Apr 8, 2025 | NCDCTA Board Meeting - Virtual
Attendees:Helen Ingersoll Amy Brumbach Heather Turner Jordan McKenzie-Solis Heather Boyer Ellie Balakrishnan Charlotte Meli Todd Erickson Katherine Thornton Mandi Martyn Lisa Chisholm Ali LaTorre Will Barrus
President, Helen Ingersoll, called the meeting to order at 7:06
Mandi Martyn read the NCDCTA Charter.
NCDCTA BOARD TEAM CHARTER:
- We the board of the NCDCTA hold the following values as guiding principles to carry out the mission of our organization.
- To educate, promote camaraderie and recognize achievement in dressage and eventing.
- Respect, Humility, Patience, Self Awareness, Supportiveness, Accountability, Listening, Generosity, and Helpfulness
- Communication that is: Clear, Flexible, Ongoing, Supportive, Constructive and Safe while celebrating brave efforts to question and disagree.
- Decision making that is shared. Roles that can be flexible and board members that are engaged, present, and share appreciation for and with one another, freely.
Reports:
- Membership Secretary Report: Will Barrus
- Goal is 700 members this year
- HOY: going well, exampled by in 2023/2024 we didn’t have updates until first week of May; already being posted now
- 285 scores posted to date
- Some learning experiences with mistakes being posted
- Posting results breaks down into 2 pieces: Collecting data and entering output to database
- Entering output will remain manual until new website
- Self submission has not negatively impacted membership
- Presidents Report: Helen Ingersoll
- Tying up loose ends for competition recognition for NCDCTA shows
- Been working with Will on proposal for scope of work that Will is doing on website, plan to present at next executive committee meeting
- Vice Presidents Report: Amy Brumbach
- Current membership numbers for 4/8/2025
- Total Members: 510 – 15% increase over this time last year.
- Paid Horses: 282
- Volunteer Card Horses: 68
- Total Horses: 350 – 19% increase of this time last year.
- Other member information of interest
- New Members: 92
- Renewing Members: 342
- Reactivated Members: 77
- Dressage Only: 288
- Western Dressage: 68
- Dressage & Eventing: 160
- Eventing Only: 45
- Breeding: 25
- Lifetime Members: 6
- Trainers: 51
- Officials: 24
- E-News ONLY: 61
- Female: 480
- Male: 22
- Gender Unknown: 9
- Other Horse Information of Interest
- New Horses: 123
- Renewing Horses: 194
- Reactivated Horses: 33
- Volunteer Card Information
- Outstanding Volunteer Cards: 2729
- Festival:
- Zero based budgeting finalized
- NCDCTA member minimal markup, non-NCDCTA member markup is significantly more (encourages purchasing NCDCTA membership)
- Stabling will be a 2 or 3 night package for festival; 1 night option for Harvest Moon schooling show
- Stephen Hayes and Daniel Stewart are contracted
- What if events needs to be cancelled for any reason?
- Heather Turner states that normal event insurance doesn’t cover cancellation - only injury, etc
- Stephen Hayes will apply fee to future event if cancellation
- What if a rider or auditor wants to cancel?
- Todd and Amy to work on language around this (plan to maintain that the purchaser is responsible for cost, no cancellation reimbursement)
- Unable to secure eventing clinician at this time, has sent many many emails
- Katherine and Amy to work together to form a plan re: communication/PR contingency plans
- Consider NC clinician, USEA collaboration around promotion
- Hatha Equus with focus on intrinsic movement, hoping for liberty demo, clinic based on “helping people with their horses at shows”
- Clinic will include an online pre-clinic
- Ali and Amy looking for lecture ideas
- Treasurer Report: Heather Turner
- We have about $21,000 in equity in a bond account
- Tax prep is complete and letter signed
- Insurance/certificates are done for 2025 L program
- Completed donation for Western NC disaster relief to Fleet of Angels
- First sponsorship payment is in
- Payments for L program coming in
- Competition Report: Todd Erickson
- Working on Harvest Moon schooling show and logistics, coming together rapidly
- Planning for dressage and CT
- Will start with 2 rings and move up from there as needed
- Working towards securing judges for Winter Solstice
- Winter Solstice will count towards 2026 USDF show year, will count towards 2025 HOY for NCDCTA
- Jr/Yr Report: Mandi Martyn
- 2025 Jr/YR Dressage Scholarships
- Currently only 1 show (Winter Solstice) = $1280
- Potentially $3840 available
- Keep Winter Solstice scholarships the same (see above, Total = $1280)
- Offer 2 Jr/YR dressage scholarships for Harvest Moon schooling show
- 1 stall + 2 regular classes = ~$220
- Offer 2 Jr/YR eventing scholarships for the Harvest Moon schooling show, CT track
- No requirements (does not need to qualify, because there is not qualifying at CT)
- Covers stall ($110) & CT entry ($110) = $220
- Offer 1 Jr/YR eventing scholarships for the NCDCTA recognized War Horse November Competition
- Covers stall ($110) & horse trial entry ($180) = $290
- Requirements: Needs to have previously qualified for championships
- Offer 1 Jr/YR grant for the NCDCTA festival to ride with ANY clinician
- Total scholarship money for 2025 = ~$2750
- Requires that the horse and rider must be NCDCTA members
- Dressage4Kids TEAM clinic coming up this weekend, April 12-13
- Working on mimosa sponsorship for Winter Solstice
- Eventing Report: Katherine Thornton
- Organizing Eventing Committee – underway
- COMPLETED - NCDCTA IS USEA Affiliate Member and am (still) waiting for the NC eventer mailing list from the USEA
- Drafted an NCDCTA eventing-specific calendar and am working with Will to get it on the website
- Finalize Eventing page on NCDCTA.org – work with Will, highlight this in the communications
- COMPLETED - Worked with Mandi to add Jr/YR scholarship for the Eventing Championships for HT and CT
- COMPLETED - Submitted an article for the newsletter
- COMPLETED - Medal Program - on hiatus for 2025
- COMPLETED - Eventing Championship
- Hold Championship at Nov War Horse
- Use HOY qualifying points tracking system
- Post standings somewhere on the website as we go along (excel spreadsheet)
- COMPLETED - Emailed introduction to Organizers
- COMPLETED - Revised the HOY qualification for Modified HTs
- Beginning Discussions - Work with USEA Area 2
- Get Area 2 eventing championships at CHP
- Identify scholarship opportunities, and clinic support
- NOT YET STARTED - Work with CHP (Margaret Crevar)
- NOT YET STARTED - Order Championship Ribbons (and Medals for 2024)
- NOT YET STARTED - Begin process for “Organizer Standards” program based on USEA Organizer Committee work
- Introduction to NC eventers (Include FAQ) – email (FAQ draft attached)
- Ongoing 1/4ly FAQ emails to stimulate membership
- Explain USEA benefits (credit of $35 toward USEA membership as well as list the other benefits – access to discounts, etc.)
- Volunteer Report: Charlotte Meli
- Gala Report: Ellie Balakrishnan
- Dressage Report: Ali LaTorre
- Working on lectures for equine festival. Only one confirmed so far - Mary from Correct Connect. Have reached out to 4star hauling about hauling safety, the artist with MS that does the painting at the shows to do a demo and a few others.
- No progress on the L program, plan to make more of a marketing plan. Need to resubscribe to eventcreate in order to login
- Sponsorship Report: Heather Boyer
- Breezeway has sent sponsorship check
- Donna Parker with DMP Equine Insurance has agreed to do Platinum Level sponsorship
- Interested in doing a luncheon for the Festival
- Cabin Branch is interested in Gold Level sponsorship
- KK Stitches with embroidery has committed to Bronze Level sponsorship and in-kind donation/sponsorship for Gala embroidery (final price pending)
- Valkyrie Sporthorses has committed to Bronze Level sponsorship
- Foundation Equine is in the works
- Communications Report: Lisa Chisholm
- Working with Will to move forward with the new website, Wild Apricot
- Plan to be done by July 1, 2025
- Plan to have mockup ready for next meeting
- Newsletter due June 15, 2025
- NCDCTA page is not for “sale” items (especially nonmembers)
Old Business:
- Discussion at EC committee around NCDCTA being award sponsor at Sporting Horse Services schooling show championships (Fall Finale)
- Plan for NCDCTA member high point award
- Plan to have NCDCTA BOD representative onsite
- Benefits include getting to advertise at Sporting Horse Services Fall Finale which could be used to promote Fall Festival, Winter Solstice, and L Program
- Awaiting cost of sponsorship from Sporting Horse Services
New Business:
- Motion to adopt 2025 equine festival budget. Moved by Amy Brumbach. Heather Turner seconded the motion. The motion carried with all in favour and none opposed.
- Motion to adopt jr/yr scholarship proposal with discussed changes around Harvest Moon CT scholarships and Equine Festival grant. Moved by Mandi Martyn. Lisa Chisholm seconded the motion. The motion carried with all in favour and none opposed.
- Motion to become sponsors of Sporting Show Services Fall Finale. Moved by Helen Ingersoll. Mandi Martyn seconded the motion. The motion carried with all in favour and none opposed.
Next meeting: May 6, 2025 - VIRTUAL
Helen adjourned the meeting at 8:41pm
Minutes respectfully submitted by Jordan McKenzie-Solis, Recording Secretary.
