Elections are upon us and it’s time to meet your nominees! Below you’ll find the bios of your prospective officers. Elections will be held for President, Vice President, Secretary, and Board positions. Members must be renewed by March 3 in order to vote with election ballots being emailed March 7. You’ll have until March 14 to return your ballot with results announced March 15.
President – Bonnie Girod
For the first 12 years of my life, I wanted to be a jockey. However, after learning about the sport of endurance racing, I thought, “Why ride a horse for 2 minutes when I could ride all day?” Not knowing that one day I literally would ‘ride all day.’ Twenty-seven years later, I was finally able to pursue my endurance dreams. I read every book I could get through my library and started conditioning. Luna and I entered the 2016 Prater Mountain 50-mile ride and were pulled. I went home in tears. I was seeing Facebook posts about this new group starting up called Equine Distance Riding Association. I internet stalked the founding members of EDRA and thought, “That is the kind of endurance rider I want to be.” I also knew that to become that kind of rider, I needed a mentor. I joined EDRA as soon as it started up and filled out the application for a mentor. Having a mentorship program and being part of a small group was really appealing to me. My first mentor, Jennifer Kaplen, kept me focused on my goals, and in the fall of 2018, Luna and I started and finished our first 100-mile ride at the Mary and Ann Memorial Ride in OR.
I always knew I would volunteer for an EDRA position someday and give back to the group that has done so much for me. EDRA ride camps are full of positivity. I especially noticed last year that all I heard at ride camps was, “Have a great ride” or “What can I do to help?” It was so refreshing for me. My goal as president is to continue to foster that positive family atmosphere. The mentorship program has always been special to me, and I also hope to continue to help that part of EDRA grow. It is a true gem of the organization. My background has always been
family-oriented. I have seven siblings, a wonderful husband, and six children ages 13-26. I plan to use the skills I’ve learned as a mom, endurance rider, and friend to help the EDRA family grow. Have a blessed day,
Vice President – Shayne Russell
I came to EDRA in the spring of 2021 when I met Bonnie Girod who was my
mentor and a friend. She encouraged me to come with her to an equine
endurance event as a volunteer and check things out. That first equine endurance
ride was Don’t Fence Me In, where I learned to pulse horses, scribe for the vets
and help with weigh ins for BC for all weight classes just to name a few. I got
hooked instantly.
From my first 25 miler at Ride the Loup in 2021 with my Appy and continuing to
do endurance over the last few years (including doing my first 50 miler with my
little 8 yr old Arabian last summer at Selkirk), I was, and continue to be impressed
with the warm welcomes and support of the EDRA members, ride managers, ride
stewards, and board members. As Vice President I want to be a big part of this
and help ensure and continue EDRA’s inspiration.
I’m also impressed and very fond of EDRA’s youth program as well as the
Mentorship program for both adults and youth.
As Vice President I want to help and support EDRA’s growth in membership and
ways to promote and encourage our youth program utilizing the Mary and Anna
Memorial Youth Fund. I have over 20 years’ experience of coaching and
leadership with both youth and adult sports including promoting recruiting and
retaining athletes as well as fundraising.
I also want to continue and strive to maintain EDRA’s support in helping and
welcoming all people at all levels and introduce ways to encourage new beginners
to all that EDRA has to offer.
Thank you for your support and I’d like to ask for your vote as your Vice President.
Board Member Candidate – Alex Gesheva
My name is Alex Gesheva, and EDRA is the reason I became well and truly hooked on endurance. I started riding when I was 8, and stuck with it through six different countries and more than 35 years. Like many young riders, I leased, I exercised horses I was definitely not qualified to ride, and I took lessons from a confusing array of instructors. I arrived with my first own horse to an EDRA conference in
2018 knowing nothing about endurance and the people there, and was immediately welcomed with open arms. In the years since, I’ve had the opportunity to make all manner of mistakes, learn from incredible horse people, and grow as a team with my lovely horse, Triton.
Thanks to wonderful mentors, I’ve learned more about tack, horse nutrition, hoof care, self care, and fellow human care than I could have imagined. I’ve also gotten pretty hooked on the rush of bombing around the countryside on a very fit horse. I am interested in joining the EDRA board because I love what we stand for and hope to give a fragment back of what I’ve gained. I want to make sure that we pass on to more riders the torch of respect for our horses and fellow competitors, confidence, joy, and the incredible village that springs up with every ride camp.
Board Member Candidate – Junior Position – Katie Poe
Hi, I’m Katie Poe, I am 14 years old and have been showing horses in 4-H since
2018, been riding in EDRA since 2021, and have been riding horses for most of my life. Last May I got my first Arabian, Jazzy, to replace my paint horse Annie, for endurance. I am looking forward to my first endurance season with Jazzy this year. My love of endurance riding started by vetting rides with my mom for a while. I remember going to Coyote Ridge Ride with my mom and watching all the horses thinking, “I want to do that”. But I never thought it would happen as I was very afraid of riding after a bad accident with a pony. But after a few years, and regaining my confidence I became very good at showing and attempted my first endurance ride, Sand Canyon 2021, on my birthday. I have to give a big thanks to Deliene Sellers for sponsoring me at that ride. She taught me a lot, and even though we were overtime, it was still a good memory that got me hooked.
Since then I have competed at Don’t Fence Me In 2022 with Erin Putnam and Oreo, 2023 with Sue Mclain and Norm, and 2024 with Ariel Blume-Bonney and Titan. I also competed in Sand Canyon 2023 with Sue and Norm, and got my first top 10 finish. I love EDRA rides because they have a very friendly environment and I always learn so much from my sponsors and any other riders I talk to. I also love EDRA because I have met great mentors like Sandy Cheek, who assisted me in my search for my first Arabian. I would like to run for the junior position in EDRA because I feel my years of riding with EDRA have helped me get a perspective that I can bring to the EDRA board as a Junior and help make decisions that benefit our Junior Riders in EDRA.
Thank you to all those that have stepped up to run for officer or board positions. As a volunteer organization, we couldn’t do it without your dedication, time and energy.
Current Officers
Marty Graham, President
Shayne Russell, Vice President
Arielle Blume Bonney, Treasurer
Julie James, Board Member
Julie Barnfather, Board Member
Margaret Birdsey, Board Member
Jillane Baros, Board Member
Deliene Sellers, Board Member
Katie Daley, Youth Board Member