On the twelfth of January last, at a meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Equus & Friends Foundation, it was unanimously agreed to award the 2024 Beauvalais Grant to the female equestrian Júlia Álvarez Abad.
This scholarship project was born with the idea of providing support for the promotion of equestrianism, through the recently created Equus & Friends Foundation, via the Beauvalais Scholarships, designed to sponsor young riders who wish to dedicate themselves exclusively to top-level Dressage competition. Young prospects with talent and dedication. This year there will be one scholarship for the entire 2024 financial year, consisting of €12,000 which will be paid by the Foundation in monthly instalments of €1,000, in addition to the provision of horses stabled at Villa Equus, with all expenses covered by the aforementioned Foundation, and with the beneficiary receiving the technical direction of Beatriz Ferrer-Salat, who will be involved in training the scholarship holder to help optimise their sporting talents.
The Equus & Friends Foundation was born out of the union of Beatriz Ferrer-Salat’s two passions – her love of animals and sport – and the foundations upon which it was established and has developed are rooted in respect for life and nature. That is why the Foundation’s ultimate aim is to raise awareness, educate and train the public on the protection of animals and the environment in general. However, this philosophy has been particularly focused on the protection and defence of all animals of the Equidae family, with a special emphasis on the protection and defence of horses, Beatriz’s great companions in life. Thus, within the framework of its mission and purpose, the Foundation seeks to promote the noble sport of horse riding, whilst encouraging the view of this practice as a harmonious partnership in which both horse and rider enjoy each other’s company and are committed to one another. It is precisely for all these reasons that the financial grant which forms the subject of this call for applications is named after Beatriz’s great equine companion in adventures and great successes—the horse with whom she learnt the importance of care, both physical and psychological, for both parties, and the need to work together whilst maintaining a constant balance: “Beauvalais”. In his memory, and in honour of all the successes and medals achieved, with the aim of supporting the practice of Dressage, the Beauvalais Scholarship was established, intended for Dressage athletes exclusively dedicated to top-level competition, the criteria for this edition of which are set out below: Applicants must be of legal age and of Spanish nationality, hold at least a Baccalaureate qualification (with preference given to those holding a university degree), be exclusively dedicated to the practice of high-level equestrian competition, follow a plant-based diet, have won a Spanish Championship, have been a member of the Spanish team at a European Championship in the Junior categories, and hold the First Certificate in English or provide evidence of an equivalent level of English.
As we mentioned at the beginning, the Foundation's Board of Trustees decided unanimously that the recipient of this first Beauvalais Grant should be Júlia Álvarez Abad from Catalonia, who, after finishing her studies in Dentistry, can make her dream come true by dedicating herself exclusively to high-competition Dressage thanks to this grant.
Júlia won first place in the U25 Master last year, 2023, and took part in the European Championship in the same category. Furthermore, she also won the bronze medal in the Criterium category Championship that same year. Ten years previously, she began to stand out in the pony categories. As early as 2016, she represented Spain at her first continental event with “Dark Rose”, being part of the Spanish national team that came fourth in the European Championship held in Fontainebleau (France). In 2020, with her chestnut horse “Du Pré”, she took part in the European Championship in Budapest and won the Spanish Championship. The following year she won silver in the Spanish Young Riders Championship. With this same horse, she was the gold medallist in the Criterium category at the 2022 Spanish Championship.
After finishing her studies, and thanks to the support of the Beauvalais Scholarship provided by the Equus & Friends Foundation, Júlia will be able to turn her dream into her profession and continue progressing alongside Beatriz Ferrer-Salat.
Shelly Ramírez Pino
