Fred K. Sarver
Chairman of the Board
Carlisle, KY
f.sarver@trusthorses.org
A breeder for more than four decades, Fred K. Sarver brings a wealth of knowledge of the equine industry and particularly the Saddlebred breed to his role with USA Equestrian Trust. Sarver has managed horse farms since 1982, beginning with Leatherwood Farm in Bluefield, Va. He has also managed the acclaimed Callaway Hills Stable in New Bloomfield, Mo., as well as Jones Mountainview Saddlebreds in Aroda, Va. In addition to achieving great success in breeding, Sarver has developed riding lesson programs, started a collegiate horsemanship course, managed stallion syndicates and ran a public training stable.
In 2004, he moved from Virginia to Kentucky, where he has become deeply involved in efforts to strengthen the equine industry. Sarver has served as a member of the Kentucky State Fair Board and the Director in charge of the World’s Championship Horse Show, the top Saddlebred show in the world. He has also served on the boards of the United States Equestrian Federation and the statewide Kentucky Equine Education Project, which has publicly encouraged lawmakers to protect the state’s signature industry.
Passionate about the Saddlebred breed, Sarver has served as president of both the American Saddlebred Horse Association and American Saddlebred Registry. He was also a founding Board Member of the Kentucky Saddlebred Owners and Breeders Association and American Saddlebred Grand National prize program.
Sarver’s dedication and efforts have been recognized numerous times, including the American Horse Council’s 2020 Van Ness Award that recognized his commitment to improving the horse industry at the state level. Other honors include being named the 2018 Friend of University of Kentucky Ag Equine Programs, as well as receiving the 2010 American Saddlebred Horse Association C.J. Cronan Sportsmanship Award. In 2009, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Virginia Horse Center, which was built during his time as Vice-Chairman of the first governor-appointed Virginia Equine Center Foundation Board.
Today, he owns and operates Saddlebred breeding farm Cornerstone in Carlisle, Ky., where he lives with his wife, Karen.
Alan F. Balch
President
Pasadena, CA
a.balch@trusthorses.org
USA Equestrian Trust President Alan F. Balch has enjoyed horses since he first discovered them around age 9 in San Diego, Calif., where he was raised. From competing as a junior with Saddlebreds, Hunters and Jumpers (mostly unsuccessfully), he went on to officiate in many capacities in competition management: paddock steward, announcer and manager. While at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., as Sr. Vice President-Marketing, he announced at the National Horse Show at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, the World’s Championship Horse Show in Louisville, Ky.; Devon and the American Royal in Kansas City, Mo., among many others.
His management of the Del Mar National, The Forum International and the Santa Anita International led to his responsibility as Competition Manager for the equestrian sports of the Games of the XXIIIrd Olympiad at Los Angeles, 1984, held at Santa Anita.
In his adult years, Balch competed again with Jumpers and Saddlebreds. He was for many years a Trustee and/or Director of United States Equestrian Team and American Horse Shows Association, and was President of the National Horse Show Association and USA Equestrian, when it was national governing body of the sport, 1997-2003. He was most recently elected a Director of USA Equestrian Trust in 2004.
Balch is a long-time member and past President of Flintridge Riding Club in California, and in 2010 was named Executive Director of California Thoroughbred Trainers, headquartered at Santa Anita, in Arcadia, Calif.
Linda L. Allen
Vice President
Guadalajara, Mexico
l.allen@trusthorses.org
Olympic course designer and prominent clinician Linda L. Allen has more than 60 years of experience in the horse industry. She recently retired as a Fédération Equestre Internationale Level 4 Course Designer for jumping. Allen designed courses for major international events on five continents, including the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta; 1992 World Cup Finals in Del Mar, Calif.; and 1999 World Breeding Championships for Young Horses in Lanaken, Belgium.
Beyond design and consulting, Allen has served as an FEI International Judge on the ground jury of the 2010 World Equestrian Games and as President of the ground jury of the 2007 World Cup Final and North American Junior & Young Rider Championships and remains active as a Foreign Judge. She has also served as a Technical Delegate to events, including the 1994 World Equestrian Games in the Netherlands and the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Canada.
Allen’s accomplishments are rooted in her years as a rider and trainer competing at the Grand Prix level throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. During that time, she was a member of Nations Cup squads representing the United States on several occasions and was also named Show Jumping Horseman of the Year in 1989 by The Chronicle of the Horse. Allen initiated Young Jumper competition in the United States, founding the International Jumper Futurity and Young Jumper Championships. From 1997 to 2002, she served as Secretary of the forerunner of today’s United States Equestrian Federation. She is also a published author and DVD producer, having created 101 Jumping Exercises for Horse & Rider and The JumpSmart Guide to Course Building, respectively.
Among her numerous honors are being awarded USEF’s 2008 Pegasus Medal of Honor and being inducted into the Show Jumping Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2022. Her course design prowess led to her winning the Cox trophy for Course Designer of the Year on four occasions.
Lendon Gray
Secretary
Bedford, NY
l.gray@trusthorses.org
As a child growing up in Maine, Lendon Gray competed in multiple disciplines including western, driving, hunter and jumping. An active member of her local Pony Club, Gray won at both U.S. and Canadian Pony Club rallies. She remained a presence in the Pony Club after graduation as a National Examiner and through service on committees and boards.
Gray became a successful event rider, training with coach Jack Le Goff. She later turned to dressage, winning the first of many national championships in 1976. Gray represented the United States at the 1978 World Championships, 1980 Alternate Olympics, 1988 Olympics and the 1991 World Cup.
She has served on multiple committees for the United States Equestrian Federation and United States Dressage Federation. Gray was also a founding member of the USDF Instructor Certification Program, Dressage Seat Equitation Committee and Dressage Pony Program.
In 1998, she started Dressage4Kids, a non-profit devoted to providing educational and competitive opportunities for youth riders and the adults who support them. The organization operates the Youth Dressage Festival, established by Gray, that focuses on far more than riding. The Festival quizzes students on riding theory and stable management, hosts a group equitation class and includes a dressage test.
In 2010, Gray transitioned from leading boarding and training stables to teaching riders of all levels and ages. A member of the USDF Hall of Fame, Gray also trained Hall of Fame member Seldom Seen. Among her many other accolades include recognition as a U.S. Pony Club Legend and American Riding Instructors Association Master Instructor, as well as receiving the 1989 Maine Sports Hall of Fame Governor’s Award.
Bob Bell
Treasurer
Fort Lauderdale, FL
b.bell@trusthorses.org
For more than three decades, Bob Bell has been a fixture managing horse shows nationwide. He has annually overseen 21 USEF AA-rated shows. His calendar has included the Gulf Coast Winter Series, Atlanta Spring and Fall Classics, Aiken Summer Classics, Jacksonville Spring Classics and Charleston Summer Classics.
Bell served as a member of the Board of Directors of the United States Equestrian Federation from 2005 to 2014 and has also chaired USEF’s Administration and Finance Council and Competition Management Committee. He has also served on the National Breeds and Disciplines Council, Steward-Technical Delegate Committee and Continuing Education Committee. He has long served as a USEF Steward licensed official, having started in 1987.
Bell has been deeply involved in the United States Hunter Jumper Association, having first served as a member of the Board of Directors in 2004. He has since chaired the Competition Management Committee, Zone 4 Hunter Committee and Zone Hunter Council. He has also been a member of the Competition Standards Committee and Hunter Working Group.
A 1978 graduate of Clemson University, Bell’s equestrian work extends to publications in his role as a partner in Sidelines Magazine, described as the People magazine of the sport.
Guy R. Warner
Assistant Treasurer
Mound, MN
g.warner@trusthorses.org
For more than four decades, Guy R. Warner has been a leader on both the national equine stage and in his home state of Minnesota. Warner, who was chosen by the Minnesota Horse Council as its 2008 Horse Person of the Year, has served as past President of both the North Central Morgan Horse Association and Tri-State Horsemen’s Association. He also is counted among the leaders of the Minnesota State Fair Foundation and is well-known as the announcer of the fair and other Midwest shows including the prestigious St. Louis Charity Show.
Nationally, he served on the Board of the American Horse Shows Association, the forerunner of today’s United States Equestrian Federation. He created the organization’s Budget and Finance Committee in 1993, the same year he was elected Treasurer. Four years later, he was elected Vice President of the organization. He also chaired the relocation task force that saw the organization’s offices moved from New York City to the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky.
Guy and his family have long owned and exhibited Morgans and Saddlebreds. Outside of the equine world, Warner has served as Chairman of the Board of Warner Manufacturing Company and as a past President of the American Edged Products Manufacturers Association. Warner’s experience with non-profits also includes helping found the St. Bonifacius and Minnetrista Criminal Apprehension and Crime Prevention Fund, which raises funds to assist public safety organizations.
Jamie Link
Director
Lexington, KY
j.link@trusthorses.org
A career Kentucky state government employee, including serving as Deputy Executive Director and Executive Director of the Kentucky Horse Park, Jamie Link has extensive experience with and knowledge of public-sector policy and process. He has also served in various other high-level state government positions, including as Secretary of the Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet, Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Steve Beshear, Deputy Secretary of the Finance and Administration and Tourism, Arts and Heritage cabinets, and Commissioner of the Department for Facilities Management.
In 2009, Link was selected as the Chief Executive Officer of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010, held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky. The first time the World Equestrian Games were ever held outside of Europe, the 2010 Games were a resounding success, both competitively and financially, and represented the first time the event was privately funded.
With great commitment to the equine industry and equestrian sport, Link brings broad and varied experience to USA Equestrian Trust.
Nancy M. Cox
Director
Lexington, KY
n.cox@trusthorses.org
Dr. Nancy M. Cox was named Dean of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment at the University of Kentucky on Jan. 1, 2014, and, in 2020, added the role of Vice President for Land-Grant Engagement.
She previously served as Associate Dean for Research and Director of the Experiment Station at UK. She received a bachelor’s degree from Furman University in 1975, M.S. from the University of Georgia in 1977, and Ph.D. from North Carolina State University in 1982. She had a teaching and research career at Mississippi State University in animal science prior to moving to UK in 2001.
As Associate Dean for Research from 2001 to 2014, she oversaw college research programs, which grew from approximately $8 million to approximately $30 million in external awards from 2001 to 2013. She was the founding administrator for the UK Equine Initiative, now UK Ag Equine Programs. This program began in 2005 and initiated an undergraduate program that officially started in 2009. The program became the second-largest enrollment in the college with students from more than 35 states and several countries. She was a leader in the large effort to renovate and expand the UK Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (then called the Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center). This laboratory has the largest equine case load in the world. Dean Cox coordinated funding for successful research on Mare Reproductive Loss Syndrome after massive foal losses occurred in Kentucky in May 2001. These studies resulted in the eastern tent caterpillar being identified as the causative agent.
Known for her commitment to growth of university programs that serve Kentucky’s signature industry, she was named a member of the Gluck Equine Research Foundation. In 2016, she was named a member of the Kentucky Horse Park Foundation and joined USA Equestrian Trust as a Director the following year. Her leadership has also extended to the Kentucky Farm Bureau Federation Board, Kentucky Agricultural Development Board and Kentucky State Fair Board.
Dean Cox enjoyed barrel racing and saddle horses as a child in upstate South Carolina. She became a horse owner again in 2010, and she enjoys riding with the Iroquois Hunt Club in Central Kentucky.
kate jackson
Director Emerita
Boynton Beach, FL
k.jackson@trusthorses.org
A renowned organizer of professional equestrian events, Kate Jackson’s illustrious career included work with three Olympics — Los Angeles (1984), Seoul (1988) and Atlanta (1996). During the 1996 Olympics, she served as Competition Manager of the equestrian and modern pentathlon events.
She also served as the Vice President and Director for Competitions of the 2010 World Equestrian Games held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky. In that role, she was responsible for all aspects of the eight disciplines featured at the Games during their first staging outside of Europe.
Prior to the Games, Jackson had worked with the Fédération Equestre Internationale on numerous occasions, including serving as an FEI Executive Board Member from 2006 to 2007 and Bureau Member as Chairwoman of FEI Group IV from 2004 to 2008.
Jackson’s career also includes serving as Executive Director and Secretary General of the American Horse Shows Association, the forerunner of today’s United States Equestrian Federation. Now retired and enjoying her time in Florida, Kate served as a USA Equestrian Trust Director from 2012 to 2021.
Marianne Ludwig
Director Emerita
Zurich, Switzerland
m.ludwig@trusthorses.org
A native of Switzerland, Marianne Ludwig served as a dressage instructor in the United States for more than 30 years and trained several horses to the Fédération Equestre Internationale level. Ludwig also served as a well-regarded judge, beginning in that role in 1975 when she obtained her American Horse Shows Association judge’s card. Five years later, she became an AHSA “S” judge. In 1986, Ludwig became an FEI candidate judge and was appointed an FEI International judge two years later.
She has served as a member of the United States Dressage Federation’s Council of Dressage Judges and was one of the founders of the USDF L Educational Program, serving as chairperson for many years. She has also been involved with the United States Equestrian Federation’s judges’ training programs and the examination of candidates. Ludwig received the Pegasus Medal of Honor in 2010 in acknowledgment of those contributions.
Her years of service include time on the USEF Licensed Officials Committee and USEF Dressage Committee, which she chaired from January 2000 to March 2009. Her many dressage accomplishments led to her receiving the USDF’s coveted Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003.
In December 2020, Marianne and her husband of almost 60 years, Jürgen, returned to their home in Zurich, Switzerland.
William A. Roos
Assistant Secretary / Counsel
Riverdale, NY
w.roos@trusthorses.org
William A. (“Bill”) Roos is an attorney admitted to practice in New York State and in the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. He received his B.A. from Trinity College, Hartford, Conn., and his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, Philadelphia, Pa.
Roos served for many years as general counsel of the American Horse Shows Association, Inc., and USA Equestrian, Inc., when those organizations were the National Governing Body for Equestrian Sports in the United States. He was instrumental in the successful defense of more than 30 litigations brought against the federation during those years, including federal antitrust suits challenging the federation’s system for assigning dates to recognized competitions. As counsel to the federation’s Hearing Committee, he conducted hundreds of disciplinary hearings in the sport, including the hearings of the 40 individuals accused of horse killings for insurance fraud purposes, and helped successfully defend the litigations against the federation arising out of those cases.
Roos has resided in New York City since 1969, is a past President of the Brooklyn Heights Association, a past President and Chairman of the Brooklyn Central YMCA, past Member of the Board of the YMCA of Greater New York, past Treasurer of The Heights Casino, past Secretary of the Lawrence Beach Club, and has served as Assistant Secretary of the New York State YMCA Foundation and as Counsel to its Board of Trustees. He also serves as a director of the Columbia Memorial Hospital Foundation.
In Memoriam | Georgie F. Green
Director Emerita
Morgan Mill, TX
The daughter of a cavalryman, Georgie F. Green grew up around horses, cementing her love of the animal and encouraging her lifetime of leadership in the industry. In 1980, Green joined the Board of Directors of the American Morgan Horse Association. Five years later, the organization honored her as its Woman of the Year. She also was elected the group’s first female President that year, serving through 1988 and again from 1993 to 1996. Green also gave her time to the Executive Committee overseeing the Grand National & World Championship Morgan Horse Show and chaired the show three times.
Over the years, Green brought her vast Morgan experience to the Board of the United States Equestrian Federation. Among her other leadership roles was serving as Vice President of the Western Dressage Association of America.
Outside of her industry leadership positions, Green owned and operated one of the largest Morgan breeding farms in Texas with her husband, John. Throughout the southwestern United States, she also organized a number of youth equine events. Among her many awards and honors was receiving the United States Equestrian Federation Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019 and National Pedigreed Livestock Council’s Distinguished Service Award in 2007.