Ellen Rapp was born in Dubuque, Iowa, in 1982. At 28, she is the youngest on the USA training squad. Rapp will be accompanied in her USA endeavor by her identical twin sister, Eryn, who is her groom. Rapp was riding by the age of four and showed horses through grade school to college. She began riding endurance in 1999 and she says it is by far her favorite discipline.

Rapp is a Vet Tech and specializes in Equine Science. She and fellow trainer Jeremy Olson have an equine training program under the name of Noslo Sporthorses where they use cross-training to keep the horses agile and relaxed. Presently, she is also the Senior rider for Al Shahania Stud in Doha, Qatar, where Olson is the endurance trainer.

Rapp has qualified two horses for the USA team: Berjo Smokey (Sprucehill Sarazdac x Berjo Monique), a 15 year old Shagya Arabian, and SA Belshazzar (Bayram x Jayel Tongafarah), a 13 year old Shagya Arabian. They both have breeding leading back to the sire, Farazdac. “They both have amazing attitudes on and off the trail and love their jobs,” she says.

Rapp’s equestrian background and solid training make her an excellent choice for the USA effort. Either one of her two qualified horses should be a good addition to the team