2024 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
All positions terminate in January of assigned year.
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Amy Bailey grew up in upstate New York and Connecticut taking riding lessons and being a barn rat. She did everything from stalls to braiding to teaching camp for extra lessons and time in the saddle. After competing with UCONN’s IHSA team, she took 20 years off from horses to meet her husband, get her nursing degree and have three boys. The family moved from California to Kentucky 10 years ago and fell in love with the area. Knowing she always wanted to return to riding, her extremely supportive husband bought her lessons and then her first horse (little did he realize there would soon be a second horse and purchasing a new home next door to the barn). Amy enjoys KHJA and views it as a vital part of the local showing community; she is happy to help in any way she can. She brings a unique perspective of both an adult amateur and parent outside of the industry.
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Liz Barcomb grew up in Upstate New York, where her family had a successful horse boarding and training facility called Holladay Hills Stable. Liz comes from a family of horse enthusiasts with experience in hunter/jumpers, eventing, fox hunting, racing and even polo. In 2006, Liz and her husband relocated the farm to Lexington, Kentucky, where she now teaches, trains and boards horses. Liz has a bachelor’s in business administration and is a veterinary technician who has work experience in animal shelters.
Liz enjoys teaching students and helping them achieve their goals, whether they are competition-driven or simply enjoy their equine partners. Liz believes it’s important to grow the sport locally, nationally and globally despite people’s financial status, age or abilities; she believes KHJA is a great platform and organization to help achieve that goal. |
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Bruce is a lifetime horse-show exhibitor, judge and manager. He has been KHJA Board member since the early 1980s and has three daughters who actively show hunters. He would like to help maintain the local governing body for hunter/jumpers.
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Sabina Chambers began her riding career as a young child with Leslie and George Governo. She owned and catch rode ponies and horses throughout her Junior years, qualifying for Indoors and Pony Finals. Sabina was Top Five every year and reserve her Junior year nationally behind future gold medal Olympian Peter Wylde. Later on, she purchased her first 3’6” Horse from Rick Fancher and continued her riding career with Rick. Sabina qualified for IHSA Nationals every year during her collegiate career at Eastern Kentucky University. She then went on to show in the Amateur Owner and Adult Amateur Divisions. Sabina has been a licensed USEF/USHJA “R” official for 30 years is a former KHJA board member; she has also been a KHJA Junior Representative multiple times in the past. Sabina’s father was the President of KHJA and the founder of the inaugural KHJA AA Horse Show! Sabina took a 15-year hiatus to raise two children; she’s now back in the show ring and would love to be a part of the KHJA family again.
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Eileen Cody has been riding and competing locally since she moved to Kentucky from western New York in 2017. She works for the United States Hunter Jumper Association, managing educational programs including the Emerging Athletes Program and Horsemanship Quiz Challenge. She is actively involved in the Lexington area equine community both in and out of the show ring, competing in the hunter and equitation divisions as well as running the in-gate at local KHJA shows, volunteering for the Retired Racehorse Project as the show hunter steward, and assisting with social media and communications for the Kentucky Horse Council.
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Lauren Ensor is an amateur rider who resides in Newport, Kentucky, with her husband, Jake, and their two dogs. Lauren attended the University of Findlay, majoring in Equine Science with a hunter/jumper focus and Equine Business Management. While at Findlay, she was a member of the Varsity IHSA team and was selected as a team rider for ISHA Nationals in 2009. Post-graduation, Lauren was the barn manager at Lawton Stables on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. After a brief hiatus from the equine world upon moving to the greater Cincinnati area, she began competing on the KHJA circuit in the Adult divisions in 2014. Since 2020, she has been competing in the hunter breeding division with her 2019 Westphalian gelding. The unique opportunities that KHJA provides to help develop both young horses and riders just starting out in their careers in an affordable way is one of Lauren's favorite aspects of the association.
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Heath Gunnison grew up showing English and Western with Quarter Horses and Appaloosas in 4-H, open and breed horse shows in Vermont; in high school he tried his hand at team roping and barrel racing. After high school, Heath worked at Mountain Top Inn in Vermont before moving to New York to be a hunter/jumper working student at Pabel Blaho and Pat Garthwaite’s Tatra Farms. Heath also spent time with Anne Kursinski and Carol Hoffman at Market Street in New Jersey before moving to Michigan and finally Kentucky, where he continued to compete both hunter and reining horses. Heath has managed the horses at Midway University for 10 years; he began coaching the hunt seat team in 2018. Midway has been Reserve Regional Champions for the last two years under his watchful eye. Heath is partner in a small breeding operation and shows in the hunters with This Is Me (“Chit”). He received his bachelor’s degree and his Master of Business Administration from Midway University.
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Lynn Johnson has been involved with KHJA for over 20 years as a show secretary, a member and a supporter. She is currently employed by USHJA as a Sport Program Assistant, which allows her to stay current with the Hunter/Jumper discipline. Lynn is interested in being a voice for the membership. “I believe, as Board members, we should be good stewards of the KHJA assets and funds,” Lynn says. Lynn is always ready to pitch in and helps in any way she can’ she currently contributes to several KHJA sub-committees.
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Jenny McGaughey is an amateur who has competed on the Kentucky circuit for over 25 years, most of which she was a KHJA member. She has owned multiple OTTBs that became wonderful hunter/jumpers and currently owns and shows one in the jumpers. Jenny was born and raised in Kentucky, works for the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association and Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners & Breeders, and continues to reside in Lexington with her husband, Chip, and daughter, Lily. She would love to be a part of the KHJA board to promote growth of the organization, help members have a voice in the organization and support cohesion between local and regular members.
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Alex Nelson grew up in the Chicago area and moved to Lexington in 2010 so that she could continue with her biggest interest - horses and horse showing. She became the assistant trainer at Punchestown Stable in 2011 and since then has helped to grow the business and has a large group of students who are competitive at local and rated shows. Alex has an enthusiasm for everything related to the horse showing industry including getting elected to the KHJA. She hopes to help the KHJA continue to grow as the governing body for the equestrian community in Kentucky.
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Libby Richie is an amateur rider who has resided in Kentucky her entire life. She started competing hunters in 2006 and has been a member of KHJA since 2008. Outside of her job as a manager and Licensed Optician for a retail Luxottica store in Louisville, Libby also helps with her family’s Labrador breeding operation, RLF Labradors.
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Keedle Ritter Konopka is the owner and trainer at Forever Green Farm in Shelby County, KY. Having spent nearly 43 years in the saddle, Keedle has competed in hunters, jumpers, equitation, dressage, eventing and polo. She began her involvement with the KHJA as a junior rider in 1985, when she moved to Kentucky from Florida. In Florida, she was fortunate enough to ride Don Stewart, Jill Townsend, George Morris, Simon Barber, Gunnar Ostergaard, Patrick Dempsey and the list goes on. When she moved here, she spent 10 years riding at Valley View Farm with George and Leslie Governo. After college, she took a short hiatus from showing and worked in racing and breeding, and played polo for a few years with the Louisville Polo Club. She started her professional career in 1999, and found her true passion: teaching. She has developed multiple KHJA year-end award winners for everything from poles to children’s to jumpers. She also competed her horse Maverick to several year-end awards as a professional. She and her husband Len have three beautiful children: Phoebe, Don and Tyler. She is excited about the opportunity to serve on the KHJA Board again and help out in any way she can.
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Elaine operates River Mountain Farm in Versailles, KY. The farm has many clients who board/train at RMF as well as riders who ship in from their own farms. Elaine has bred and raised many young horses who have had successful hunter/jumper careers. She also imports youngsters to bring along and sell. Elaine has many horses in training and competes primarily at AA shows about 30 weekends a year Elaine loves to give back to the industry and has been a leader both in KHJA and USHJA. Elaine implemented the Horsemanship Quiz Challenge program and also implemented the Low Child /Adult jumper division in USHJA. She was Vice Chair of the USHJA Youth Committee for eight years, served on the USHJA EAP committee for two years, and is currently Vice Chairman of the USHJA Zone 5 Board of Directors. She had been a Zone 5 BOD for 10 years. Elaine has been on the BOD of KHJA for 20 years, and also served as President for one term. Elaine is committed and concerned on all levels regarding safety, officiating, sportsmanship, horsemanship and animal welfare. She is also active in promoting how local organizations can become more active and productive with National Organizations.
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Wendy is the mother of a junior rider and an amateur rider herself. She currently rides at Hidden Hill Farms in Frankfort, Kentucky, with trainer Maria Kabel. She’s been riding for four years as an adult amateur and prior to that rode as a young girl in North Carolina. It wasn’t until her daughter became interested in horses a little over five years ago that Wendy jumped back into the ring (literally).
Wendy works full time as a Product Specialist for Great Minds, is a mom to two busy daughters (one an equestrian and one a volleyball player), a pet mom to three dogs and two horses, a club volleyball coach (in her spare time), and wife to a very supportive husband, Dan. |
Out of State Director
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Kim was born and raised in South Africa, where she rode hunter/jumpers and fox hunters. Her passion for horses drew her to America after high school, where she received both an undergraduate and a master’s degree in Equine Science. She currently owns Meadowbriar Stables in Newburgh, IN, where she and her two instructors teach an extensive lesson program. Along with her students, Kim has two sons who actively compete in KHJA- and USEF-sanctioned shows. She has both a middle school and high school IEA team, comprising of around 30 members. Kim hosts numerous local and KHJA shows throughout the year at her facility. Kim has a great appreciation for KHJA. She is especially grateful to KHJA for the opportunity it allows the local riders, who may not have the financial capabilities to compete on the A-circuit, to be included in a great organization and gain recognition for their efforts and skills. She looks forward to being able to help promote the KHJA and provide support and a voice to its members.
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Junior Representative
GRACIE STAMPER
(2025)
(2025)
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