Search this site

Today, (10/23/2022) is the last day for voting! Ballots for the UDS Board positions (odd numbered years) have been emailed to eligible voters. As defined by the UDS Policies & Procedures, an eligible voter is someone who has been a UDS member since July of the election year (i.e., July 2022). New Board members will be announced at the UDS Annual Meeting in November and terms will begin on January 1, 2023. Check your spam or ‘other’ folders if you missed it. If you do not receive an email with a ballot and you think this is in error, please email membership@utahdressagesociety.com Thank you!

The Board of Directors is pleased to announce that the UDS Annual Meeting will be held on Friday, November 4, 2022 6-8 pm. The meeting will be accessible remotely (Google Meets) as well as members may attend in person (location tbd). The Board members will be together on location and will present the current “state of affairs’ of the organization. There will also be time on the agenda for members to ask questions or address the Board. RSVP’s will be required for (1) attendance in person (limited space), and (2) time to speak in the meeting (remotely or in-person). Members may also ask questions or share concerns via email prior to the meeting and the Board will do its best to share those, along with the live comments. Consequently, members will have time allotments so we can include as many members as possible. This is an opportunity for you to hear from the Board about the organization as well as directly engage with the Board members. The Annual Meeting will also signal the start of the 2023 Membership Drive - UDS memberships are from December 1st to November 30th of each year. Regardless of when you sign-up, all memberships expire on November 30th of each year. This mirrors USDF membership terms. Please email events@utahdressagesociety.com for more information or to request time on the agenda, or to share questions/comments in advance. Thank you!

The following information is being shared as a result of a Board vote Wednesday night regarding extending the UDS Membership period for 2022. This impacts Year End Awards and Perpetual Trophy winners. Please read and take action if you so desire. Please contact any Board member if you have any questions. ~ Approved unanimously by Board on 10/12/2022 The “last chance” deadline for 2022 membership will be October 17, 2022 by 5:00 pm MDT and must be completed and paid online through the UDS website. Issue Membership rule states that to qualify for UDS Year End awards (to include Perpetual Trophies), a rider must have been a member at the time the award was earned. In addition, if a rider is not the horse owner, the owner of the horse must be a UDS member as well. Background Per the UDS Policies & Procedures, the membership year runs from December 1st to November 30th. This mirrors the USDF Membership Year. It seems that in the past, there has been some leniency and exceptions given by previous Boards regarding this rule. Whether in error, or by verbal exception, awards have been given to riders who did not meet the eligibility criteria. Prior to the COVID Pandemic, the Annual Banquet, where Year End Awards were given, was held in November and most members renewed their memberships then. Then the Banquets were canceled, the show season was canceled, causing members to enroll or renew at all different times during the year. It seems necessary to reset the membership year and requirements. Discussion Preliminary Year End results indicate there are several individuals who have the highest score, but were not members at the time the score was earned; or, they did not have the required volunteer hours. Another requirement of eligibility for Year End Awards is volunteer hours. The deadline to complete and submit approved hours for 2022 Year End is November 15, 2022. Based on past practice of anecdotal granting of exceptions to rules, the change in the membership calendar, and the pandemic disruptions, it is being proposed that for 2022 Year End Awards, individuals are given an additional and final opportunity to join or renew their 2022 membership. Summary It is felt that this “last chance” period is a fair and more inclusive decision for the UDS organization for 2022. In the future, the Membership Rules will be re-stated and all memberships will run from December 1 through November 30, regardless of when paid or approved. In addition to any other terms of eligibility, membership status (for rider as well as horse owner) will need to be current at the time of receiving a score in order for them to count toward any awards to be given. The “last chance” deadline for 2022 membership will be October 17, 2022 by 5:00 pm MDT and must be completed and paid online through the UDS website. If you need to mail a check it must be post marked by the deadline. Find the form here. Mailing Address: P.O. Box 57023, Salt Lake City, UT 84157

Introducing your candidates for the 2023-2024 term! VICE PRESIDENT (OPEN) John Maznicki Hello my name is John Maznicki. I am running for UDS Vice presidency. I have been involved with Utah Dressage for 10+ years competing, breeding, coaching and volunteering. i have come to know many of our local members through the UDS, and look forward to getting to know more of you by adding being on the board as part of my service to the local community. thank you for your time, support and your vote! DIRECTOR OF COMPETITIONS Ammie Lords (INCOMBENT) I have been on the board in competitions for the last three years. I feel that it is important to grow dressage from the ground up and to give opportunities to every rider wanting to compete at all levels of dressage. Without these opportunities for all riders we will not continue to grow and expand dressage in Utah. DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS Jasmine Beckstead (INCOMBENT) I am currently your incumbent Director of Communications (2018-2020 & 2022) and am looking forward to serving another term. I am a lifelong horse enthusiast who was lucky enough to grow up riding and started on the dressage trajectory as a Junior rider. The UDS has supported me from the beginning and I am happy to continue to serve on the board now to pay it forward! DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION Mindy Simmons (INCOMBENT) I am committed to bring dressage education to Utah for all levels of riders. Dressage is a life long learning experience. Utah has such a dedicated dressage community I want to bring new clinics and experiences to uplift our community. TREASURER (OPEN) Cassie Thurgood (INCOMBENT) I have been serving on the board since August 2022. I have diverse experience in managing business and nonprofit financials as well as a Master's Degree in Business Administration. Community service is very important to me and I wish to continue giving back to the dressage community.

DONT FORGET YOU MUST SUBMIT YOUR 2022 VOLUNTEER HOURS TO QUALIFY FOR YEAR END AWARDS! Volunteer tracking form Four volunteer hours are required to qualify for UDS year end awards (Short tour and UDS/USDF/USEF). This will be the first year of short tour awards presented at the annual awards banquet! We do allow an immediate family member to proxy (e.g., parents, grandparents, child, grandchild, sibling, legal spouse, aunt, uncle, nephew, niece). Do you still need to earn hours?! Send us an email! You can still help obtain items for the upcoming silent auction, reach out to potential omnibus advertisers, write a newsletter article, etc. Do you have experience with Square Space or familiar with Google suite? Graphic design? Social media marketing? We have projects we need assistance with! Volunteer hours can be earned UDS Recognized Shows, UDS Short Tour Shows, UDS Schooling Shows (must be hosted by the UDS or have paid a UDS recognition fee), UDS Clinics (must be hosted by the UDS), UDS Banquet, Banquet Silent Auction, UDS Election, holding a UDS Board Position, holding a UDS Committee positions, or other board approved projects.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT 2 As previously published, elections for certain UDS Board positions will be held in October. The following positions are up for election and the chart shows if there is an “interim” Board member who has been serving in that position. Even if there is an “interim” Board member in the position, other qualified candidates may be considered. Per the UDS ByLaws and Policies & Procedures, eligible nominees will be considered until October 6th and then published. Nominees/candidates must have been members as of July 2022 and be qualified for the position. If you meet the criteria and would like to be included in the election, please email Ginny Sorenson - Attention: Nominating Committee - at vicepresident@utahdressagesociety.com (as previously mentioned, Ginny is vacating the Vice President position and stepping into the President role on an interim basis). See job descriptions below. The Nominating Committee consists of 3 current UDS members - one is a Board member and the others are non-Board members. This year, the Committee includes Ginny Sorenson and two of the Barn Owners’ Advisory Board members: Jan Lawrence and Morgen Bastow. As part of the Committee’s responsibility, it was confirmed that the current incumbents (those currently in positions up for election) have been asked whether they would like to be considered for election/re-election. UDS members who are eligible to be a candidate are urged to contact the Nominating Committee if they wish to run for office. By October 13th, ballots will be emailed (via Survey Monkey) to eligible voters (members as of July 1, 2022). Completed ballots may only be delivered via a response through Survey Monkey. New Board members will be announced and notified at the November Annual Meeting (date tbd) followed by an email blast to the membership. By December 1st, the new Board members will be posted on the UDS website and their terms will start on January 1st, 2023. Please spend time on this important event and participate in creating a valuable and impactful organization. Also, please feel free to ask any questions or ask for more information. Thank you! UDS JOB DESCRIPTIONS: Overall requirements for all Board positions include skills and experience appropriate for the position, the desire to promote and enhance dressage in Utah and surrounding areas, and a collaborative and inclusive style of leadership. Descriptions of all Board positions are located in the UDS ByLaws and additional information is detailed in the Policies & Procedures documents on the UDS website. Here is a brief summary for each position that is currently up for Election (2022): Vice President: The Vice President shall exercise any power or duty of the President in his/her absence. In addition, he/she will oversee designated committees, with an eye for growth of the organization, value to members, and fair and equitable policies, procedures, and practices. Secretary: The Secretary is responsible for minutes of all meetings of the Board of Directors and of all meetings of the members. In addition, the Secretary shall maintain the permanent records of UDS. Treasurer: The Treasurer shall be responsible for the financial books of UDS and shall maintain UDS financial records. Director of Communications: The Director of Communications shall inform UDS members concerning matters of interest to the members, including newsletters, social media, advertising, and mailings. Director of Competitions: The Director of Competitions shall ensure compliance, and organize and maintain results' records for any competitions recognized by UDS. Director of Education: The Director of Education shall develop programming to meet the needs of the members, to include: clinics, workshops, and scholarships. Please feel free to contact vicepresident@utahdressage.com if you have any questions or concerns.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT On August 29, 2022, Lindi Kopecki submitted her resignation as President of the UDS Board of Directors. Lindi has held this position for several years and especially helped the organization to weather some extremely challenging years including the worst times of the COVID pandemic. She has sacrificed a lot personally and professionally to head this all-volunteer organization. She has certainly earned the right to reclaim some balance in work and life…and to continue her horsemanship journey. Thanks to Lindi’s passion for dressage, she is leaving a fully staffed Board of Directors, and UDS will remain in her debt for her contributions. Following the UDS By Laws and Policies & Procedures, the current Vice President will step in as Interim President until that position comes up for election (2023). In addition, annual elections will resume effective immediately. Board positions are 2-year terms and the schedule for elections is as follows: (Board members who have been added mid-term are designated as “Interim” Board members) Terms effective January 1st, Even-Numbered Years: President, Secretary, Membership, Events Terms effective January 1st, Odd-Numbered Years: Vice President, Treasurer, Competitions, Communication, Education The annual election will be held in October 2022 for the above positions (in bold) whose terms begin in Odd-Numbered years (term to run (2023-2024). There are Interim Board Members in each of these positions and they will be listed as Incumbents on the ballot - with the exception of the Vice President position. The Interim Vice President will move into the Interim President position until October 2023. So that position is vacant/open for the next 2-year term (2023-2024). More details will be published and sent via email to UDS members. Per the UDS Policies & Procedures, voters and candidates must be on the recognized membership roster by July 1st of the election year (so in this case, by July 1, 2022). The Nominating Committee will be responsible for helping to manage and guide this process. This Committee will include a Board member and 2 non-Board members - Ginny Sorenson, Jan Lawrence, and Morgen Bastow. Please watch carefully for emails and announcements regarding the 2022 Election - the Board is critical to the furthering of the UDS mission to promote dressage in Utah and the surrounding communities. Thank you! UDS Board of Directors

2021 Year End Awards were distributed on Friday, August 12 at Millbrook Farms! UDS would like to congratulate all of the award winners. Accumulating the scores to just be eligible for these awards is a feat in itself, so winning the award is definitely cause for congratulations. UDS would also like to thank the entire membership for their patience and understanding as we struggled to get the 2021 Year End Awards calculated and handed out Scores were quite late coming from USDF and the board was still recovering from the difficult past two years. UDS is on track to have the 2022 Year End Awards Banquet as a full banquet in early 2023. Look for a Save the Date coming soon. Congratulations again and deepest thanks to all our members, Your current UDS Board of Directors

The Utah Dressage Society is pleased to announce a new scholarship opportunity for UDS members that could use some support bridging the gap from schooling/short tour shows to the USEF/USDF/UDS rated shows! There will be a few more short tour shows coming up in Utah county if you still want to qualify! Also, don’t forget that starting this year the UDS will be doing year-end short tour awards at the annual awards banquet. *Make sure you have a current UDS membership! UDS Bridge to Rated Shows Scholarship: Deadline - November 1st UDS is dedicated to furthering the education of any UDS member committed to improving their dressage knowledge and expertise regardless of age, experience, riding level, and accomplishment. Once a year the UDS will award a scholarship of ($500), to an applicant with an average Short Tour Series score of 63% or greater, that has NOT previously competed at a USEF/USDF/USD recognized show Opportunity classes are exempt. This will be used to assist in transition from schooling shows to rated showing. Award Criteria: Awards will be based on an average of the STS scores with a minimum average of 63% from three (3) scores from two (2) different shows and two (2) different judges. One (1) of those scores must be from the highest test of the level. Applicant must NOT have previously competed in USEF/USDF/UDS show, with opportunity classes exempt. Applicant MUST have 4 hour of recorded and approved volunteer hours. Applicant must include a 500 word essay detailing their show aspirations, and volunteer contributions. Funds must be used to attend a USEF/USDF/USD rated show within twelve (12) months of receipt. Applications must be RECEIVED no later than the application deadline, preferably by e-mail. Applications will be scored by the UDS board. E-mail completed applications to Education@utahdressagesociety.com. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Utah is unbelievably lucky to have access to the Racewood Riding Simulator. It is one of a handful in the USA and the ONLY one in the west! Work with a certified instructor to find better seat balance and leg stability. The sensors under the saddle measure front back left and right motion through all three gaits. The leg sensors measure left and right pressure in three different locations! Do you use one leg "harder" than the other? Come find out! Read more about the USU simulator Learn more!

Special thanks to The Dressage Foundation! The UDS was awarded a grant from the Violet Hopkins Fund to help reduce costs for our members. This is a two day, two location clinic so you can choose the best location for you! Each Session is about an hour long. Stephanie will asses your current bridle/ bit and then have you test a multitude of bits to find the right fit for your horse. Auditors welcome! Learn more About Stephanie Read about other’s experience.. Questions? Send us an email!