Ellen Newman and Diana

Team #83

Ellen and Diana are the first Century Club team from Wisconsin!

In 1939, when she was nine, Ellen got a pony. She learned to post from a ditch digging crew member alongside a gravel road near Holland, Michigan. That is, he would call out to her to “Quit bouncing—Go up, down, up, down, up, down!”

At age 11, she got her first horse and was befriended by Margaret McLean Lashua, who had thoroughbred hunters and taught Ellen to ride and jump. When she was 10, she rode in her first horse show. Soon, however, her family moved to East Lansing, Michigan, where she was invited to ride and show Col. Gerald Peterson's horses at the ROTC Cavalry Unit at Michigan State University. While there, she showed successfully in hunter and jumper classes and was privileged to ride and show horses for others. At 13, Ellen was given a 13-year old steeplechase horse, Cornels Court, who had been imported from Ireland by Charlie Piece of Detroit. Cornel would only run when he felt like it, thereby teaching Ellen to ask, but not tell. On Cornel, Ellen won an invitational steeplechase over brush. With the $20 in prize money, she bought a new girth and pommel pad. At 17, Margaret gave her a thoroughbred colt by Coq d'Esprit. Although the Maryland Hunt Cup had been Ellen’s long-time ambition, it was out of reach because at that time, women were barred from most sports including horse racing and eventing.

Ellen met her husband of 60 years at Michigan State University, where, as a student, he earned his room at the cavalry stables, caring for the horses there.  Ellen attended Michigan State University and won the Michigan State Block and Bridle Horse Show Equitation Championship in 1950. She graduated in 1953.  The Newmans have three children, all of whom are supportive of their mother's horse activities.

In 2001, Diana was purchased as a 9-year old off-the-track Thoroughbred, who had just foaled. Diana replaced Ellen’s Thoroughbred partner of 25 years, who died at age 29. Ellen says that Diana is sensitive and willing, and learns more quickly than her rider. And like her predecessors. Diana is patient and forgiving while keeping her rider focused and alert.  Ellen is the sole caretaker of her two Thoroughbreds and rides every day on their Wisconsin farm, weather permitting.

Ellen feels deeply indebted to those many horses and people in the past who have been kind beyond reason, from P.T. Cheff, Master of the Battle Creek Hunt Cup, who sent gas ration stamps from his business during gas rationing in the 1940s so she could show, to the present and Lynne Miller who coached, patiently, for the Century Club ride convincing her the rider would not fly off if not in a forward seat and there is a lot more to halting at X than stopping. In fact, she says that her indebtedness to all who have helped her over the years goes beyond imagination.

Ellen’s and Diana’s ride took place at a schooling show on May 21st, 2011 in Custer, Wisconsin. They performed Training Level Test 1.

Ellen and Diana were recently featured in their hometown paper!  Read the article here.

Ellen and Tigger, 1949, published in "The Rider and Driver" magazine.