Gigi was first introduced to horses at Girl Scout camp after a terrifying experience on a runaway horse. She recalls this event and immediately says “now there isn’t a horse that scares me”. Now, in her 60s, Gigi focuses on being one with her horse and enjoying the ride.

The stories of her first horse, years of horse ownership, and riding all over the world are so captivating. Gigi overcame childhood cancer and manages resulting scoliosis by riding and utilizing the horse’s movement to help with backaches and pains.

When pursuing her Bachelor’s degree, Gigi aimed to talk the easiest foreign language class she could, American Sign Language. To her surprise, it was not that easy but was something she became passionate about. Years later, she has picked up her passion again with the goal to become an interpreter for the deaf community.

She cautioned us against the concept of “deaf pity”, teaching about deaf culture and not just signing for funsies. It’s a matter of accessibility, not disability.

Gigi combined her passion of ASL interpretation and horseback riding and navigated to a farm called Bella Peregrina Ranch where she still rides today.

Our Favorite Quote: “The more experienced you are, the more you shut up.”

**On this episode, you will notice an additional guest, Dr. Erick R. Smith. Dr. Smith is an ASL Interpreter from Jacksonville, NC and graciously joined us on this episode. Connect with him on Facebook.

Click here to attend OG Festival!

“My trainer told me I should take up tennis because I was so bad at jumping.”

Andrea Davenport has been competing in dressage for the last 15 years. Her attendance at local horse shows drew her into the scene, not only as a rider, but as part of show management.

We all know horse shows can literally be a 3-ring circus when it comes to balancing the staff, volunteers, and attendees. Andrea thrives in this type of environment and even went further to hold shows rated by the USEF.

Take a listen as we discuss Andrea's journey into the horse show world and her goals for the future.

If you ever see her at a show, be sure to speak and say "Heyyy! Can I be your friend??"

Check out Andrea's show series : https://www.facebook.com/SoloFlightDressageShow

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Welcome to Young Black Equestrians the podcast with your hosts... jk YALL KNOW US!!

But if you are new here, we just wanted to introduce ourselves again and catch you up to speed! A lot has happened in the past few months so tune in to this episode to hear the latest!

Watch until the end to see a manifestation occur WHILE we were recording! 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾

In this episode, we discuss:

- Our background in the horse industry

- The latest updates with Saddle Up and Read

- Upcoming events

- Our motivation to continue

- Inspiration for our listeners

Drop one thing you wish to see from YBE this year in the comments. Here's to the future!

Tracey Turner is an equestrian and entrepreneur from New Jersey. She was introduced to the horse industry at the young age of 4 after attending a county fair. After taking lessons at a local barn, Tracey fell in love with all things horse!. She went from riding horses to driving horses with the help of her neighbor and local horse community. Tracey now owns multiple horses and drives competitively, training in South Carolina for half of the year.  

Tracey competes in an event called Combined Driving… think “3 day eventing”... but with a cart! In this episode she shares her experiences in the sport, defining the different events, carriage terms and the general process. Currently, she has a German riding pony named CHARDONNAY (Barn Name: Cooper, after the wine barrel manufacturers). She even remembers the moment she became just as comfortable in the carriage as she does on the back of the horse. Using the same techniques she used to train Alaskan malamutes to pull a sled, Tracey felt very comfortable “behind the reins” with young horses and ones new to the sport.   

Not only is she a competitive equestrian, she is also an entrepreneur/business owner. Tracey developed the idea of OneSourceHorse.com after working for a small healthcare tech start-up company around the time people started using computers to inquire about their insurance policies. In this episode, she shares her experience in crafting this membership website from scratch! This website is an all encompassing location for horse management, barn management and expense tracking.   

Have you loaned a piece of tack to someone? Keep track of it in the OneSourceHorse tack room!  Have you ever pulled up to a show and discover you left your Coggins at home? Upload it to OneSourceHorse for safe and convenient keeping!  We are honored to have Tracey chat with us during this episode and encourage all of our YBE fam to join OneSourceHorse.com to get a handle on their horse-y business!  

PS, Did you know a cart has 2 wheels and a carriage has 4? Did you know that some breeds name their horses with a particular letter each year to keep track of their age?   

Mentioned in this episode: One Source Horse: www.onesourcehorse.com 

Book by Denny Emerson: https://amzn.to/3a1vXjm 

Advice for Equestrians

- SHOW YOUR HORSE: it makes you practice/improve your skill, helps you get over performance nerves and teaches you time management 

- Put yourself in front of people who will give you opportunities 

- NETWORK! 

- Be kind, friendly and willing to put in work necessary to compete in your discipline

Erin Brown, also known as the Concrete Cowgirl, is the Director of Philadelphia Urban Riding Academy and caretaker for Philadelphia’s police horses. Growing up she rode several disciplines and currently teaches beginner to advanced hunt seat and stock seat at her riding academy. Erin shares with us the rich history of horsemen and horsewomen in the inner city Philly area and how gentrification has changed the lay of the land.   

Erin’s involvement with horses doesn’t just stop there! She also has a pony that visits local hospitals to provide Equine Assisted Therapy to kids undergoing chemo. Ms. Buttercup quickly became a favorite, stealing the heart of everyone she meets. A couple years ago, Erin began to hone her skills as a horse trainer and established Concrete Horsemanship.   

This cowgirl living the city life has been there and done just that. You may have heard of a film coming soon with the fiiiinnneeee brother Idris Elba titled, Concrete Cowboy. This movie is set in Philly, right in Philadelphia Urban Riding Academy’s back yard. We can’t wait to see how the directors portray the rich history of the urban cowboy.  

If you would like a “Concrete Cowgirl” Shirt, contact Erin for the deets!  

Reach Erin on Instagram: 

@1ConcreteCowgirl 

@ConcreteHorsemanship  

Philedelphia Urban Riding Academy : 

 http://www.philadelphiaurbanridingaca... 

https://www.facebook.com/philadelphia... 

Buttercup the therapy pony: www.instagram.com/mysizebuttercup  

Concrete Cowboys Film : https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8846176/

Racing around barrels and against the clock, Tori Bush has a story that is like no other. Despite her challenges, she has risen to be a household name in the youth barrel racing arena. Check out the last episode of season 3 as we chat with Tori and her mom Rachel about her journey and aspirations for the future. 

Follow Tori on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Tori-Bush-Barrel-Racer-111364243707263/?epa=SEARCH_BOX

A journey worth having is worth sharing and Dr. Rachel has a journey to share. From failing a year of vet school to traveling to the Dubai to work on the race tracks, Dr. Rachel's journey is one full of challenges and triumph. She shares her experiences working as a veterinarian for the USDA enforcing the Horse Protection Act and championing for diversity at a government level. She even opened her own petting zoo, Double Z Cowboy Corral, in Faulkner, Maryland where students can learn about animal husbandry and horsemanship.   

Tune in to an incredibly inspiring episode! Check out Double Z Cowboy Corral at www.facebook.com/doublezcowboycorral .

Representing YBE’s in the deep south, LaCalvius Tucker is a young trainer and barrel racer who prides himself on breaking horses, but not breaking their spirit. LaCalvius’s experience in the horse industry spans from attending futurities to building his craft and training client horse at home. When confronted with comments about his size, LaCalvius put faith in his training and his support system to produce the horses he needed to win. Always smiling, LaCalvius shares his story with us in an episode full of laughs.

See more of LaCalvius at

FB - LaCalvius Tucker

IG - @tuckerstablesequine

From France to Mongolian, from Hunt Seat to traditional Mongolian riding, Céline has global experiences that are truly one of a kind. In her collegiate days of riding she was told that she could “work in the barn until she fixed the problem”… that problem being her weight. 

“You’ll make the horse go lame” 

“You need to ride a draft horse” 

Those were some of the comments she received from the lips of collegiate trainers. Despite the discrimination, Celine fought tooth and nail for her spot on the team.

Fighting through her disability and perceived body image Céline has worked to find what works for her (currently side saddle) and trainers that work with her and her challenges to create the most safe experience possible.

Check her out on Instagram @theplussizedequestrian and her Facebook group "Equestrians of Color".

Today we have the pleasure of speaking to Ranee James who is an equestrian in the UK. Ranee started riding when she was 16 years old and has not stopped. For a quite a while she had not seen many Black riders. One day she happened to discover the Urban Equestrian Academy. She acted immediately to get involved. Listen now to hear how she balances motherhood, the academy, and her digital artwork while striving for her goal to become an Olympic show jumper.

Instagram: ebony_in_equestrian

https://makeachamp.com/ebonyinequestrian