July 1, 2009

IEA Members, Exhibitors, Coaches and Friends,

Welcome to the 2009-2010 IEA academic horse show year. Again we have seen an appreciated growth to our association in the previous year. 2008-9 was a great year with many challenges for our board of directors as they worked to meet the needs of our membership. We now consist of over 2000 members and nearly 300 teams. Last year we also realized over 130 shows leading us to our National Finals in Painesville, Ohio. Lake Erie College hosted this successful event. They were great to work with and accommodated our nationals in an exemplary fashion.

In the coming year, we have some very exciting news. Our membership office, to better serve our members, will be assisted by two employees whose duties will be to efficiently join members, track points, and help field your inquiries throughout the year. These duties will be handled by Jennifer Eaton and Kathryn Quinlan who can be reached via the IEA website, www.rideiea.com. The executive board and the board of directors have also added the new position of Executive Director. We are proud to announce Roxane Lawrence has been hired to serve the IEA in this capacity. She is a founding member of the IEA and understands the direction as well as the evolution of our association.

The equestrian students have been and always will be the heart of this association. We look for these changes in organization to make the IEA more efficient, productive, and enjoyable for every student that shows with us. It has been a pleasure to serve as your president last year, and I look forward to serving again in the 2009-10 year. I truly hope this year proves to be the best yet!

Thanks for the privilege!

Ollie Griffith
IEA President