Elevate Your Ride Guests

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Welcome to another fantastic APHA World Show Amateur Interview!! This was such a fun series last year, we couldn't wait to do it again!! Today, Lauren interviewed ⁠Alexis Daugird⁠ about her experience at the 2025 APHA World Show. Tune in to hear how Alexis proved everyone's doubts wrong, and had major success with her ranch horse in the all-around pen! Alexis emphasizes the importance of having a willing and connected partnership with your horse, and how preparation helped her achieve success in the pen. Thanks for listening! 

Today we have an incredibly inspiring story for you! Amateur exhibitor ⁠Elizabeth Paul⁠ was at the top of her game in the show pen when a tragic fall off her horse landed her in the hospital, where she was told she may never walk, or ride, again. That didn't stop her from being crowned the Reserve Champion in the Select Showmanship at this year's Level One Championships!! If you're going through a rough spot in life and need a motivating story, this is the episode for you!!!

We’re so excited to welcome⁠ Whitney Lloyd⁠ back to the podcast! Whitney is an AQHA amateur who’s passionate about helping equestrians feel confident and functional in the saddle. She recently began launching her own line of performance riding jeans—⁠MarkWest Denim⁠. Determined to solve the common issues riders face with traditional jeans, Whitney set out to create a better option—addressing problems like waist gapping, twisting pant legs, and phones falling out mid-ride. If your barn jeans drive you crazy for any of those reasons, ⁠MarkWest⁠ might be exactly what you’ve been looking for! In this episode, we dive into the thoughtful design features that sets ⁠MarkWest ⁠apart, explore how what you wear impacts your physical and mental performance in the saddle, and more. If you're ready to ditch uncomfortable, dysfunctional jeans, hit play now!

We are SO excited to welcome on yet another incredibly talented guest on the podcast!! Carey is an extremely competitive all-around amateur who excels in bringing green horses along in the pattern classes. In this episode, we dive into how Carey methodically plans her patterns, how she manages her expectations when showing a green horse, stories about her wins in the pen, and so much more. Thank you for coming on with us Carey!!

We’re so excited to welcome another incredibly inspiring amateur onto the show! Kristin is a familiar face in the stockhorse world as the owner of Hobby Horse, a former non-pro reiner, and now she’s making big waves in the all-around pen.

When cancer showed up in her life, Kristin chose to face it with strength and a positive attitude. If you’re going through something tough right now and need a little hope, a sign, or just a push to keep going—her story is for you. We’re so honored to share her journey, and we're beyond grateful to Kristin for being so open and real with us- this truly is a beautiful episode. 

Welcome to another exciting episode of Elevate Your Ride!! This week we are proud to present an insightful episode with the one and only Torey Roderick. Torey is a World and Congress Champion horse trainer who recently started a new "⁠⁠Mental Mastery⁠⁠" program for equestrians. We had a great conversation with Torey about what inspired her to research more about how mindset impacts us in the show pen, how she uses these mindset tools with her students, and so much more. If you show the all-around, especially the trail, this is a great episode to listen to! 

Join us for an awe-inspiring episode with the incredible Anna Buffini!! Anna is an highly accomplished young dressage rider with her sights set on the 2028 Olympics. We covered so many engaging topics in this episode including: Anna's fitness and mindset routine, contagious work-horse energy, and so much more; including how she dealt with the loss of not achieving her 2024 Olympic goals. If you are looking for something to push you off the couch, THIS episode is what you need.

We are SO incredibly honored to welcome the one and only Jason Vanlandingham onto our podcast. Jason is the only two time Run For A Million winner, and has a long list of other accomplishments in the reining world. We wanted to bring Jason on to talk about how me keeps his mind and body in tip top shape for competing at the highest level our sport has to offer. If you want to learn how the best of the best does what he does, you came to the right place. Thank you Jason for coming on with us- we loved what you had to say!

We couldn't be more excited to bring on Kailey King-Hale onto our show!! Kailey competes in the reining on a national level, and is a 2x Run For A Million non-pro qualifier. Kailey had an unfortunate accident that kept her from reaching her show pen goals in 2024, but is coming at 2025 with vengeance! If you need some inspiration for what to do when life keeps you out of the arena, this is a great story to listen to.

We are so excited to welcome on the one and only Meg DePalma Pye!!! Meg is a multiple World Champion, an absolute shark in the show pen, and, most importantly, a mom. Tune into this episode to hear more about how Meg balances horse show and every day life to make the most out of both. Meg has faced plenty of challenges along the way, and talks honestly about her and her mare's struggles during 2024. We can't wait to see Meg back in the pen in 2025!!

This is truly an incredible episode that I cannot recommend listening to enough! We welcomed highly regarded Natalie Hummel onto the podcast to discuss how regulating one's nervous system impacts their daily life and athletic performance. An equestrian athlete herself, somatic practitioner, and high-performance coach- Natalie has a wealth of knowledge to share. A few topics we cover include how nervous systems become dysregulated, why a dysregulated nervous system is so vital to address, and so much more. Trust me, this is an episode you want to pay attention to!

No matter what section of the horse industry you're apart of, I bet you've seen the name Kaci O'Rourke and The Firemen all across social media the last few weeks. Kaci is the very first woman to win the NRHA Futurity since it began in 1966. This historic moment deserves to be recognized, and we couldn't be more excited to have on such an insightful and inspiring guest. Thank you Kaci for coming on with us, this episode is truly incredible. Listen all the way through to hear Kaci's tear-jerking experience when she realized she won!

On this special episode we welcome on the 2024 AQHA All-Around Amateur Katie Jo Jones. Katie had a show season for the books, and she topped it off with an incredible world show. Katie gives insight to how she keeps her mind and body ready for the show pen, provides great advice for anyone with a green horse showing at the top level, and so much more. Tune in to learn more about this horsemanship queen!

We couldn't be more excited to share with you our amateur interviews from the world show! First up, we have Paige Rogers. Paige earned herself a bronze globe in the eq, and fifth overall in the level 3 horsemanship against pens of incredible riders. Paige shares with us how she holds such a strong equitation position, shows her young horse so successfully, gives her and her horse proper time off after a long season, and so much more. Thank you Paige for being such a great interview!!

We are delighted to welcome on 2024 Congress Champion Taylor Foster!! For our fellow showmanship fanatics, this is such an inspiring episode. Tune in to listen how DIY ammy Taylor took her horse from not knowing the showmanship at all to being crowned a Congress Champion in the Amateur Showmanship!

On this episode we are so excited to welcome on 2024 Congress Champion and Reserve Amateur Champion Angela Fox!!! Angela tells her inspiring story of how she went from being brand new to the western riding to winning the Junior at the Congress in less than a year. If you need to listen to an inspiring story, this episode is for you!!

On this special episode of Elevate Your Ride, we welcome on Ellie's step-dad Jeff Otis. Jeff is a master at helping people hone in on their skillset to create meaningful goals, manage fears, and achieve success. This episode is for you if you struggle creating and achieving your visions and goals in the saddle!

On this episode we are pleased to welcome the one and only Sabrina Janis!! Sabrina is a force to be reckoned with in the pen, and we had to bring her onto the show to chat about her success at the 2024 NSBA World Show. Sabrina thrives in the trail pen, and much of the episode is spent talking about how she sets herself up for success and challenges her mindset to be great in the trail, even with green horses. Sabrina also talks about how she manages her life outside of horses, and how she stays successful in both areas, and SO much more. If you want to learn more about how a world champion walks, talks, and rides, this episode is for you!

We are so excited to welcome the one and only Jolene Wadds onto our show today! Jolene is an extremely accomplished DIY amateur who has found success in finding "diamond in the rough" yearlings from the NSBA sale, and then taking them back to NSBA as riding horses. If you need some inspiration as a DIYer, this episode is for you!!!

We are pleased to welcome back amateur Kaleena Weakly onto the podcast! Kaleena joined us back on Episode 21 to talk about her success in the show pen, and today we brought her back on to talk about the 2024 NSBA World Show! We talked about how Kaleena mentally and physically prepared for the show, the steps she took to win the all-around title, and more! If chasing a world title is on your list of goals, this episode is a must-listen!

We are pleased to welcome APHA amateur exhibitor Scott Cooper onto our show! I think this is our most entertaining episode yet. We brought Scott on to talk about how he managed the stress of having his show partner on rehab for the last two years. Scott talks about his positive, yet realistic experience with a long-term rehab, which we all know can be common for our performance horses. Scott also talks about his successful weight loss journey, and how keeping his fitness and mindset in check has benefited him in the show pen. Overall, this is a fantastic episode that we are excited to share with you!

On Episode 34, we welcome Dr. Michelle Correia of Stable Body Physical Therapy onto our podcast. Michelle is an extremely knowledgeable physical therapist that works with horses and riders to improve their riding performance. This episode focuses on injury prevention, the value of strength training, and overall education about equestrian biomechanics. Tune in to learn more!

On Episode 33, we have with us Jeanine Jones for an inspiring conversation. Jeanine is a DIY amateur who has turned her home bred, raised, and trained horses into world champions. Jeanine talks about her journey and challenges as a DIY ammy, and how she sets herself apart from the competition. We know you will love Jeanine just as much as we did!

On Episode 32, we continue on with our world show interviews. We are pleased to welcome 2024 APHA World Champion and All-Around Amateur High-Point Champion Lila Owens!! Lila is a force to be reckoned with in the show pen and shares how she mentally and physically prepares to compete at the highest level. If you want to become a world champion, the best place to start is learning from one!

On Episode 31, we are so excited to welcome on 2024 APHA World Champion Kaitlyn Ferguson!! This podcast is all about how to push yourself to reach your goals, and we wanted to inspire our audience by interviewing amateurs with world titles. Kaitlyn won two titles at this year's APHA World Show on two different horses that she does not own, and is an inspiration for fellow horseless amateurs. She shares how she managed the pressure of riding other peoples' horses, how she prepared for the world show with minimal time with both horses, the blood, sweat, and tears that goes into winning, and more. This episode is authentic and inspirational, and we know you will love Kaitlyn just as much as we did!

On Episode 28, we welcome extremely accomplished AQHA exhibitor, Sarah Lebsock, on to talk about her experiences riding and showing horses! Sarah's experience is very relatable to many other breed show amateurs. She is mostly DIY, turns young, diamond-in-the-rough horses into competitive show horses, and works extremely hard in and out of the saddle to make her goals a reality. Sarah talks about how she keeps her mind and body in shape to stay competitive at the top level, and provides an inspiring perspective to showing horses. We truly enjoyed interviewing Sarah, and we know you will enjoy this episode!!

On Episode 27, we give a warm welcome to collegiate athlete Maddy Bloom! Maddy recently graduated from Fresno State, where she rode for their equestrian team. If you're interested in learning more about what it takes to ride successfully at the collegiate level, this episode is for you!! We also dive into Maddy's personal showing career, highlighting her transition from showing the all-around to the cowhorse events!

On Episode 21,  we welcome amateur exhibitor Kaleena Weakly on our podcast to talk about the ins and outs of showing. Kaleena is an extremely successful amateur in the quarter horse world, and she highlights how she balances being a mom, working out, eating healthy, and staying at the top of her game in the show pen. If you show the showmanship you do not want to miss out on this episode!!

On Episode 19, we are so excited to welcome AQHA amateur Whitney Lloyd on our show today!! Whitney offers a perspective on showing that we think many amateurs relate to. Showing horses isn't for the faint of the heart, and Whitney shares her own personal ups and downs with showing, and how she manages all of it. She also touches on how she prioritizes both her physical and mental health and how that impacts her in the show pen. Like many amateurs, Whitney finds herself on the road often, and provides fantastic insight for how she stays successful both in her personal and professional life. This episode is NOT one to miss!

On Episode 15 we are pleased to welcome highly accomplished amateur Madison Nirenstein on this episode. Madison has a unique story- she competed at the highest level in AQHA for years and recently transitioned into being a DIY amateur, and also dabbles in the hunter jumpers. She details how challenging the transition from being in a full-time training program to having her horse under her care has been, and how she manages all of it. She also discusses the social pressure she faced after winning her national titles, and making the decision to sell some of her horses. This is not an episode to miss if you are a DIY ammy!!

On Episode 16 we welcome back amateur Madison Nirenstein to discuss her ever-evolving fitness regimen. Madison details her experience shifting from from aesthetic-focused workouts to more functional fitness, and how that impacted her performance in the saddle. Madison’s experience highlights the importance of balancing physical training with mental health, noting significant improvements in her riding and overall well-being when she prioritizes both. Don't miss out on this episode!

On Episode 10 we have our first amateur interview with Jennifer Kyle. Jennifer is an accomplished amateur in the AQHA all-around show pen who in the last few years has changed gears to focus more on jumping! She is also a marathon runner! She walks us through her mental strategies in the show pen, how she handles her schedule as a working amateur, her experience switching disciplines, and more! This is a great episode for fellow amateurs to tune into to see how a successful amateur manages her time and schedule to fit everything in!

On Episode 11 we have amateur equestrian and marathon runner Jennifer Kyle back again to explore her relationship with fitness. Jennifer emphasizes the importance of functional fitness, how rest plays a major role in her success, staying on track with exercise and nutrition at horse shows, injury prevention, and more. As an equestrian you ARE an athlete, and this episode does an excellent job of highlighting how important it is to treat your body as such for optimal performance.

In today's episode, we're joined by Troy Compton, a seasoned horse trainer with a rich family history in horse training and competitive riding. Troy shares how his horse training career has evolved over the years, how he gets the most out of his horses, and the importance of maintaining a winner's mindset. Lauren has been part of Troy's training program for years, and together they discuss the philosophy and techniques behind their training approach, emphasizing the importance of mental connection, intense preparation, and adaptability in achieving success in the arena. They highlight the transformative journey from virtual lessons to winning at the AQHA World Show, discussing the role of imagination, visualization, and meticulous attention to detail in their training regimen.

On our last episode we talked with horse trainer Troy Compton about how his mindset gave him the edge he needed to be successful in his training career and in the show pen. In this episode we discuss how fitness has also played a key role in Troy's success. If you have ever come back from an injury, this episode is a great one for you to listen to! Troy shares his story about how overcoming a knee injury tested his physical and mental capabilities, and how strength training played a major role in his recovery. We also talk about the importance of mobility and functional fitness and how they translates to riding, the significance of consistency, why adapting a personal fitness program to fit your needs is so important, and more! This is an episode you don't want to miss!