Born and raised in Germany, Elly immigrated to the US after receiving her German Bereiter degree. Her wanderlust made her long to travel throughout the US for many years, but horses remained in her life throughout. From talented Warmbloods, to electric Arabians, from obnoxious ponies to classy TBs – wherever Elly lived, horses were not far away.

Towards the late 90’s, Elly decided to settle down in the horsey community of Aiken, SC where she started her horse importing business which quickly grew beyond the boundaries of SC. In 2000 Elly took 2 of her horses and her 3 greyhounds to Germany for several months of intense training. Upon her return, she and her long time supporter Peg Blosser purchased a 52 acres farm in Williston, SC. When a large sum was offered for that farm, Elly and Peg decided to accept it and Elly used her proceeds to purchase her current farm.

Over the years, Elly has had a number of successful horses, such as Step Aside, Dobee Dividend and his son Dobee A Valentine, By Birth, Aadalco, Favouritin – and then there was Noteable. Bred by Kate Nicholsen and owned by Peg Blosser, Noteable (aka Tessa) came to Elly to be sold. A massive chestnut mare without a single white hair, Tessa became Elly’s absolute favorite and thru the years and many, many awards ( and one foal, Reve Dore – 2008 colt by Regulus) later, Tessa retired sound to Dreamtime Farm where she is now the absolute favorite of Phaedra Spradlin’s – another one of Elly’s longtime supporter and the breeder of 2 of Elly’s other successful show horses, Raison d’Etre and Raison de Joie (2005 USDF Horse of the Year).

Raison d’Etre and Elly became 2004 USEF East Coast Selection Trial FEI 6 year old Champions, as well as North American Futurity Champions – in 2008 they won CDI Inter. 2 at the Palm Beach Derby and in 2009 the Grand Prix at The Zada Cup, The Heidelberg Cup and Aiken Classics, qualifying for Dressage at Devon where he placed 7th. Oyente’, Harry and Beckie Butler’s beloved Andalusian stallion came into training with Elly in the Spring of 2004. Together they moved thru the levels, winning numerous USDF Andalusian All Breed HOY honors, from Materiale to FEI level.

In 2009 Oyente’ and Elly scored consistently in the mid to upper 60s at Inter.1 and then moved up to Grand Prix where Oyente’ won his second ever Grand Prix. Foxcry Nicodemus, owned by The Foxcry Nicodemus Syndicate has also been an extraordinarily successful partner for Elly – as a 4 year old, he received scores up to 72 % in USDF 4 year old test, beating many warmbloods, as well as placing 11th overall in the Open Division for USDF Materiale Horse of the Year, being the only pony amidst mature Warmblood breeding stallion.

Nick is scheduled to compete in FEI 6 year old classes in 2010 and move up into the Developing Horse classes in 2011. Dame d’Allemagne, owned by Elly Schobel and Gunda Starkgraff was 2007 USDF Materiale Horse of the Year – Elly believes in this horse with almost limitless ability and will continue the training towards Developing Horse and FEI classes. In addition to her many successful show horses, Elly also owns a number of classy TB broodmares and 7 rescued horses, 14 dogs and 1 cat – which makes for busy days and short nights.

Anne Gribbons - US Dressage Team Chef d'Equipe, 'O' Judge, GP trainer, rider and competitor, Journalist............and friend. To the point, never holding back with critic or praise, Anne Gribbons has been a strong influence in the development of both Raison d'Etre and Oyente'.

Bettina Drummond - Considered a 'Living Legend' in the Classical Dressage world, she is also an accomplished pianist, poet, journalist and one of my 'oldest' friends. Her approach to training have opened many doors for us and her intellect makes our conversations something I will treasure forever.

The Butlers - The owners of Oyente' have become strong staples in my life, always willing to give advice or lend a helping hand which I deeply appreciate.

Phaedra Spradlin and Carolin Walz, the owners of Dreamtime Farm - Long before they bred my incredible GP horse Raison d'Etre, they were good friends. My life would look very different if these two would not have supported us, time and time again.

Peg Blosser - My 'Rock of Gibraltar' has been a friend, business partner and staunch supporter for over a decade.and I just can't say 'thank you' often enough.

Dr. Joy Baker - Chiropractor and friend extraordinaire - she has been a part of our team and success for many years

Dr. Leslie Kinchen- Smart, straight forward, never pulling a punch - she has become a key member of our team !

Darren Haeusler - This 'tall drink of Australian water' has been our farrier for years, always willing to go the extra mile ( followed by a smart remark) to assure the health and success of our horses.