USPRE President's Year- End Letter

Dear Members, As 2017 closes, I look back at this year with fondness for all of you who have made the USPRE Association the success that it is—starting with our BREEDERS, whose passion for the PRE Horse is palpable, producing better, stronger, more utile horses for the American market, and whose desire to preserve tradition has led you to collect the best Spanish bloodlines and bring them here for development of the American PRE herd Breeding is a vocation of the heart, and done with great patience and financial sacrifice At USPRE we recognize your dedication and appreciate your commitment to your mares and stallions, for you are the backbone of all we do here in the United States for our horses

We also recognize the RIDERS and TRAINERS who make up a big portion of our membership You who spend the hours in the saddle are especially important We know how unique our horses are, but you show the world We have a wonderful number of people who participate across the country in our dressage programs—from Adult Amateurs to Youth to Professionals, and the tally of scores at the end of the year always show quality and great effort on the part of our riders We appreciate your time, skill, and willingness to participate You are our stars!

Furthermore, we celebrate our VOLUNTEERS—those of you who donate your time and talents to our association through work at shows, attendance at receptions and clinics, donation of art, photography and videos, promotion of our horses on social media, and the testimonials of the many rewards of a relationship with a noble PRE horse Your passion is infectious, your enthusiasm is a bright light among our community and your commitment to the success of USPRE carries us through our efforts throughout the year

Finally, I want to recognize our STAFF—a dedicated group of professionals who, on a daily basis, balance the demands of our members and breeders with the high expectations of our parent Studbook in Sevilla They do their best to resolve the complicated issues that can arise from horse transactions and keep the flow of services moving for the benefit of the marketplace and the individual owner They are our first point of contact for newcomers to our breed, and their professionalism and positive attitudes are appreciated by all of us who utilize the office for our needs

2018 looks to be another good year for USPRE The Board will meet in January and we will begin to implement updates, including much needed changes to our membership billing system, the BEC, and a proposed TRC in 2018 Our hope is that the website’s new format will make all processes easier and obtaining news and information more convenient I am looking forward to starting the year with our biggest event—USPRE Week in Wellington, and seeing many of you there This week of dinners, shows, and meetings takes a huge amount of advanced planning and work, and we depend so much on the help of our Board of Directors and volunteers We hope as many of you can join us as possible

In the meantime, on behalf of the Board, I want to wish you the best of Holidays, a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year

Sincerely,

Kimberly Van Kampen USPRE President