2024 USPC Academy of Achievement Honorees Announced

The United States Pony Clubs (USPC) Academy of Achievement recognizes alumni who have attained notable success in their chosen field. Each year, several USPC alumni are inducted into the Alumni Academy of Achievement and join current members during the two-day National Youth Congress, which is held in conjunction with the USPC Convention.

Two outstanding Pony Club alumni were inducted into the Academy of Achievement during the 2024 USPC Convention, Presented by Via Nova Training, and Sponsored by Lincoln Memorial University. At the conference, the Academy of Achievement met with National Youth Congress delegates to guide and mentor the current generation of Pony Club members, bringing the voice of experience into the discussions. They listen, encourage, laugh, commiserate with the delegates, and share personal stories of success and failure, helping the youth delegates to recognize that life is filled with the unexpected and that flexibility and a sense of humor can be as important as excellent goals and plans.

The Academy of Achievement and National Youth Congress are made possible with support from the Western & English Sales Association (WESA). Additional contributions to the 2024 National Youth Congress were provided by Coach Daniel Stewart’s Pressure Proof Coaching Academy.

Congratulations to the Academy of Achievement Class of 2024:

Stacy Anderson, DVM, PhD

Stacy Anderson, DVM, PhD, has been involved with horses and veterinary medicine most of her life. Her parents, both veterinarians, introduced her to riding when she was 4 years old, and she eventually became involved in Dressage and Eventing, competing through Preliminary level in Eventing and Fourth level in Dressage. She is a Pony Club alum with an A certification and has continued to be involved with the organization as a National Examiner and through various national committees. She continues to train and compete in Dressage in her free time.

Dr. Anderson graduated from Iowa State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine with honors in 2004. Subsequently, she developed and ran a large horse training business in Iowa that specialized in Dressage and Eventing. After a few years, she returned to veterinary medicine full time by completing two large animal/equine surgical internships, one at a private practice in Chicago, Ill., and the other at the University of Tennessee. She then went on to complete a large animal surgical residency before earning her PhD at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Dr. Anderson has a passion for teaching, which ultimately drew her to the Lincoln Memorial University College of Veterinary Medicine (LMU-CVM), where the student-centered model of education closely aligned with her previous experiences. In 2016, she was promoted to Director of Large Animal Clinical Skills at LMU-CVM, where she contributed to the development of a successful clinical skills program that has attracted many visitors from other veterinary colleges to learn about the program. In 2019, Dr. Anderson was promoted into administration and was named Dean of LMU-CVM in 2020.

Bo Varnado

Bo Varnado is a H-A alum from Centaur Pony Club in the Southern California Region. She is actively involved with the United States Pony Clubs as a member of the Board of Governors, Chair of the Marketing and Communications Committee, Co-Chair of the D-1 through C-2 Curriculum Committee, and Chair of the Regional Resource Committee. As a former DC, VRS, RIC, and RS she strives to continue volunteering at the local and regional level when time allows.

Varnado earned her bachelor’s degree in animal physiology with minors in chemistry and psychology from the University of California, San Diego and later went on to earn a MA in literacy. Studying abroad at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland fueled a lifelong interest in travel. Continuing to travel frequently provides different perspectives, which she finds valuable for remaining flexible in life. Varnado worked in design, planning, and marketing for a utility company prior to discovering her calling to education. Her teaching certificate encompasses grades kindergarten through twelfth grade, but most of her classroom time was spent in kindergarten through third grade at both Montessori and independent study public schools. Now retired, Varnado enjoys tutoring local students as a specialist in reading and literacy.

Hiking and exploring the outdoors near her home in rural inland San Diego County is now a daily occurrence. She lives with her husband and numerous animals on a small farm. They have a son (D-2 alum, married to a former USPC member) and a daughter (B Eventing alum) and they enjoy visiting and sharing adventures with their kids. Varnado believes in the enduring benefits of being with horses and hopes that the lessons they can teach us become ever more available and accessible to everyone.

To learn more about the USPC Academy of Achievement, visit www.ponyclub.org/Alumni/AcademyofAchievement.aspx. Nominations are due by July 15 each year. To support the Academy of Achievement and National Youth Congress, click here.