By Laura Scaletti
Portraits by Sara Farrell
Alex Baugh’s equestrian journey changed with a grandma/granddaughter trip to the 2009 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event when she was just 8 years old. “I watched a rider gallop out of the Head of the Lake, jump this massive table and gallop off. I immediately knew that is what I wanted to do with the rest of my life,” Alex said. “I was mesmerized; I had no idea what eventing was, had never jumped a horse, had no idea how to even get started, but I knew this is what I wanted to be doing.”
From that moment on, Alex dedicated herself to the world of eventing. The next time Alex saw her trainer, Jean Loosemore, she announced that she wanted to be an eventer.
“We didn’t really have any jumps, but Jean took poles and stacked them all together in the arena to make a makeshift mini coop. She put me on an Arabian, One Hot Minute, who had never jumped to my knowledge. After I was on, she put us on a lunge line and told me, ‘Just make sure he gets over it.’ The jump was maybe 10 inches high, but I thought I was flying,” Alex said. “I remember being a mixture of incredibly excited and a little bit scared, but I loved every second of it and wanted more.”
Alex’s dreams were fulfilled when her parents surprised her with a horse of her own for Christmas when she was 9 years old. An Arabian gelding who had shown saddle seat and done some hunter-jumper as well, Osaya Sensation quickly discovered he’d try out another discipline—eventing.
“That poor horse went straight from only being ridden in an arena to me attempting to take him eventing. We only went to the Starter level together and luckily there was never a water option, because I never would have gotten him near the water,” Alex said. “Sherry and Nadeem Noom in Indiana helped me get my start in eventing before we moved to Kentucky when I was 11.”
Today, Alex runs her own Alexandra Baugh Eventing at her family’s Altorac Farm in Lexington, Kentucky. “I still feel like the same little girl who saw a rider galloping out of the Head of the Lake when I’m at events. It’s just so exciting—the adrenaline, the horses and the teams behind them. I feel so lucky that I knew so early on what sets my soul on fire. The ability to continue to do it is such a blessing,” she said.
Young Rider
When Alex was born, her parents, Kelly and Dave Baugh, were breeding Freisians. By the time Alex was 6 months old, she had already sat on her first horse. Unfortunately, Alex’s parents quickly learned that a brand-new baby and work obligations didn’t allow them sufficient time to dedicate to their horses and breeding operation.
“My parents sold most of the horses and the rest of them went to live with my grandma, Ruth Baugh, in Kentucky. When we’d visit family in Kentucky, the first thing I did was go running into the barn to see the horses. I begged and begged for riding lessons,” Alex said. “When I was 4 years old, my parents surprised me with lessons at a nearby farm called Rocky River Equestrian Center in Bloomington, Indiana.”
Alex started her riding career on lesson ponies and eventually moved on to riding Arabians and Saddlebreds. “After starting lessons, I rode saddle seat, which is a whole different world from eventing. Still to this day, I love that style of riding and will find my leg going quite forward especially during dressage,” she said. “I always laugh to myself when that happens, because I know my introduction to riding will always stick with me.”
When Alex was 15, she began training at Four Schools Farm with Richard Picken and Joanie Morris. “What they taught me has truly changed my life and made me who I am today. There were hours and hours of teaching both in and out of the saddle, no matter the weather and no matter the time. Their support in me and attention to detail shaped me into the horsewoman I am,” Alex said. “They are second parents to me. Richard lost a valiant fight with cancer in the fall of 2022, but I will never forget what he taught me and what he stood for.”
Within a year of being at Four Schools Farm, Alex set her sights on going to—and winning—the 2018 North American Youth Championships (NAYC). Thanks to Richard, Joanie, her horse Ballingowan Pizazz—known as Mango—and lots of hard work, Alex was able pull off the win.
What made the victory even sweeter was Richard’s unconditional support at the event. “Joanie was in Aachen with the U.S. team and Richard was supposed to go with her. He told me that he hadn’t missed Aachen in 18 years, but if I needed him, he would come, with just one condition—I better make it worth it. When Mango and I jumped double clear in the show jumping to secure the win, the first thing I could think to say to him was, ‘Was it worth it?’ and he just laughed at me and said, ‘That was pretty worth it,’” Alex said. “Having now lost Richard, I hold that moment very dear to my heart and know it will always be one of my favorite memories.”
Mango kickstarted Alex’s career, taking her to many firsts including her first FEI competitions through the three-star-long level and giving Alex her first FEI wins. “He’s one of those horses that I wish I could have had later in my career so I could have given him the rides he truly deserved and have the entire world know his name,” she said.
Mango’s turnout buddy at Altorac, Mr. Candyman, aka Elmo, also had a huge impact on Alex’s riding, teaching her how to compete at the upper levels. Purchased from Phillip Dutton when Alex was 17, Elmo wasn’t the easiest horse in the world but he gave Alex the skills to ride around some of the biggest tracks. Elmo took Alex to her first Advanced and four-star starts, including five four-star-long competitions.
In 2021, as Alex was tacking up Elmo for the cross-country at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, it was raining buckets and the course was deep mud. Unbeknownst to Alex at the time, Phillip and Richard called Joanie to advise her that the conditions were rough and they didn’t think Elmo could jump around. Joanie brushed off their concerns and told them the duo would be fine.
“I’ve never felt a horse try as hard for me as Elmo did that day; we came home with only time penalties. The next day we jumped a double clear show jumping round to finish seventh. I’d made a bet with Richard that if I jumped double clear I’d get him the Land Rover car that was in the arena, because none of us expected a double clear round,” Alex said. “Well, once Elmo jumped double clear, I owed Richard a Land Rover. Luckily, I was able to find a model car that might not have been as big as Richard was expecting, but I did buy him the exact same car!”
The highlight of Alex’s Young Rider days was winning the 2021 Revita Vet USEA Young Rider of the Year. “It was because of the team behind me that I was able to win that and I’m grateful for who helped me achieve it. I was fortunate to have my horses Elmo, I Spye or Pi, MHS Fernhill Finale aka Fin and Dogano De L’Oiseliere, called Dugan, as I couldn’t have earned the title without them,” she said.
Young Professional
For as long as Alex can remember she knew horses would be her life’s work. “I didn’t always know what being a professional meant, but as soon as I did, I knew that is what I wanted,” she said.
Alex turned professional in the spring of 2023 when she was 23 years old. “I really wanted to take my time and not rush myself so I could technically call myself a professional. I believe it’s important to really solidify yourself and not just become a professional because you want to,” Alex said.
Prior to setting up her own Alexandra Baugh Eventing, Alex experienced some of the lowest of lows in 2022. “That spring, we found out that Dugan had EDM after he wasn’t acting at all like his sweet self, and we had to put him down at just 9 years old. Then that summer, Four Schools Farm, my home for the past five years, was up for sale and all the horses moved to my family’s Altorac Farm. In August, Richard lost his fight with cancer,” Alex said. “Losing him was gut wrenching. I miss him every single day, wishing I could ask him for help or just talk to him. I think of him every single ride, especially in the show jumping ring.”
Two weeks after losing Richard, Alex ran Elmo in the Advanced at the Kentucky Classic. After they reached the first combination on the cross-country course it was apparent to Alex that he was ready to retire from the upper level. “We had been aiming for our first five-star at Maryland that fall and while it was heartbreaking to retire him so close to our goal, it was the absolute best decision for him,” she said.
The heartbreak continued when Alex was injured prior to having the opportunity to ride with Liz Halliday for the 2023 winter season, and shortly thereafter Pi passed away suddenly from a freak illness. In a span of nine months, Alex went from having four FEI horses to just one.
Alex had hoped to run her business out of Europe; however, she didn’t think it made sense to move away from everything and everyone she knew to start fresh on another continent. Alex called her longtime mentor and second mother, Joanie Morris, for a heart to heart. Joanie helped Alex pick up the pieces of her dream and envision a new plan.
“We talked about everything, including whether or not I wanted to make this a career anymore. But I knew in my heart that if I gave up my dream, I’d regret it for the rest of my life. Joanie made a few phone calls on my behalf and called me back in roughly 20 minutes telling me to call Evie Dutton because Phillip had a job for me,” Alex said.
Alex’s tenure with the Duttons was supposed to last until the end of 2023, but she ended up staying until June 2024. “I’m so grateful that they took me on such short notice. Being part of their upper-level program reignited my motivation to start my own program,” Alex said.
In addition to reigniting Alex’s professional passion, Phillip helped her find her current upper-level horse, Hubert Des Arbres. “After I got Hubert, I was up and running again and started making a plan on how my own Alexandra Baugh Eventing operation would look. I moved home to Lexington on June 1, 2024, and started rebuilding a string of horses to get my name out there,” Alex said. “There is still a lot of work to do, but I’m incredibly excited for the future and working toward building a premiere upper-level program in Lexington.”
As she works to establish her own business, Alex believes the best way to approach it is to have an end goal and work backwards. She hopes other eventers come to Altorac to school their horses, choose to board their horses there or take clinics with her. “My dream is to build a facility that is welcoming and inviting to everyone. Whether you have aspirations of winning a starter event, competing at your first FEI event or riding on a U.S. team one day, I want to build a community that inspires greatness,” she said.
Dreaming Big
Alex lives by 1 Corinthians 9:24. It says, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize. Run in such a way as to get the prize.”
“This has always resonated with me because it’s true only one runner will win, and the same is true that only one horse and rider combination will win at an event. My first goal going into an event is always to finish and continue to improve my horses so that they’re happy and confident in themselves, and in doing so, striving to be competitive,” Alex said.
Alex is striving to one day be competitive on the world stage. While she’s working to get there, she plans to move Hubert to the four-star levels this year and take her new partner, Dream Worker, up the ranks starting in the two-star-long this spring.
“My mom and I are also excited about our breeding program. We’re starting small, but I think it’s quite exciting thinking about having a homebred and hopefully taking them to the top of the sport,” Alex said.
At the end of the day, wherever her journey takes her, Alex’s biggest hope is to have a barn full of happy and healthy horses who love their jobs. “Nothing makes me happier at the end of the day than knowing that one horse finally understood something on the flat or another is getting more confident jumping,” she said. “I got into this sport because I love horses. It’s the little, everyday things that motivate me and keep me going.”
For more information visit altoracfarm.com and follow Alex on Instagram @altorac_eventing
Photos by Sara Farrell, www.threeredheadsandamoose.com
