Listed below are the nominees for the Board of Directors. An election will be held at the Annual Membership meeting on November 1, 2017. This meeting is open to the public and will be held at the Hunt Horse Complex in Raleigh beginning at 7 p.m.

Michael Boucher: Incumbent. Region: Central
I have been riding since I was 8 years old and have primarily ridden Tennessee Walking Horses. I’ve had my current horse Enchanter’s MG (We call him Toby) since he was two years old in 2003. My family and I started actively showing soon after I started riding Toby in open and breed shows in the area. I started concentrating on the Versatility events at the walking horse shows as I found them much more interesting than rail classes. If I had a motto related to riding it would probably be ‘always try something new’ which is what led me to compete is so many different versatility events. In 2015 I showed in all eighteen versatility events offered at the TWHBEA World Versatility Show and won the High Point Championship for the Adult division. I have also been competing in and enjoying the NCHC Extreme Trail Challenges. I am a recent graduate from UNC-Chapel Hill and the job market has brought me back to the Raleigh area, giving me the opportunity to put more of my time back into riding and the horse community.

Dottie Burch: Incumbent. Region: Central
Dottie Burch has served on the NCHC Board of Directors for four years and has been a member of the NCHC Executive Committee since 2011. She earned the Star Volunteer award in 2011 in recognition of exemplary service to NCHC. Dottie Burch is widely recognized as the leading equine lawyer in North Carolina and heads the Equine Law practice group at Ragsdale Liggett PLLC. As an avid equestrian, she brings a unique perspective and understanding of equine legal issues and thus offers invaluable insight into the complex issues facing the NCHC today.

Dottie is Chair of the Equine Law Subcommittee of the American Bar Association. She is a frequent speaker at the North Carolina State University College of Agriculture and Life Science and travels throughout the state speaking to equine owners and organizations. Ms. Burch has received numerous achievement awards which recognize her as an exemplary lawyer and professional in North Carolina, including being named this year, “A Leader in the Law” by NC Lawyers Weekly magazine. She is active in many Triangle organizations that foster community relationships and professional development.

Chris Burtner: Region: Central
Hello fellow horse lovers! I started riding when I was just 5 years old and have been involved with horses most of my life. As a teen and young adult, I have ridden hunter/jumpers, fox hunted, exercised race horses, and showed ponies. Later in life, I have discovered the joys of trail riding and Natural Horsemanship and adopted an OTTB who loves the trails. For the last six years, I have been the horse programs director and caretaker of a herd of 24 at Chestnut Ridge Camp and Retreat Center. My passion is for sharing horses with children and youth. I have been certified by the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association to provide equine assisted learning and psychotherapy, and I love to see the way kids learn about themselves from the horses!

Rose Cushing: Incumbent. Region: Eastern
Rose has a background in journalism and business. She is the publisher and owner of Carolina Hoofbeats Magazine, Southeast Equine Magazine and Carolina Hoofbeats TV. Carolina Hoofbeats is exclusive to North Carolina horsemen and women featuring events, tips, how-to articles, industry news and horse health and care. Carolina Hoofbeats TV is North Carolina’s first weekly equine television show much like the magazine featuring news and events from every discipline all around the state. Southeast Equine Magazine is a 7 state regional publication serving North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky and Tennessee. Rose and her husband Rodney also own and manage Halfmoon Farms offering quality AQHA and APHA horses. Rose currently serves as the Secretary for the NCHC Board of Directors, and is also a member of the Executive Committee and the Marketing Committee. Rose also serves as the Nash County Farm Bureau Equine representative to the State Equine Committee.
Todd Erickson: Incumbent. Region: Central West
I grew up in rural America around agriculture and animals or all sorts. While western riding was the most common, as an adult I came to participate in Dressage and Hunters/Jumpers. Finally after meeting my wife years ago, she was an avid eventer (combined training) and I decided to take up Fox Hunting. As fortune would have it, my wife and I were presented with an opportunity to expand our acreage from a modest 10 acres to a now total of 66 acres. In June 2014 we decided that we wanted to share what we were building with the Horse Community and we opened our business “Sport of Horses Park”.

Professionally, my career has been Executive Management and Technology for industries such as Hospitality, Government, Pharmaceutical and Banking. I have served on various national boards, such as Springer-Millers Users Group (represented hundreds of destination resorts), SAP Crystal Reports Advisory Board (Business Analytics for Global Companies), Ultradata Users Group (Represented 300+ Credit Unions) and currently I am on the Bitcoin Foundation Regulatory Affairs & Education Committee. I feel that my business acumen combined with my love of horses and entrepreneurial experience, could be a valuable addition to the NC Horse Council.

Nancy Ferguson: Incumbent. Region: Central West
Nancy is an in house real estate and corporate lawyer for Chicago Title Insurance Company who is also a dedicated horsewoman. Nancy has been riding since she was 5 years old. She worked and rode at Sedgefield Stables as a teenager, then on other farms until leaving for college. In 1990, she bought 2 horses and began trail riding regularly. She attended Matt Gable’s Advanced Rider series of clinics two years, and have attended clinics and presentations of other clinicians, such as Josh Lyons, Clinton Anderson, Joyce Lewis, Jim Thomas/Bar T Horsemanship, Lynn Palm/Palm Partnership, some barefoot trimming clinics, and Technical Large Animal Rescue weekend clinic. She is currently working with James Cooler, Cooler Horsemanship, for the last 4 years. She and her husband Alan have 4 horses – 2 apps, QH and paint (along with dogs, cats, llamas) and ride English and western on (and off) a beautiful 50 acre farm in Liberty, NC, just south of Greensboro. Nancy is very interested in trails issues as well as equine education, health and welfare.

Virginia Godwin: Incumbent. Region: East Central
Virginia started training horses in 1975. Since 1983, through her national-caliber training facility, Chesapeake Training Center, Ltd located in Rocky Mount, NC, her devotion to the Arabian breed has cultivated a population of horse enthusiast for thirty years. Virginia takes pride in her dedication to the amateur and youth rider assuring her training program maintains a strong amateur presence in the show ring. Her training and instruction is individualized for each horse and rider depending on the needs of each combination. Virginia’s approach not only utilizes conventional methods, but also capitalizes on her knowledge of natural horse behavior and instinct to create a willingness of the horse to learn and grow. She states, “What I enjoy the most about training horses is what I learn from them, what they tell me about myself and the other people that ride them. They expose your true self and intentions. Horses carry a mystery about them that creates an eternal intrigue.” Since 1983, Virginia and her clients have one numerous International, National and Regional titles in open and amateur English, Hunter, Driving, Western, Sport Horse and Dressage. In addition to these accomplishments, she was named APAHA Horsewoman of the Year and has become an AHA and USEF recognized judge. In conjunction with her training, showing and judging she also travels throughout the United States conducting clinics.

Lucinda Human: Region: Central
Being able to live, eat and breathe horses…. Isn’t that everyone’s dream? Well, it was mine growing up. My name is Lucinda Human, and I literally live, eat and breathe horses. My husband, Butch, and I live on our private horse farm in Advance, and work with the horse industry through owning an insurance agency that specializes in horse related insurance products, Star H Equine Insurance. I talk to and work with horse people across the country all day every day. I own horses from young to old, and have ridden and shown different disciplines over the years from hunters to now showing reining horses. Besides showing, I have enjoyed sitting on several horse industry board of directors over the years, including the NCHJA and the NC Horse Council. What would I bring to the NCHC? A perspective from not just NC but from being actively involved on a daily basis with horse people across the country, and across disciplines, both from hearing what our clients are dealing with to what I deal with as a horse owner in NC. On a selfish note, I want the horse industry in NC (and across the country) to thrive. I want legislation to keep horses as livestock and not become pets. We in NC need to make sure that farms can thrive economically and environmentally, and understand how important the NCHC is with its lobbying efforts to help keep the horse industry, horse farms, and events alive and well in NC!

Mary Myers: Incumbent. Region: Western
Ms. Meyers is a retired USDA Farm Management Specialist, Agricultural Lending, Farm Loan Manager from the Concord/Charlotte area. Mary currently pleasure trail rides (both urban trail riding and on public lands) and works with her horse in beginning dressage and trail riding. She owns a small farm where she keeps her horses. Mary volunteered with both Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts to help them earn their horsemanship badges. In the past she worked with 4-H members on their horse projects and has reviewed and ranked the horse project books for the 4H program in Cabarrus County. She routinely volunteered to “jump judge” for Three Day Events. Mary has an interest in environmental issues associated with horse farms, including water pollution, soil losses, and farm management to support horse health. In addition, she is interested in exposing the younger generations to horses in order to have our future leaders understand the needs of the riding community. Finally, she is interested in the preservation of public spaces to ride on.

Patty Nunnery: Incumbent. Region: Southeast
I have been involved in the horse industry for over 35 years. From purchasing my first trail/pleasure horse for personal enjoyment, to rodeoing, to barrel racing in the NBHA, to producing barrel races I have enjoyed being a part of it. My dream that I had as a small child of owning my own horse has been fulfilled. I started out with a grade horse that I had for the pleasure of weekend riding. I then purchased my first barrel horse where the need for speed was met. I have owned several barrel horses throughout the last 25 years that I have been able to rodeo on. I was an active member of the Mid Atlantic Rodeo Assn, the Southern Rodeo Assn, and the International Pro Rodeo Assn, for several years, qualifying for finals several years. When the barrel horse industry added the 4D format for barrel races I became a member of the NBHA. This change has allowed for all horses regardless of speed to become marketable. It has also allowed for riders to become champions within the 2 second divisional brackets. I was a district director for the NBHA from 2007-2009. In 2011 I was offered and accepted the role of NC NBHA State Director. I hold that position today. I have organized and produced the NC NBHA State Finals each year where we have had record numbers of entries, added money, and prizes.

Throughout the time of my involvement in horses I have been married to my husband of 26 years, had 1 daughter that has been actively involved in riding, and worked and retired from DuPont Chemical Company. I currently live in Cumberland County on 3.69 acres of land and house my horses here on my property.

Rick Peniston: Incumbent. Region: South Western
Rick is located in the Charlotte area and is a practicing attorney. He is also an accomplished horseman. According to Rick: “I trained my horse Jake to be brave to face obstacles in the Extreme Cowboy Races. It takes hard work, dedication and innovation to train a champion”.

Tracey Scheltinga: Incumbent. Region: North Central
Tracey is the owner of “It’s All About Horses!”, a tack store in Apex, NC. She has been a NC Real Estate Broker since 1997 and currently owns Olive Branch Farm in Apex. Tracey started riding with her first pony, Jimmy, when she was 5 years old. After that, her grandparents bought her her first horse, a quarter horse, named Tobias Hand (Toby). Toby was kept near Tracey’s parents’ home in North Raleigh. Tracey did everything with Toby, including trail riding. She even boarded him at Triton Stables in Raleigh for a while. While at Triton, Tracey and Toby trained with Mrs. Welles and Shep Welles, and was even privileged to share the same ring with Jeffrey Welles! After graduating high school and while studying at NC State University, Tracey “accidentally” bought an American Saddlebred horse from a friend. This led her to a long show career with American Saddlebreds that spanned close to 20 years. Tracey proudly rode the “A” Circuit with Ingleside Farm of Raleigh (now in Franklinton) and was trained by Sue, Ken and Heather Boodey. Tracey showed in several 3-gaited divisions and also in the pleasure driving classes. During this time, Tracey and her husband, Mark, bought a farm in Wake County in the Apex Area. An avid trail rider, she has always enjoyed hauling her quarter horses and paint horses to the NC Mountains. After moving to Apex, it became increasingly hard for Tracey to drive to Franklinton to ride her show horses, so she decided to focus on her “at home” horses.

Around 2004, Tracey started competing in the world of barrel horse racing and still competes to this day. A proud member of NBHA (National Barrel Horse Association), Tracey also competes in various other associations. She teaches beginner barrel racing lessons several days a week on her farm in Apex. In 2007, Tracey decided that the Apex area needed a tack shop that would not only cater to Hunt Seat riders, but that would cater to Western riders (trail and show) and also to Saddleseat riders. For eight years, Tracey has enjoyed meeting the riders of many different disciplines and the horsey neighbors of Apex.

Tom Thomas: Incumbent. Region: Western
Western North Carolina horse owner and enthusiast Tom serves on the Board for Gorge’s National Park and is heavily involved in organizing and administering trail development and maintenance throughout the western part of the state including the Pisgah Trail Blazers and Back Country Horsemen of America. Tom has a wealth of experience in the educational and administrative fields.

Tracy Tinsley: Region: Central
I first developed a love for horses as a small child riding on my grandparent’s farm in Missouri. Quickly after starting riding lessons at the age of 10 I became involved in the United States Pony Club and at the age of 12 got my first horse, a Morgan filly. My riding career involved combined training and dressage both of which I learned along side my mare. I still have this mare today. She is now 27 and retired at a farm in New Hill.
Following high school I went on to study Equine Sciences at Colorado State University. I completed my bachelor’s degree in 2000 and entered Veterinary School at the University of Illinois later that year. I graduated from veterinary school in 2004 with a focus on equine studies and was fortunate to be accepted to an equine medicine and surgery internship at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine. From here I joined a small practice outside of Atlanta, GA where I lived for 2 years. It was at that time that I moved to North Carolina to join 3H Veterinary Hospital and Clinic in New Hill, NC. Since 2007 I have enjoyed serving and being a part of the equine community in the Triangle Area.
When I’m not working I enjoy all the time I can get with my husband, 2 young children, our dog and my horse.

Laurie Wood: Incumbent. Region: Southeast
Employed with NCDA & CS Laurie lives in Ivanhoe, NC and is currently employed by the NCDA & CS in marketing and promotion. She competitive trail rides and currently owns an Arabian, 2 Thoroughbreds and a Rocky Mountain horse.