Meet The 2026 Board

I have been riding for over 30 years and bring a broad equestrian background spanning several disciplines and styles. I am a devoted Thoroughbred enthusiast and currently ride western dressage but am looking to expand my western riding and get back to the jumper ring. I have ridden with IEO for the past 8 years and value the organization’s welcoming, friendly atmosphere. I have been involved in horse shows since I was young and have assisted in running shows across multiple disciplines. Outside the barn, I work as a Food Process Engineer for the Food and Drug Administration and am the proud parent of two children, with the support of my wonderful husband.

An avid equestrian for over 30 years, Jill feels that the community being fostered in the central PA area is a delight to be involved with, and IEO is a pivotal part of it! For the past few years her main focus has been on Dressage with her Clydesdale cross, Amber, and Connemara pony, Squishy, as well as raising her two young boys, and running her family's businesses. Jill is eager to help further the educational opportunities available to our equestrian community, as well as support our newest riders with confidence building opportunities. With a professional background in business administration, training development, and both classroom and field instruction, it is her hope to utilize her skills in service to the IEO community. Jill’s technical skills have been invaluable as our show secretary as well as design/development of a brand new website. Jill was also instrumental in developing the new leadline tests and arena for our popular and growing leadline division this year.

Emily has been a member of IEO since 2015, riding and showing Kathie Drnevich's horses Pistol, Adagio,

 and Levi. She has served on the board the last 6 years, helped serve as show secretary this past season, and has been co-manager for shows . Emily has enjoyed getting to know other club members as a competitor, volunteer, board member and show manager. She plans to continue being involved with IEO for many more years and is looking forward to the 2026 season!

Stephanie Herr serves as the IEO Treasurer and Membership Chair. She also enjoys the study (and challenge!) of dressage and  riding in the IEO series with her OTTB, Indigo Island. When not riding a dressage test, Stephanie also dabbles in eventing, and is active in the United States Pony Club, serving  as the DC of Chestnut HIll Pony Club, Stephanie's non equine  interests include volunteering at her church,  reading, yoga, growing dahlias,  working puzzles and a new, developing interest in painting.

I started riding when I was 5 yrs old.  Began my career in hunters, then moved to some western gaming in junior high, then jumpers in my early 20's and started dabbling in dressage.  In my 30's, I had a bad fall from a horse which resulted in me focusing solely on dressage.  

My entire riding career has been bringing along various green horses; from local sale barns, Off the track or someone's back burner until this past Spring when I decided to lease an upper level dressage schoolmaster, who I recently purchased.

I currently own a 13 stall boarding facility in York Co, am very active in the local and regional horse communities at various degrees.  I am currently working through my prerequisites to become a USEF/ USDF Technical Delegate.

My name is Ashley Parsells and I've been a board member for two years. I've been riding for the last 35 years and I've been a member of IEO for the last 7 years. With my OTTB Jax getting older I decided to retire him from jumping and play around with western riding and instantly fell in love with Western Dressage. Jax is now fully retired and you will see me competing my Standardbreds Rubber Ducky and Big Al at all of the shows. I'm responsible for all the flowers at each show and a lot of the decorating at the banquet. I'm your go to craft girl at IEO and I'm always around at any show to play horse show mom! I'm also very passionate about promoting the Standardbred breed and helping to educate others about the versatility of the breed.

I’m Meghan and I’ve been a part of IEO since 2019! My love for horses started young and I spent 17 years in the hunter ring before switching to eventing and dressage. In all those years, I’ve worked as a riding instructor at a Girl Scout camp, a trail guide at a luxury resort, helped with IEA shows/teams, and cleaned countless stalls as a working student. 

My OTTB, Rio, and I took a brief hiatus from showing but we returned for the 2025 season, with a tiny human in tow! This past season I also had the privilege of managing three of the shows and I’m looking forward to managing again for the 2026 season. 

When I’m not bribing Rio to use all his brain cells you can find me adventuring with my mini, baking to relieve stress, or ignoring all my problems by reading a good book!

I have been an IEO member for several years. I am a lifelong horse lover, although I didn’t get to indulge in that fantasy till adulthood. I have 4 horses and an adorable miniature donkey. I enjoy spending quality time with my horses. Unfortunately, this year did not allow for much showing. But that is Ok because I am more about the journey with my horses. The beauty is in the ongoing learning. To foster this, I have hosted a winter clinic series the last 2 years. The idea is to help keep everyone learning and motivated when the weather makes us want to stay indoors. My main interest in serving on the board is fostering education for the Adult Amateur and the average horse. I truly enjoy volunteering as everyone at IEO has been wonderful to work with! I look forward to helping others achieve their dreams with their horses in whatever way I can.

Like many horse-crazy kids, I dreamed of riding but didn’t have the means to pursue it seriously until later in life. I spent over ten years involved with Leg Up Farm’s therapeutic riding program before finally getting my first horse at age thirty—and I’ve never looked back.

I’m now a working student for Andrea Velas at Echodale Dressage, where I discovered my love for dressage and learned that passion matters more than price tags. My horse, Bandit, was gifted to me after being deemed “too spooky” for therapy work, and together we’ve grown tremendously—most recently stepping into our first recognized dressage shows.

I’m proud to be part of IEO since 2020 and believe strongly in making “grassroots dressage” welcoming and accessible to all riders. My goal is simple: to keep learning, enjoy the ride, and encourage others to do the same—no matter their background or budget.