I love teaching riders because…every student is unique. No two people think, learn, move, or ride exactly alike. That is what makes my job uniquely challenging and rewarding—learning how to work with and get the most out of so many vastly different people. 

I love training horses because…they are honest. When they enjoy something, they let you know. When they dislike something, they let you know. And when they fully trust you and give you their whole heart, that is the purest, truest, and most humbling gift I have ever received. 

I’d be lost without…expo markers in my tack trunk (I love my whiteboards in the tack room—we have three) and a hoof pick in my ring bag. 

As a horsewoman, I am most proud of…our resilience. 

Horse people are…some of the strongest, most hard-working, tough-as-nails people on earth and I’m so proud to be a part of it all. 

As a horsewoman, I work to improve on…always listening to the horse. Tuning out my own expectations, doubts, and fears, and truly, genuinely listening to the horse. 

The most rewarding part of my job is…connecting with the horses, and riders, and bringing out the best in them. 

My favorite horse books are…Geoff Teall’s On Riding Hunters, Jumpers, and Equitation, Anne Kursinski’s Riding and Jumping Clinic, and Reflections on Riding and Jumping by William Steinkraus

On Mondays, you’ll find me…running errands and spending time with my son.

I sometimes wish I had the time to…learn how to repair farm equipment. If it has a motor, find someone else. 

I’m afraid of…spiders. 

The horse people I most respect and strive to learn from are…Beezie Madden, Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, Kent Farrington, McLain Ward. 

Something I say ten times a day is…“One more time.” 

My best piece of advice for riders is…Leave your ego, expectations, crappy day at work, stress, and drama on the trees outside of the arena. You can pick them up on your way out, but they have no place inside the ring, no place inside your ride. 

My motto is: …“You rush a miracle … you get rotten miracles.” For a prey animal to allow a predator on its back, and then to trust that predator with its own legs more than it trusts itself … that is a miracle.

*This story was originally published in the February 2022 issue of The Plaid Horse. Click here to read it now and subscribe for issues delivered straight to your door!