UNIVERSITY PARK - Penn State junior Steven Hays of Port Matilda will be heading to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Saturday to compete in the Young Rider World Endurance Championship as part of the U.S. team.
Riders ages 14-21 were required to submit applications to compete. The selection committee looked at the riders' records, their horses' records, how well and fast they've competed and other criteria.
Hays, 21, is ranked second in the country among those who applied for the event.
Hays, an environmental resource management major in the College of Agricultural Sciences, has earned two team gold medals as the 2010 and 2011 North American champion and two individual bronze medals from the 2010 and 2011 North American Junior Young Riders championships.
