ABOUT ELISE

A rider for more than 20 years, Elise got her start in jumpers and dressage while living with her family in Honduras. After returning to the United States at 16, Elise spent a year showing on the Arabian breed show circuit while finishing high school. In order to better understand if she wanted to pursue riding and training as her full-time profession, Elise took a gap year between high school and college to be a working student at an eventing and dressage farm where she competed through novice level eventing.After deciding to pursue a career as a professional rider and trainer, Elise attended college at Averett University in Danville, VA. While there, Elise competed on the school’s combined training team and Intercollegiate Dressage Association (IDA) team. A member of the IDA team for four years, Elise competed at the National Championships three times, culminating in an individual Reserve National Champion title at First Level in her senior year.Elise continued her well-rounded approach to horsemanship by spending her summers working in a variety of disciplines including grooming for a polo player, teaching at a children’s summer camp, and as a working student for Olympic show jumper Laura Kraut. After graduating from Averett with a degree in equestrian studies with minors in Spanish and history, Elise spent six months as a wrangler at a dude ranch in Wyoming before moving back east to seriously pursue her career in dressage.During her professional career Elise has made improving her riding a top priority. Time spent as a working student for Pati Pierucci and then grooming for Olympian Sue Blinks, where she received a generous amount of training, were both pivotal experiences that have helped her develop a systematic and correct training system. She enjoys starting horses and helping them develop into confident partners. She draws from her broad base of experiences to create a training program that suits each horse and rider.As a competitor Elise has shown multiple horses and earned her USDF Silver and Bronze Medals. She has trained her horse, Coronado (Charlie), from a green 6 year old through Intermediate 1. A vocal proponent of continuing education in all aspects of riding and training, Elise continually works to improve her skills and knowledge. She graduated from the USDF L Program with distinction in March 2023 and is currently on the waitlist to enter a program to become a USEF “r” dressage judge.