This week’s Practical Horseman Podcast episode, sponsored by USRider, is with five-star eventer Sydney Elliott. She spoke with us in mid-November as the competition season was winding down after her CCI4*-L win with QC Diamantaire at The Event at TerraNova in Myakka City, Florida.

To give you a little more background on Sydney, she first competed at the five-star level at the Kentucky Three-Day Event with Cisko A in two thousand sixteen. Two years later, the pair made their U.S. team debut at the Great Meadow International Nations Cup, helping the U.S. to a third-place finish. With her partner of nearly 10 years, QC Diamantaire, also known as Q, Sydney tallied numerous Nations Cup appearances, including earning team silver in Aachen, Germany in two thousand twenty-one and in Boekelo, the Netherlands that same year. In two thousand twenty-three, Sydney and QC Diamantaire competed in the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, collecting the silver medal as part of the U.S. team. Last year, they were the traveling reserve pair for the Paris two thousand twenty-four Olympic Games. Since then, the duo has continued to have strong competition results.  

In addition to her success on the international stage, Sydney runs Elliott Eventing, a training business, based in Benton, Louisiana, and Hoffman, North Carolina.

In our discussion, Sydney talks about what she enjoys about working with horses, her training philosophy, how she handles her show nerves and more.

About This Episode's Sponsor, USRider

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This week’s Practical Horseman Podcast episode, sponsored by Dechra, is with leading high-performance coach and nervous-system expert Natalie Hummel. She coaches top professional athletes in all sports, but her experience as a former upper-level eventer enables her to especially relate to riders.

Natalie started riding at 10 and after moving up the ranks she eventually achieved three-star status and started working for Michael Pollard. But after back-to-back tragedies involving the unexpected death of several horses, her heart was too broken to continue in the sport and the energy and passion she’d felt for riding started to shift toward pursuing higher education.

After getting her PhD in clinical psychology, she went on to develop Natalie Hummel Coaching—her personal performance coaching program that aims to help equestrians break through mental and emotional blocks. Drawing from neuroscience and somatic integration, Natalie helps elite athletes rewire their physiological response to stress so they can access clarity, consistency and flow when it matters most.

She’s worked with a number of top eventers—including Boyd Martin and Hannah Sue Hollberg—and countless other riders who came to her stuck in negative repeating patterns that often surface at the worst moments—the centerline, in-gate or in the quiet corners of everyday life. Through her coaching methods, Natalie focuses on helping riders reset their baseline, release subconscious performance blocks, and compete with more ease, power and purpose.

In today’s podcast, Natalie talks about her journey from being an upper-level eventer to becoming a coach and discusses the unique mental and emotional challenges faced by riders. She emphasizes the importance of understanding the nervous system, dealing with fear and separating one's identity from performance.

The conversation also touches on the misconceptions surrounding talent and support in equestrian sport, the significance of learning from failures and the emotional aspects of recovering from injuries. Additionally, Natalie highlights her upcoming projects, including a masterclass with Boyd Martin and a new program focused on self-mastery and performance mastery.

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This week’s Practical Horseman Podcast episode, sponsored by Kentucky Performance Products, is with international show jumper and hunter rider and trainer Jacob Pope. He spoke with us in early September as he was preparing for the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup qualifier in Traverse City, Michigan.

To give you a little more background on Jacob, he grew up on his family’s small horse farm in Columbia, Maryland. He had a successful junior career, winning the 2011 USHJA Emerging Athletes Program Finals, the 2012 USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals – East and the 2012 ASPCA Maclay Finals. After graduating from college in 2017, Jacob turned professional and now competes in both the hunter and jumper divisions. He has had top results in several hunter derbies, including winning the 2017 Deeridge Hunter Derby. In 2022, he won his first FEI grand prix with Highway FBH. The following year, the pair was on the U.S. Jumping Team at four CSIO3* Nations Cup competitions, helping the team win gold in Uggerhalne, Denmark. In July of this year, Jacob and Highway FBH again helped the U.S. win gold this time in the $75,000 FEI Jumping Nations Cup Traverse City CSIO3*.

In addition to his success in the competition ring, Jacob runs Hickory Ridge LLC, a showing, training and sales business based in Wellington, Florida and Traverse City, Michigan, with Nick Pongracz.

In our discussion, Jacob talks about what he enjoys about working with horses, his training philosophy, how he handles his show nerves and more.

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Today's Practical Horseman Podcast, sponsored by Equinavia, is with eventer Kaylawna Smith-Cook. Kaylawna, daughter of top five-star eventer Tamie Smith, has become a successful eventing rider and trainer in her own right and currently has a promising string of up-and-coming eventing mounts—Quinn HSR, Remember Me and Dealas—who proved their talent at the Galway Downs International Horse Trials last spring.

While she continues to help run her mom’s sales program at Next Level Eventing in Temecula, California, the 29-year-old now owns and operates her own training program, K. Smith Equestrian, with around 22 horses and has cultivated solid partnerships with owners who are invested in the sport and the horses’ well-being.

Even with her eventing super-star mom, Kaylawna didn’t take riding too seriously growing up, but after high school she realized she wanted to take her eventing career seriously. Throughout her formative training days, she grew up under the tutelage of her mom, as well as Australian show jumper Scott Keach, eventers Gina Economou and Bec Braitling and dressage rider and trainer Niki Clarke. She completed her first CCI3*-L at Galway Downs in 2019 aboard her longtime and formative eventing partner Passepartout or “Pasco.”

In her eventing program, Kaylawna is keenly focused on listening to her horses, learning what they’re telling her and applying that knowledge to bring her eventing mounts along at their own individual pace.

In today’s podcast, she talks about growing up under the tutelage of her mom and her other mentors, her current string of super-star horses, how she balances motherhood herself with such a demanding career and how she perseveres through the inherent ups and downs of the sport as she chases her goal to be a top U.S. eventer.

Summer is full swing—and so is the new collection at Equinavia! From breeches to bridles, we outfit riders from head to toe, and horses from hoof to head, with everything you need to ride in comfort and confidence. Rooted in Scandinavian tradition, our gear blends timeless style with true functionality—so you can focus on what matters most: the ride. 

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This week’s Practical Horseman Podcast, sponsored by Equinavia, is with hunter, equitation and jumper trainer and judge Archie Cox. He spoke with us in late April as he and his students prepare for upcoming shows. They are competing on both the West and East Coasts at The Oaks Capistrano Cup 1 & 2 and the Devon Horse Show.

To give you more background on Archie, he grew up competing along the East Coast as a junior rider. He earned numerous equitation ribbons, including at the USEF Hunter Seat Medal Final and ASPCA Maclay Finals. Archie went on to ride for the equestrian team at Drew University. He collected team and individual Intercollegiate Horse Show Association titles at the regional and national level.

After college, Archie moved to California in 1992 to work with top hunter/jumper trainer Karen Healey for several years. In December 2000, Archie opened his own business, Brookway Stables—named after his grandparents’ farm in Maine—at Middle Ranch in Lakeview Terrace, California. His students and horses in training have collected numerous champion titles at the country’s most prestigious shows.

In our discussion, Archie talks about what he enjoys about working with horses, one of his favorite training exercises and what he wants to see in the show ring as a judge.

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Today's Practical Horseman Podcast, sponsored by Sentinel Horse Feed, is with Tamie Smith. The five-star eventer always has a lot on her plate, but her current sights are set on the 2025 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event in Lexington, Kentucky, that kicks off later this month on April 24. This year, Tamie will be competing in the CCI4* competition aboard 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood Kynan, following their stellar performance at the Galway Downs International Horse Trials at the end of March.

We last talked to Tamie at the Maryland Five Star this past October after she’d announced that she would be retiring her longtime eventing partner, 19-year-old German Sport Horse gelding Mai Baum, from five-star competition.

Tamie and Mai Baum, or Lexus as he’s known around the barn, first partnered in 2015 and were members of the U.S. Eventing Team that won gold at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. During their CCI5*-L debut at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event in 2021, the pair had a top-10 finish and were named as the reserve for the U.S. Eventing Team for the Tokyo Olympics later that year.

In 2023, Tamie and Mai Baum went on to a historic win in the Kentucky Three-Day five star competition as the first U.S. combination to win in 15 years and the first woman since 2011. When Tamie isn’t competing, you can find her running her training and sale horse program, Next Level Eventing, with her daughter and pro rider, Kaylawna.

In today’s podcast, we talked to Tamie about her long and storied career with Mai Baum, how she decided it was time for him to step down from five-star competition and what the sassy gelding is up to these days. She also tells us about her current string of horses, including her Kentucky mount this year Kynan, her overall training philosophy and balancing motherhood (and grandmother-hood) with her eventing career. And after breaking gender barriers in the sport, Tamie also talks about the strides she’s seen women make in eventing as well as the challenges women still face.

This week’s Practical Horseman Podcast, sponsored by EQUESTRIAN+, is with Olympian and horse show organizer Ali Nilforushan. He spoke with us in mid-February as he and his team prepare for the 2025 competition season at the Temecula Valley National Horse Shows in Temecula, California, and The Oaks series in San Juan Capistrano, California.

To give you a little more background on Ali, he caught the horse bug at an early age. He rode his first horse at age 12 once he and his family immigrated to San Diego, California, from their home country of Iran. Ali was drawn to show jumping and worked his way up the ranks of the sport to achieve top international results. In 2000, he became the first Iranian equestrian to compete at the Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, qualifying for the individual final with Campione M. In 2006, he competed at the FEI Jumping World Cup Final in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with Cellist 2.

Ali retired from competition in 2017 after an illustrious riding career, shifting his focus full-time to producing world-class hunter/jumper horse shows on the West Coast. He created Nilforushan Equisport Events, a horse show management company, with his wife Francie Nilforushan. In December 2024, Equine Network acquired a controlling interest in the successful enterprise. As part of Equine Network’s Premier Equisport Group, Ali is at the helm of the Temecula Valley National Horse Shows and The Oaks, a revamped show series at the Rancho Mission Viejo Riding Park.

In our discussion, Ali talks about how he found his passion in equestrian sport, what he enjoys about being a horse show organizer and what venue upgrades are being made for a top-notch show experience at The Oaks.

From short training tips to how-to videos and insider-access to private clinics and lessons, learn from top experts in the dressage, hunter, show jumping, equitation and eventing disciplines with EQUESTRIAN+. Watch exclusive interviews and lectures, slow-motion demonstrations and step-by-step tutorials taught by top-level pros and explore cross-discipline topics such as groundwork, rider fitness and stable management. Visit equestrianplus.com to sign up for a seven-day free trial with subscription. 

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Today's Practical Horseman Podcast, sponsored by EQUESTRIAN+, is with Cornelia Fletcher. The five-star eventer made a remarkable comeback at TerraNova’s The Event this past November. After being out of the competition field for a little over a year to give birth to her daughter, Sparrow, last June, the 26-year-old eventer and her plucky Oldenburg mare Daytona Beach 8 claimed the CCI4*-L win on a final score of 41.4.

The pair, who placed 15th out of 17 horse-and-rider combinations during the dressage phase, delivered a powerhouse cross-country ride on Saturday to surge into second place overnight. One of only two pairs to jump double clear in show jumping, their sharp, accurate round cemented their victory in the CCI4*-L.

While Cornelia worked hard to maintain her physical and mental fitness for eventing during her pregnancy, she credits her close-knit support team and especially her husband—four-star eventer and grand-prix show jumper Jacob Fletcher—for her success at TerraNova and enabling her to make her post-Sparrow competition debut.

In today’s podcast, we chatted with Cornelia about her comeback victory at TerraNova, her incredible partnership Daytona Beach 8, her training philosophies and how she balances motherhood with the demanding sport of eventing.

Cornelia grew up in a non-equestrian family in Hamilton, Massachusetts, near the former USET headquarters and said she was born with the horse bug. After finally wearing her parents down as a horse-obsessed kid, they agreed to help her half-lease a pony at a local barn with a lot of eventing history. From her early days in the saddle, Cornelia had a hunch that eventing might be her sport as she always preferred to be out in the field instead of the arena.

In middle school, she started working with trainer Babette Lenna, who helped Cornelia find her perfect and longtime eventing partner in Sir Patico MH (“Hugo”). She and the loudly colored Zweibrücker gelding went on to train with renowned five-star eventer Sharon White and had a stellar career together (including an individual bronze at the 2017 North American Youth Championships, top finishes at the three- and four-star level and a European debut at Blenheim). They were on the cusp of tackling their first five star at the 2020 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, before it was canceled due to the COVID pandemic.

After spending a year training with Australian five-star rider Kevin McNab in Surrey, England, Cornelia and Daytona made their five-star debut at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials in in 2022. Despite a 50th-place dressage score, the pair moved up the leaderboard after a clear, fast cross-country round and were one of only six double-clear show jumping rounds to end up finishing in 10th. And they were the top-placed U.S. rider.

A few other notable highlights from Cornelia’s career include the 2023 Reserve Championship USEF/USEA Developing Horse Championship with DHI Qyaracolle Z, 2022 Houghton Hall CCIO4*-NC-S 2nd place team, more than fifteen top-5 FEI finishes,  and she is  a Five-time North American Youth Championships medalist. 

Cornelia and Jacob own and operate a small program in Ocala, Florida, that focuses on producing eventing and show-jumping horses.

From short training tips to how-to videos and insider-access to private clinics and lessons, learn from top experts in the dressage, hunter, show jumping, equitation and eventing disciplines with EQUESTRIAN+. Watch exclusive interviews and lectures, slow motion demonstrations and step-by-step tutorials taught by top-level pros and explore cross-discipline topics such as groundwork, rider fitness and stable management. Visit equestrianplus.com to sign up for a 7-day free trial with subscription.  

This week’s Practical Horseman Podcast, sponsored by Purina, is with this week’s episode is with hunter/jumper trainer Julia Collins. She spoke with us in mid-November about two months after her facility in Asheville, North Carolina, was affected by Hurricane Helene.

To give you a little more background on Julia, she coached her students at A and C circuit shows for several years. Eight years ago, she shifted her focus to predominantly collegiate equestrian shows. Julia coaches Western Carolina University's Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association (IHSA) team, growing the program from six to 25 riders. She also heads up the University of North Carolina Asheville IHSA team. At the 2024 IHSA National Championship, Julia served as the volunteer coordinator and received the Hunter Seat Coach Award. She has owned Over the River Farm in Asheville, North Carolina, for over 20 years. She teaches lessons and aspires to give her students great experiences in and out of the show ring.

In our discussion, Julia talks about how her farm was affected by Hurricane Helene. She shares how the horse community came together to aid those in need as well as disaster-preparedness tips.

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This week's Practical Horseman Podcast, sponsored by Cosequin®, is with the Practical Horseman 2024 Trainer of the Year Leigh Berman, owner and head trainer of Two Bit Farm in Boyertown, Pennsylvania.

The Practical Horseman Trainer of the Year Program is designed to honor the unsung heroes of our sport—trainers who work tirelessly to improve the education of both their riders and horses. Entrants were nominated for the contest by individuals in the horse community. Out of all the trainers nominated, 10 finalists were selected, with one earning the title of Trainer of the Year.

Leigh started her career as an Amateur, winning many awards aboard her off-the-track-Thoroughbred Catch 22. As a professional, she spent years showing and training at top-ranked horse shows in both hunters and jumpers. She even ended up on the cover of Practical Horseman magazine in 1995 and was featured in an article about her and Catch22 who should found at the New Holland Horse Auction.

As head trainer of Two Bit Farm, Leigh focuses on helping riders of all ages and skill levels develop genuine partnerships with their horses. She’s helped her students achieve success in the Junior Hunters and the Amateur Owner divisions—but more importantly she strives to instill confidence in her riders and encourages them to be their best selves in order to communicate with their equine partners.Leigh’s talent is also apparent when she’s working with young horses or those with training challenges. She often imports unbroken horses from overseas to develop them into well-rounded show horses.

In her submission for the Practical Horseman Trainer of the Year, Leigh’s students noted her unbridled passion for helping them achieve their riding goals and enhancing the relationships they share with their horses—all while having a blast along the way.

Leigh also recognizes how much horses have to offer and pays that forward by supporting her local riding community and the Boyertown community in general. She hosts biannual derbies to provide high-level competition experiences for riders who might not be able to afford rated shows or have the time to travel to them. And she partnered with a local gym to introduce middle-school students to two of her horses to teach them about physical wellness and the beautiful partnerships we can share with these amazing animals.

In today’s podcast, we talked to Leigh about receiving the 2024 Practical Horseman Trainer of the Year title, how she sets up her students and horses for success and happiness in the saddle and why she feels it’s important to share horses with her local community.

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