ELEANOR ELLIS PRESENTED WITH IHSA ELEANOR ELLIS PRESENTED WITH IHSA Lifetime Achievement Award Lifetime Achievement Award

At the IHSA board meeting in January 2023, Eleanor Ellis was honored with the IHSA Lifetime Achievement Award and added to a list of distinguished equestrians who have dedicated their time and talents to the IHSA.

"Eleanor has given so much to the IHSA," IHSA Executive Director Peter Cashman said. "She has rolled up her sleeves, done the work, and put in so much of her time. We are honored to work with her and so pleased to award her with the IHSA Lifetime Achievement Award."

Ellis is from Savannah, Georgia, near where she lives now. She got involved with horses at age 6 when her older sister gave her a Shetland pony. Somehow, they got away with not telling her parents for six months. When her parents got on board, they used to transport the pony in the back seat of the family station wagon.

Ellis attended Randolph College (formerly Randolph Women's College), where she was introduced to the greater depth of the horse industry. "I was a little barn rat that just wanted to know everything about everything," Ellis said. "I was fascinated by the production of horse shows and helped out doing that."

At Randolph Macon, Ellis got to ride fabulous Virginia-area horses. The program included foxhunting, hunter paces and competing in the IHSA. "I had a backyard horse growing up that I had a lot of success with, but he was what he was," she said. "It was a different world! We got to do so many things that really helped me as a horseman."

In 1983, Ellis' senior year, the talented rider qualified and competed at the IHSA National Championship Horse Show in the Open division. "I remember meeting Bob Cacchione and understanding the scope of it all," Ellis said.

After graduation, she worked briefly at a farm in Charleston, South Carolina, then spent 10 years in the corporate world with International Paper. During her career at International Paper, Ellis served on several boards. She says she still calls on those experiences in her volunteer IHSA work today.

In 1992, Ellis bought her Evermore Farm and began helping Georgia Southern University and other region teams by loaning horses for shows. When Georgia Southern was ready to make a coaching change in 1998, they reached out to Ellis. She has been coaching the IHSA team and teaching their physical education riding classes ever since.

Ellis has served as an active contributor on the IHSA board since 2001. "I've been on the marketing, realignment, and hunter seat committees and helped run the IHSA National Championship Horse Show as the barn manager for five years," Ellis said. "We all keep saying, 'yes,' because that's what we do."

Saying "yes," in a volunteer organization like the IHSA has put Ellis in the middle of change and improvements. She does it quietly. "I consider myself a behind-the-scenes person," she said. And she's inspired by her students. "It's just staggering to me watching these college kids come through from freshmen to seniors and watch the changes in them."

For Ellis, it's the horses that make the IHSA happen. "Without them, you know, it doesn't happen. And it takes a special horse. During Nationals, to think that we can put 16 or 18, or however many we need in the ring at one time at the same level–and they're all quite nice horses. Wow!"