a 501(c)(3)
Board of Directors
New Forest Ponies registered with the NFPSNA must meet standards as per the New Forest Pony Breeding & Cattle Society (NFPB & CS) of England
NFPSNA President
Christina Warfel
2nd term (2024-2027)
Vice President
Carol Thibault
1st term (2025-2026)
Secretary / Treasurer
Emily Black
1st Term (2025-2026)
Directors at Large:
Alexa Bjerknes
2nd Term (2025-2026)
Claudia Tomaselli
Also Show Points Secretary
1st Term (2025-2026)
Ellen Ziemer
1st Term (2024-2025)
Meg Marshall
1st Term (2025-2026)
Canadian Rep.
Registrar:
Dallas Grubenmann
Appointed - no Term
Assistant Registrar:
Victoria Landsborough
Appointed - No Term
Board Member Biographies
Learn more about our board.
NFPSNA President:
Christina Warfel
2nd term (2024-2027)
Christina inherited a love of horses and has been infatuated with them since she was very young. She took riding lessons off and on for years on various breeds and eventually fell in love with both dressage and trail riding. She works full time at a law firm as a legal assistant, a job she enjoys. She also has the opportunity to work weekends at a nearby farm that raises New Forest Ponies, and it is there that she fell in love with the New Forest Pony’s intelligence, temperament, and athleticism.
Christina and her daughter own a New Forest Pony mare named Wrefleksion (Wicked Courtjester x Hoppenhof’s Silvia). They then bred and sold their first New Forest Pony/GRP cross named Gershwin, and now have a New Forest Pony/KWPN cross named Allechante. Christina is just delighted with their ponies, who are very athletic and intelligent with great personalities. Having joined the Board in 2012, Christina moved into the Secretary/Treasurer position in 2014 and served for five years until moving back to a Board member position in 2019. She also served as the editor for the Society’s newsletter for many years and is now honored to serve you as President.
Vice President:
Carol Thibault
1st Term (2025-2026)
I have always been involved in ponies since my childhood. From the 2 cents pony ride on Mitzie, around my backyard in the 1950’s to befriending the neighbors and their pony, Princess, in the 1960’s. I had the opportunity to drive Princess around the neighborhood in an English Tub cart. I was in love with ponies, their smart attitude, versatility and strength for their size. Driving was my other passion from this childhood opportunity while living in Massachusetts.
When I married in 1977, I had my own Princess pony, a Welsh Shetland cross of about 12.3 hands, rescued from a bout with Founder. She was given to me to keep my 3-year-old Appaloosa filly company. I already had a cart & harness; it was natural for me to drive Princess all over Rehoboth, MA. My husband & I went to our first carriage driving show sponsored by the New England Region of the Carriage Association of America in Cumberland, Maine. It was here that I met Mrs. Mary Wilson of Jacob’s Farm, Seekonk, MA. She had enjoyed watching Princess & I throughout this driving weekend. We started talking ponies and to my amazement, Mrs. Wilson lived in the next town over from me and bred New Forest Ponies under the Jacob’s prefix. My husband and I went to visit Mrs. Wilson at her Jacob Farm; our first exposure to this little-known British breed. Mrs. Wilson’s ponies were beautiful, even tempered ponies of a larger size so my husband and I could enjoy driving together in a larger carriage.
In 1980, my husband accepted a job position in Portland, Oregon. We had to put our quest of finding a larger pony to ride and drive on hold until we established our farm in Oregon. By the time we were ready to establish our own New Forest Stud farm, Mrs. Wilson did not have any breeding stock for sale. She introduced us to Mrs. Elizabeth Holbrook of Ontario Canada, the Forest Hill New Forest Pony Stud.
1983 my husband and I made the cross-country trek to Ontario Canada to import a 3-year-old gray stallion, Forest Hill Martian and a bred mare to Vernons Starling, Forest Hill Cherub; also, a gray broodmare of 15 years. This was the start of the first New Forest Stud west of the Rocky Mountains. Robbins Niche Farm with the prefix of Robnic.
Secretary / Treasurer
Emily Black
1st Term (2025-2026)
Emily Black is an avid dressage rider and a stay at home mom, located in South Carolina. She started riding at age 10, competing in hunters and equitation before focusing on dressage, riding Warmbloods and Thoroughbreds. She competed to the FEI level on her Dutch Warmblood Pavarotti. When it was time to retire him, she had trouble finding a horse to follow in his footsteps. At age 30, Emily decided to get her very first pony and purchased a New Forest gelding named Wishbone (by Wicked Courtjester). She never looked back!
Emily enjoys training, competing and trail riding with Wishbone. She also owns a young New Forest Pony mare named Forrest Fern (by Forrest Flame) who is expecting a 2020 foal. She hopes to show Fern in the future and continue to explore breeding these wonderful ponies. You can follow Emily’s adventures with her ponies on Instagram at @emilyblackdressage.
Directors at Large:
Alexa Bjerknes
2nd Term (2025-2026)
Alexa Bjerknes is an avid equestrian and high school teacher, located in Ontario. She has a passion for sharing her experiences and helping others and aims to rise to the occasion as one of the Directors at Large. She was nominated for her enthusiasm and interest in advocating for New Forest Ponies.
Alexa has been involved with horses since she had her first riding lesson at 7 years old, going to all sorts of equine clinics, shows, expositions and spending as much time at the barn as possible. Horses have been a major part of Alexa’s life in all aspects. Alexa and her partner have the goal of running their own farm in the future and would love to add more New Forest Ponies to the family!
Alexa currently owns a New Forest Pony gelding, Manoravon Finnegan, along with a Thoroughbred mare and a mini. Finn has been “her rock,” her consistent riding pony, who has given her the confidence she never knew she had or needed. Finn is not only sure footed on the trails but has proven to be a red ribbon pony in the Hunters and has taken her up to 3rdLevel in Dressage.
If you want to learn more about Alexa and Finn’s story or others with New Forest Ponies check them out on #YourDressage https://yourdressage.org/2022/12/23/a-lifetime-of-finnegan/
Claudia Tomaselli
Also Show Points Secretary
1st Term (2025-2026)
Claudia is a retired Pediatric Dentist that has loved horses all of her life. Originally from Colombia, South America, she used to own thoroughbreds off the track and competed in show jumping in her youth. After moving to the United States she purchased a paint mare named Josie. When her daughter came along, another pinto pony joined the family. When her daughter, Daniella, started competing with Pony Club, they met a girl named Lizzy who had outgrown her New Forest pony, A Diamond is Forever, and that is where our journey with the breed started. Daniella competed with Forever in eventing and Claudia later inherited the pony and started competing in dressage.
Claudia enjoys riding Forever and taking photographs of him. He always has a different pose. She also enjoys his out of this world personality, his free spirit, charm and his mischievous ways of letting everybody know he is on top. She has competed Forever up to First Level.
Ellen Ziemer
1st Term (2024-2025)
Ellen is a retired equine veterinarian who, along with her veterinarian husband Jerry Waddel, own and manage their Pura Vida Farms in North Carolina, where they focus on horses and breeding.
Ellen’s horse passion never left her. Ellen bred her first horses as a teenager in Virginia, then started breeding horses again in North Carolina after veterinary school and post doctoral education. Ellen was awarded the USDF breeder of distinction award at the Gold level in 2021. Ellen’s riding has been continual and eclectic, including saddle seat, western pleasure, competitive trail rides, polo, combined training (eventing) and dressage. Ellen’s goal is to progress through the levels in dressage with her schoolmaster pony, promote and market homebred horses and ponies, and support developing riders. Her first New Forest Pony, Elmholt's Galant, stole her heart as they moved up the dressage levels.
Meg Marshall
1st Term (2025-2026)
Meg Marshall has been a lifelong New Forest Pony lover, having learned to ride as a youngster on some New Forest ponies while attending riding lessons and summer camp at Averyhill Farms. They owned some Forest Hill lineage ponies that were purchased through June Whitman. Meg's personal favourite pony growing up was an adorable grey one named Forest Hill Merry and Marvelous (barn name: Marvel).
Through high school, university and into her working years, Meg has always had a horse. In June 2020, is when she purchased her own New Forest pony: Bell Flower Emergo - known now as "Harvest" (Bell Flower Doerthy X Woodrow Fieldmaster) from David and Nellie Schelle. While no longer competing herself, her pony is an amazing trail partner, lesson pony and just all-around great friend.
Meg lives in the metropolitan city of Toronto, ON but commutes back to her parent's home once or twice a week to visit Averyhill Farms where Harvest is boarded. Professionally, she is the Manager of a few Business Improvement Areas/Districts (BIAs or BIDs), working closely with elected officials, local stakeholders and many small businesses. Responsibilities include marketing, event organization, light bookkeeping, advocacy, strategic planning, communication efforts with appropriate parties and anything else thrown her way.
Appointed Positions:
Registrar:
Dallas Grubenmann
Appointed - no term
A competitive Eventer and beef farmer in Central Alberta, Dallas started breeding New Forest Ponies after the loss of her Thoroughbred stallion. She enjoys riding the ponies as an adult as it brings her back to her own Pony Club days. In addition to raising four active farm kids and teaching Pony Club, Dallas coaches and competes in 3-day eventing and runs a Riding Arena and Beef Farm.
Her Pferde Traum Farm (Horse Dream Farm) stands newly Imported Halestorm Branston Pickle (Buckland Dragonslayer X Wellhouse Betsy) and Manoravon Master Majestic (Woodrow Fieldmaster X Forest Hill Jesse Belle). For most people, all that work with ponies, children, and cows would be enough but Dallas also graciously offers her time in supporting many initiatives for the NFPSNA. Also serving as the Board’s Canadian representative, Dallas has been volunteering her time to the society since 2009.
Assistant Registrar:
Victoria Landsborough
Appointed - no Term
Victoria started pony club at the age of 12, and was able to make it to C1 level before aging out. After taking a few years away from horses she got married and bought an acreage. It wasn't long before horses were back in life. After looking for an instructor close she ended up at Dallas Grubenmanns farm, trying to learn quickly!
After losing her comeback horse Jack suddenly, she had her first opportunity to work with a New Forest Pony Filly. It was a project plan originally, but no money was made cause the pony wasn't going anywhere. Almost 6 years later she still has that lovely mare Pferdetraum Princess Fiona (Fox Hollow Holly's Legacy). Realizing pony life is the only life she wants she made a second purchase a lovely gelding Pferdetraum Flynn Rider (Fox Hollow Holly's Legacy) Eventing is the main passion of Victoria's, but just riding and enjoying Alberta's lovely scenery is a close second.
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