The Board of Directors of the United States PRE Association announced that Lizbeth “Betsy” Ketcham was confirmed as the new President of USPRE by unanimous vote at the the Mid-Year Meeting in October 2015. The new term will commence on 1 January 2016.
Betsy accepted the nomination with pleasure. “I am honored to be chosen to serve as President of USPRE,” said Betsy, “However, I do feel the pressure of filling the shoes of Kim Boyer whose vision has brought us to the successful place we are today.”
The Board, which is a working board, fulfills many roles on the association’s various committees such as the Dressage Committee, the Management Committee, and the liaison to the Breeders Executive Committee (BEC), which just finished its first full year as astand-alone committee. Betsy has served as Vice President of USPRE, Chairperson of the BEC and later as liaison to the BEC.
Betsy and her husband Chris own Ketcham Ranch and they have been importing, breeding and competing PRE horses for over 15 years in Northern California. Their focus has always been to produce quality PRE horses with the gaits, conformation and ridability to compete at the highest levels of dressage. Some of the most decorated ANCCE Best Movement and Functionality winners have come from their program. They purchased their cornerstone breeding stallion, Faralay II, in Spain as a two year old, and brought him up through the levels to Grand Prix. At the present, his sisters, sons and daughters continue his legacy in the herd at Ketcham Ranch. Betsy’s professional career as an engineer and small business owner give her a solid foundation to carry on the important work of USPRE.
Betsy steps into the shoes of the President on the 1st of January 2016 and one of her first responsibilities will be to oversee USPRE Week in Wellington and the Annual Meeting of the Board of Directors. During this yearly celebration of the Spanish Horse in Wellington, Florida, USPRE members converge to enjoy 4 days of seminars and clinics, special events celebrating the PRE horse, and world-class dressage competition. “I am eager to get started,” said Betsy, “but we are so successful now, I plan to make few if any changes in the immediate future. My goal will be to continue the excellent work Kim and the rest of the Board has started, and to take a look at new opportunities as well.”
Kim Boyer reports, “Betsy has earned this position. She is a good leader, has a thorough understanding of what this Board does and must do going forward in an era of great growth for the PRE sector in America She has a passion for the PRE and a breeder’s perspective, which is imperative to running this association of breeders and owners. I am pleased to turn over the gavel to Betsy.” Kim will stay on the Board as called for in the Bylaws of USPRE, but she will no longer have a role of Officer. “I am ready to let someone else take this on,” says Kim, who has recently accepted the position of Chairman of the Dressage Owners Task Force for USEF.
Related Links
2016 USPRE Week is Just Around the Corner
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USPRE Dressage Committee Introduces New Initiative for FEI Riders: the COPA USPRE