Linda Bowlby - Newsletter Editor

Linda A. Bowlby has been riding sidesaddle for over 30 years and has written a number of articles and publications on the art of riding aside including The Sidesaddle Legacy which was co-authored with Marti Friddle. Linda was the Founder and only President of the World Sidesaddle Federation, Inc. and President of the International Side Saddle Organization for two years. Her work with the two organizations included being editor of the newsletter, All Aside and the magazine, Aside World. She has spoken to various breed and show organizations across the country, promoting the correct use and the acceptance of the sidesaddle. She has also done many clinics on sidesaddle riding from coast to coast.

Linda has earned two Master Degrees, taught Family and Consumer Science for 35 years and was a Licensed Social Worker. She does custom sewing and designing of show clothes and enjoys a variety of crafts. She and her husband of 38 years, Jim, have raised and shown Quarter Horses, Pygmy Goats and Cairn Terriers. Currently retired, Linda is enjoying substitute teaching and writing novels.

Marti Friddle - Vice President/Membership Coordinator

Marti was born in New England and went to school there, but moved to North Carolina just after high school. She attended U-Conn, then UNC-Greensboro, and finally graduated from Elon University, where she was a member of Phi Kappa Phi, with a B.A. in English Literature.

Shortly after the Mid West Sidesaddle Association was created in 1980 Marti became a member, then an instructor. Under MWSSA (later WSFI), Marti held several officer positions, including Membership Secretary and Vice President and was an active member of the Board of Trustees.

Although she comes from about 10 generations of horsemen and women, Marti didn't own a horse until adulthood - but she's had them on a continuous basis for over 30 years. She was a founding member of SouthEast Aside, which originally formed in the 1980s. SEA went on hiatus until the summer of 2007 when the group decided to re-form.

Fitting sidesaddles to her QH/Arabian cross horses proved difficult, so she started buying then selling saddles in an attempt to find something that worked. Her sidesaddle business, Hundred Oaks, Inc. has grown to be one of the largest suppliers of sidesaddles in the country, and Marti's expertise lies in fitting saddles to horse and rider. She and husband Jim own a small farm where they keep their three horses, and where the occasional SEA function is held.

Marti co-authored The Sidesaddle Legacy with Linda Bowlby in the 1990s. The book is a great tool for newcomers to riding aside and a valuable resource for all sidesaddle riding enthusiasts.

Sidesaddle is still one of her passions, but she also holds a real estate broker's license. When she's not busy riding her horse or selling a farm, she likes to play the mountain dulcimer with friends.

Maggie Herlensky - Secretary

Maggie Herlensky has been riding since she was 9 years old and riding sidesaddle since she was 15. At one time she was the youngest certified instructor for World Sidesaddle Federation at the age of 18.

Since then, Maggie have been busy with Southern Ohio Ladies Aside, a group that primarily promotes sidesaddle riding by appearing in parades and demonstrations. She has lost count of the parades and towns she has ridden in since 1991.

Maggie says, "I do not claim to be an expert on sidesaddle or to be a fantastic instructor, but I am happy to share my experiences with others. I've made about every mistake that a person can make and have lived to tell about it. I do feel that I am best suited for helping rookies get started and that is what I like doing most."

Maggie also has experience in the show ring, although it has been several years ago. She show western pleasure, gymkhana events and gaited horses, all aside. In 1989 Maggie started competing in competitive trail riding and endurance racing, racking up over 3,000 miles on her sidesaddle.

When not riding or teaching, Maggie also loves sewing costumes for riding aside, especially the costumes of the 1800's, although all of the fairy costumes Southern Ohio Ladies Aside wore in '07 were a lot of fun, too.

When not trying to make the world ride sidesaddle, Maggie is a nurse at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Chillicothe, Ohio. She has been there since 1987, but her parents met there, so let's just say Maggie knows my way around. She's been a psychiatric nurse since 1991, primarily on night shift, which leaves her days free for doing horse stuff.

Maggie and her husband David have been married since 2003 and have a mix of horses including Arabs and Arab crosses, Belgians, Clydesdales, and a Shire cross.

Rhonda Watts-Hettinger - Director

Rhonda Watts Hettinger began riding side-saddle in 1969, since then participating in a wide variety of disciplines (usually against astride riders), including dressage, eventing, hunter/jumper, foxhunting, reining, gymkhana, pleasure, competitive trail, saddle seat performance, and cowboy mounted shooting. She is 5-time National Side-Saddle Champion, SSA (UK) Performance Points Supreme Champion (and many times Overseas Champion), and is the only overseas rider to have qualified for SSA's Rider of the Year Ride-Off.

Rhonda has been a licensed side-saddle judge and instructor since 1981. She holds SSA's Grade 4+, "A" Instructor, and Panel Judge (R), taking those exams in the UK. She is an ARIA Level III Instructor in Side-Saddle, Riding to Hounds, and Reining, as well as a National Test Center Administrator. She has taught throughout the northeast, and in the UK. Her books include The Western Side-Saddle, Side-Saddle's Greatest Ideas, and soon to be published, The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of the Side-Saddle.

Stephanie Hutcherson - Director

Stephanie has been a horse enthusiast for most of her life, having ridden and owned horses since she was 11 years old. Growing up in Montana she was involved in trail riding, barrel racing and cattle ranching. When she married in 1984 she and her husband moved to Georgia, where her equine experiences expanded to include hunter/jumpers, combined training, dressage, driving, competitive trail riding, halter, and saddle seat riding.

Stephanie started riding aside over eight years ago. Since then she has ridden aside for pleasure and show. Stephanie and her Appaloosa gelding, Touché Roman, were the 2006 Dressage Champions and Reserve Champion in Hunters for an international side saddle group. She participates in many demonstrations, both in-state and out of state. She also enjoys riding in parades.

In 2005 Stephanie founded the Georgia Ladies Aside (GALA). GALA was begun with the sole purpose of finding ladies in Georgia who rode sidesaddle or were interested in learning to ride aside for camaraderie, fun and education. GALA's goal is to promote awareness of riding aside and to educate the public about the beauty, elegance, and tradition that lives in sidesaddle riding. GALA's reach has now expanded beyond Georgia, with members from 13 states.

Stephanie teaches riding lessons and is certified to teach English, Western and therapeutic riding. She has volunteered many hours with the GA Special Olympic Riders. For the past five years she has coached an Interscholastic Team of Riders, participating in local, regional and national events.

Stephanie has an AS in Education from Dekalb College (now Perimeter College) in Atlanta. She has a BA in Art History from Georgia State University.

When time allows, Stephanie also enjoys traveling, swimming, hiking, reading, music and art.

Stephanie lives with her very supportive husband (and GALA's biggest fan!), Steve, of 24 years. They reside with two dogs and two cats, and have two horses.

Katey Lunden - Director

Katey is originally from Chester, England, and now she's at home in Central Minnesota. She shares her life with her husband and diehard supporter Mike, daughters Elsa, 19, and Tessa, 16. They also share their home with 1 dog, 4 cats, 2 Morgans, 2 Arabs, 1 pony and several dust bunnies - a happy crowd. Katey has ridden and worked in many disciplines of riding, but 10 years ago, after several false starts, she became one with side saddles. In 2006, with the help of her family, Katey started a small Minnesota group of side saddle riders called MoSSY. Minnesotans on Side Saddles “Y” ? (because we can!). Katey says the group has grown faster than she could have imagined and she considers ASA to be a blessing to the state based groups.

Katey Mitchell - Director

Sarah Thompson - Treasurer

Jennifer Williams - President

Jennifer Williams grew up in Missouri and then moved to Texas in 1996 after graduating from Northeast Missouri State University (now Truman State) with a BS in Psychology and a minor in equine science. While in Texas, she earned her MS and PhD in Animal Science from Texas A&M University. She focused her research on equine behavior, learning and welfare.

Although an enthusiastic horse-lover today, Jennifer was actually intimidated by the family's horse as a young girl. The horse was not overly friendly, preferring the company of cattle to humans, and Jennifer thought he was 100 feet tall with feet the size of flying saucer. Only after her family moved from their rural acreage into a suburb of Kansas City did Jennifer discover horses. She begged for riding lessons and later for a horse of her own. Since then, horses have been a huge part of her life.

Jennifer and her husband Spencer live near Houston, Texas and have four Arabian horses as well as one Arabian-Quarter Horse cross. They also share their life with several cats and a dog.

Jennifer was a member of the World sidesaddle Federation, Inc. and won the Irene Benjamin Handicapped Rider Award from the World Sidesaddle Federation/International Side Saddle Organization in 2005 and 2006.

In addition to riding sidesaddle, Jennifer also rides huntseat, dressage, saddleseat and western and has done some driving. She says she enjoys trying almost anything with horses!

When not riding, Jennifer serves as Executive Director of Bluebonnet Equine Humane Society, a 501c3 non-profit horse rescue organization she co-founded. She is also a free-lance writer with articles in several magazines and one book in print (with several others in the works).