Committees

To contact a committee chair, click their name to create an email.

 Aisle of Breeds (at State Fair)

Committee Members:
  • Gayle Belden, Co-Chair
  • Darrell Mead, Co-Chair
  • Ann Graney Hoffman
  • Trina Joyce
  • Barb Whiteis
  • Kathy Juhl

Horse breeders are invited to display a breed of horse at the MN State Fair; to let people touch their horses, to answer questions, and generally to act as good will ambassadors to the horse industry. The more the public has the opportunity to get to know a variety of horses and the people who own and care for them, the more the horse industry will grow.

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Annual Meeting

Committee Members:
  • Dawn Moore, Chair
  • Darrell Mead
  • Andrea Dubay
  • Ann Hoffmann
  • Sandy Helgeson

 Every January the Minnesota Horse Council holds a dinner meeting to gather current members, recruit new members, and elect new directors. At the dinner, the MHC's awards for Grants, Horse Person of the Year, Scholarships and Trail Funding are announced.

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Budget and Finance

Committee members are the Executive Board:
  • Elissa Lindsoe, Chair
  • Tracy Turner
  • Darrell Mead
  • Ann Graney Hoffmann
  • Dawn Moore

This committee is responsible for reviewing prior year's expenses and checking with all other committee chairmen and MHC officers on projected needs for the coming year, and then drafting a proposed budget.

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Certified Stables

Committee Members:
  • Judy Jensen, Co-Chair
  • Karen Clark, Co-Chair
  • Barb Anderson-Whiteis
  • Gayle Belden
  • Tim Bonham
  • Dave Fleischhaker
  • Ann Graney Hoffmann
  • Trina Joyce
  • Darrell Mead
  • Doug Persian

Responsible for certifying stables for safety and regulations set forth by the MN Horse Council.

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Communications

Committee Members:
  • Meg Sax, Chair
  • Ann Graney Hoffmann
  • Linda Dahl-staff

Responsible for the MHC newsletter "For Horse's Sake!"

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Direct Funding

Committee Members:

This committee distributes money raised by the MN Horse Expo and through other MHC means to the state's horse industry in the form of direct funding to various groups.

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Disaster Response

Committee Members:

The disaster team assists the horse industry in preparation and response to a variety of disaster situations. There are local coordinators in many counties, organized by the committee, ready to work with local officials in emergency situations. The committee also helps train local officials in dealing with the needs of horses and other livestock in emergency situations.

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Expo

Committee Members:
  • Darrell Mead, Chair
  • Jenny Buskey (Vice-Chair)
  • Sue Suter (Treasurer)
  • Barb Whiteis (Secretary)
  • Dave Fleischhaker
  • Brenda Miller
  • Leslie Stewart
  • Tracy Turner
  • Dawn Moore
  • Staff --Alison Eklund (Attorney at Law)
  • Staff -- Kathy Juhl (Director of Marketing, Clinicians, & Scheduling)
  • Staff -- Linda Dahl (Program editing and publishing)

This committee constitutes the board of directors responsible for Minnesota's largest equine expo put on each spring at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. Six MHC Board members will serve on the 11 member Expo board.

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Expo Budget Review

Committee Members:
  • Darrell Mead, Chair
  • Dave Fleischhaker
  • Brenda Miller
  • Jennifer Buskey
  • Sue Suter
  • Dawn Moore

This committee is responsible for reviewing prior year's expenses for the Expo and checking with all other committee chairmen and MHC officers on projected needs for the coming year, and then drafting a proposed budget.

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Grants

Committee Members:
  • Tim Bonham, Co-Chair
  • Trina Joyce, Co-Chair
  • Karen Clark
  • Darrell Mead
  • Meg Sax
  • Tracy Turner

This committee distributes money raised by the MN Horse Expo and through other MHC means to the state's horse industry in the form of grants.

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Horseperson of the Year

Committee Members:
  • Karen Clark, Co-Chair
  • Judy Jensen, Co-Chair
  • Tim Bonham
  • Darrell Mead
  • Dawn Moore

This program was started a quarter-century ago as a way to honor some of the outstanding people in the horse industry -- those who stand out from the rest for their contributions to equine activities.

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Horse Welfare Committee

Committee Members:

This committee directs the leadership role MHC takes regarding unwanted horses in Minnesota with participation in the legislative process, education of horse owners, special projects to reduce the numbers of unwanted horses, and certification of horse rescue stables.

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Inventory/Storage 

Committee Members:
  • Darrell Mead, Chair
  • Meg Sax

This committee is responsible for tracking all properties belonging to the Minnesota Horse Council and the Minnesota Horse Expo.

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Legislative

Committee Members:
  • Tracy Turner, Co-Chair
  • Tim Bonham
  • Dave Dayon
  • Allison Eklund
  • Dale Froyum
  • Kim Otterson

Represents the interests of the horse industry at the state and national level. Offers expertise, when needed, and keeps track of what's happening in government that affects the horse industry.

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Minnesota High School Equestrian Association

Committee Members:
  • Ann Graney Hoffman, Chair
  • Dawn Moore
  • Barb Anderson-Whiteis
  • Doug Persian
  • Emily Maiwurm
  • Marcy Eickholt
  • Mari Ertz

The Minnesota High School Equestrian Association is a 501(3)(c) non-profit corporation whose mission is to promote equestrian disciplines as a high school team sport with an emphasis on education, citizenship and recognition of equestrian athletes.

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Nominations

Committee Members:

Executive Board:

  • Darrell Mead, Chair
  • Ann Graney Hoffmann
  • Tracy Turner
  • Dawn Moore

It is the responsibility of this committee to suggest names of, and obtain background information on, worthy and sincerely interested individuals to be submitted as possible candidates as directors of the MHC.

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Pioneer Award

Committee Members:

This program was started as a way to posthumously honor people who have been Pioneers in the horse industry in Minnesota -- those who have been leaders in fostering others in the state's equine world.

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Promotions

Committee Members:
  • Meg Sax, Chair
  • Ann Graney Hoffmann
  • Judy Jensen
  • Trina Joyce
  • Kris Kelly
  • Kim Otterson
  • Doug Persian

The primary task of this committee is to promote the Minnesota Horse Council by attending trade shows and the State Fair Aisle of Breeds; to prepare and submit ads and to maintain and prepare materials for MHC booths at activities.

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Scholarships

Committee Members:
  • Trina Joyce, Chair
  • Karen Clark
  • Kathy Mueller
  • Joan Schulz
  • Tracy Turner
  • VeeAnn Wood

This committee offers scholarships to students in equine-related fields. In recent years, over $20,000 a year has been given through academic scholarships.

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Show Facilities

Committee Members:
  • Kris Kelly, Co-Chair
  • Karen Clark
  • Kathy Mueller
  • Kim Otterson

This committee collects and publishes information on horse show facilities in Minnesota.

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State Horse Council

Committee Members:
  • Darrell Mead, Co-Chair
  • Tracy Turner
  • Dawn Moore

This committee represents the MHC on the State Horse Council Activities Committee of the American Horse Council. Two members of this committee will go to the AHC meeting in Washington D.C. in Mid-June and four members attend the AHC SHCAC meeting in various locations in the first full weekend of November.

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Temporary Emergency Equine Feed Aid  (TEEFA)

Committee Members:

The TEEFA committee directs the use of MHC funds and donated funds to provide temporary feed assistance to individual horse owners who are experiencing financial difficulty. Please contact the committee via email or USPS mail directed to TEEFA at the MN Horse Council's address.

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Trail Blazers

Committee Members:

The trails committee has made "horse trails" a significant part of state trail planning and development. They work with the state and local clubs to create, maintain and protect our trails.

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MHC Website and Minnesota Horseman's Directory

Committee Members:

This committee directs the design and editorial objectives of the Minnesota Horse Council website. 

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