Hello to All,
My name is Vicki Bye and I have been elected as the new President of IDS. Out of my love for dressage and all things horses, it was very natural for me to want to serve on the Board of IDS. I hope that I will be able to help, inspire, motivate and encourage everyone within the dressage community. I know many of our members but look forward to meeting more and more of you, hopefully at some of the clinics and shows around our state.

I thought I would give you a little bit of my background in the horse world. I started riding when I was 10 years old, like most, in the backyard of a family member. Of course I fell head-over-heels in love with horses and so the obsession began. I rode hunters and then jumpers through high school and then life begins and had to take a break -- AKA no money! But I soon got my chance and started riding again, this time "trying out" dressage. Guess what? I loved it! After riding for about three years in dressage I was ready to start showing. Problem was I didn't have a horse of my own. Along comes Cali, a four year old percheron/thoroughbred corss. While at the time she wasn't much to look at, she always felt safe. So off we go to the Kentucky Horse Park over Memorial Day weekend for our first show. Cali was great as I was a nervous wreck. We did pretty well until it was time for us to do our training level test one. We went up against a whole club of very cute young girls and all of their adorable ponies. Needless to say we got our pants beat off of us, and the reality of how hard this sport is, completely set in. Cali is now 11 and the two of us have grown together steadily.

There are many aspects of this sport that I truly love, most importantly are all the people that you can meet and learn from in this journey. We all need the support and wisdom of everyone within this community, which is where I think this club shines. It can be a great source for many who seek knowledge, guidance and the support from others.

In closing, I would like to thank the Board and all the members for this opportunity to serve as the President for IDS. It is a great honor and privilege.

Till Later,

Carrot Dreams and Peppermint Wishes!

Vicki Bye