Nov 15, 2024
Meet Molly Pellegrini: 2025 USEA President Elect
When her daughter, Meg Pellegrini, showed a very early interest in horses, Molly Pellegrini took a deep dive into a world she knew nothing about, the world of equestrian sports.
Molly first took on the role of active horse show mom, but her years of servitude on countless boards made her an excellent candidate to support the sport at the grassroots level and she soon found herself working alongside Meg’s Pony Club, serving on the USEA Area VI Board, and eventually becoming a member of the USEA Board of Governors.
In 2025, Molly will step into her biggest role in the sport of eventing yet, as she takes on the title of USEA President Elect.
“We like to laugh and say Meg just came out of the womb talking about horses,” Molly shared of her third of four children. At the time, the Pellegrini family lived in Oklahoma and the daughter of one of Molly’s best friends was involved in the hunter jump circuit there, so the Pellegrinis promised Meg that at the age of five, she could follow in her friend’s footsteps.
“She started taking weekly lessons and then around the age of seven, she was taking two a week. When Meg was 10, we decided to move to California, so we tried out a bunch of barns there and the closest to our house just so happened to be a Pony Club and eventing barn. We had no clue what eventing was until we got there, but she jumped right into it and Pony Club.”
That is when Meg and Molly connected with West Coast eventing trainers Brian and Lisa Sabo and both of their involvement in the sport took a turn in a more serious direction.
“Meg started doing all of the Pony Club rallies and it was a great way for me to meet people in Southern California, which was hard to do. The Sabos kind of took us in as family, and our world just started being really horse-heavy,” noted Molly. “It happened really quickly— Lisa asked me to help with some stuff at her barn, and then she asked me to get on the Pony Club board. Then Meg started going Preliminary and beyond and Young Riders was on her radar, so I joined the Area VI Council and helped with Young Riders, and then was asked if I could be area treasurer.”
Despite not having first-hand experience in the sport prior to her daughter’s involvement, Molly found herself absolutely supported by the eventing community as she took on more roles, responsibilities, and volunteer positions.
“Every person I have met in this field has been super welcoming and didn’t care that I didn’t know what I was talking about,” she joked. “They let me learn along the way.”
Which is exactly what Molly did. She learned the ins and outs of the sport both from the viewpoints of the start box and the behind-the-scenes action.
As Meg’s competitive dreams grew and grew, the Pellegrini family decided to make a big change in 2020 and relocate to the East Coast, giving Molly a unique perspective as someone who has been actively involved in the sport on both coasts. She has brought that perspective forward as an active member of the USEA Board of Governors, serving in roles such as the Vice President of Admin & Finance, and as a BOG representative for the Area Treasurers’ Committee, Intercollegiate Eventing Committee, Emerging Athletes U21 Task Force, and Interscholastic Eventing League Task Force.
“I feel like it's a privilege to be able to serve on these boards and meet the people that really make it all happen,” said Molly.
After two-and-a-half years on the USEA board, it was Brian Sabo who called Molly and asked her if she would be willing to be nominated for the role of President. She is excited to bring what she has learned over the years to her new role as President Elect.
“I knew I would always be willing to put my name in the hat because I know it's hard to get people to take leadership roles,” shared Molly. “I know that people expect a President to come in with an overarching platform, and I have been really thinking about that concept. I don’t think we have to create anything new and I think all riders of all levels deserve attention. I don’t think we need to overcomplicate it— I think we need to use what we have here and let it grow.”
Molly is excited to work alongside the Board and USEA staff to find the best ways to make membership a total value for USEA members, by continuing to grow the availability of opportunities for safe educational activities, combined tests, and more across the country. She also looks forward to finding strategic ways to support organizers, enhance safety, and increase educational awareness for coaches.
“I want to figure out ways that we can grow without taxing our organizers anymore, and supporting the people who already give so much to the sport,” she continued. “Everything we do has got to be safe in order for this Association to succeed. I think we have a really great Board, I think the USEA staff are great, and I think we are so lucky to have a tight-knit community that really allows people to bounce ideas off of one another. I think the sport of eventing is really lucky because we truly have a unified face. Now we just continue to move forward to find ways to execute some of the great ideas that are being brought forward to better the sport.”
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