On today's episode of "In Stride," Sinead talks to David O'Connor about horsemanship in competition.David is one of the most accomplished event riders in history. David: • Represented the US at two Olympic Games, winning a team silver in 1996 and an individual gold and team bronze in 2000• Won individual silver and team gold at the 1999 Pan Am games• Won team gold at the 2002 World Equestrian Games• Was President of United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) from 2004-2012• Inducted to the United States Eventing Association (USEA) Hall of Fame in 2009; two of his horses are also in the hall of fame

On today's episode of "In Stride," Sinead talks to Lucinda Green about the fundamental partnership based on trust riders must have with their horses. Lucinda left school at 15-years-old to attend an untraditional “look and learn” school where she was taught about a range of topics including world religion, politics, and the history of art. Lucinda’s mom was involved in fox hunting and her father played international polo. Lucinda and Sinead talk about how the equestrian profession has changed over the decades and importance of horsemanship in being a successful competitor. Lucinda talks about the uniqueness of each rider and each horse and how she always prioritized mutual trust with her horses. Lucinda is a passionate advocate of challenging cross-country courses as a way of being true to the sport of eventing and she discusses how the sport has evolved over time and the risks that come with that type of evolution. Lucinda tells stories from her first-time winning Badminton at 19 years old to her long, successful career after that.

Host Sinead Halpin Maynard interviews her husband Tik Maynard in this inaugural episode of In Stride. Sinead and Tik talk about the love languages of our horses and what motivates them to be our partners.

Tik is a sought-after natural horsemanship and eventing trainer. Tik:

• Is an "A" pony club graduate

• Was inducted to the Canadian Pony Club Hall of Fame

• Represented Canada in modern pentathalon in the 2007 Pan Am Games

• Has worked with many of the greats in equestrian sports including Ingrid Klimke, the O Connors, Anne Kursinski, and Ian Miller

• Is very interested in the relationship between horse and rider, how horses think/feel/play, and what motivates them

In this episode of “In Stride,” Sinead is joined by 4* event rider Gabby Dickerson.

Gabby grew up in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, where she developed a passion for horses at an early age. By 12, she was a working student for Olympian Kim Severson, sparking her love for eventing. After high school, she gained international experience in Europe, working with esteemed riders Nicola Wilson, Ingrid Klimke, and Dirk Schrade. Upon returning to the U.S., Gabby founded Gabby Dickerson Eventing in Charlottesville, VA, where she has trained and competed horses to the 4* level. Her achievements include receiving the prestigious Wilton Fair Grant, enabling further training and competition in Europe.

In this episode, Gabby discusses topics related to her career and learning opportunities, including:

• Her experience working for Kim Severson at a young age.

• How the training mentality is different in Europe vs. the United States.

• Being successful by finding the places that offer opportunity.

• Working for top riders in Europe and what she was able to learn from each of them.

• How she started her business in the United States after returning from Europe.

Join Gabby and Sinead in this exciting conversation about the importance of chasing opportunities.

In this episode of “In Stride,” Sinead and Tik Maynard are joined by event riders Erin and Marc Grandia.

Erin and Marc Grandia are based out of Washington State, where they operate Full Gallop Eventing, a top equestrian facility focused on training horses and riders to be successful at all levels of eventing. Marc has competed through the CCI4* and advanced levels of eventing and is licensed to design cross-country courses through the intermediate level. Marc specializes in starting young horses under saddle and is an ICP level 3 certified instructor. Erin has ridden through the CCI3* and intermediate levels and is an ICP level 2 certified instructor. Erin enjoys coaching riders up the levels and helping them reach their goals.

In this episode, Erin and Marc discuss topics related to running a training business, including:

• Figuring out each other's strengths and using that to set up a great business model.

• How they were involved in horses growing up and how they met.

• Balancing the business’ needs and personal ambitions to compete at a high level.

• Working with young horses and figuring out their personality throughout the training process.

• Marc’s style and approach when designing a cross-country course.

Join Erin, Marc, Tik, and Sinead in the exciting conversation about juggling a business, family, and competitive goals.

In this episode of “In Stride,” Sinead is joined by international 4* event rider Mary Bess Davis.

Mary Bess Davis is the trainer and owner of the world-class equestrian facility, Triple Creek Eventing, located in Mansfield, Georgia. Mary Bess grew up in an equestrian family and from a young age participated in fox hunting, vaulting, pony club, and hunters. She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in biology, all while building her training, selling, and coaching business at Triple Creek Farm. Mary Bess has produced multiple horses through the Advanced level and has had young riders compete at NAYRC winning gold, silver, and bronze team and individual medals for the CCI2* and CCI3* levels. With her horse, Imperio Magic, also known as McColl, Mary Bess finished 19th out of 95 and helped Team USA win silver at the 2024 FEI Eventing Nation’s Cup in Boekelo. Mary Bess has a passion for bringing horses and students up the levels and aims to compete at the 5* level in the coming year.

In this episode, Mary Bess discusses topics related to her career as an event rider, including:

• What motherhood taught her about horses’ learning styles and competing at a high level.

• The major injuries she's had over the years and how she grew from them.

• The strengths and weaknesses of thoroughbreds and warmbloods as eventing horses.

• Finding a good support system to help get through tough times.

• How participating in various disciplines as a child has helped her as a professional event rider.

Join Kimberly and Sinead in this exciting conversation about winning with diligence and discipline.

In this episode of “In Stride,” Sinead is joined by mindset coach and host of the Equestrian Mastermind Podcast, Natalie Hummel.

Natalie went from being a top-level event rider to a life coach who's all about helping athletes conquer the challenges holding them back. Natalie received her Bachelor of Science from the University of Louisville with a major in Psychology and a minor in Wellness. She was also the head research assistant in the learning and performance lab and went on to obtain her Wellcoaches certification and Mastery Coach certification. Natalie’s work focuses on building capacity in the nervous system to help riders of all levels reach their full potential. Natalie offers a 4-month group program called “How to Heal” where she helps riders transform into the best version of themselves.

In this episode, Natalie discusses topics related to nervous system mindset work, including:

• What prompted her to start the “How to Heal” program.

• Finding a community of people that challenges and supports you.

• Not allowing self-doubt to get in the way of reaching full potential.

• Learning to turn towards biology and the nervous system when trying to solve problems.

Join Natalie and Sinead in this exciting conversation about using community and mindset work to grow.

In this episode of “In Stride,” Sinead is joined by international 4* event rider Kimberly Cecere.

Kimberly Cecere is an up-and-coming event rider with two FEI wins, one national win, and three top 20 finishes at the 4*Long level. Kimberly grew up on her parent's farm in Littleton, Massachusetts, where her mom ran a riding school. Kimberly attended the University of Kentucky, where she got an undergraduate degree in equine science and business. After graduating, she got a job as the assistant coach of the hunt seat team at Bridgewater College while getting her MBA at North Central University. Kimberly then started working for Lauren Nicholson, where she stayed for 7 years and started working with Jacqueline Mars’ Landmark’s Monaco, with whom she competed at the 4* level. Kimberly received the 2020 Wilton Fair Grant, which allowed her to spend 6 months training in England, where she worked with British Olympic Eventing Team coach Chris Bartle and world-ranked eventers Tim and Jonelle Price. Kimberly moved home from England and started building her own training and coaching business in Southern Pines, North Carolina.

In this episode, Kimberly discusses topics related to her career as an event rider, including:

• Her experience working with event rider Lauren Nicholson and owner Jackie Mars.

• How natural horsemanship helped her with starting young horses.

• The importance of taking the emotion out of the job and showing up for the horses every day.

• The technicalities and philosophies she learned while spending six months training in England.

• Working with British Olympic Eventing Team coach Chris Bartle and world-ranked eventers Tim and Jonelle Price.

Join Kimberly and Sinead in this exciting conversation about winning with diligence and discipline.

In this episode of “In Stride,” Sinead and Tik Maynard are joined by event riders Lindsay and Xavier Traisnel.

Lindsay and Xavier Traisnel are based out of Ontario, Canada, where they own and run Windsor-Essex Equestrian Center, an elite training program that focuses on producing top horses and riders. Lindsay has been named to multiple Canadian High Performance lists and was selected to compete on the Canadian Eventing Team at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, where they won gold. Along with team gold, Lindsay was the highest-placed Canadian, earning a bronze medal with her horse "Bacyrouge." Xavier has produced young horses that eventually went on to be very successful at the 5* level or compete at the World Equestrian Games and the Olympics and has sourced horses for upper-level riders such as Will Coleman, Lauren Nicholson, and British rider Kitty King. Xavier also has a university degree from the Cadre Noir De Saumur in Business and Sports Management and has his international instructor level 3 certification.

In this episode, Lindsay and Xavier discuss topics related to training horses and riders, including:

• The pros and cons of learning from a traditional riding school funded by the government.

• Controlling the quality of instructors and coaches by having certifications and proper riding education.

• Making the transition from competing in Europe to running a farm in Canada and having a family.

• Teaching kids from the beginning and helping them get their first horses.

• Putting the horse first in the training and taking pressure off of competition results.

Join Lindsay, Xavier, Tik, and Sinead in this exciting conversation about training the next generation of riders.

In this episode, Natalie works through visualization exercises with one of her clients, who wants to feel confident in a clinic setting and find a mental space that allows her to receive all the information. They discuss the importance of creating a system of safety from within in order to avoid defense patterns and stay open to learning. Natalie guides her through an exercise to help heal her younger self from the misunderstanding that she didn’t belong and wasn’t good enough so that she can feel safe and confident to learn in a clinic setting.