tagging the partners and using dedicated hash tags as provided) about their experience. It is hoped that this representation leads to the continued growth among all riders of the traits represented by Zara and the Eventers who continue to #rideforzara.