When dealing with an activity one has done for a long time, it can be hard for some to keep that burning passion alive. For others, that passion may never die. For the past 10 years, Ankeny High School senior Ellie Bovee has maintained a strong passion for horses. This fire in her heart has had its ups and downs but leaves Ellie with some of the best memories of her high school career.

The AHS senior has maintained a weighted GPA of 4.43, unweighted 4.0, passed AP European History, AP United States History, AP Chemistry, and AP Literature tests with a 4, and has received an AP scholar award

Ellie participates in color guard and has since her freshman year. She has been section leader her junior and senior year along with currently participating in the varsity show choir.
Ellie sets herself apart from her peers. Outside of school hours, she dedicates her time to showing horses.

“It’s a lot of fun in general. It’s fun to go out and ride, spend time with my horse, meet a lot of new people, and make new friends with it,” Ellie said. “But it’s also a lot of work and a big time commitment to go out and do chores, for example I have to clean up stalls and pens, scoop poop, feed and groom my horse, fill hay bags and cut hay.”

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New Beginnings

Ellie was always interested in horses when she was young. Her passion drove her for years and led her to success through the years, and without the support she had early on, she might not have continued to follow her dreams.
“She started doing lessons at the Jester Park Equestrian Center (JPEC) via a Groupon we found and did this a couple of times before signing her up for regular lessons a couple of times a month,” David Bovee, Ellie’s dad said. “Eventually, Jester Park stopped doing private lessons and she joined their youth volunteer program called Horse Powered Leadership and volunteered at their summer Horse Adventure Camps. Unfortunately, this didn’t give her much riding time and we ended up doing lessons with another friend from Ankeny at Copper Moon Ranch, [in the] south of Des Moines.”
This opportunity she had throughout the year was supported though her parents. Her ealy experience eventually got her into showing horses.
“Her freshman year of high school she had an opportunity to take over a lease horse and join a local 4-H club. This allowed her to show Western Pleasure in 4-H and open shows in central Iowa,” David said. “We ended up buying an English saddle and she was able to add English riding classes at the shows as well.”
Without the support of her parents Ellie would not have made it as far as she did, she says. Her parents drove her to lessons, took her to the barn to do chores, and to practice rides. Living in Ankeny Ellie’s family couldn’t own a horse themselves, but they ensured she has the opportunity to lease horses from oother 4-H families. The support allowed Ellie to realize that she loves working with horses, she said. After high school, she plans to continue a career with helping horses.
“Right now I plan on going to Iowa State, and I’m going to major in biology and minor in animal science on a pre-vet track, and the end goal is to become an equine vet”,” Ellie said. I’m going to apply to work at their on-campus barn while I’m in college, and also an equestrian team there.”

Ellie plans on making a career of working with horses. AHS 2024 graduate Kenzie Krapfl befriended Ellieover the years. While Kraplf’s career will not focus around horses, her experience taught her some very valuable lessons.

“It really helped me have the mindset of you get what you give, so how much effort you’re putting into something is the results you’re going to get,” Kraplf said. “This has really helped me when it comes to studying, and understanding that I have to be patient. In high school I didn’t really have to study to see good results on tests, and it is so different now. I definitely believe showing horses helped me realize that I need to work hard, and I need to be patient with myself.”

Whether it is a life lesson or a future career, showing horses has proven to have had an impact on those involved. Without the support of her parents though this all, it would not have been easy for Ellie to follow her dreams.
Challenges and triumphs

Ellie met Kraplf in their 4H club. While they did not become friends immediately, they did have one thing in common, they were both Ankeny kids who showed horses.

The two girls have different stories when it comes to showing horses, Kraplf grew up around it, and had her older sister to look up to. On the other hand, Ellie did not start until later in her life. This difference brought up challenges for Ellie, especially when a mentor did not take it easy on Ellie when she was just beginning.

“We both see the same trainer, and our trainer is very much tough love, ‘jump on and get over it,” Kraplf said. “She had no sympathy for Ellie being brand new to everything. She expected Ellie to get right into it and be at the level of a normal freshman rider despite it being her first year.”

When Ellie first started showing horses, it started with some tough encounters. Later down the road, Ellie had some more challenges thrown at her. Her first horse Teddy had been leased from Kraplf’s family. Teddy had a strong personality which gave Ellie a strong start.

“My first year was a lot of just learning what a show consists of and what judges are looking for. Teddy was my first horse that I did competitions with, and he was a western pleasure horse,” Ellie said.“[It] was very much a learning process to get used to working with him just because he had some anger issues and [he was] a bit on the wild side. But he taught me a lot.”

Along with the connection Ellie had to Kraplf and her family through Teddy, Kenzie had a connection with her because of a similar situation. Kraplf’s older horse, Garth, was also a learning experience. Garth had a lot of anxiety, which taught Kraplf how to work with a difficult horse.

“My horse is pretty naughty, so definitely the biggest challenge has been trying to figure out how to overcome his anxiety while also trying to remain calm myself,” Kraplf said. “We go with a tough love type of vibe. We have to work through the naughty, and we have to make sure to keep him focused and kind of push him through his anxiety. But I think Ellie and I have both experienced really naughty and frustrating horses.”

Although it was a frustrating time for Ellie when she was working with Teddy, she still created an emotional bond with him. When that bond came to an abrupt end, it caused pain for everyone involved.
“A few years ago, we got a call from the owner of Teddy, the first horse Ellie leased,” David said. “He was sick and they were on the way to the vet to put him down. Ellie would only have a few hours left to say her goodbyes and be there for Teddy. She was at the vet with him and comforted him and the family as the vets were putting him down.”
Kraplf explained that Teddy was originally her sister’s horse and promised to her once her sister graduated, but then Ellie came into the picture. She, like Ellie, had a connection with Teddy. When Teddy died Ellie and Kraplf were together with his head in their laps.

They watched him die together. Teddy’s tragic death allowed the two girls to bond.

“The next horse I had was Lexie, and I started riding her right after Teddy died because it was in the middle of show season when Teddy died. She was super sweet and was pretty little,” Ellie said. “Overall, she was a really sweet horse and had a big personality. She loved treats and people; she was very much a people’s horse. I had a lot of little kids come out and take pictures with her and she just took care of all her people.”

The night before all of the horses needed to be registered to be eligible for the county fair. That was the summer Teddy died. The next day was a hectic one with phone calls and efforts to remain sensitive to everyone’s emotions but fortunately, they found someone who had a horse Elliie could ride. While dealing with the physical challenges of getting a new routine down with a new horse, Ellie was a lot struggling with the emotional aspects of the loss of Teddy.

“Getting used to a different personality is difficult. With Teddy, I had to be more assertive with him. Whereas with Lexie, I could be really calm and soft with her, and she would still respect my boundaries,” Ellie said. “It’s also a change in lifestyle with each horse that’s died. I’ve had to move barns, where I am and where I’m going every day. So it’s just really different, and it’s really difficult at first because I have to get used to a whole new schedule.”

Lexie’sowner, Brooke Hoven, became a great friend and mentor to Ellie over the summer, and Ellie was able to bond with Lexie. When Brooke returned to college, she hoped to leave Lexie behind for Ellie.
“We found a barn to keep Lexie in and Ellie took care of her [for] the next several months. On a Thursday evening in January ‘24, Ellie went to the barn to check on Lexie. When she got there, she only saw two of the three horses eating at the feeder there,” David said. “Lexie was laying on her side in the pasture and wasn’t responding. Ellie was by herself at night and It took me over 30 minutes to get there to support Ellie and figure out what to do.”
This was the second time in a year that Ellie had lost a friend. This time she had no warning nor emotional preparation. These emotions resurfaced and hit Ellie in an instant when she saw Lexie.
“When Lexie died, she was just out in the middle of the field, and Ellie went out to go feed her, and she was just dead,” Kraplf said. “So when she called me I dropped everything and I left dance for her. That was another thing that we worked through together. We’ve just been together for our worst moments.”

Once again Ellie had found herself in a position she had been in before. While Ellie was grieving the sudden loss of a loved one, she was forced to go through the process of finding a new horse once again.

“It’s hard to get used to another horse because it’s dealing with that loss and that grief while trying to get used to a new horse,” Ellie said. “It’s also hard on a different level because each one has a different personality, physically and mentally, attributes that you have to get used to. You also perform differently at a show. So, I could get used to winning classes with a horse than the next year I could sometimes not even place.”

Despite the hardship of losing two loved horses, Ellie pushed onto the next step. With each death she was able to overcome the emotional difficulty it brought her along with emotional bonding with the next horse.

“Ellie is the strongest person I have ever met,” Kraplf said, “She has been through so much, especially when it comes to horses. She has dealt with two very traumatic horse deaths, and somehow gets up and literally gets back into the saddle the next day and is continuing to work hard.”

Her strong personality helped Ellie through hardships. With every challenge thrown at her, Ellie seeminlgy bounces back and continues to persevere. Her heart has been through some tough losses, but with the support of her loved ones, she was able to triumph over her grief.
Managing her time
Although Ellie is heavily involved in horses, she also participates in extracurriculars including varsity show choir, color guard, a church group, and4H club. These activities require dedication, just like her dedication to her horse.
“I have practice for a lot of my extracurriculars every day of the week. Fitting horses into that can be time-consuming “ Ellie said, “There are days before the showcase starts, I go out to the barn and do my chores real quick, and a lot of my horse stuff I’ll do on the weekends. If I’m not at school or at one of my other activities, I’m probably riding.”
Juggling all these activities can make it hard for one to prioritize what is important. Her dedication to everything she is involved in should make it hard for her to focus on other things including school, but she continues to excel.
“Truthfully, I don’t know how she does it. She’s been involved in a lot of activities that take up a lot of time outside of normal school hours including color guard, show choir, winter guard, and 4-H,” David said. “Even with all these activities, she always manages to get her homework done and maintains a very high GPA.”
Between everything she is involved in, it could be hard for Ellie to manage her time evenly between herself and her passions. A normal school night for Ellie she would not get home until late which leaves her little time to do her homework.
“I don’t get a lot of sleep,” Ellie said, “My school time is, obviously, during class. Then usually once I’m home in the evening, which can be around nine or 10 at night, that’s my homework time before bed, so I keep myself busy”

Time management is a talent, and a challenge reportedly for some. Ellie is no ordinary person. No matter how much she has on her plate she seemingly gets it done.

The traumatic accident

Ellie’s Work ethic shows outside of school too. When it comes to shows, she is up early in the morning getting ready for the big day ahead of her. She works on her chores and finalizes things for the day. Even when the unexpected happens, she still works hard for the benefit of others instead of herself.

“This past summer, she severely hurt her foot while riding, and that did not stop her,” Kraplf said, ”Even though she couldn’t ride, she was at the barn at 6 a.m. helping me with tours and helping me with my horses. She’s the most hardworking person I know.”

This physical pain Ellie experienced would be one that followed her for a while. This riding accident changed the course of her summer. What had started off a normal show day at the county fair turned into another rough patch in her life.

“It was a very chaotic day to begin with, and it was an evening show, but it got interrupted by a tornado in Des Moines. Everything was delayed by a couple hours because we had to go on tornado lockdown,” Ellie said, “By the time it was the fun game events it was pretty late at night. I was doing fun games with my horse and we were running home when he tripped and fell and landed on top of my leg.”

This event was scary for more than just Ellie who was directly involved. Her parents had already gone home since it was late. When they heard what had happened, they could only assume the worst.
“For us, it was the unknown. We got a phone call on Monday evening during county fair week. It was Ellie’s phone number, but Kenzie Kraplf on the phone told us there was an accident but Ellie was okay and being checked out by the on-site nurse,” David said. “Since her leg was sore and she hit her head, we insisted on having her go to the ER to get checked out. Kenzie is such a good friend for Ellie and drove her to the hospital where we met up with them.”
The accident happened so fast, while the aftermath seemed like it took forever. While the experience was scary, the unknown of what would happen next scared her..
“For a bit I was stuck there, while he [M&M] was on top of me. Eventually, he was able to roll over and get up, and I was able to get up. I ended up going to the hospital. My foot got stuck in the stirrup and was really crushed. I also hit my head really hard on the ground. I tore all the muscles in my neck, along with messing up my foot,” Ellie said, “ I went to the hospital that night. I had X-Raysdone and concussion checks and everything done that night.”
Prior to this,Ellie had only fallen off her horse once due to inexperience. In the midst of this traumatizing experience, everything happened quickly, forcing Ellie to act swiftly to prevent further injury.
“I’ve seen videos of this happening before and I just remember thinking I can’t get stuck under here. I looked up and I saw him starting to roll over, and all I could think was, I can’t get trapped under him.I was able to wedge the rest of myself out, but my foot was stuck in the stirrup still,” Ellie said, “That was really scary. I didn’t know anything. I didn’t know how severely hurt I was or how hurt he was. Afterwards, I was in a state of shock. I didn’t feel pain for an hour after just because of all the adrenaline in my body.”

After the accident, Ellie was shaking from the amount of shock she was going through. At the moment she was frustrated but later she realized that neither her or her horse had any control over the situation.
“Luckily, everything tested out okayand Ellie was able to come home with us for the night. Her foot was very sore and she wasn’t supposed to put weight on it, but she insisted on going back to the fairgrounds to be with her friends,” David said, “The hard part for Ellie is that the accident ended her riding for the rest of the week. She was only able to compete in about half the events she was registered for, but she stayed down there for the remainder of the week and supported the rest of her friends.”
Ellie was not the only one hurt in this accident, her horse also faced the aftermath of the accident. He was a bit scratched up but his cuts healed nicely. Throughout the next few weeks, he got some massages and different kinds of muscle therapy to ensure he wasn’t sore. While his injuries were minor, Ellie faced more severe ones.
“I was in an ankle wrap for a while and couldn’t really walk well for a few days. I was hobbling around the fairgrounds with my friends,” Ellie said, “Emotionally it was really tough because this accident happened on the second day of the week at the county fair. I just spent five months preparing for this season. I still had fun watching my friend’s show and then getting to help them, but it was definitely really depressing for me to not be able to do anything.”

Not only did this accident affect her throughout the rest of the summer but affects to this day. It does not stay a constant fear in her life, but more of a consciousness of the possibility that the worst could happen again.

“I had a month off, so getting back on was taking it a bit slow,” Ellie said, “I don’t think it impacts my daily life but I think about it quite often. I feel it impacts my riding sometimes because it’s always in the back of my mind. You feel so invincible until something bad happens to you. Now I think I could actually get hurt doing this.”

For the following weeks after her accident, Ellie had to take it easy. This included sitting out on some of her color guard practices during band camp. She often would fill her time helping out with other aspects that did not require much movement.

“Recovery was not that fun. It took me about a month to get back on a horse, just because of how messed up my leg was. I couldn’t drive for at least a week after, because I couldn’t really move my ankle and it was my right foot,” Ellie said, “I also had a nanny job in the summer, so I didn’t work that week because I really couldn’t do much. I still couldn’t walk well for a while and my neck was almost immoblile. Then I got a few checkups and X-Rays on my foot and it’s still pretty bruised to this day.”

No matter what, over the years what Ellie had been put through she came out of it stronger than she was before. Starting off an activity with a lot of pain and grief could be discouraging for some but not for Ellie. When a riding accident occurs that uproots someone’s life, it is traumatizing. Some may be too terrified to ride again, but Ellie’s love and fire in her heart for riding wouldn’t let her stop.

“Honestly, I have no clue how she does it. I think that her passion and her drive is what keeps her going,” Kraplf said, “There have been so many moments where, if I was her, I would have given up. She loves horses and she loves showing so much. It’s sad but when something goes wrong, we always say it’s not Ellie Bovee wrong because Ellie Bovee has literally gone through the trenches when it comes to horses.”