Nancy Vidler; President, NYSMHS
Hello, I’m Nancy Vidler. Many of you know me, but for those who don’t, I look forward to meeting you and introducing myself personally. In the meantime, I want to let you know that I’m running for President of the NYSMHS. I am hoping you’ll take a few moments to read this and learn about me, my history with Morgan horses, and my vision for the future of the NYSMHS.
I was raised in the harness racing industry in New York State. My father was a trainer/driver of Standardbreds, so my love for horses started too early for me to even remember. I was introduced to the Morgan breed by Suzanne Venier Steele, who many of you will recall as the breeder of the HIghmeadow horses, and the owner Kaydenvale Don. I bought my first Morgan in 1979 from Claire Murphy at Fiddler’s Green Farm, which I owned until her death in 2003.
My husband Dale and I own and operate Sunny Acres Farm, where we breed and train Morgans in Honeoye Falls, NY. We are proud of the many horses carrying the Sunny Acres prefix from California to Florida to Maine with world and national titles to their credit. Our latest addition, Sunny Acres Snapshot, was the 2009 Reserve SSA Weanling Champion in Syracuse this past September. When I’m not in the barn working with horses, I work for the Honeoye Falls/Lima Central School District.
Over the years, I’ve been very involved in the NYSMHS. Steve Herz was President during my early membership and I have served under many other Presidents since then, including Carol Hutchinson, Mark Langdon, Joan Sackett, John Wicks, Deb Richter, JoAnn Squire, and the current President Jeff Evans. My first appointment for the Society, which few of you will remember, was serving as Western District news correspondent, back before the days of email and digital still and video cameras. This job gave me the opportunity to meet NYSMHS members, many of whom have become close friends.
I also served as a President and past President (Director at Large) from 2002-2003. I have also served on the committee and as chair of both the NY regional and Western District shows and have been on the High Score committee for nearly 20 years. Recently, I have been a member of both the stallion service auction and bylaws committees, and I currently serve as Western District Representative. All of these varied experiences have served to widen my view of the workings of the club and the needs of its membership.
My main objective as President will be to encourage greater involvement of the full membership in all aspects of the club’s operations and benefits. At one time, this was a very social organization. Being in the club was as much about Morgan families meeting and sharing our love for the Morgan horse as it was about breeding and competing in the show ring. I still believe those families are alive and well all over New York state and want those same things.
To these ends, as President, here are just few ideas I would pursue:
• Ensure that Board meetings are scheduled well enough in advance and
publicly announced to allow anyone who wants to attend the opportunity
to do so. To the best of my knowledge, Board meetings have never been
closed meetings.
• Publish the club’s financial reports in the monthly ‘Trader’, so that
all members can understand the financial realities of the Society.
• Put the ‘society’ back into the New York State Morgan Horse Society.
Wouldn’t it be great to revive the old club tradition of Open House/Barn
gatherings? These events, held at members’ homes and farms throughout
the year, sometimes included NYSMHS business meetings, but always
revolved around a meal: Sunday brunches, dish-to-pass suppers, cookouts,
and picnic lunches. And, of course, no event was complete without a tour
of the barn. These happenings served to both expand members’
acquaintances throughout the club and draw us all closer together.
Again, lifelong friendships were forged and strengthened at these
gatherings.
These are among the reasons I have decided to run for President. But as committed as I am to these ideas (as well as many others), I cannot achieve them without your support in the form of your vote when you receive the election ballot later this month. In the meantime, I welcome your thoughts about ideas designed to put our club back on the path we were on when the NYSMHS received a honorable mention as ‘Club of the Year’ from the AMHA in 1998. Even better, wouldn’t it be something if we could actually win ‘Club of the Year’ in the near future? I look forward to your thoughts.
I can be reached at vidlers@sunnyacresmorgan.com
Thanks for your time and your support,
Nancy S. Vidler
P.S. Your vote is important to the future of the NYSMHS. Please keep an eye on your mailbox for your election ballot. When you receive it, take a moment to look over the candidates and then vote for me and a positive new direction for our club.