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.