Members of the National OPRC Board of Directors

President: Shiela Haviland

La Plata , MD
Email: President
This position will be up for re-election in Jan. 2009

I'm a military brat, born and raised in Wiesbaden, Germany. My father bought our first horse when I was about eight. That first horse experience was NOT optimal for a kid, but I loved riding so much that I ignored the fact that our three year old Hanoverian was determined to give me a run for my money, every single time I rode him. My father provided me with the best riding instruction our money could buy and the rest was up to me. After years of tears and numerous injuries, at 15 I couldn't take it any more and vowed to never look at another horse again.

As it is in many horse families, horses are in our blood. Once my daughters were old enough to know what a horse was, my father was more than happy to put them in the saddle. That started my love affair with horses all over again. All I had to do was smell them and feel their warm muzzle and I was hooked.

My oldest daughter joined the United States Pony Club and I fulfilled my duties as a Pony Club mom. I served as a joint-DC, as the Maryland Regional Secretary, the local/regional Webmaster and anything else that needed to be done.

Even though I enjoyed my time as a Pony Club mom, I couldn't wait to concentrate on my own riding again. I saw OPRC as exactly what I needed.  So far, I’ve been right.  OPRC has given me the opportunity to try things with my horse, that I only dreamed of and the people are so accepting. 

Vice President : Betsy Burnett

Jeffersonton, VA
Email: Vice President
This position will be up for re-election in Jan. 2011

I grew up outside of Philadelphia, hunted with Pickering, and got my B rating from that Pony Club. I managed to show a lot at the big shows when one didn't need a $75,000 horse in order to get a ribbon; my hunter WAS my show horse. We were fortunate to live in an area where everything horsy was the norm so I tried it all.

After marriage and a few other things, the family moved to Virginia into yet another horsy area. I was head of the local Pony Club for five years and judged the Stable Management part of Regional rallies for ten years. In between I ran a lot of horse events in the neighborhood. I still foxhunt, event, and teach.

Not having enough to do!!, I decided to start an OPRC club in 2002 with emphasis on eventing. All 45 members are invited to participate in our monthly mounted meetings and also to enjoy “extra curricular activities" when the opportunity presents itself. The members have been exposed to, and have participated, in many things they would not have tried were it not for joining OPRC.

Secretary: Whitney Williams

Severna Park, MD
Email: Secretary
This position will be up for re-election in Jan. 2011

I began riding at the age of 10, and 30 years later, I'm still at it. My focus is primarily hunter/jumper; however, OPRC has opened my world to other disciplines as well. I've enjoyed a mix of dressage, cross country, and even the occasional barrel racing opportunity at a fun show.

My goal for this organization is to maintain a friendly, open opportunity for adult riders of all disciplines to get together for fun, educational equine activities. I hope to see this club grow to thousands across North America so that wherever I travel, I can say I have an OPRC friend there!

Member at Large: Karen Freeman

Dallas, OR
Email: Ratings Coordinator
This position will be up for re-election in Jan. 2009

As a child, I dreamed of galloping through fields and jumping logs on my own horse. A few riding lessons during my Jr. High years in Birmingham, Mich. were as close as I ever came to that growing up.

22 years ago, we moved to the countryside in Dallas, Or. One year later, we purchased our first horse, a POA for the kids. How we didn't kill the poor pony I don't know. With 21 years now of owning and learning about horses, it is a miracle that she did survive our incompetence. I see OPRC as such a great tool to help people to acquire the knowledge needed to be good, responsible horse owners. It is such a great way to meet other people with like interest and gather the support needed in the ups and downs of horse ownership.

Treasurer: Susan Bayard Rifkin

Elverson, PA
Email: Treasurer
This position will be up for re-election in Jan. 2011

Like many other members, I began horse ownership as an adult, and OPRC is my first chance at “pony club”. I wanted a horse as soon as I had my first pony ride, and I finally got one 25 years later. I came from a non-horse background, even though my middle name means “bay horse”.

My first years of horse ownership were in the northern Virginia area , where I enjoyed the camaraderie and interesting speakers of Capitol Hill Equestrian Society. After I married and moved to Delaware, I missed CHES, so I organized educational lectures for nearly ten years for Delaware Valley Combined Training Association, which had several hundred members. It was a great opportunity to meet and learn from a wealth of knowledgeable experts. I also wrote articles for several holistic horse health magazines.

I learned of OPRC through a Practical Horseman article, and was a founder of Brass Ring chapter in summer 2001. I liked the idea of small chapters whose members all knew each other. I met some wonderful people. It was a big accomplishment for Richie, my 22 year old TB, to be sound enough to get my D-1 before he passed away, just as I returned to being single.

Through a club meeting, I learned about Nokota horses. In Spring 2005 I went to Kuntz Ranch in North Dakota where I met and bought Charlie, a blue roan. We finally got to ride in our first club activity, an OPRC Dressage Rally, in Aug 2007. And a few weeks later I got Wazi, a grey pinto Nokota, who I am sponsoring while he finds his destined person.