Meet the New Marketing and Communications Director

Meet the New Marketing and Communications Director

By Ray Ingandela

There’s a new face at the United States Pony Clubs’ National Office! Meet Samantha Smith, our new Marketing and Communications Director. Although she is responsible for a lot of things—promoting Pony Club, editing the magazine, logo design and maintenance, social media growth, etc.—my impression, when I interviewed her, was that she is well-qualified to handle it all. She brings to USPC her vast experience from roles on her career path.

Sam is originally from Upstate NY where she first was introduced to horses. Her father and grandparents owned harness horses and she always asked to take riding lessons. At ten years old, she began riding at a hunter-jumper barn called Gallop On Farm with Linda Connors. Four years later, her parents bought her first horse, a seasoned Appendix Registered Quarter Horse named Kas. Together they had so much fun in American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) shows in Hunt Seat Classes plus loads of local shows. Lots of hoofbeats later, Samantha left for college and sadly

leased (and later sold) her aged horse to a deserving new rider.

Fortunately, for us, she opted to school at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. Her love of horses steered her towards a major in Animal Science with Animal Industry Specialty and a minor in Biology. At UK she discovered Kappa Delta Sorority AND the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA). By the time her Junior year rolled around, she was President of the 70-rider

team. She also spent time as an undergraduate research assistant in the College of Agriculture for Dairy Sciences.

After college she worked at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute as a technician in the Internal Medicine department. She most recently spent the last five and a half years at The Jockey Club working with Industry Initiatives for horse racing. Experience at The Jockey Club ranged from supporting after-care initiatives, regulatory research, assistance with running various horse shows and conferences, and much more. Her biggest accomplishment was to design and manage a project developing an Electronic Treatment Record System, which is now being implemented in three racing jurisdictions. On the side Samantha also runs a design company which specializes in custom art, graphic design, and marketing consultation. Thoroughbred that needed to be re-homed. The horse was a three year old born on the year that his half-brother (out of the same mare) won the Derby. This was so exciting for the farm where he foaled, that they held a naming contest. The winning name was Superfection. Sam kept this as his show name and assigned the barn name Shaylon. For now, Sam and Shaylon are content with Hunter Classes at 2’6”. At home, she shares snuggles with Owen, her Boxer/Hound cross pound puppy.

Samantha fell in love with Lexington the minute she moved here in her UK Freshman year. (Really, what horseperson wouldn’t?) She loves the area and considers this her permanent home. She is very excited to have found this new role at Pony Club and can’t wait to help such a great organization “where it all begins”.

In 2013, a friend in the racing industry helped her find a

LEFT: Owen helping with barn chores

RIGHT (Top to Bottom): pictures from the University of Kentucky; working at Hagyard in Medicine; working hospitality for Breeders' Cup; working the Pan American Conference for The Jockey Club and witnessing American Pharoah win the triple crown at the Belmont Stakes; Showing Shaylon at the Kentucky Horse Park.