Mark Leone, who runs Ri-Arm Farm in Bergen County, has been selected as president of the North American Riders Group.
NARG, which had taken a bit of a hiatus, is back in gear with new leadership. Mark, the Zone 2 jumper chairman who is a member of several U.S. Equestrian Federation committees, will be working on fresh initiatives for the group that achieved many of its original goals over the last seven years.
Canadian Olympian Tiffany Foster is the new vice president. She is involved with the International Jumping Riders Club, communicating NARG interests to the FEI.
Chris Kappler of Pittstown, the president since NARG was formed in 2009, is staying on as treasurer.
NARG initiatives have significantly improved North American shows, aided horsemen when they needed support and compelled the governing bodies in the U.S., Mexico and Canada to better serve the needs of show jumpers.
NARG acknowledged several outgoing board members who worked hard for the organization. They include McLain Ward, Beezie Madden and Andre Dignelli. Murray Kessler, who helped NARG achieve its goals, went on to be president of the U.S. Equestrian Federation.
NARG is a strong advocacy group working for the sport of show jumping. A statement from the group said, “We hope to improve our sport for every rider, trainer and owner. We support top athletes and emerging athletes as we commit to creating opportunities for the young aspiring athletes of today and tomorrow.
“We intend to help our members and this sport to grow, flourish and compete on the world stage. There continues to be strong interest in the NARG Top 25 (a show rating system), and one of our goals is to further develop that initiative. We will do this by focusing on governance, fair play, horse welfare and above all horsemanship.”