The Best Horse Practices Summit is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization run by an executive director and many volunteers. It is served by a small, talented Board of Directors and steering committee.

Interested in serving on the Board of Directors?

Download application here, then contact us here for further instruction.

Executive Director, Maddy Butcher: Aside from her duties of running the Summit, Maddy Butcher also maintains Cayuse Communications, a family of horse and outdoors-oriented websites. She occasionally writes op-ed pieces for the Washington Post. She has a passion for learning and sharing knowledge with others for the betterment of horse lives. Butcher is the author of Horse Head: Brain Science & Other Insights and Beasts of Being: Partnerships Unburdened.

Board President Josh McElroy

McElroy grew up in Texas and Oklahoma on ranches and has been training horses for over 25 years. He was also a horsemanship instructor at Central Kentucky Riding for Hope (CKRH) where he helped high school students as well as veterans.

Josh also served for over 13 years in the Army as a Special Operations Medic. He’s excited to help others gain access to the Summit and sees it as a resource for making their interactions with horses more correct and beneficial for the horse. Read what he had to say about 2018 BHPS.

Board Member Nicole Churilla Shoup graduated with an Associate’s degree in Horse Science in 2017 from The Ohio State University ATI and followed with a Bachelor’s in Animal Science from Ohio State University, graduating with honors in 2019. She lives in Ohio where she is a horseman and instructor.

She is passionate about retraining horses and sharing her experiences with other aspiring horse enthusiasts. As an advocate for the horse, she is excited to be involved with the Summit.

Board Member Daniel Dauphin

Dauphin has trained horses for three decades. He earned a B.S. in Animal Science from Louisiana Technical University. He has been working as a clinician since 2012. Visit his website.
He’s best known for his bitting video, online course, and
presentations. He’s also written many articles and has a podcast where he
and guests work up figurative wet saddle pads on the issues of the day.

Daniel presented at the 2022 Summit and appreciates the Summit’s goal of
bringing truth seekers and advocates together for the betterment of our
horses. He was a part of the pilot group for Buck The Trend, a mental
health summit aimed at helping people in our community deal with our
unique burdens and in spite of our stoic and independent natures.

Board Member Ex-Officio Dr. Sheryl King. She’s the past president of the Horsemen’s Council of Illinois and a professor emeritus, former Equine Science Program Director at Southern Illinois University. Dr. King was elected a Fellow of the Equine Science Society in 2009, an Associate in the Fifty Year Horse Society, an SIU Outstanding Scholar and Faculty Service Award recipient.  She has authored many scientific research publications as well as general horse articles and has spoken on horse management topics on five continents. She will present on the keynote address at the 2021 Best Horse Practices Summit.

Board Member Ex-Officio Debbie Hight, an active horsewoman from Maine. Hight is also chair of the Maine Grain Alliance board of directors and has excellent organizational talents, great brainstorming, and networking abilities. Hight coordinates Summit volunteers with fellow board member, Julie Kenney. She rides English and Western with her mare, Roxy.

Steering Committee

Kimberly Loveless, a retired career federal employee, owns and operates Gin Lot Farms, LLC with her husband Larry in Virginia.  Kimberly is a life-long horse owner and trainer, who has gentled and trained their six American Mustangs in Classical Dressage.   Kimberly works with Mustang Heritage Foundation and the wild horse program managed by the Bureau of Land Management.

Well versed in many training disciplines, Kimberly has focused her efforts over the last few years on working with challenging horses, incorporating natural horsemanship with positive reinforcement.

Tia Erdmann has been volunteering for BHPS since 2022. Grew up in western Washington with a love for horses and began training her first horse when she was a teenager. Her professional horse training career picked up in 2021 when she quit her day job and started her business, Happy Hearts Horsemanship where she trains and offers lessons for her local horse community. She has her own herd of 4 on a small equine track system that she created on her personal farm. Tia considers herself a forever student of the horse continuing her studies in equine nutrition, anatomy, posture, rehabilitation, saddle fit, hoof care and barefoot trimming.

Jeremie Forman is a Utah native where he lives with his wife, five kids, and a pile of horses and hounds. Forman has been riding and working with horses his whole life, starts colts for the public on a small scale, and currently runs a Mounted Patrol for a local Sheriff’s Office. Forman has spent his life and career in pursuit of knowledge and training to become a better horseman and trainer. Forman operates under the philosophy that the learning never ends. Every horse and horseman has something to teach if we will just listen and take the opportunity to find the lesson.

Allana Salmon graduated from Otterbein University in 2018 with a Bachelor’s degree in Equine Business Management and Equine Assisted Therapies. She is a traveling horse and human trainer in Central Ohio and has a passion in helping horses and their humans understand each other clearly, and learn how to better communicate and work together. Pictured is Allana and her mare, partner, teacher and student, Toast, who has helped her forge her personal path to find Best Horse Practices.