Oct 7, 2025 | NCDCTA BOD Meeting - Virtual
Attendees:Helen Ingersoll Amy Brumbach Heather Turner Jordan McKenzie-Solis Ellie Balakrishnan Heather Boyer Charlotte Meli Katherine Thornton Mandi Martyn Absent: Lisa Chisholm Ali LaTorre Will Barrus
President, Helen Ingersoll, called the meeting to order at 7:03
Heather Boyer 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
- Website to be launched for membership renewal on 11/15/25
- Will send out email about how all that’s needed is one score to qualify for Dressage championships
- President Report: Helen Ingersoll
- Ensuring that NCDCTA high score ribbons get to Cassidy for Fall Finale
- Ensuring other high score ribbons are sent out
- Order ribbons for Winter Solstice
- Winter Solstice prizelist to be coming in the next week
- Treasurer Report: Heather Turner
- Balance of $34,557.39 in accounts (down from ~48K last month due to festival)
- Vice President Report: Amy Brumbach
- Membership numbers as of 10/9/2025
- Volunteer Card Horses: 90
- Other member information of interest
- Other Horse Information of Interest
- Volunteer Card Information
- Outstanding Volunteer Cards: 2712
- Without ticket adjustment: Lost $6K (festival and harvest moon combined)
- Final financial report pending
- Show helped earn money and offset cost of festival
- Stabling and haul ins helped offset costs of festival
- CHP did amazing job! Were excited about the festival and schooling show and want to continue relationship
- Participants happy with CHP and stabling
- 2 had never been to CHP and enjoyed the venue
- Disappointed in spectator ticket sales
- Need to strategize how to do it differently for next time
- Several people came to gate to shop but not interested in spectator ticket
- Considering large sponsor for next time
- Clinicians were well received and was a well rounded group
- Enjoyed the panel questions and are promoting the NCDCTA through posting on personal pages
- Planning to upload panel questions/answers to NCDCTA YouTube
- Plan to schedule them during lunch breaks, etc
- Harvest Moon schooling show was well run by Margaret and CHP
- Planning to put survey together for participants and ticket holder
- Shout out to Ellie for hard work with hospitality
- Shout out to Heather Boyer for hard work with sponsors and vendors
- Eventing Report: Katherine Thornton
- COMPLETED = Meeting with Margaret Crevar for logistics planning for Eventing Championship
- UNDERWAY: Seeking co-chair for 2026 and expanding the CTLT to be more inclusive statewide
- UNDERWAY – “one pager” describing benefits of membership for eventers
- PROPOSED: Tik Maynard Clinic and Keynote Speaker for Gala
- PROPOSED: Lifetime Achievement Award for Roisin O’Rahilly (and others) as NCDCTA Founder (they must be NCDCTA member)
- PROPOSED: Awards for Farriers and Vets in NC, voted on by members and awarded at Banquet
- FOCUSED ON: Eventing Championship
- Emailed out “you are qualified” and tracking those who have indicated they will compete
- Tracking who’s signing up for championships so that appropriate awards go out
- Large group in novice and beginner novice divisions for champs
- Will provide mums, decorations and snacks
- NCDCTA has pop up tents (Amy will bring)
- HT has 103 qualified and CT has 72 qualified
- COMPLETED - Order Eventing Championship Ribbons from Hodges
- Katherine to follow up with Hodges, supposed to be sent to her
- NOT YET STARTED - Begin process for “Organizer Standards” program based on USEA Organizer Committee work (via CT LT team…. )
- COMPLETED USEA Area 2 – Overall Relationship
- TABLED, Get Area 2 eventing championships at CHP – doesn’t fit with the Strategic Plan for CHP
- COMPLETED - Requested eventer emails to stimulate membership from USEA
- Completed Identify scholarship opportunities, and clinic support
- Completed-Reached out re eventing clinician for Fall Festival and did receive a list of names
- TABLED – written interview with Woodge/David – potential 2026 clinicians
- COMPLETED Eventing Championship plan
- Hold Championship at Nov War Horse
- Use HOY qualifying points tracking system – approved with Will
- Post standings somewhere on the website as we go along (excel spreadsheet)
- COMPLETED an NCDCTA eventing-specific calendar workbook, checked it with organizers and with Will
- Ongoing FAQ emails to stimulate membership
- Sent FAQ#1 , #2, #3 with good response
- Started FB posts – “Why Combined Test” (Future topics include: Benefits of NCDCTA membership; Why school XC?)
- Beginning education campaign about CTs and their value to encourage beginning and aging competitors
- Drafted second newsletter article, “Moving up isn’t necessarily the point” for eventing
- Want to add FENCE and venue in Virginia as NCDCTA schooling show venues
- Show support for these venues by providing sponsorships
- Gala Report: Ellie Balakrishnan
- Working with Will to determine number of prizes and ribbons needed
- Continues to look for prize sponsors
- Plan to increase quality of prizes for HOY and championship show
- Consider 5 Star Western pad and also buckles
- Plan to award volunteer of the year and lifetime achievement
- Katherine met with founding member of NCDCTA and set up original horse trials in southern pines area
- Consider service provider award (vet and/or farrier) that are nominated/voted on by membership
- Consider Tik Maynard as keynote speaker and clinic on same weekend
- Clinic would be 15 participants (3 groups of 5)
- Would be $3-4K for both clinic and keynote speaker
- Jr/Yr Report: Mandi Martyn
- 1 applicant and awardee for festival
- 5 applicants for Nov WHES scholarship
- Consider awarding 2 scholarships (currently only 1)
- Signing up for Nov WHES championship with be additional point on rubric
- Winter Solstice: Dec 12-14, recognized dressage show
- Will count for 2025 HOY and 2026 USDF/USEF
- Heather B available in mornings and evenings for setup and tear downs
- Helen plans to create list of needs to send to group and have assignments for next BOD meeting
- Volunteer Report: Charlotte Meli
- It was difficult to find volunteers for Friday, since many people were working. Saturday and Sunday was a bit easier, but it is still a challenge. People who were participating in the clinic were willing to help which was great!
- Having incentives other than just a volunteer card might help, such as offering goodie bags.
- I am starting to build the spreadsheet for volunteer assignments for champs, I anticipate it being a large show and we will need a lot of help.
- Sponsorship Report: Heather Boyer
- Reaching out to sponsors about banners
- Getting the flow of social media posts rolling
- Updated sponsorship packet created and sent
- Communication Report: Lisa Chisholm
- Social media sponsorships: with the exception of one remaining obligation for each Diamond & Platinum sponsors, ALL required social media posts have been either published or scheduled through 2025. (the reason being that posts can only be scheduled 29 days in advance and some sponsors will go into December. I will schedule them before the end of the year!) The sponsorship fulfillment tracker has been updated to reflect the dates.
- Website: worked with Will to reformat terms and conditions for website. Building out other content. Incredibly grateful for Will's input and guidance.
- President's Message - from Helen
- Recap of Equine festival - or basic info so that I can write one up. How many attendees? How many sponsors? How many vendors? (Amy or Ali?)
- Scholarship winner writeup from Equine Festival - Mandi?
- Reminder for NCDCTA L Program - last chance/signup?
- Sponsor Advertising - @Heather Boyer I am certain I do not have all of the adds I need for this issue.
- Eventing content - Katherine?
- HOY Updates/Reminders (got this already!)
- Gala preview/coming up - when are tickets going on sale?
- Dressage Report: Ali LaTorre
- L Program: We have 20 participants and 13 auditors. We would love to get more auditors!
Old Business:
New Business:
- War horse sponsorship for 2026, additional venues outside of War Horse
- Plan to increase quality of prizes for HOY and championship show\
- Consider Tik Maynard as keynote speaker and clinic on same weekend
- Board composition:
- Let Helen know if staying or resigning in order to plan for future BOD
- Heather Turner and Lisa Chisholm planning to resign
- Will need treasurer and communication chair
- Helen putting together nominating committee for executive chairs
- President nominates other chairs
- Flightline show management offers one day level 1 show for $250 and entry fees
- Consider expanding to Eastern and Western North Carolina venues
- Motion to increase NCDCTA November WHES 2025 championship scholarships from 1 to 2. Moved by Mandi Martyn. Heather Boyer seconded the motion. The motion carried with all in favour and none opposed.
Next meeting: November 4, 2025 @ 7pm - Virtual
Helen adjourned the meeting at 8:45pm
Minutes respectfully submitted by Jordan McKenzie-Solis, Recording Secretary.
Minutes passed by majority Board vote.
Action items
- Post that HOY is up to date through 9/29
