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It’s easy to believe that the loudest voices online are the ones shaping the future of equestrian sport, but Rebecca Brown disagrees.
In a time where criticism often spreads faster than context, Brown argues that real change in eventing doesn’t happen in comment sections. It happens in committee rooms, at convention meetings, and through face-to-face conversations.
“When you get involved, you can actually implement change within your sport,” she says.
That involvement, she believes, looks very different from posting.
The Illusion of Influence
Brown has spent years serving on USEA committees, including as co-chair of the Young Rider Committee and as a founding member of the Emerging Athletes U21 program. Through that work, she has seen firsthand how policy is debated, revised, and implemented.
She has also seen how quickly online conversations can spiral. “I’ve gone down the rabbit hole a little bit on social media,” she says. “There’s a lot of people that really believe that if you are not active on social media, you are not moving your sport forward. I really beg to differ on that.”
Her argument isn’t that social media has no value. It’s that it is not a substitute for participation.
“I am actually involved in these committees,” she explains, “and I am able to speak my opinion and speak up for those around me and genuinely implement change.” In her view, influence requires proximity.
When Controversy Goes Viral
At a recent national camp, a photo of a young rider’s handwritten notes was posted online. The notes were taken during a discussion about responsible social media use. Out of context, they were interpreted by some as offensive. The backlash spread quickly.
Brown chose to respond publicly — and directly.
“I went ahead and put my feet in the fire,” she says. She shared her phone number and invited critics to call her to discuss their concerns. The post went viral.
“One out of like 50 that wanted to attack me on that post” actually contacted her, she recalls. The experience reinforced what she already suspected: outrage travels farther than conversation.
Brown regularly hosts dinners with other horse professionals where debates are encouraged.
“We do debate things. People disagree about things,” she says. “But it never seems to turn nasty like online.”
In those settings, participants share a common goal: strengthening the sport. The disagreements are rooted in shared investment. Online, she believes nuance often disappears. “When you’re always coming to the party with a proposed solution,” she says, “you get further.”
That mindset — solution-oriented rather than reactionary — is what she hopes young riders learn early.
Teaching Communication as a Skill
For Brown, the issue isn’t just social media but overall communication. She worries that young athletes are growing up without the tools to have difficult conversations constructively.
“I encourage people to call me,” she says. “If you genuinely disagree with me or genuinely think I’m wrong and have reasons for it, let’s have a conversation.”
Real leadership, she argues, requires the ability to articulate concerns face-to-face, to listen, and to collaborate. Those skills are built through participation — through volunteering, serving on committees, and engaging in the unglamorous administrative work that keeps competitions running.
Brown believes that if you want change, step inside the system. “Put your money where your mouth is,” she says.
That might mean joining a committee. It might mean volunteering. It might mean proposing a structured solution instead of posting a critique. In a sport facing evolving expectations around safety, welfare, and governance, constructive involvement matters more than ever.
Brown doesn’t deny that the digital world has influence. But she believes the real momentum, the kind that shifts programs and policies, is built in rooms where people show up.
Want more insight from Rebecca Brown? Listen to this episode of The Plaidcast and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform for conversations with the most influential voices in the equestrian world.
