Why HORSEPOWER?

Equines have for centuries benefited the world and served to advance the human condition.  It’s impossible to think about our lives today without gratitude for their service and usefulness, and wonderment at their astonishing speed, agility, power, and gracefulness.  Yet, for all their value and the joy they bring to us, horses and their equine kin often suffer from inhumane treatment by the very industries that they benefit.

That’s why HORSEPOWER was established: to protect equine health and welfare, raise awareness about inhumane practices, and effect change in public policy.  We are the engine to give horses a voice.

Changing policy requires raising awareness and understanding, cultivating strong relationships, and building and sustaining like-minded coalitions to keep the drumbeat.   Horse Power ensures that the care and protection of equines becomes and stays a priority in the halls of the state capitol.

Our Leadership

The founders of HORSEPOWER, Inc., have come together to use their expertise in the fields of advocacy, coalition building, education, policy reform and organizing to build a presence and visibility for equine welfare issues in our political arenas.

Penny Ploughman | Director

Penny Ploughman is an attorney, sociologist, horsewoman, artisan, and published photographer.

She is currently Senior Counsel at the State University of New York’s Office of the General Counsel and represents SUNY Canton, SUNY Cobleskill, SUNY Delhi, and SUNY Maritime. Penny has worked for Skidmore College, the New York State Appellate Division, Third Department, Albany County - Child Protective Services, SUNY Brockport and SUNY Buffalo.

Penny is also a leather artisan/saddlery designer and repairer and has been awarded U.S. Patents for two of her designs. Penny started Ploughman’s Saddle & Bridle Repair, LLC in 2006 and Ploughman’s Saddlery & Belts in 2008.

Penny’s love of horses started when she was a child and continues to the present day. She bought her first horse in 2003, a Morgan gelding, named Magic, who she continues to enjoy. She is a member of the New York State Horse Council, the Morgan Horse Association, and the Saratoga Driving Association.

Penny is a graduate of SUNY Buffalo Law School, SUNY Buffalo Graduate School (Sociology –MA and Ph.D.) and SUNY Buffalo undergraduate school (Sociology - BA). She lives in Albany, NY. When she is not working, she can be found with her Jack Russell, Jake and her Morgan, Magic.

Katelyn Galbraith | Member of Legislative Committee on Horsepower

Katelyn Galbraith comes to the HORSEPOWER Legislative Committee with a great deal of experience in negotiation and government relations, with over a decade of experience in grassroots advocacy, communications, crisis management, coalition-building, and economic development. She is a graduate of Russell Sage College and holds a Juris Doctorate from Western New England College School of Law.

Cheryl rings | Director

Cheryl Rings is a horsewoman, artist, and nature enthusiast. Her mission is to distill the complexities of the world into simple, beautiful narratives and designs that serve to enhance the natural world and the creatures that call it home. Whether recounting her latest equestrian adventure or assisting clients in articulating intricate legislative issues, Cheryl's goal is to leave her audience with both an emotional and cognitive understanding of the subject at hand.

Cheryl currently holds the position of Government Affairs, Health Policy & Operations Associate at Capital Health Consulting in Albany, NY. In this capacity, she collaborates with medical associations and healthcare organizations, contributing to the tracking and shaping of legislative matters, fostering outreach and internal communication, and crafting distinctive brand identities and messages.

Her background includes prior experiences in public service, retail, and her family's generational recreational business, Lyons Lake in Nassau, NY. Cheryl's volunteer involvement with the Old Chatham Hunt Club further enriches her ability to comprehend issues from multiple angles and communicate effectively with diverse audiences. She thrives on challenges and has achieved remarkable success stories, such as catapulting a small retail shop to the top of Google's first page through SEO optimization and social media marketing.

Cheryl holds a degree in Graphic Design from the Sage College at Albany and is a proud graduate of the Rensselaer County Chamber of Commerce Leadership Institute. Committed to lifelong learning, she diligently stays abreast of the latest developments and trends in equine care and related issues.

 Beyond her professional pursuits, Cheryl and her wife have 5 cherished horses on a small farm in Rensselaer County where they can often be found fixing fences, hiking with their rescue dog, Giddy Up, or in the saddle blending their love for horses with a genuine connection to the natural world.

Andrea Smyth | Development Director

Andrea Smyth is an experienced association management executive and policy advocate.  Smyth has grown membership and fiscal stability for the organizations she has worked with, and shaped many successful public policy campaigns. A Smyth Advocacy, a boutique advocacy and management services consultancy, was founded in 1999. Smyth is an alum of the University of South Florida and has her Masters in Public Administration from the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy at the University at Albany. 

David Terrio | Treasurer

David Terrio is a president and co-founder of BTQ Financial, a national leader of financial and accounting outsourcing services for the nonprofit sector. David directs the firm’s strategic and operational activities and is responsible for marketing and new ventures.

Prior to establishing BTQ Financial, David was a partner in Burchman Terrio Urban Consultants. Consulting to over thirty nonprofits and government agencies, David played a key role in the development and operations of innovative social service, health and housing programs. Throughout his career, David has worked to develop new financial models and sources of capital and operating funds for the nonprofit sector. David worked for the City of New York’s Department of Real Property, Columbia University School of Social Work, Goddard Riverside Community Center and Hearst Publications.

David is a graduate of Georgetown University and holds an MBA from New York University. He lives in NYC and New Baltimore, NY, and rides in Chatham, NY.

Raymond Daniel Whelihan | Board Member

Ray is an Associate Professor at SUNY Cobleskill with teaching responsibilities in the equine area, including coaching the Varsity Hunt Seat Team. With a Masters in Educational Psychology and Statistics from UAlbany and 30 years of faculty experience at SUNY Cobleskill, Ray has helped many young individuals explore and realize their potential to make equestrian involvement a fulfilling life long endeavor. 

Growing up in western Massachusetts with a few horses at home allowed for daily hacks on the many dirt roads, with quality riding instruction, local horse shows and low level eventing. Travelling to north shore Boston in 1975 and watching the likes of Bruce Davidson, Michael Plumb and Princess Anne compete at Ledyard International Three Day Event served as ignition for a burning passion to live a life with horses. 

Upon completion of a B.S. degree in Animal Science from UMASS Amherst, Ray entered the thoroughbred breeding and racing industry, including raising horses in New York and Kentucky, representation at sale venues in New York, Maryland and Florida, and importantly galloping race horses at Belmont Park, Saratoga, Oaklawn Park and Keeneland for quality racing operations. Ray’s thoroughbred involvement continues thirty-nine years later.     

With a preference for plain bay thoroughbreds, and the occasional gallant grey, Ray has developed many successful horses for eventing, showing and fox hunting.  Ray’s approach centers on simplicity, correctness, and less is more resulting in manifestation of one of his favorite sayings “Ride your horses so your horses like you”. Ray’s experience managing horses for optimal health and performance in high stress environments such as racing and long format three day eventing as well as managing second career lesson horses to perform optimally day in and day out enables Ray to bring knowledge and experience in equine welfare to a platform dedicated to the betterment of the horse. Ray believes that only through first understanding the generous nature of the horse and incorporating fundamental horsemanship practices proven effective over a decade, then blending our practices with the tremendous advancements in equine medicine and nutrition, can we ask of our horses only what should be asked and enjoy our equine relationships to the fullest.  

Kimberly Burgart Weir | Board Member

Current Role

Kim considers herself one of the luckiest people she knows because she has found a way to dedicate her life experience, her professional background and her natural born talents to work she considers her “calling” as a fundraiser and spokeswoman for the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF).   Kim joined the TRF as the Director of Major Gifts and Planned Giving in May of 2018.  In this role, she invests her notably abundant energy into building, nurturing and expanding relationships with individuals and organizations who share her passion for the mission and the programs of the TRF.  Her approach to fundraising is predicated on the belief that “those who are not aware, cannot care”. To this end, she has thrown her heart and soul into radically raising awareness of the TRF and the TRF Second Chances Program.  She embarks upon her development of Major Donors with the faith that each individual has their own set of gifts to give, and the fundraiser’s role is to discover how best to connect each donor’s gifts in the most meaningful, impactful and rewarding way.

Professional Background

Prior to landing in the “job of her dreams” at the TRF, Kim’s career in the business community had been centered in the Mid-Atlantic region (Virginia, DC, Maryland) and always focused on a theme of growth and expansion of business, often with a focus on international markets. Her chronology of career experience is best summarized on her LinkedIn Profile. Prior to the TRF, Kim’s professional experience has included a range of industries including independent school education, international private banking, technology, export promotion, foreign direct investment/ economic development, venture capital and trade association management. In each environment, Kim has found herself in the role of chief communicator, outreach leader, relationship developer and revenue generator.  Over the course of her two decades in the DC area, she launched and ran her own boutique business development consulting firm, Starting Gate Global, while establishing her reputation as someone with a deep and wide network which she was always willing to share in order to help colleagues, clients and friends achieve their goals.  Making connections, around the corner or across the globe, has always been one of Kim’s signature skills.

Education, Community Involvement and Hobbies

A graduate of The Bishop’s School in La Jolla, Kim pursued a double major in Spanish and International Relations at the University of Virginia, graduating with Distinction with two B.S. degrees including one semester abroad at the University of Valencia, Spain.  Kim is fluent in Spanish and has traveled extensively in Latin America, Europe, India and Australia. In 2005 she completed her M.B.A. through the Mason School of Business, at the College of Williams & Mary.

Embracing the motto “to whom much is given, much is expected”, Kim is passionate about service to others, especially those born into less fortunate circumstances than her own.  In Virginia, she dedicated many years to volunteer work at the Carpenter’s Shelter, an innovative nonprofit addressing homelessness in Alexandria. She was a regular volunteer at the shelter’s front desk as well as an active board member focused on Development and Fundraising. Kim served three terms on the board Families Forward Virginia (formerly CHIP of Virginia), leading their Development efforts. In Saratoga, she is a dedicated volunteer for the New York Racetrack Chaplaincy and a volunteer driver for the Rural Food Delivery Program of LifeWorks Saratoga (formerly the Economic Opportunity Council). In April 2021, she accepted an invitation to join the Board of Directors of Horsepower, a young nonprofit dedicated to the mission of assuring the safety and wellbeing of equines through education, awareness, advocacy and allies. 

Kim and her husband, Bobby, live four blocks from the Saratoga Race Course with their two beloved cats, Maggie and Mookie. They enjoy spicy asian food, bourbon, friends and family - especially when all these things are gathered on their front porch.  They look forward to exploring their “still new” neighborhood in upstate New York as travel becomes possible once again in 2021.