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ASHBA Board Spotlight Q & A with Ali DeGray

Learn more about one of the leaders at the American Saddlebred Horse and Breeders Association (ASHBA). Follow us each week as we share these Q & A's with each member of our board of directors! You'll learn their history with the breed and how they want to make a positive difference for the American Saddlebred.

Name: Ali DeGray

Location: Odessa, FL

How did you get started with the American Saddlebred? My mom, aunt, and grandmother bred and showed Arabians, and they stuck me in a saddle immediately. I watched a saddleseat horse work one day at Misdee’s farm, just stroking at a park trot, and I said, “I want to do that!” We started with Ruth Gimpel Stables in 1996 and have been showing Saddlebreds since.

What is your involvement with the American Saddlebred currently? I show Saddlebreds, and we have recently started breeding some of our own mares, which is very exciting. I serve on the ASHBA Board, as well as several related subcommittees, including marketing and EWAC.

Why are you passionate about serving on the ASHBA board? Personally, I am passionate about our entire industry and I’m grateful to serve. The board is populated by brilliant folks, coming from many different arenas of our breed, and it’s an honor to sit among them. 

What other industry boards &/or committees have you served before? I have served on youth committees for ASHA and the American Saddlebred Museum, as well as boards for animal rescues, but this is my first big foray into this style of volunteering. I am the resident millennial and grateful to be  learning every day. 

What is your vision for bettering the breed through serving on the ASHBA board? My vision for our breed would be to allow more of the world to fall in love with our horses. ASHBA is doing a lot of work in education and marketing, which is so sorely needed. And I have to agree with Dr. Owen Weaver’s prior answer to this question- it would be tremendously helpful for us all to work together toward making our industry as successful as we all know it should be. There’s a fresh crop of volunteers this year, with spectacular ideas and the drive to get them done, and it’s truly heartening. We can always use more voices.

What committees/councils/initiatives at the ASHBA will be or are you serving on as board member? I am the board sponsor to the Equine Welfare and Advocacy Committee, and I am on the communications, marketing, sport horse, and operations committees. 

What are the top three challenges you believe the ASHBA Board should be working on?

    Our public perception. Not only bringing new people into the breed, but welcoming and supporting them through our many programs, initiatives, and circuits. And we always have our ears open as to how those can improve! Continuing to hear from our members in every state, every level of competition, so we can be successful coast to coast, from one day shows to Louisville and beyond. 

What is one thing most people don’t know about you that you’d like to share? If I wasn't an equestrian, my dream job would be driving race cars.