Elizabeth Ball
Born: July 12, 1964
Hometown: Carlsbad, California
Elizabeth Ball and Selten HW (Photo by Fire & Earth Photography)
Born in Lexington, KY, Elizabeth Ball grew up in Northern California. At the age of 7, her mother introduced her to her love of riding while on the California beaches and trails. She was an avid member of Pony Club and competed in three-day eventing until the age of 16 when she transitioned to dressage. Ball was part of the Silver medal-winning U.S. Pan American team in 1995 in Buenos Aries, Argentina.
Ball has a long list of accomplishments including several USDF Horse of the Year awards, in 2002 the Holsteiner stallion Confidant who Ball bred and trained was the Intermediaire II Horse of the Year, and in 2005, Centaur Farm’s Mister was the Intermediaire I Horse of the Year and Raphael was the Intermediaire II Horse of the Year.
In 2007, Ball began competing Eckstein Farm’s Orion, the pair have risen from the Intermediaire I ranks and now compete successfully at the Grand Prix level. In 2008, Ball qualified both Orion and De La Frontera for the Collecting Gates Farm/USEF National Intermediaire I Championships and placed fourth overall with Orion.
In 2009, Ball and Oldenburg gelding Soubirous were in the nation’s Top 12 for the Developing Horse Championships and won the USEF Developing Horse Prix St. Georges. With Orion, Ball competed in several Intermediaire II classes with scores over 70% and also won Grand Prix Pas de Deux along with Guenter Seidel at the FEI World Cup Finals in Las Vegas, NV.
Ball and Orion began competing at the Grand Prix level in late 2009 and continued to gain momentum in 2010 with several Top 5 placings.