As this letter goes to print, we have finished our Region 3 Championships with eleven judges seeing a tally of 393 horses in Championship Competition from no less than 16 states! Manager Noreen O'Sullivan and Secretary Angela Goodwin Volpert kept the show running smoothly with even the weather cooperating.

Our GMO STRIDE created and manned a Region 3 Hospitality tent with interesting happenings throughout the show. The major players in the planning were Loretta Lucas and Sandy Wagner. A special Thank You goes out to them!

For all of our riders who qualified and are going to Nationals, wishes for good luck and warm weather go out to you! You've already made us proud!

Next year, the Regional Championships will again be held in Florida, but, the venue changes to the World Equestrian Center, in Ocala. Mark your calendars for an earlier Championships to be held September 19-22, 2024.

Also, for your calendars:

The USDF Trainer's Conference will be held January 15-16, at High Meadows Farm in Loxahatchee, Florida.

The Region 3 Junior/Young Rider clinic with Lilo Fore, is slated for January 20-21, in the Atlanta area.

The Region 3 John Kimball Adult Amateur Championships will be held June 1-2, at Newberry, Florida.

Congratulations to Eleanor "Ellie" Brimmer, of Florida for being named USDF's Volunteer of the Year. Ellie has been nominated for her dedication to volunteering for many years, involving long hours at shows. Please come to the Annual Meeting in Omaha to see her receive her award!

Speaking of Omaha: This is USDF's 50th Anniversary. Big plans have been made to enhance the education and entertainment at the Annual Meeting. This is also a year when USDF needs to plan for our future growth. ALL of our gmo's need to be represented for their concerns to be heard.

Region 3 has 20 gmo's--two more than last year. All gmo's are asked to either send a delegate or send a proxy, so that their votes can be counted. A participating member (PM) delegate can carry one proxy in addition to being a pm delegate.

Our 2024 PM Delegates are:

Lisa El-Ramey

Stephanie Fish Crossman

Robert Higgins

Loretta Lucas

Elizabeth Molloy

Danielle Perry

Kaye Simmons

Heather Stalker

Amy Swerdlin

Jean Thornton

Cheryl Tobey

John (Chris) Trentelman

Michelle Velasco

Cindi Wylie

Contact information for the delegates can be found on the USDF web site by looking at the Annual Meeting and Governance. Please be sure that your GMO's concerns and votes are heard. Also, feel free contact me for guidance in finding a delegate for your gmo from your area in the Region.

Better yet, come and see for yourselves!