Mell Boucher is 17 years old and has grown up around horses her entire life. Her parents, Lilith and Richard Boucher, train both flat and steeplechase horses and have contributed to her love for the sport. Growing up she did a little bit of everything from showing, to fox-hunting, to pony racing. But the “need for speed” took over rather quickly. She took to the point-to-point circuit and won the Temple Gwathmey Steeplechase Foundation Developing Rider Flat Series in 2018 and only progressed from there. Mell started riding at the National Steeplechase Association meets in the spring of 2019 and rode a handful of flat races only adding to her experience. 

Mell currently works for Graham Motion at Fair Hill exercising horses in the mornings. She then goes home in the afternoon to ride her own horses that she’s preparing for the fall steeplechase season. 

Mell’s mount for Real Rider Cup is Orchestra Leader, an 11-year-old gelding who has run countless times and proven himself to be a real contender over hurdles. Mell won her first hurdle race on him at the Warrenton Point-to-Point in spring 2020.