Ellen Doughty AND
Sir Oberon
Working primarily on her own, this young event rider has seen much success so far—but not without a few challenging hurdles along the way.
By Amber Heintzberger
life. Now, as she prepares for her first four-star competi- tion at the Rolex Kentucky three-day event at age 29, she’s proof that hard work and focus on a goal can turn girl- hood hopes and dreams into reality. Ellen and her 11-year-old Holsteiner-Thoroughbred
W
cross Sir Oberon (HQ Outrigger—Cher) enjoyed a remark- ably successful competition year in 2013, beginning with their first Advanced run in the spring at Texas Rose Horse Park, where they finished second in spite of a torrential downpour just before cross-country. “Every event this spring has been a highlight of our
career,” she says. “With every event I think we both gained more confidence and kept improving.” Horse and rider went on to place second at the CIC***
at Chattahoochee Hills in Tennessee; seventh at the CIC*** at Rebecca Farms in Montana, (where they com- peted on a Rebecca Broussard travel grant); fourteenth at the CIC*** at Richland Park in Michigan; and third at the American Eventing Championships at the Advanced level. Finally they capped the year by finishing sixth over- all at the Fair Hill International CCI*** in Maryland, their debut at the three-star level. In preparation for the 2014 season and with Rolex in
her sights, Ellen, of Terrell, Texas, and Sir Oberon spent the beginning of winter training on their own. They headed to
32 March/April 2014
hen Ellen Doughty galloped around her first cross-country course as a teenager, she knew that riding was what she wanted to do with her
Florida at the end of January to spend some time working with a few instructors including U.S. Chef d’Equipe David O’Connor in high performance training sessions.
Finding Her Niche Originally from Michigan, Ellen first became interested in
horses when she attended a Girl Scout camp at age eight. She loved everything about her experience with horses at camp, so her mom signed her up for weekly lessons. After experiencing hunters, saddle seat and dressage, she finally found her niche in eventing. Ellen’s parents helped her purchase her first horse, an
off-the-track Thoroughbred, when she was sixteen. She trained him and sold him less than two years later for a profit, then repeated the process several times over, letting each horse develop at his own rate. Typically she sold these youngsters when they were competing at Training Level, turning them over to keep her business running. Ellen’s parents instilled a strong work ethic in their
daughter, who was captain of her varsity swim and soft- ball teams, held three jobs (lifeguard at the YMCA, wait- ress at a Greek restaurant and waitress at a banquet hall for weddings on the weekends), and found time to ride her horse daily and maintain straight As in school. With her focus firmly on competing at the upper levels and making a team, Ellen worked hard to reach her goals, also attaining her ‘A’ rating in Pony Club.
Top: Ellen Doughty and Obie during the cross country phase at Fair Hill Int’l.
Ready FOR Rolex!
Amber Heintzberger
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