Paso Fino Horse Association to Move to Lexington, KY
RELEASE: January 21, 2010
AUTHOR/ADMINISTRATOR: By the Paso Fino Horse Association
At its Annual Membership and Board Meeting, the Paso Fino Horse Association (PFHA) Board of Directors approved the relocation of its headquarters and outsourcing of selected administrative functions to the United States Equestrian Federations headquarters in Lexington, KY.
The Paso Fino Horse Association was founded in 1972 and has been located in Plant City, FL, since 1995. The Board represents a membership of 5,800 individuals located throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, Switzerland, England, Ireland, United Kingdom, Austria, France, Sweden, Germany, Mexico, Canada, Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, Aruba, Dominican Republic and New Zealand. PFHA has been a breed affiliate of USEF since 1978.
The Paso Fino Horse Association will retain its individual name, identity, and ownership and will continue to promote its Spanish heritage. The relocation will permit PFHA to better direct its efforts at promoting the Paso Fino breed and its sport. The transition of the office to Lexington is pending approval by the Kentucky Horse Park Commission, and the move is expected to take approximately four months and will involve the efforts of current staff members, volunteers of the association and members of the USEF transition team.
In appreciation of our dedicated staff, the Board passed the following resolution:
WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of PFHA, wishes to recognize the outstanding contributions of the PFHA staff, and we thank Mary Emmons and our staff for their time, energy and commitment to PFHA.
“We are excited at becoming a part of the Kentucky Horse Park and the larger horse industry, which is represented in Lexington,” said President Ed Smith. “Our membership is excited about the synergies we share with USEF and the technology and resources that will become available to us by this move, allowing us to channel resources back into marketing, promoting the Paso Fino, and improved service to our membership."
A presentation by USEF IT Director Justin Provost and Customer Care Director Theresa Stephens-Carroll provided a virtual tour of the Lexington facility and provided the Board with an understanding of the member services, IT, registration, accounting and customer care center activities offered by USEF.
The Board of Directors and 23 Regional Delegates see this as a positive and strategic decision to position PFHA for its further and continued growth in the new decade.