Bent Tree Saddle Club

Bent Tree Saddle Club Scholarship offered through the Bent Tree Foundation

In addition to the Bent Tree Tennis Committee, the Bent Tree Saddle Club is partnering with the Bent Tree Foundation for the awarding of scholarships. This Saddle Club Scholarship has been established for the benefit of young men and women from the local community seeking scholarships to educational institutions of their choice to follow an equine or veterinarian course of study. This scholarship is for graduating high school seniors or enrolled undergraduate or graduate students who have an active involvement or career plans in the equine or veterinary industry. The Bent Tree Foundation is pleased and excited to have the opportunity to assist these two fine Bent Tree clubs, which bring so many positives to the Bent Tree experience, in enhancing educational opportunities for the youth of Pickens County.

The top award for 2011 was granted to Theresa Fike. Theresa is a candidate for Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Georgia, College of Veterinary Medicine. She is in the final year of the four-year program with plans to complete her studies in the spring of 2012. Besides being an outstanding student, she is a member of the Large Animal Emergency Surgery Team where she is responsible for pre-surgical preparation of the animals as well as assisting with the procedures. Having grandparents, Jack and Martha Kerley, living in Bent Tree, enabled her to spend time over the years working at the Bent Tree Stables and riding our nearby trails.

The committee also felt that Thomas Turcotte was worthy of recognition by awarding him a runner-up scholarship. Thomas, a 2008 graduate of Pickens High School with an outstanding academic record, is an undergraduate student at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College where he is enrolled in a pre-veterinary curriculum. He has begun the application process to several veterinary schools for the fall of 2012.