I invite every member of WDAA to join me in welcoming Cindy Butler as the new president of WDAA. Each November, the board elects board members for three-year terms and also elects officers. We have a wonderful slate of officers who will guide our Journey for this next year.

Cindy is uniquely qualified to serve as president of WDAA with her extensive background in the equine world and her dedication to Western Dressage. Cindy has provided outstanding leadership to the USEF Western Dressage Committee; her willingness to put time and effort into finding just the right words for our rules has amazed me. Anyone who has seen Cindy in action at our Annual Meeting going over the Western Dressage rule proposals will agree.

Cindy holds many judging cards, one of which is in Western Dressage. She is very active as a judge and her busy judging schedule takes her all over the country and puts her in touch with a wide variety of organizers, competitors and other judges. Cindy gave an outstanding seminar for scribes as our 2017 Group Apprentice Judging Program and filled in as a judge when one of our judges became ill. When anyone needed help, Cindy was there with a helping hand and a smile.

I have enjoyed serving as your president and thank you for your generous support. What a wonderful Journey and what great company you all are!

The complete slate of officers voted in at the meeting include the following:

President Cindy Butler

Vice-President Lisa Blackstone

Treasurer Sharron Sarchet

Secretary Thallia Blight

It is my honor and privilege to begin serving the members of the Western Dressage Association of America (WDAA) as President of the Executive Board of Directors. I thank Ellen DiBella for her amazing vision and leadership in creating WDAA from nothing and making it the fastest growing equine discipline the United States Equestrian Federation has ever seen. Thank you to my esteemed colleagues on the Executive Board for entrusting me with the responsibility for an organization so dear to all our hearts. I am grateful for your commitment to join me and our great staff in continuing with our mission to build an equine community that combines the Western traditions of horse and rider with Classical Dressage.

My promise to the membership is that I will serve you to the best of my ability with fairness and an open mind. As the chairman of the Rules Committee, I have been working diligently to ensure a clear and level playing field for all exhibitors and equines. I look forward to continuing that work along with;

• Planning the next World Show,
• Sharing exciting news about USEF’s new Competition Lite program,
• Starting a monthly opinion poll for members to weigh in on decision items,
• Rolling out Level 4 tests, and
• Working with breed organizations to promote more opportunities for you to show your horses in Western Dressage.

• Training and showing your horses in Western Dressage,
• Asking show managers to include Western Dressage in shows,
• Participating in the WDAA Horse Lifetime Points and Awards Program,
• Joining and becoming active in your nearest WDAA State Affiliate,
• Clicking on our link every time you shop with Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/ch/27-3143450
• Sponsoring classes or awards for Western Dressage at any level,
• Sharing your Western Dressage experiences with horsemen and women everywhere.