2008 Educational Programming Speakers
*Coming soon—our speakers are preparing more details on their Horsemen’s College topics. Be sure to check back.
Deb Balliet | Chief Executive Officer, Equestrian Land Conservation Resource
www.elcr.org
 At ELCR, Deb brings together her passions: horses and open space. Her love of the land started early, after an introduction to the outdoors with her father and older brother. The love of horses also started early, but regular riding and horse ownership didn’t start until the late 1990’s. A recreational rider, Deb regularly trail rides and is a member of the Eastern Mountain Ranch Horse Association. Deb’s trusty steed, registered as GMG Devilmademedoit and affectionately known as “Taz,” is an appendix registered quarter horse.
Professionally, Deb has 23 years of experience in not-for-profit management, consulting and fund-raising with organizations such as The University of Vermont, Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, Open Space Preservation Trust, and National Audubon Society.
Deb is a member of the Board of Directors of the Saratoga Therapeutic Equestrian Program and is an Advisory Board member of The Equus Projects: Dancing with Horses.
Dr. James C. Heird | CHDA President
www.chda.org
Dr. Jim Heird is the Director of Teaching and Outreach for the Equine Center at Colorado State University, where he also directs the Colorado Agriculture and Rural Leadership Program. An approved judge for the American Quarter Horse Association, Dr. Heird judges and holds clinics locally, nationally and internationally. As the liaison for CSU, Dr. Heird is a member of the executive committee of the National Western Stock Show. He is also a member of the Brand Board Committee and currently serves as the president of the Colorado Horse Development Authority.
Rick Lamb | Author and TV/Radio Host of The Horse Show
www.thehorseshow.com
 Rick Lamb was born and raised in Wichita, Kansas. He had a passionate interest in horses from an early age but few opportunities to be around them. Instead, he focused on music, turning pro at the age of 14 and fostering talents that he would repeatedly call upon in the coming decades.
As a teenager, Rick operated a newspaper route and became an Eagle Boy Scout. While in college, he played music in night clubs and worked days at the city library. In 1973, he graduated cum laude from Wichita State University with a double major: Math and Philosophy.
After graduation, Rick programmed mainframe computers for several years before starting a commercial audio recording business, Lambchops Studios, in Phoenix. During the next two decades, he wrote and produced countless pieces of music for broadcast commercials and won several awards for his work.
In 1990, Rick married long-time friend, actress Diana Baines, and in 1997, they launched The Horse Show with Rick Lamb, a weekly syndicated radio program. The program quickly found an audience on radio and the Internet, and was joined by The Horse Show Minute, a daily radio feature, in 1999.
By 2003, Rick had racked up six industry awards for his radio shows, had started emceeing live events, and was appearing occasionally on television and video. That year he also landed a contract for his first book, a joint project with Dr. Robert M. Miller titled The Revolution in Horsemanship. As the year came to a close, Rick began playing music again, this time with veteran singer/guitarist Jay Casmirri. Today The Blenderz play publicly whenever their busy schedules allow.
2005 brought three more industry awards for The Horse Show and Rick's second book, Horse Smarts for the Busy Rider. 2006 ushered in a new era with Rick's move to television on RFD-TV.
A confessed workaholic, Rick enjoys nothing more than being immersed in multiple creative projects. He and Diana live in Phoenix with three horses, Candy, Savannah, and Sarah, and a black cat named Angus. They have three grown children, sons Ryan and Todd, and daughter, Blair.
Dr. Jennifer MacLeay | CSU
 Mr. Whitney is the immediate past president and a member of the Board of Directors of the Colorado Horse Council. He is also a past member of the Board of Directors of the American Youth Horse Council. He currently practices law in Colorado Springs, having previously practiced in Washington, D.C. and as an officer and general counsel to two large publicly traded companies. He is a former chief executive officer of a resort company. A Russian linguist, he served as a presidential translator on the Washington-Moscow “Hot Line” after returning from a tour of duty in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. He received his BA and MA degrees from the University of Colorado and his law degree from Georgetown University Law School in Washington, D.C. His family ranched in Ridgway, Colorado while Mr. Whitney was in high school, and he continues to have a keen interest in equine matters.
Mr. Whitney speak about the present state and the future of the horse industry in Colorado at the Rocky Mountain Horse Expo.
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