Middleburg, Virginia – February 16, 2010 – The Chronicle of the Horse, the nation’s only weekly sport horse news magazine, is pleased to announce that Heather A. Heider has been named the magazine’s Publisher.

Heider, Leesburg, Va., is a lifelong horsewoman who has experience in showing, breeding, combined training and foxhunting. She spent her early years on her family’s Thoroughbred breeding farm in Lovettsville, Va., where she participated in Pony Club and foxhunted. In addition, Heider and her twin sister Lisa were actively involved in training and showing hunters in the family business at local and A-rated shows.

While attending Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Heider competed on their intercollegiate riding team and was a founding executive board member of the nation’s first student-run non-profit riding corporation.

Heider began her professional career with Southern States Cooperative as an Equine Nutritional Technical Representative. For more than 11 years she served in marketing, sales and business development. She often participated in educational seminars and spoke on equine nutrition and equine health management.

In 2004 Heider transitioned to publishing, working for Greater Washington Publishing, a subsidiary of The Washington Post. At Washington Spaces magazine she started as an advertising account executive and in 2006 was promoted to Associate Publisher of the award-winning design magazine.  For three years she directed daily sales and marketing operations including developing, maintaining and overseeing all aspects of running the magazine’s operations.

Heider currently foxhunts with Loudoun Hunt West (Va.). She’s also in partnership with her mother, Sheila Heider, in breeding crossbred hunter ponies. She and her husband Scott Van Pelt own a small horse farm where her 8-year-old daughter Allison rides ponies.

“Heather is a positive force who has the necessary equine knowledge, essential leadership and publishing skills to guide the Chronicle into the future,” said Karen Showalter, the CFO and General Manager of The Chronicle of the Horse.

The Chronicle of the Horse is the industry leader—in print and online—for news coverage of national and international sport horse competitions, through results, compelling features, thought-provoking commentary and complete analysis.  The Chronicle is the heart and soul of the sport horse community and the information hub for those who desire to live the active equestrian lifestyle.

For more information on The Chronicle of the Horse, please see our new and expanded website: www.chronofhorse.com.