Greetings! I am Katie Merrick, hailing from Jamesville, NY. I have been an Empire member since the late 1990's, first starting out as a youth competitor, and later competing as an amateur. I previously served as President from 2012 - 2018. I'm proud to be a lifetime member of Empire and AHA. I was primarily a western pleasure rider as a youth, but also have interest in other divisions. I currently compete in the sport horse division and halter, but look forward to branching out into western dressage and ranch divisions in the future (and possible a return to the western pleasure division). I have a personal interest in public outreach and promotion of the breed to the public, and in all breed competitions, and want to show the world how great Arabian are. I also enjoy volunteering at shows when I'm not competing, and learned to scribe for dressage in the last few years (an eye opener for sure). I look forward to continuing to participate in Empire and Region 16 shows and activities in the years to come! I currently own a purebred mare, a half-Arabian gelding and a Shetland pony. Outside of horses, I am a project manager/project scientist for an environmenal consulting first, and am active with an English Pointer dog rescue group. I also enjoy baking cupcakes and cakes for family/friend special events (and horse shows).