Memorial Scholarships
Paul M. Hougard
As a tribute to active and retired military personnel as well as active or retired first responders’, Paul would like to extend this scholarship to those individuals as a thank you for their dedication to their communities.
Paul is currently the COO and CFO of Equinology® INC located in Bodega Bay, CA. He is a retired Fresno SWAT police officer and a former US Army Combat Paratrooper.
Currently Equinology offers the Paul M. Hougard Scholarship award which is a $200 discount for those actively enrolled or retired in the military and those active or retired in the first responders’ community (police, fire fighter, ambulance staff) in good standing for USA West Coast courses for which we collect tuition. This is for new enrollments and is not intended for past courses attended. The scholarship is intended for one use per person only on onsite USA West Coast courses only.
If eligible please write or call Paul Hougard at 707.377.4313 (M-F 9am-12pm PT) or equinologyoffice@gmail.com. You will need to provide proof of your military or first responder participation or employment.

Dr. Kerry Ridgway
The late Dr Kerry Ridgway taught Equinology’s Saddle Fitting program for many years. He was well known and respected for his independent, no-compromise approach to saddle fitting and was a favorite amongst students. With his passing in early 2015, Equinology was left with a huge loss; there will never be another Dr Ridgway.
To honor Dr Ridgway’s legendary contribution to the equine world we will offer a $500 scholarship every other year. The next one offered will be for the 2022 USA West Coast onsite courses. Applications are accepted after January first of the award year.
Please note: if you have already registered for a particular USA West Coast onsite course before receiving the scholarship we will credit your award to any balance remaining and refund your monies if paid in full already.

Provide a typed narrative in 750-1,000 words addressing the following question:
How would learning about equine health care and science change your current approach to equine care or training?
Essays less than the minimum word count or over the maximum word count will not be reviewed.
Also, in addition to the 750-1000-word essay, please provide answers and confirmation for the following:
- Your Full Name
- Phone number
- Email address
- Postal address
- Current profession (whether in horse industry or not)
- Have you studied with Equinology in the past? (yes/no)
- Why do you deserve to be the Dr Kerry Ridgway Memorial Scholarship recipient?
- Please confirm that you understand that if you are chosen for the scholarship and are unable to attend a course in the year of the award, you will forfeit your scholarship. This scholarship is not transferable or exchangeable.
- Are you over the age of 18?
- If under the age of 18, do you have parental/guardian permission to attend the course?
DR KERRY RIDGWAY USA MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Terms & Conditions
Scholarship Applications close on Feb 15th of the scholarship year, 5PM PT. No exceptions. These awards will be chosen by March first and are good for one year only after which they expire.
Scholarship applications are considered eligible for consideration if:
- All of the application questions are answered
- The applicant is over 18 years of age. Applicants under the age of 18 at the time of the course must have parent/guardian approval to attend the course.
- The response to the essay question is strictly within the word count (750 -1,000 words)
Selection Criteria & Judging Process
- All eligible applications will be considered equally and fairly by Equinology® INC.
- The applications will be ranked in order of preference and the scholarship place offered to the person ranked as number one.
- The winner will be announced via the Equinology Inc Facebook page on or before March 2nd.
- The successful scholarship recipient will have 4 calendar weeks from the date of being notified to accept the scholarship by completing a registration for the course they plan to attend for that year’s award. If Equinology® Inc does not receive the Scholarship Recipient’s enrollment the scholarship is voided.
Terms & Conditions
- The Scholarship package is strictly non-refundable, non-exchangeable and non-transferable under any circumstances (including non-transfer of course fees to another course, the same course offered on a different date or location etc).
- If the chosen scholarship recipient had already enrolled and secured a place in a scheduled course during their scholarship duration and paid either a course deposit or enrollment fees in entirety, up to $500 will be refunded in full by Equinology® Inc.
- In the unlikely event that Equinology® INC cancels the course, the scholarship recipient will be offered a place in the rescheduled course.
- Equinology® INC is not responsible for any losses incurred to the student as a result of accepting the scholarship, losses incurred through travel bookings and/or cancellations. The scholarship recipient is responsible for booking their own travel arrangements and securing travel insurance to cover them during the trip.
- Normal registration and refund policies apply for this award.
Anatomy in Clay Center of Denver Colorado
The Anatomy in Clay Center of Denver Colorado often offers scholarships for Jon Zahourek’s 6 day EQUINE CoreData™1 (Equiken® Anatomy in Clay) Courses. Please contact info@anatomyinclaycenters.org to see if there are any current awards.
If eligible please write or call Paul Hougard at 707.377.4313 (M-F 9am-12pm PT) or equinologyoffice@gmail.com. You will need to provide proof of your military or first responder participation or employment.
