United States Eventing Association

Ellen Doughty: Work Hard and Dream Big

We are pleased to feature a series of blog posts written by the four winners of grants that were awarded during the 2013 USEA Annual Meeting and Convention—the Beacon Charm Grant, the Essex Grant and the Rebecca Broussard Developing Rider Grant. The $5,000 Beacon Charm Grant was given to Emily Pestl-Dimmit; the $10,000 Essex Grant was awarded to Lizzie Snow; Ellen Doughty received the the $10,000 Rebecca Broussard Developing Rider Grant; and the $30,000 Rebecca Broussard Developing Rider Grant was awarded to Katherine Groesbeck. The riders introduce themselves, their horses, and look toward the season ahead with their grants, made possible by the generous donors and USEA Endowment Trust, in hand.

The $10,000 Rebecca Broussard Developing Rider Grant was awarded to Ellen Doughty, who stormed onto the Advanced eventing scene in 2013 with Sir Oberon. The pair had several top finishes including the CHC International and the American Eventing Championships.

From Ellen:

"Wow! What a year it has been.

Last March, my horse Obie (Sir Oberon) and I moved up to the Advanced Level. After that first Advanced Horse Trial, we competed in our first CIC*** at Chattahoochee Hills, placing 2nd, and then traveled the 32 hours to Rebecca Farms in Montana where we placed 7th in the CIC***.

Then, it was on to Michigan for the Richland Park CIC***, placing 14th, and a brief 40-minute drive from home to the Nutrena USEA American Eventing Championships, where we placed 3rd in the Advanced. Finally, we wrapped up with the Fair Hill International CCI***, where we placed 6th and were awarded the Amanda Warrington Memorial Trophy for being the highest placed first-time three star rider, as well as the Fitness Award!

A little background on me: I grew up in Michigan in a non-horsey family. I was first introduced to horses when I was eight years old at Girl Scout camp. After camp, my mom signed me up for lessons and I rode at a few hunter jumper barns, a saddleseat barn, and finally, an eventing barn. I fell in love with eventing after my first time going cross-country, and the technicality of the dressage intrigued me as well.

My parents helped me buy my first horse, an off-the-track-thorougbred (OTTB), when I was sixteen. I trained him for a little less than two years and sold him. I paid my parents back the $2000 they had given me to buy him, and bought my next OTTB. I took this horse to college with me, and competed him through Training Level, before selling him and buying my next two OTTBs.

In my last semester of college at Michigan State University, I participated in a fantastic study abroad program and was able to spend 6 months living and riding in Northern Ireland at Enniskillen College. I took courses such as Equine Nutrition, Equine Sports Medicine, Dressage Equitation, and Jumping Equitation. It was a great experience and I learned a lot while I was overseas.

Upon returning from Ireland in 2006, I did several interviews around the USA, and landed a job in Texas, teaching riding lessons and training horses. I worked there for two years, and then decided to branch out on my own. I have been teaching and training since.

I found Obie as a 5-year-old in 2008 while I was searching for horses for a client. I went to try him out and fell in love with him. I knew this horses could be something special, and I bought him that day and brought him through the levels myself. I feel like Obie and I have a special partnership; we know each other so well and have made this journey to the top together.

Finding the funds to ride horses, especially at the top level, is not easy. Not only do you have board, farrier, and vet bills to worry about, but add on entry fees, gas money, hotel expenses, trailer and truck repair, flat tires, etc., and you start to feel overwhelmed and wonder how in the world you’ll be able to pay for everything. I was extremely grateful to receive the Rebecca Broussard Travel Grant, which paid for my travel expenses to get to and from Montana, and also the Land Rover grant, which paid for my expenses to get to Fair Hill in Elkton, Md. Without these grants, I would not have been able to compete at these shows.

At the 2013 USEA Annual Meeting and Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio, I was stunned to be announced as the recipient of the Rebecca Broussard $10,000 Grant. This Grant was such a blessing and I am so very thankful to the USEA Endowment Trust and Rebecca Broussard for making this and all of the other grants possible. The grant allowed me to spend the past five weeks training in Ocala, Fla. and participate in the Spring Training Sessions. I can’t wait to tell you about all of my time spent in Florida in my next blog post!"