Sally Batton
President and Founder
A lifelong horsewoman, Sally brings a broad range of experience to the AEL. 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 at an early age. She founded the AEL because she saw a need for young riders 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, essentially 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.
Since 1990, Sally has been the Director of Riding and Varsity Equestrian Head Coach at Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH. In the years since she has 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 has 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 have 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. Sally is also a Level III certified instructor with the American Riding Instructor’s Association (ARIA), and in 2008 was awarded Instructor of the Year.
Taylor Singmaster
director of western
Taylor has been instrumental in the development of the Western side of the AEL and serves as the AEL Director of Western. Taylor has an extensive show career that includes championships at AQHA Congress and the NSBA World Championship Show and multiple year end top ten finishes on the AQHA and NSBA circuit. She competed for the University of South Carolina’s NCEA Equestrian team and is a PATH Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor. She coaches Stanford University's Western team, as well as the Red Barn’s AEL Western team. She also teaches therapeutic and adaptive riding at BOK Ranch where she is the Volunteer Coordinator.
Jenna Boillotat
Director of Marketing and Membership
Jenna Boillotat is responsible for the AEL membership development programs and the marketing strategy including events, digital marketing, and public relations. In addition, she handles the social media accounts and updates the athletes' points throughout the year. Growing up on a horse farm in NH, Jenna started riding ponies at the age of three and has continued to pursue this passion in her work for the AEL. Jenna was the AEL Open National Champion three years in a row in high school, and then went on to compete at the Varsity level for her collegiate team, earning MVP honors and many Championships in her collegiate career.
Helena Witte
director of product and website development
Helena is responsible for the AEL website and technical product development. A longtime lover of horses, she is excited to participate in the growth and success of the Athletic Equestrian League, emphasizing the importance of practical horsemanship among young equestrians. Growing up, Helena explored her love of riding through various lenses, including training and competition at the Fairfield County Hunt Club and working as a wrangler in Montana. As a member of the Dartmouth Equestrian Team, she was elected Captain multiple years, awarded Rookie of the Year, and won multiple championships over her four years. She now serves as the Assistant Coach for the Dartmouth Varsity Equestrian Team and continues to ride throughout New Hampshire and Vermont.