Sally Batton holds an Equestrian Studies degree from Lake Erie College in Ohio, and a master's degree in Communications from Fairleigh-Dickinson University in New Jersey. She was the head coach of the Dartmouth College Division I Varsity Equestrian Team for 30 years, coaching dozens of riders to regional, zone, and national titles. In 2020, Coach Batton was inducted into the inaugural class of the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association Hall of Fame. She currently travels all over the United States, teaching clinics to riders of all ages and levels. Batton is the author, with co-writer Christina Keim, of The Athletic Equestrian, also published by Trafalgar Square Books. An avid polocrosse enthusiast, Batton is a certified APA Polocrosse Coach and the author of Polocrosse: Australian Made, Internationally Played (Belcris, 1990). Batton is the Founder and President of the Athletic Equestrian League, an organization offering horsemanship education and competition opportunities to both English and Western riders, from first grade through adult. She is also the host of the popular Athletic Equestrian Riding in College Podcast. An avid hiker and outdoor enthusiast, when not on the road teaching, Batton can be found hiking the hills of New Hampshire, kayaking in the summers, and skiing and snowshoeing in the winter (athleticequestrian.com).
Christina Keim, M Ed, MFA, is an award-winning narrative journalist with over 1,000 published articles to her credit. Her work has appeared in The Chronicle of the Horse, UnTacked, Equine Journal, Practical Horseman, The Eastern Equerry, Northeast Equestrian Life, Green Mountain Horse Association Magazine, Woodstock Magazine, and The Plaid Horse, among others. With Sally Batton, she is the co-writer of The Athletic Equestrian, also published by Trafalgar Square Books. For nearly two decades a top intercollegiate hunter seat coach, Keim now teaches compassionate horsemanship and offers equine-assisted coaching out of her Cold Moon Farm in Rochester, New Hampshire (christinakeim.com).
