Honoring Dan Taylor

While it’s a few weeks past Father’s Day, we couldn’t be more proud to share the efforts of IDS member Karen Taylor in honoring the memory of her father, Dan Taylor, who passed away last December due to cancer. Karen decided to create a scholarship fund in the name of her father which will be gifted through IDS beginning in 2019 (details to be provided later).  Her story of having a non-horsey parent who supported a child in their passion for horses might be familiar to some.

As Karen notes, “Even though he was not originally a horse person, he became one over the years because of me and my sister, Lisa. He would sponsor classes, sponsor exhibitor parties, work as gatekeeper, announcer and other duties. He also diligently brought donuts to horse shows, built countless saddle racks, and always brought treats for the horses. He and my mom were just the most supportive parents.”

The idea of creating this fund came soon after he passed. “Basically, I came up with the idea a few days after my dad died in December,” Karen shared.  “I wanted a way to honor him, and create a legacy in his name. I would not have horses today without their support–that is for sure! So, I thought I would like to help other horse crazy gals pursue their dreams, like my dad had helped me reach mine. Thus, this scholarship was born!”

Karen has been a member of IDS since 2014. She has been riding for about 31 years in various disciplines, including saddleseat and hunters, and then fell in love with dressage in 2008.

As noted above, the scholarship will be gifted through the Indiana Dressage Society and will begin in 2019. The intent is to support adult amateurs who work so hard to live their dream. Karen has hopes to grow the fund, and offer it to other organizations as well. Given the initial response to her GoFundMe campaign, that goal seems quite achievable! As Karen excitedly shared, “Currently, almost $2000 has been raised for the scholarship! This ensures it will be funded for TEN YEARS!!! And there is opportunity to raise the scholarship amount, or possibly offer TWO per year! I am so humbled and blown away by the generosity of people. I cannot wait to present this scholarship!” Karen also plans to use the funds to make a small donation to the Prostate Cancer Foundation in her father’s name.

Please click on the link below if you’d like to participate in this heartfelt effort. While Karen notes that, with all of the donations so far, “My dad would just be beaming!”, it suffices to say that we are all beaming right with him. Thanks for sharing your story, Karen, and best of luck in your funding drive.

DAN TAYLOR SCHOLORSHIP FUND