In Stride

This episode is a re-release, originally published July 13, 2022

This Week on In Stride 

Sinead Halpin-Maynard sits down with five-star event rider Sharon White to talk about how mindfulness, meditation, and breathwork have changed the way she rides, teaches, and connects with horses.

Meet the Guest: Sharon White 

Sharon White is an international five-star event rider and trainer based at Last Frontier Farm in Summit Point, West Virginia. On October 11, 2026, she won the US Equestrian Open Eventing Final CCI4*-L at Morven Park with Claus 63. She also helped the U.S. earn team silver at the 2023 Pan American Games. She has competed at the Kentucky Three-Day Event more than ten times with five different horses and has represented the U.S. at five-star events in Pau and Luhmühlen. Sharon is also a USEA ICP Level 4 certified instructor and a highly sought-after coach and clinician.

In This Episode, Sinead and Sharon Discuss:

• How a difficult Kentucky led Sharon to meditation and mindfulness, and how those practices help her handle the highs and lows of the sport
• Why breathing matters so much in the saddle, and how horses mirror the energy and tension of their riders
• Sharon’s early morning routine, from meditation to exercise, and how she builds good habits through repetition
• What watching horses in the round pen and in the field has taught her about patience, leadership, and learning
• How ballroom dance lessons gave Sharon a new understanding of following, partnership, and riding without overthinking

In Stride Is Brought to You by Ride iQ

Ride iQ helps everyday riders ride with more clarity, confidence, and purpose through on-demand audio lessons from world-class coaches.

Members also get:

• Weekly live Q&As with equestrian experts
• Exclusive podcast episodes
• Dressage test prep resources
• A supportive learning community

Start your free 14-day trial and get 20% off your first month or year when you sign up at rideiqpod.com

This Week on In Stride

Sinead Halpin-Maynard sits down with Olivia Dutton to talk about her whirlwind summer overseas, building her own career inside one of eventing’s best-known families, and what it takes to rebuild confidence and keep showing up.

Meet the Guest: Olivia Dutton

Olivia Dutton is an upper-level event rider who recently earned individual bronze at the inaugural FEI Eventing World Championship for Under 25s at Millstreet International in Ireland. She finished as the highest-placed U.S. combination, riding Jewelent. In 2025 she also won the CCI4*-S at the Morven Park Fall International and Horse Trials aboard Sea of Clouds. Olivia is the daughter of Phillip Dutton, a seven-time Olympian in eventing.

In This Episode, Sinead and Olivia Discuss:

• What it was like to compete at the first-ever Under 25 World Championships and why she wasn’t expecting to finish on the podium
• Having your dad as your coach, and how she carves out her own business and identity as part of one of eventing’s best-known families
• Losing her confidence after a fall on her first trip overseas with Sea of Clouds, and how her family and friends helped her trust herself again
• Her concerns about eventing’s Olympic future and why she wants to explain the sport better to people outside the horse world

Episode Sponsor

Connaway & Associates

The friendly and knowledgeable team at Connaway & Associates brings together more than 30 years of experience to offer a wide range of insurance services, including horse insurance, farm insurance, and liability insurance.

Visit www.connaway.net or call 501-868-8084 to explore your options.

Equine Emergency Vet Care Guide

Created by equine veterinarian Dr. Erica Lacher, the Equine Emergency Vet Care Guide app helps horse owners recognize the signs of a true emergency, know when to call the vet, and understand what to do while help is on the way.

Download from the App Store or Google Play at EquineEmergencyApp.com

In Stride Is Brought to You by Ride iQ

Ride iQ helps everyday riders ride with more clarity, confidence, and purpose through on-demand audio lessons from world-class coaches.

Members also get:

• Weekly live Q&As with equestrian experts
• Exclusive podcast episodes
• Dressage test prep resources
• A supportive learning community

Start your free 14-day trial at Ride-iQ.com

This Week on In Stride 

Sinead Halpin-Maynard sits down with Julie Goodnight to talk about her path from horse-crazy kid to clinician and TV host, why so many riders lean on the reins, and how the latest science on horse behavior is changing the way we train.

Meet the Guest: Julie Goodnight 

Julie Goodnight is an internationally renowned horse trainer and clinician who started her own training business in 1985. She produced and hosted Horse Master with Julie Goodnight, a how-to training series that aired weekly on RFD-TV for 11 years and ran for 260 episodes. Julie holds the Certified Horsemanship Association's highest level of certification, Master Clinic Instructor, and has served as its international spokesperson. Equine Affaire named her its Exceptional Equestrian Educator. She has written for Horse & Rider and Horse Illustrated and hosts the award-winning podcast Ride On with Julie Goodnight.

In This Episode, Sinead and Julie Discuss:

• Why reins should back up a cue instead of being the cue, and what happens when Julie pulls the bridle off a rider's push-button horse
• The difference between contact and connection, and what riders can learn from Western horses that are taught to come off contact and carry themselves
• Seeing behavior without judgment, and why a horse's "problem" is usually a response they learned from their rider
• Julie's seven aids, her 10-minute loose-rein warm-up, and the racetrack moment that taught her never to pick a fight with a horse

Episode Sponsor

Connaway & Associates

The friendly and knowledgeable team at Connaway & Associates brings together more than 30 years of experience to offer a wide range of insurance services, including horse insurance, farm insurance, and liability insurance.

Visit www.connaway.net or call 501-868-8084 to explore your options.

Equine Emergency Vet Care Guide

Created by equine veterinarian Dr. Erica Lacher, the Equine Emergency Vet Care Guide app helps horse owners recognize the signs of a true emergency, know when to call the vet, and understand what to do while help is on the way.

Download from the App Store or Google Play at EquineEmergencyApp.com

In Stride Is Brought to You by Ride iQ

Ride iQ helps everyday riders ride with more clarity, confidence, and purpose through on-demand audio lessons from world-class coaches.

Members also get:

• Weekly live Q&As with equestrian experts
• Exclusive podcast episodes
• Dressage test prep resources
• A supportive learning community

Start your free 14-day trial at Ride-iQ.com

This Week on In Stride

Sinead Halpin-Maynard catches up with husband-and-wife team Will and Katie Coleman to talk about Will's Kentucky 5* win with Diabolo, what it's like to run a top eventing program together, and how their idea of success has shifted from chasing goals to building a life they're proud of.

Meet the Guests: Will and Katie Coleman

Will Coleman is an Olympic event rider and one of the top riders in the U.S. He won Aachen in 2021 with Off The Record, making him the first American to take that title, and the pair helped the U.S. win team silver at the 2022 World Championships in Pratoni. In 2026 he won his first 5*, the Kentucky Three-Day Event, with Diabolo. He then finished fourth individually and helped Team USA win bronze at the World Championships in Aachen. Katie Coleman grew up in Ontario and spent years grooming at the top of the sport, including at the 2011 Pan American Games and at five-stars like Kentucky, Burghley, and Luhmühlen, and was named the 2012 USEA Groom of the Year. She's credited with building the program behind Will's success, and these days her focus has shifted to dressage. Together they run Will Coleman Equestrian, with bases in Virginia and Ocala, Florida.

In This Episode, Sinead, Will, and Katie Discuss:

• Why they believe it takes at least a year to make a horse your own, and the foundation they build together at home before a horse faces top-level competition
• How Off The Record went from bucking off a working student to "winning machine," and why he was the first horse they cracked the code on as a team
• Their first winter spent apart, and the sacrifices they're no longer willing to make as parents
• Their take on where eventing is headed, from how many five-stars the sport needs to telling better horsemanship stories

Episode Sponsor

Connaway & Associates

The friendly and knowledgeable team at Connaway & Associates brings together more than 30 years of experience to offer a wide range of insurance services, including horse insurance, farm insurance, and liability insurance.

Visit www.connaway.net or call 501-868-8084 to explore your options.

Equine Emergency Vet Care Guide

Created by equine veterinarian Dr. Erica Lacher, the Equine Emergency Vet Care Guide app helps horse owners recognize the signs of a true emergency, know when to call the vet, and understand what to do while help is on the way.

Download from the App Store or Google Play at EquineEmergencyApp.com

In Stride Is Brought to You by Ride iQ

Ride iQ helps everyday riders ride with more clarity, confidence, and purpose through on-demand audio lessons from world-class coaches.

Members also get:

• Weekly live Q&As with equestrian experts
• Exclusive podcast episodes
• Dressage test prep resources
• A supportive learning community

Start your free 14-day trial at Ride-iQ.com

This Week on In Stride 

Sinead Halpin-Maynard sits down with Alice Fox-Pitt, broadcaster, top-level event rider, and Sinead's mentor for nearly two decades, to discuss why equestrian sport struggles to gain mainstream media attention and what it would take to change that. Together, they explore how the sport can better communicate its stories, personalities, and appeal to a wider audience.

Meet the Guest: Alice Fox-Pitt 

Alice Fox-Pitt is a familiar voice in equestrian and racing broadcasting. One of the only women to have competed at both Badminton and the Grand National, Alice pursued a dual career in eventing and racing before a sponsorship deal led her to step back from racing. She built a broadcasting career alongside her competitive riding, then retired from eventing altogether at 27 to focus on it full time. Her career has included local radio at Blenheim, Sky Sports, ITV, and the Emirates World Series. She also co-founded Event Rider Masters and is married to William Fox-Pitt. Alice is involved with two charities, the Eloise and Katie Memorial Trust and the Larmer Tree Project.

In This Episode, Sinead and Alice Discuss:

• Why equestrian sport struggles to gain mainstream media attention and the importance of finding compelling "hooks" for wider audiences
• The creation of Event Rider Masters and how its format was designed to make eventing more accessible and engaging for viewers
• Alice's dual career in eventing and racing, including the sponsorship decision that ultimately led her to stop race riding
• What makes a successful partnership between equestrian athletes and brands, and the importance of authentic, long-term relationships
• Alice's transition from competing to broadcasting, business, and charitable work

Episode Sponsor

Connaway & Associates

The friendly and knowledgeable team at Connaway & Associates brings together more than 30 years of experience to offer a wide range of insurance services, including horse insurance, farm insurance, and liability insurance.

Visit www.connaway.net or call 501-868-8084 to explore your options.

Equine Emergency Vet Care Guide

Created by equine veterinarian Dr. Erica Lacher, the Equine Emergency Vet Care Guide app helps horse owners recognize the signs of a true emergency, know when to call the vet, and understand what to do while help is on the way.

Download from the App Store or Google Play at EquineEmergencyApp.com

In Stride Is Brought to You by Ride iQ

Ride iQ helps everyday riders ride with more clarity, confidence, and purpose through on-demand audio lessons from world-class coaches.

Members also get:

• Weekly live Q&As with equestrian experts
• Exclusive podcast episodes
• Dressage test prep resources
• A supportive learning community

Start your free 14-day trial at Ride-iQ.com

This Week on In Stride

Sinead Halpin-Maynard sits down with outgoing US Equestrian CEO Bill Moroney for a candid look back at his decade leading the sport's national governing body, the leadership lessons that shaped him, and what it means to walk away at the right time.

Meet the Guest: Bill Moroney

Bill Moroney is the outgoing CEO of US Equestrian, a role he has held for a decade since 2016 and will step down from at the end of 2026. He spent decades as a hunter/jumper trainer based out of Middleburg, Virginia, before shifting into equestrian governance full time. In 2004, he helped found the United States Hunter Jumper Association and served as its founding president until he became USEF's CEO, building it into the largest recognized affiliate within US Equestrian. Over his career, he has served on more than 17 USEF committees in addition to the organization's Board.

In This Episode, Sinead and Bill Discuss:

• Bill's path from a horse-crazy kid taking weekly riding lessons to running a hunter/jumper training business in Middleburg, and how that eventually pulled him into equestrian governance
• The daily discipline behind decision-making at USEF, from setting boundaries on his calendar to building a trusted team around him
• What makes a committee actually work, and how to navigate confidentiality, conflicts of interest, and emotionally charged conversations
• USEF Lite and other efforts to make the sport more accessible and affordable at the grassroots level

Episode Sponsor

Connaway & Associates

The friendly and knowledgeable team at Connaway & Associates brings together more than 30 years of experience to offer a wide range of insurance services, including horse insurance, farm insurance, and liability insurance.

Visit www.connaway.net or call 501-868-8084 to explore your options.

Equine Emergency Vet Care Guide

Created by equine veterinarian Dr. Erica Lacher, the Equine Emergency Vet Care Guide app helps horse owners recognize the signs of a true emergency, know when to call the vet, and understand what to do while help is on the way.

Download from the App Store or Google Play at EquineEmergencyApp.com

In Stride Is Brought to You by Ride iQ

Ride iQ helps everyday riders ride with more clarity, confidence, and purpose through on-demand audio lessons from world-class coaches.

Members also get:

• Weekly live Q&As with equestrian experts
• Exclusive podcast episodes
• Dressage test prep resources
• A supportive learning community

Start your free 14-day trial at Ride-iQ.com

This Week on In Stride

Sinead Halpin Maynard sits down with John Michael Durr, fresh off designing the FEI courses at a Calgary-area facility's first international event since the 1970s, to talk candidly about why eventing is inherently unsafe, how awareness (not fear) is the tool that actually protects riders and horses, and what he'd change about how the sport structures itself.

Meet the Guest: John Michael Durr

John Michael Durr is an international event rider and show jumper who has competed at the Kentucky Three-Day Event and, more recently, transitioned into FEI-level show jumping. He is an FEI course designer and serves on the USEA's Cross Country Safety Committee and Licensed Officials Committee, putting him at the center of ongoing conversations about rider and horse safety in the sport. Raised in California before building his career on both coasts, Durr now runs Durr Eventing, a training, competition, and sales business, with his wife, Kimmy Durr.

In This Episode, Sinead and John Michael Discuss:

• Why Durr believes the sport needs to stop pretending jumping horses is "safe" and instead talk openly about mitigating real risk
• The concept of awareness as a mental skill riders and coaches can train, separate from technical ability
• Frangible technology as an "airbag," a tool that softens a fall but doesn't eliminate the risk in the first place
• His course design philosophy of low jumps and hard exercises, and why cross-country schooling culture needs a broader rethink
• The personal loss, twenty years ago, that first shaped his focus on safety, and how he's carried that forward into his work as a course designer and safety committee member

Episode Sponsor

Connaway & Associates

The friendly and knowledgeable team at Connaway & Associates brings together more than 30 years of experience to offer a wide range of insurance services, including horse insurance, farm insurance, and liability insurance.

Visit www.connaway.net or call 501-868-8084 to explore your options.

Equine Emergency Vet Care Guide

Created by equine veterinarian Dr. Erica Lacher, the Equine Emergency Vet Care Guide app helps horse owners recognize the signs of a true emergency, know when to call the vet, and understand what to do while help is on the way.

Download from the App Store or Google Play at EquineEmergencyApp.com

In Stride Is Brought to You by Ride iQ

Ride iQ helps everyday riders ride with more clarity, confidence, and purpose through on-demand audio lessons from world-class coaches.

Members also get:

• Weekly live Q&As with equestrian experts
• Exclusive podcast episodes
• Dressage test prep resources
• A supportive learning community

Start your free 14-day trial at Ride-iQ.com

This Week on In Stride 

Sinead Halpin-Maynard sits down with Caroline Harris fresh off the FEI Eventing World Championships in Aachen to talk about the unlikely horse who carried her from a late start in the sport to two five-star wins, and the mental work behind staying grounded at the highest level of competition.

Meet the Guest: Caroline Harris 

Caroline Harris is a British international event rider who claimed her first five-star victory at Pau in 2024 and added a second at Luhmühlen in 2026, both with her partner D.Day. Those wins earned the pair a place on the British eventing team for the 2026 FEI Eventing World Championships in Aachen, building on a Nations Cup debut at Boekelo in 2023 and a selection to the British European Championships squad at Blenheim in 2025.

In This Episode, Sinead and Caroline Discuss:

• The unconventional path to a five-star debut at 34, and why D.Day, a horse bred to be a gentle family horse, was never expected to reach the top of the sport
• How a small ownership syndicate of friends backed D.Day one level at a time, with no pressure attached, all the way to Pau, Luhmühlen, and Aachen
• Working through self-doubt and nerves with a sports psychologist, and learning to enjoy competing at the top level instead of just surviving it
• Building a life and identity outside the barn, including training as a personal trainer, and what comes next on the road to Los Angeles 2028

Episode Sponsor

Connaway & Associates

The friendly and knowledgeable team at Connaway & Associates brings together more than 30 years of experience to offer a wide range of insurance services, including horse insurance, farm insurance, and liability insurance.

Visit www.connaway.net or call 501-868-8084 to explore your options.

Equine Emergency Vet Care Guide

Created by equine veterinarian Dr. Erica Lacher, the Equine Emergency Vet Care Guide app helps horse owners recognize the signs of a true emergency, know when to call the vet, and understand what to do while help is on the way.

Download from the App Store or Google Play at EquineEmergencyApp.com

In Stride Is Brought to You by Ride iQ

Ride iQ helps everyday riders ride with more clarity, confidence, and purpose through on-demand audio lessons from world-class coaches.

Members also get:

• Weekly live Q&As with equestrian experts
• Exclusive podcast episodes
• Dressage test prep resources
• A supportive learning community

Start your free 14-day trial at Ride-iQ.com

This Week on In Stride

Sinead Halpin-Maynard sits down with two-time Olympian Hawley Bennett-Awad fresh off an electric World Championships in Aachen to talk about building a career one horse at a time, learning to put her own wellbeing first after years of burnout, and the unexpected new horse now fueling her dream of a home Olympics in LA.

Meet the Guest: Hawley Bennett-Awad

Hawley Bennett-Awad is a two-time Olympian who represented Canada at the 2004 Athens and 2012 London Games, and has competed at four World Championships for her country. Her career has been defined by long partnerships with a small string of horses, including her first advanced mount off the track, and Jollybo, who she competed at the CCI4* and CCI5* levels for close to a decade. Based in Southern California, Bennett-Awad also runs a busy clinic teaching schedule around the country. She recently found an unexpected new partner in Levino, with her sights set on a return to top-level competition.

In This Episode, Sinead and Hawley Discuss:

• What it felt like to watch this year's World Championships in Aachen as a former competitor, and why she calls it the toughest competition in the sport
• Building a career one horse at a time, learning each horse inside and out, and the discipline that comes with limited resources
• The mindset shift that led her to scale back a packed teaching schedule and put her own wellbeing first
• How an unplanned encounter led her to Levino, and her plan to chase a return to top-level competition

Episode Sponsor

Connaway & Associates

The friendly and knowledgeable team at Connaway & Associates brings together more than 30 years of experience to offer a wide range of insurance services, including horse insurance, farm insurance, and liability insurance.

Visit www.connaway.net or call 501-868-8084 to explore your options.

Equine Emergency Vet Care Guide

Created by equine veterinarian Dr. Erica Lacher, the Equine Emergency Vet Care Guide app helps horse owners recognize the signs of a true emergency, know when to call the vet, and understand what to do while help is on the way.

Download from the App Store or Google Play at EquineEmergencyApp.com

In Stride Is Brought to You by Ride iQ

Ride iQ helps everyday riders ride with more clarity, confidence, and purpose through on-demand audio lessons from world-class coaches.

Members also get:

• Weekly live Q&As with equestrian experts
• Exclusive podcast episodes
• Dressage test prep resources
• A supportive learning community

Start your free 14-day trial at Ride-iQ.com

This Week on In Stride 

Sinead Halpin-Maynard sits down with Alizée Froment to talk about her path from Grand Prix dressage to liberty training, and how she teaches horses to recognize tension in their bodies and find their own way out of it.

Meet the Guest: Alizée Froment 

Alizée Froment is a French liberty trainer, performer, and author who competed internationally in dressage up to Grand Prix level and trained the French National Pony Dressage Team. In 2011 she made her international Grand Prix debut aboard her stallion Mistral du Coussoul, competing at that level for years before retiring him from competition in 2018. Since 2009, Froment has performed neck rope liberty demonstrations for hundreds of thousands of spectators around the world. She now works with sport horses sent to her for emotional and behavioral struggles, runs her own liberty and education programs, and has developed courses with fellow trainer Tristan Tucker on his TRT platform. She is the author of The Horses Who Made Me, released in 2024.

In This Episode, Sinead and Alizée Discuss:

• How she reads the physical tension behind a horse's fear, anger, or frustration, and teaches them to release it themselves instead of shutting the emotion down
• Her horses' daily bodywork routine, including stretching, massage, and natural therapies like clay and essential oils, and how it feeds directly into her training decisions each day
• The moment she stopped chasing performance in competition and started training for the horse in front of her
• Why she believes horse welfare debates need more listening and less judgment

Episode Sponsor

Equine Emergency Vet Care Guide

Created by equine veterinarian Dr. Erica Lacher, the Equine Emergency Vet Care Guide app helps horse owners recognize the signs of a true emergency, know when to call the vet, and understand what to do while help is on the way.

Download from the App Store or Google Play at EquineEmergencyApp.com

In Stride Is Brought to You by Ride iQ

Ride iQ helps everyday riders ride with more clarity, confidence, and purpose through on-demand audio lessons from world-class coaches.

Members also get:

• Weekly live Q&As with equestrian experts
• Exclusive podcast episodes
• Dressage test prep resources
• A supportive learning community

Start your free 14-day trial at Ride-iQ.com