Tag Archives: Ellie Brimmer

Ellie Brimmer Represents Para Dressage with Elected Seat on USEF Board of Directors in 2023

Ellie Brimmer and London Swing by Lindsay Y. McCall.

Wellington, FL – February 9, 2023 – Ellie Brimmer of Wellington, Florida was named to the United States Equestrian Federation’s (USEF) Board of Directors in January 2023. Brimmer, a current USEF Para-Dressage Development athlete representative, is also on the board of the U.S. Para-Equestrian Association (USPEA). She will serve on the USEF Board of Directors for a four-year term. Brimmer, a sixth-generation equestrian, has been an athlete in the international Para-Dressage world since 2011 and a spokesperson for athletes with disabilities her entire life. Brimmer has traveled the world not only as an athlete but as a friend, volunteer, and supporter of Para-Dressage. She has advocated for the Paralympic discipline helping trainers, riders, and press understand the parallels of Para-Dressage and Dressage as a high-performance sport. Brimmer was a daily call and friend of Hope Hand (1949-2022) who pushed Para-Dressage into the mainstream equestrian world and made it what it is today. Brimmer was there when the term Para-Dressage was in its infancy and she was there when the first U.S. para-dressage rider, Roxanne Trunnell, earned two gold medals at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics along with the team bronze medal for the USA, and then once again at the 2022 ECCO FEI World Championships where U.S.A earned a team bronze, an individual silver, and an individual bronze, earning a berth for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Brimmer is looking forward to her four-year term with USEF.

Brimmer expressed, “I’m honored to have been voted onto the USEF Board of Directors as an active athlete representative by my peers. Hope Hand and Lloyd Landkamer, who have both passed away, were my biggest mentors and really pushed me from being a competitor to the national volunteer realm. Both Hope and Lloyd had illustrious service careers, and I think of them often as I’m finding my own voice on this board. Hope spent a lot of time advocating for the para-equestrian board seat and I’m glad I can fulfill this role. My personal goal as a board member is to spend time getting to know the leadership from other breeds and disciplines and find ways to create more interest in and understanding of para-sport. As a board member, I want to serve my small para dressage community and the larger equestrian well.”

Tina Wentz, interim President of the USPEA, stated, “Hope would be so proud to see Ellie fulfill this role with USEF. Hope knew it meant a great deal for the discipline to be represented in this manner and she worked hard to create future seats for the para-equestrian discipline. Ellie will do a fantastic job on the board and we look forward to her representation over the next four years.”

For more information about the USPEA, please visit www.USPEA.org.

Para-Dressage Riders Peavy, Brimmer, and Jordan Finish a Successful 2014 Competition Year

Annie Peavy and Lancelot Warrior at the 2014 Adequan Global Dressage Festival CPEDI3*.

Lexington, KY – November 26, 2014 – The 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) concluded on August 29, and within two weeks Individual U.S. WEG Para-Dressage Grade III rider Annie Peavy of Avon, Connecticut headed to Saugerties, NY for the Great American Insurance Group/United States Dressage Federation Region 8 Championships presented by New England Dressage Association (NEDA). The Championships were held September 18-21. Also riding at the Region 8 Championships in Saugerties was Grade IV athlete Mary Jordan of Wells, Maine and Rubicon 75 (Royal-Hit x Edelkarin/Absinthe), owned by Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center of Loxahatchee, Florida. Rubicon 75 was formally owned and ridden by Catherine Haddad Staller of International Dressage. Peavy, a Grade III Para-Dressage Junior rode her WEG partner eight-year-old Trakehner gelding Ozzy Cooper (Hibiskus x Okka – Arrak) and 12-year-old Hanoverian gelding Lancelot Warrior (Londonderry x Waroness – Warkant). Both horses were qualified for WEG but Ozzy Cooper had to replace Lancelot Warrior just before heading to France. Peavy became the Region 8 FEI Junior Reserve Champion riding Ozzy Cooper and tied with Lancelot Warrior on a score of 66.35%. Peavy, 18, trains with Heather Blitz at Cutler Farm. Mary Jordan and Rubicon 75 won the 3rd Level Championship out of a field of 23 competitors. Rubicon also placed 5th in the 2nd Level Region 8 Championship. Her championship accolade earned her an invitation to the second U.S. Dressage Finals presented by Adequan® held November 6-9, in Lexington, KY. Unprecedented, Jordan and Rubicon 75 became the first horse and rider combination as the only Para-Equestrian Dressage duo to win an able-bodied Regional Championship to go to the Finals. Jordan trains with Jim Koford. Also at the Lexington Finals was U.S. Para-Dressage Grade III rider Ellie Brimmer’s horse London Swing ridden by trainer Roz Kinstler.

Annie Peavy rode two exceptional tests while in France at the WEG. It was a great endeavor with a wonderful outcome to fly back to the U.S. and show at Region 8 Championships within weeks. Peavy explained, “I showed both Lance and Ozzy in the Region 8 FEI Junior Team Championship Test. My rides on both of them were very smooth. I was extremely happy with them. They went into the ring confident and did everything I asked of them. It was a bit of a rush getting home from France and going straight to Saugerties, but worth it. Ozzy traveled extremely well and was ready to compete again. Overall I was extremely proud of our partnerships.” Peavy plans on continuing to show internationally as an able-bodied and Para-Equestrian Dressage Junior athlete in 2015.

Mary Jordan headed back to Maine after the Saugerties Region 8 Championships then on to the Kentucky Horse Park in November. “Rubicon qualified for NEDA Fall and Regionals at one show in August 2014, our first stateside competition,” recalled Jordan. “I rode four tests at 2nd and 3rd level over two days and got my qualifying scores at Vermont Dressage Days in Essex Junction, VT. There, Rubicon earned high score of the show and won the Blue Seal Amateur Cup on a score of 69+%. His scores in Saugerties went up to 72.9%. Rubicon is our hopeful for Rio 2016.”

Jordan continued, “I was incredibly excited to compete in Kentucky with this extremely wonderful horse along with the nation’s best riders and horses from around the country. A sincere thanks to my family, friends, Coach James Koford, Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center, Catherine Haddad Staller, and sponsors for their support and encouragement with our new partnership.” Jordan like Ellie Brimmer will head south for the winter to train and compete in Wellington, FL.

Brimmer’s partnership was also new in 2014 with their debut ride in Wellington, FL in Spring 2014. The duo has been enjoying solidifying their partnership while competing in both able-bodied and Para-Dressage competition. Brimmer noted, “The USDF Dressage Finals was not a planned goal for us this year, though I had attended the Finals last year as a volunteer and greatly enjoyed seeing all the quality horses and riders compete head to head from across the country. This summer I had an injury to my hand so my trainer Rosalind Kinstler took over the ride on my International Para-Dressage horse London Swing ‘Louie’ to give him some more miles as he was only shown lightly in Germany. Roz did an excellent job presenting him at the Region Two Finals for the Third Level Open Championship where he placed fourth and earned a wild card for Nationals. At the Kentucky Finals he held his own winning the warm up class for 3-3 Open on Thursday, placing fourth in the Finals Championship class with a total score of 69.359%. I’m so happy for Roz and Louie and I think this journey to the Finals will only help me as I continue to pursue International Para-Dressage competition.”

It is at these larger Dressage Championships where the parallel lines are crossed in the Dressage world. Brimmer explained, “I think what made having a horse in the Finals so special was that I got to see Para-Equestrian friends from all over the country. I was stabled across the aisle from Heather Blitz from Massachusetts who coaches my fellow Grade III rider Annie Peavy and the next aisle over was Michelle Folden and her husband David. Michelle is from South Carolina and coaches Grade II rider Debbie Stanitski. I was also able to cheer on Grade IV rider Mary Jordan from Maine in the Amateur Third Level Championship and see her exciting new Para-Dressage prospect Rubicon 75. In the future I would like to return to the finals to ride my own horse and I hope this event becomes a long standing tradition.”

Spectators can expect to see these three and many more Para-Dressage athletes in Wellington, FL in January at the first 2015 CPEDI3* which is a qualifier for the 2012 Rio Paralympics.

By: Lindsay Y. McCall

To view an online version of this press release with more photos, please visit: http://uspea.org/category/recent-uspea-press-news/.

About United States Para-Equestrian Association:

The USPEA is a network of riders, judges, national federation board members, and equestrian enthusiasts. The association gives athletes the ability to get involved and expand their knowledge and experience in the Para-Equestrian sport. The USPEA encourages para-athletes to participate in all disciplines under the para-equestrian umbrella.

The USPEA is a recognized affiliate of the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) which serves as the National Governing Body for the equestrian sport. This relationship between the USPEA and USEF is to encourage para-equestrian competitors, leisure riders, coaches, fans and enthusiasts to network and get involved with the entire equestrian sport.

Ultimately the goal of the USPEA is to foster growth in the para-equestrian discipline. From growth in the number of participants to growth as a team, and growth in the experience and knowledge of all involved. From local horse shows to international Olympic Games, the USPEA will provide para-equestrians the knowledge of what they need to succeed. The USPEA connects with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI), the United States Dressage Federation (USDF), and USEF which provides Para-Equestrians the top equestrian resources.

In June 2010, the USPEA earned its 501 (c)(3) status which has encouraged supporters to help supply funding to the Para-Equestrian Team as a recognized affiliate of the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF).

For more information about the USPEA, please visit www.USPEA.org or contact USPEA President Hope Hand by e-mail: Wheeler966@aol.com or by phone: (610)356-6481.

Ellie Brimmer Prepares for Key West Half Marathon and 5k Run for Cancer Support Community of Greater Ann Arbor

Ellie Brimmer and Carino H competing at the 2013 Para-Equestrian Dressage CPEDI3* competition in Wellington, FL. Photo(C)Lindsay Y McCall/ Photolyte.com.

Wellington, Florida – January 15, 2014 – Born three months premature and weighing only 2 pounds, Eleanor Brimmer (Ellie) and her twin sister were in a rush to take on the world. From the moment Ellie arrived her family knew she would have multiple obstacles to overcome in her future. At 27 years old Ellie has met those challenges head-on giving other children and adults with Cerebral Palsy a hero to look up to. She has learned through her struggles and accomplishments that it takes hard work to meet high goals and along the way a person must give back to the community that influenced their life or shaped their everyday world. Her humanitarianism combined with a goal to become a healthy and active athlete has led her to compete in the 16th Annual Key West 5k Run in Key West, Florida, January 19, 2014, in benefit of The Cancer Support Community of Greater Ann Arbor. She empathizes with those who have been diagnosed with Cancer, especially young children. She hopes that her support for this organization can help raise awareness and benefit many of those diagnosed with the life-threatening disease. The Cancer Support Community of Greater Ann Arbor holds an additional special meaning to Ellie as her Grandmother Joan Scott had a long battle with bladder cancer. Joan Scott spent much of her time mentoring other bladder cancer patients before she lost her fight with the disease. When Ellie isn’t on the road she resides Ann Arbor, Mich., where she trains as a Para-Equestrian Dressage athlete and hopeful future Paralympian. She has been working with a trainer, losing weight, and constantly exercising to get herself in top shape for the 5k run.

From birth through adulthood Ellie had to work through the physical issues including muscle spasticity, strength and balance problems that occur with her disability. Her years have consisted of physical therapy, multiple surgeries, visits to the hospital, and constant monitoring of her body. Her daily life from childhood through her adult life consists of weakness in her leg, stiff joints, and continually working to improve her strength and suppleness. Her perseverance and discipline transfers from her everyday life to the high-performance international sport she competes in year round.

As a 4th generation horsewoman, Ellie always felt a connection to the equestrian sport. She enjoyed the freedom of being on top of a horse and she loved the skill and discipline it took to work collectively with an animal to succeed. Originally, Ellie began riding show hunter and jumpers however, a purchase of a talented horse that was experienced in Dressage led her to pursue the discipline and everything it had to offer.

In 2010, the World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Kentucky, showcased the sport of Para-Dressage in the United States for the first time in history. Although Paralympic equestrians had competed in the Paralympics since 1996, most of the American public did not know about this unique sport. With a horse that would help Ellie learn the intricate world of Dressage and a solid goal to become a Paralympian, Ellie had her future set. For the final stages of becoming a Para-Dressage rider Ellie was internationally classified in Grade III. There are five grades include Grade Ia which includes subjects with severe impairment, Grade Ib, II, III, and IV with the least impairment. Impairments are problems in body function or structure such as a significant deviation or loss.

With hard work Ellie became the 2011 Para-Equestrian Dressage Grade III Reserve Champion. She would attain this title once again in 2012. Her top scores earned her a spot as a long- listed rider for the 2012 London Paralympics. Although she did not make the 4 person U.S. Paralympic Team she supported her fellow riders and traveled to London to assist the team and their affiliate, the United States Para-Equestrian Association.

Ellie’s experience and defeats have brought her to the 2014 year with aspirations to qualify for the 2014 World Equestrian Games held in Normandy, France. With her busy schedule and constant travel for the equestrian discipline, Ellie always finds time to give back. On January 19, 2014 Ellie will run the 5k in Key West to raise money for The Cancer Support Community of Greater Ann Arbor. To donate to this organization prior to the event on Ellie’s behalf, please visit http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/erbrimmer_kw5k/keywesthalfmarathon.

Written by: Lindsay Y McCall

To view an online version of this press release with more photos, please visit: http://uspea.org/category/recent-uspea-press-news/.

About United States Para-Equestrian Association:

The USPEA is a network of riders, judges, national federation board members, and equestrian enthusiasts.  The association gives athletes the ability to get involved and expand their knowledge and experience in the Para-Equestrian sport. The USPEA encourages para-athletes to participate in all disciplines under the para-equestrian umbrella.

The USPEA is a recognized affiliate of the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) which serves as the National Governing Body for the equestrian sport.  This relationship between the USPEA and USEF is to encourage para-equestrian competitors, leisure riders, coaches, fans and enthusiasts to network and get involved with the entire equestrian sport.

Ultimately the goal of the USPEA is to foster growth in the para-equestrian discipline.  From growth in the number of participants to growth as a team, and growth in the experience and knowledge of all involved.  From local horse shows to international Olympic Games, the USPEA will provide para-equestrians the knowledge of what they need to succeed.  The USPEA connects with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI), the United States Dressage Federation (USDF), and USEF which provides Para-Equestrians the top equestrian resources.

In June 2010, the USPEA earned its 501 (c)(3) status which has encouraged supporters to help supply funding to the Para-Equestrian Team as a recognized affiliate of the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF).

For more information about the USPEA, please visit www.USPEA.org or contact USPEA President Hope Hand by e-mail: Wheeler966@aol.com or by phone: (610)356-6481.