POSITION: DIRECTOR AT LARGE

CANDIDATE: Jenn Mikulski - MarylanD (Incumbent)

How long have you been a member of the USLF?  8 years

Introduce yourself by giving a brief description of your journey with Lipizzans: 

I first saw a Lipizzan at 8 or 9 years old. During a family trip to Florida, my parents took me to a  performance of Hermann's Royal Lipizzan Stallions. I was so enthralled by the dancing white stallions that, many years later, when I started collecting Breyer horses, one of my first models was a Lipizzan (the "original' Pluto). I do not come from a family of horse people, so back then, that was as close as I could get to "owning" my own Lipizzan. Later, I took dressage lessons at a barn with a Lipizzan stallion, another Pluto. I’ll never forget watching that stallion under saddle. Unfortunately, after a riding accident, I stopped riding and left the barn. But, as it turns out, Lipizzans were destined to be an ongoing theme in my life; 20 years later I returned to riding and dressage and a barn that used Lipizzans as lesson horses. There, I met Conversano Melora II and several other Lipizzans. These days, I am schooling a Lipizzan mare, Casurina, and I'm looking for my next Lipizzan dressage partner. 

If asked by someone new to the breed "Why are you so passionate about Lipizzans?" what would you say? 

Their grace and beauty, power, intelligence, sense of humor, rich and unique history; what’s not to be passionate about? More so than any one Lipizzan trait, however, I am passionate about preserving and promoting the breed. There are far too few Lipizzans in the world today and the breeding herd in North American continues to shrink. To preserve this breed for the long term, we need to protect the current genetics (while staying true to the Lipizzan standards) and creatively and emphatically promote it. 

Describe your volunteer and/or Committee experience, events, attended and time spent with the USLF:

I began volunteering with the USLF in 2017 as a member of the Calendar Committee. Since that time, I’ve served, and continue to serve, on the Membership Committee as Chair, as well as the Annual Meeting, Bylaws, and Merchandise Committees. Over the last two years, as a Board member, I have served as the Secretary of the Board, assisted in managing the USLF office (email and VM), and supported, and sometimes facilitated, Wine & Wisdom events.

In 2022, I also served on the Nominating & Election Committee. I helped organize and participated in the 2020, 2021, and 2022 VAMMS and (finally) for the first time, attended the 2022 USLF Symposium and Lipizzan evaluations.

What specific interests, skills, and talents will you bring to the position of director?

I am a motivated and dedicated individual who loves to learn. I am skilled at organizing and coordinating tasks and projects, and I can motivate and support others. I’m technologically savvy and I view every challenge or issue with an analytical eye to determine potential benefits and associated risks. 

If you could tell the world one thing about the USLF and our work with Lipizzans-what would it be?

While the USLF, as an organization, is passionate about the preservation, protection, and promotion of the Lipizzan breed, it also consists of many passionate individuals, from all walks of life, who are as dedicated to each other as they are to their Lipizzans.