2021 USIHC BOD Election Nominations

In accordance with Section 2 of Article IV (Voting and Elections) of the Constitution of the USIHC, The Election Committee accepted nominations until October 14, 2021. Incumbent directors Leslie Chambers, Janet Mulder and Emily Potts are up for re-election. All three incumbent directors have opted to run for re-election. The nomination of the following individual has been submitted: Joshua Bart - Nominated by Antje Freygang and seconded by Dawn Shaw and Donnamarie Temple-Burgess.

The upcoming election shall select three directors, who will serve for terms of three years starting on January 1, 2022. Ballots will remain open through December 28, 2021 11:59pm ET.

Bios for all four candidates can be viewed below.

Leslie Chambers
I am a retired research scientist and live in Columbia County NY with my husband, Frost, and our two Icelandic Sheepdogs, Hringur and Bella.  I have loved horses all my life and bought my first Icelandic in 2009.  Currently I own, Krummi and Lipurta, both from Thor Icelandics. I joined our local regional club, NEIHC (NorthEast Icelandic Horse Club)  early on and have served the following roles:

• Treasurer and Board member of the NEIHC board since 2012.
• Show Organizer for the NEIHC Open (National Ranking Show) since 2013.
• Attended Sport Judge Seminar 2015
• Began serving on the USIHC Board in January 2016
• Chair of the Affiliated (previously, Regional) Club Committee
• USIHC Board Liaison (and member of) the Quarterly Committee
• Organized Sport Judge Seminars in 2016 (Hudson, NY) and 2019 (White River Junction, VT)
• Joined Sport Committee 2020 and help coordinate the USIHC sponsored virtual competitions.

I enjoy the Icelandic Horse community in the US and feel lucky to have friends across the entire country who share a love for this truly wonderful animal.

Janet Mulder
I began riding Icelandic Horses in 1993 and have been teaching riding lessons for the past 20 years.  I started as a teenager to younger children in Alaska and have continued to teach because I love to share my passion for riding and the Icelandic Horse. In 2002 I participated in the FEIF Youth Cup in Norrkoping, Sweden. In 2006 I passed the USIHC Intern Judge Program taught by Marlise Grimm held in Santa Ynez, CA.  In 2008 I was certified by the USIHC as a FEIF Trainer Level 1 after completing a 2-week course taught by Walter Feldman in Rutledge, GA.  I organized and rode in clinics with Steinar Sigurbjornsson annually from 2013-2019. In 2015 I formed the youth group “Tolt Alaska” and became the youth director for the Alaska Icelandic Horse Association (AIHA), a position I have held since. In 2016 I organized and participated in a Tolt in Harmony clinic with Trausti Gudmundsson, who I continue to work with. In April 2018 I attended the USIHC Intern Judge Program taught by Thorgeir Gudlaugsson in Washington.  In June 2018 I passed the Tölt in Harmony Level 1 Trainers course taught by Trausti Gudmundsson.  In 2018 I joined the USIHC board as the leisure committee chair, organizing and facilitating the Sea 2 Shining Sea Ride. In 2021, I attended the first USIHC Virtual Breeding Seminar (March).  I also attended the first Virtual FEIF Education Seminar (April) I taught two 2-day hybrid clinics with Trausi Gudmundsson in Wasilla, AK. I held our annual youth camp with a total of 10 riders in July, I organize and teach camp.  I also organized a schooling show for our the Alaska Icelandic Horse Association in September, usually this is a sanctioned show with a judge from Iceland but travel restrictions made that impossible.  I also worked with the USIHC to become partners with the United Stated Dressage Federation to allow Icelandic Horses to participate in All-Breeds awards.  With the guidance of local dressage trainer, Shelby Blades at Brookshire Acres in Anchorage, AK;  I rode my horses in first level dressage and received Champion and Reserve Champion for my level in the Alaska Finals class. I am a nationally ranked USIHC Rider in T1, T2, and V1 riding horses that I have trained from foals.  Some of my students are also nationally ranked in T8, V3, V5, and V6. In 2021, I believe that there is no short cut to developing your horse or yourself as a rider.  Success comes from patience, understanding and timing.  I currently own and operate a small riding school in Anchorage, AK.

Emily Potts
The Icelandic horse has been an integral part of who I am for over half of my life. I was introduced to the breed at 14 years old and grew up as a member of both USIHC and the Northeast Icelandic Horse Club (NEIHC). Over the past 17 years, I have participated in clinics, shows, trail rides, and breed demonstrations with my Icelandic horses. I have been serving on the USIHC BOD since 2017 and below are several highlights from the last four years:

• Managed the full USIHC website migration including data and web content as well as transitioning to a new membership management software. Continue to manage the day-to-day updates of the website and social media.
• Promotions Committee Chair
  • Facilitated the rebranding of USIHC which featured a new logo and brand colors
  • Continue to cultivate USIHC’s partnership with Horses of Iceland and helped to bring in new partners (Scootboots and Flying C Ranch Tack Shop) offering USIHC members discounts
• Provided the technology support and management for the 2020 and 2021 USIHC Virtual Shows

I have also been serving on the NEIHC BOD since 2016 and currently serve as President. My professional background is in Digital Media and Marketing and I currently work for a media agency managing employee communications campaigns ranging from mid market to fortune 500 companies. My extensive background in media and marketing aligns with my passion for promoting the Icelandic horse in the United States and worldwide.

I reside in central Vermont with my 3 Icelandic horses (Reynir, Thumall, Lotus), dog (Lollie) and cat (Hillary) where I enjoy trail riding and hiking. 

Joshua Bart
An avid traveler, and repeat visitor to Iceland year after year, Josh Bart lives in the Northern Virginia area. In 2019, Josh finally found his own Icelandic horse partner known only as “13-year old Oliver.” During the first month of 2020 lockdown, Josh spent many late nights tracking down “Oliver’s” pedigree, 8 past owners, and continental travels to discover that “Oliver” is actually Reddi fra Sonrise Icelandics, a 20-year old Icelandic from British Columbia. With his identity restored, Reddi and Josh currently foxhunt (as Reddi loves to jump) in Middleburg, Virginia. Josh is currently working to increase breed visibility and expand their opportunities within the horse world - especially given their extreme versatility, great brains, and power-to-weight ratio. Equally important, Josh would like to see greater USIHC recognition for exceptional horses and riders who have gone the distance in demonstrating their work ethic, character, and versatility.

In 2020, after working with other Icelandic horse community members to track down Reddi’s history, Josh proposed to USIHC a more streamlined way to help unregistered horses seek information to get them registered. Soon after, Josh proposed a rule change to the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) formally recognizing the Icelandic horse as a horse, thus allowing for the flexibility for Icelandic horses to compete in USEF-sponsored shows as either horses or ponies without worry of horse height requirements. The rule change is the first and only mention of Icelandic horses by USEF in any formal capacity. Josh’s proposed rule change was approved by the USEF Board of Directors in June 2021 and takes effect on 1 December 2021. Electing Josh to serve on the USIHC Board of Director’s will provide an even better springboard to champion and promote the world’s best horse breed - after all, if they were good enough for the Vikings, they are certainly good enough for the rest of us.