Sally Batton

President and founder

A lifelong horsewoman, Sally brings a broad range of experience to Athletic Equestrian. Sally started Athletic Equestrian in 2010 and the organization now includes the Athletic Equestrian League, Sally Batton Equestrian Clinics, the Athletic Equestrian Riding in College Podcast and The Athletic Equestrian and Equicize books which are published by Horse & Rider Books. Sally’s diverse interest in the world of horses has led her to believe in the critical importance of developing correct and effective horsemanship skills. She founded the AEL because she saw a need for young riders and adults to have the opportunity to compete in a format in which clear and objective feedback was available. AEL emphasizes the development of correct fundamental horsemanship skills, which in turn allows for progressive improvement in technique and performance. 

Sally began riding at Camp Tippecanoe in Ohio in the fifth grade, where she was introduced to western riding. From there, she quickly expanded her interests and went on to experiment with many different disciplines, including gymkhana, dressage, polocrosse, eventing, Morgan breed showing, foxhunting, polo and even side saddle. 

Sally received a Bachelor’s degree in Equestrian Studies from Lake Erie College in Ohio, and later a Master’s degree in communications from Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey. She began her professional career at Centenary College in New Jersey, where she worked first as the stable manager and later as an instructor and coach in the Equine Studies program, qualifying the team for the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association (IHSA) national championships twice. While at Centenary, Sally learned how to play polocrosse, which is like lacrosse on horseback, and traveled all over the US playing the sport. In 1988 she was asked to fly to Australia to research the sport and in 1990 her book was published, Polocrosse: Australian Made, Internationally Played. 

From 1990-2019, Sally was the Director of Riding and Varsity Equestrian Head Coach at Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH. In that time she managed as many as 150 riders per week from both the school and the surrounding community. Through the Tiny Riders program to her most “senior” of students, Sally had the chance to work with riders from ages three to seventy five. The Dartmouth Equestrian Team has long been known as a group of talented and competitive young equestrians, both in and out of the arena. With Sally’s coaching, members of Dartmouth’s team successfully competed at the IHSA National Championships at many different levels, and in 2015, the top two places in the McDonald Scholarship Challenge (an unmounted horsemanship test) were won by Dartmouth team members. 

Sally was on the Board of Directors of the IHSA from 1984-2017. She served as the organization’s National Steward from 2001-2017, and was recognized in 2013 with the IHSA Lifetime Achievement Award and in 2020 was inducted into the IHSA Hall of Fame. Sally is a Level III certified instructor with the American Riding Instructor’s Association (ARIA), and in 2008 was awarded Instructor of the Year. She is a USHJA Certified Trainer and an American Polocrosse Association Certified Coach.

Christina Keim

MANAGING DIRECTOR OF THE ATHLETIC EQUESTRIAN LEAGUE

is an award-winning equestrian journalist. Her work has appeared in The Chronicle of the Horse, UnTacked, Equine Journal, Practical Horseman, The Eastern Equerry, Northeast Equestrian Life, Green Mountain Horse Association Magazine, Woodstock Magazine, and The Plaid Horse, among others. With Sally Batton, she is the co-writer of The Athletic Equestrian and Equicize, and she is the author of Unwanted. For nearly two decades a top intercollegiate hunter seat coach, Keim now teaches compassionate horsemanship and Equestrian Yoga and Mounted Mindfulness clinics out of her Cold Moon Farm in Rochester, New Hampshire (coldmoonfarm.org).

Jenna Boillotat-Upson

director of marketing and membership

Jenna Boillotat-Upson leads AEL membership development programs and oversees the organization’s marketing strategy, including events, digital campaigns, and public relations. She manages social media, drives overall marketing initiatives, and is responsible for website development and membership for the AEL as well as for the Athletic Equestrian brand. In addition to her work with AEL, Jenna partners with small businesses to elevate their marketing efforts. She supports website development, email marketing, branding, and digital strategy to help them grow and connect with their audiences.

Growing up on a horse farm in New Hampshire, Jenna began riding ponies at the age of three and has carried that passion into her professional life with Athletic Equestrian. She was the AEL Open National Champion for three consecutive years in high school and went on to compete at the varsity level for her collegiate team, where she earned MVP honors and multiple championships.

Jenna lives in Vermont with her husband, her son Bennett, and their two rescued dogs, Zoey and Lily. She continues to stay closely connected to her lifelong love of horses.