#106 The Courage to Start Again with Maddie Houser

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:00:02-00:00:05]
In this episode, we're talking with Maddie Hauser of The Blonde in the Bay.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:00:06-00:00:49]
My biggest piece of advice would be stick to what your version of success is. And if that makes you happy and brings you peace and fulfillment, it doesn't matter what anyone else says. Even if people have the best of intentions and want to see you like or believe that you should be doing something different than what you want to be doing. Just stay true to your heart and stay true to yourself. Your version of success is all that matters at the end of the day. And it doesn't matter what the person next to you is doing, the person in front of you is doing. All that matters is that if you feel fulfilled riding your quarter horse and training them to as best as they can be. Then you've already won.

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:00:50-00:01:41]
Welcome to the Equestrian Connection podcast from WeHorse. My name is Danielle Kroll and I'm your host. Maddie Hauser is a USDF bronze and silver medalist and since 2021 has been focused on helping shed light on the versatility of the quarter horse and their place in the dressage ring. Maddie's Instagram account, The Blonde and the Bay, showcases her training progressions, the ups and downs of horse and farm ownership, equestrian fashion, and more. This is our third podcast interview with Maddie because we enjoy our conversations so much. And this one is no different. We're chatting about rebuilding confidence and redefining success. So let's dive in. Maddie, welcome back to the We Horse podcast. It's hard to believe this is our third episode together, but I just love doing them with you so much. So you're basically the unofficial co-host at this point.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:01:42-00:01:50]
I mean, I'm honored. Sitting down and talking with you is always like a therapy session. So I am ready for our third time is the charm.

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:01:50-00:02:47]
Awesome. Awesome. Well, the last time we recorded, it was the end of 2023, start of 2024. And kind of interestingly, it was a topic about like goals and goal setting where it was around the new year. You had, you know, a lot of things thrown at you the year 2023. And it was kind of like, let's get back on track. And then, of course, you had more things thrown at you in 2024 or 2025. And yeah, right. Yeah, it's just been it's just been a lot. And so I would love to kick us off with the topic of success and how maybe your version of success now looks different from what it was previously or. Maybe what the industry tells us it should look like. So I'd love to know what does success look like for you today?

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:02:48-00:07:44]
Well, first and foremost, I have always been a goal oriented rider. My whole entire life, I have set a goal and work towards it. And when you grow up, up in that competitive mindset, I think it is so easy to put the goal almost on a pedestal and think if I just achieve this, then I will be X, Y, and Z. And so start to chase that feeling, I think. And I'm not, I don't shame anyone that has like those high performance or sage goals because I did. And of course, there's a part of me that still does, but it kind of becomes, um, your identity. I feel like my identity for so long had been wrapped up in like, I want to be an FEI rider. I want to get my silver medal. I want to do all of these things that I want to say for me, it kind of clouded my perspective of what it actually means to be a dressage rider. Not that there's anything wrong with that, because sometimes we do get caught up in our hopes and dreams and desires. But I think it's important to remember why you're doing this in the first place. And sometimes I lost sight of that. And so when I started with the quarter horses and Leah was retired, I was still a little bit stuck in that mentality of like, okay, do the same thing with my quarter horse. And I'm going to be that person that takes my Western Pleasure Reject all the way, you know, to the pre-St. George. That's my goal. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Then the wheels start falling off the bus. The worst goes late. Obviously, we've already talked about that in the last. Our last episode, you know, that horse retires, you move into blue, my husband's horse, and you set all these goals again. Like, okay, like we're going to start again and we're going to get him to third level. And that will just make me feel like I did it and I accomplished it. And I fulfilled this prophecy that I've set for myself. And then the horse colics and goes through all of that and we lose him. And after that. Unfortunately, but fortunately, it puts you in a position where you have to sit with your emotions and your feelings and you have ample time to reprioritize and shift your perspective because you're not writing. In those months, the year after losing Blue. I missed riding more than anything. Obviously, I've been doing it for 30 years now. The routine of getting up, going to the barn, riding, that is who I am to my core as a person. When that goes away, you realize real fast, wait a second, this isn't my timeline. This is not my timeline. I am at the mercy of my horses and everything can be going. Because that was really my first experience, like Ryder and Blue, my first experience really with dreams and goals and whatnot ending abruptly beyond my control. Leah was my choice to retire after an incredible career with her. So that was really my first time in those experiences where the dream got kind of ripped out from underneath me and I didn't. have a choice. So like I said, you have a lot of time on your hands to go deep inside yourself. And that's when you start asking the question of what does success really mean for me? Does success mean going to a show, pulling a 70% and having that accolade? That's amazing. And that is a great form of success. Or does it mean just riding and making sure my horse is sound and stays alive and stays healthy. And it wasn't until really I started opening myself up to finding another horse. Obviously now we have Paloma where I went into that very much like, you know what? I just want to enjoy my horse because no day is given. Like, I mean, you know what I'm trying to say? Like, it is like today is not a given. Like tomorrow is not a given. It is minute by minute how we should live and just be grateful that like we're alive and we're healthy and our horses are sound. And so that really is what. Kind of like flip the switch for me was success at one point looked like all of this, all of these accolades. And now success is just enjoying my horse and success equals realizing that I'm on the same timeline. Like I'm on the horse's timeline. I'm not on my timeline. So if I personally never go to another dressage show again, I'm totally okay with that. If I never get to be a FEI rider, you know, again, I'm okay with that because it's not my decision at the end of the day. Does that make sense? Or is that just like a long winded, a long winded explanation?

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:07:44-00:09:09]
No, it makes total sense. And coming from the perspective of someone who also had a horse that you know, had to retire. I mean, she was eight when I retired her, which is wild to think about. Um, but it was beyond my control and really starting to look at like, well, what is important here? Um, you know, like is my relationship with my horse and the health of this horse more important or is this like, you know, version of success of achievement of, um, you know, accolade more important. So it's, yeah, it's, it's such an important conversation. Um, the interesting thing is, um, last week or the week before I actually recorded with Anna Buffini. Um, and we were talking about, you know, very similar topic with the idea of, you know, Anna's recent decision to step away from, um, you know, professionally riding and those sorts of things. And, um, We're just, I find at least we're starting to notice a bit of a shift in the industry, the same way we're noticing a shift in the world in general of people looking at, do I really want to grind in this, you know, nine to five that I absolutely hate? Or would I prefer to? to, you know, maybe do something slightly different and enjoy my life. And, you know, all of those things, we're just noticing a shift across, you know, everywhere, basically.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:09:09-00:09:10]
Exactly.

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:09:10-00:09:47]
And I find a lot of times when we're chasing somebody else's version of success or our own outdated version of success, it can feel like we're falling behind. And I'd love to kind of speak to that a little bit about this idea that, you know, a lot of adult amateurs feeling like they're falling behind, that they're not doing enough, that they need to compare themselves to somebody else's story when they have no idea what's going on, you know, within it. And with yourself being so, you know, publicly known on social media, is there anything that you can sort of speak from that perspective?

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:09:48-00:13:29]
Well, and I'm talking to myself here. The second you start comparing yourself to other people, just get off your phone. Because like you said, you have no idea. What somebody is going through behind the scenes. They are choosing to share their good moments online. No shame to them because we all do it. We don't want to talk about the hard and the ugly and the sad and the depressing and the vulnerable because that's hard for us to open up because you're literally putting your heart out for strangers to critique you and criticize you. I feel very blessed with my community because they really allow me the space to do that. And I think that's what they expect from me. And I'm comfortable in doing that. But. Comparison is... hard. And I sometimes get online to this day and I'm like, wow, everyone's six-year-olds are cantering around like international quality horses and my quarter horse won't even canter like today. But the next day she gives me an amazing left lead canter depart. So we're always going to be hard on ourselves. Of course, we're always going to be, well, I wish I was doing more. I wish I was doing that. I wish I was doing this, but that's when I think it goes back to the first question is like, at the end of the day, what is your version of success? What is your version of happiness look like? Because somebody else that is riding the international quality FBI six-year-old, that is their version of happiness. But what they're not telling you is that that six-year-old probably the other day was going around like a giraffe with legs flying everywhere and they were having trouble steering, but nobody's going to put that online. Right. Yeah. So. I think it's that having that inner confidence in yourself to kind of put your foot down and say, no, this is what I want to do. And I appreciate people's outside opinions. I had a lot of them like, are you sure you want another quarter horse? You need this. You need that. You need this. And I knew in my heart, that's not what I want right now. I just want to have fun. I want to train my horse to do dressage, but then I want to put her in the trailer and go have fun with my husband. While he's roping and ride around and push up steers. Like that's my life now. So being real with yourself and in the moments where you start to feel that comparison creep in. You have to be so quick to be like, hey, wait a second. My version of happiness looks different than theirs. And my version of success looks different than theirs. And that is what makes the equestrian community, I think, so vibrant. And so awesome is there's not a one size fits all way to be successful in dressage and team roping and the jumpers and the hunters. Like it all looks different for everyone. So sometimes social media can feel a little bit like an echo chamber and like a very closed minded, especially I think in the dressage world and maybe in the other communities. I don't know, but. The dressage community teaches us like flashier, bigger, better. Like, but there's so many people that are just on their average horse and they're the backbone of the sport. There's nothing wrong with having an average horse and showing at your local schooling shows. I mean, competed at, you know, multiple CDIs. I've gone to dressage finals in Kentucky. I've gone to as, you know, over 10 regional championships. And you know what? I had one of the most fun times at the $130 schooling show with Blue. Yeah. And nobody was there and it was so much fun. And It was stress-free. Nobody cried. Everybody got, like, great remarks. And then we were home by lunch. Like, so it's all, it is all nuanced and it's all relative. Yeah, yeah.

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:13:30-00:14:31]
Absolutely. And Maddie, one of the things I love so much is how real you are online. Like it just, it feels like, you know, sometimes it almost just feels like I'm doing like a FaceTime with you and you're like, it's like one of your reels. And I'm like, oh, we're just like having a conversation. I'm just like catching up on your life. And one of the things that you talk a lot about with your new mayor, Paloma, is, I mean, maybe not with Paloma specifically, it just seems like now you're speaking about it a little bit more as you bring her along, is the concept of being nervous. And I love that you bring that up so much because it's never spoken about and it impacts probably 95% of us. I say us because I'm in there too. And I would love to know if it was hard for you to share that publicly, especially after years, like you said, of like the USDF identity and, you know, all of those things to then come around and say, hey, I'm sometimes I'm a little nervous bringing this young horse along.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:14:32-00:18:50]
Well, I mean, how could you not be? Because young horses are, there's a lot of moments where it's not so much fun. And in the beginning, I think I went into Paloma, who I bought as a five-year-old, who really hadn't done anything in her life, which is a little bit of a blessing and a curse. And thinking like, oh, she's going to come around in my way of thinking, and it's going to be great because Ryder and Blue did. So this isn't going to be any different. And I could not have been more wrong. In the beginning, it was pretty rough and we had, she reared up with me and I knew in that moment, like, okay, you know, I worked very hard to bring my confidence back from a young rider. And this is just not something that I want to sacrifice. So getting help and putting her in training. And now she's been with us for a year. She's been in training for a year and we've come leaps and bounds thanks to my trainer and just consistency, I think. But. Confidence is so fragile. And I think it doesn't take much once you've already had it like totally broken. It doesn't take much to rattle your confidence. So I think again, just all about being cognizant. Like if it doesn't feel good to you in the saddle at that time, the worst thing that I think you can do is say like, ah, I got a cowboy up and I just got to push through because that's when sometimes if you're not well seasoned in the tools to handle the aftermath of what you're going to ask for. Like if you're going to dig in and you're going to push through, you better be prepared for what's going to come, what response you're going to get from the horse. Then it's better to just find help, back off because you don't want to get hurt and your horse doesn't want to get hurt. But the more that I've spoken about confidence online, people will message me and be like, wow, you're an FBI dressage rider and you struggle with confidence. Like that, that really makes me feel seen and feel vulnerable. And I'm thinking to myself, like, I love those messages. They're so heartwarming. to me, but I mean, you can ask any Olympian and they've probably have felt the same fear in the saddle, those, the same confidence rattling moments, um, that, that we all have felt. It just, again, it's how the public, nobody wants to talk about it because it's messy, but I do feel like. taking, mustering up the confidence to go from seasoned horses, because that's pretty much all I've ridden in my life is once they're past that like five-year-old, six-year-old year. That's, I mean, Ryder came to me when he was nine, Leah 12, and then Blue was, you know, 18, but For example, Blue came to Barrett with a horrible rearing problem and was not incredibly safe. And Barrett got him through that. And then I luckily got him when he was Mr. Perfect Angel. So recalibrating my mind to, I can't approach Paloma like I did my past three horses. She's going to take a next level of me and ask more of me. That can rattle your confidence in a way, but I think the best thing you can do is find good help and good support to hold your hand, especially if you haven't done the young horse journey before, because it's hard and it is humbling. And I wish more people would talk about it because I know just this week I was reaching out to my girlfriends and they were like, oh, no, this is normal. You are in that five to six year old year. Like it's it's totally normal. So I do wish there was more of that conversation because then I feel like. people like me wouldn't feel so alone in that regard. So again, like I said, confidence can be very tricky, especially with the young horse. But my biggest advice is just to go with your gut, go with what is comfortable for you. And if something doesn't feel good, the worst thing you can do in the world is be like, no, I got to prove something to myself. I got to prove that I am confident because I just think that that's a good recipe for a disaster. And then you're going to be working 10 times harder to totally rebuild your confidence rather than just like accepting the fact that these are where my abilities lie. And maybe perhaps I'm going to seek help through these tougher moments.

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:18:50-00:20:34]
Hmm. Absolutely. Do you wish you could have a better partnership with your horse, but aren't sure where to start? Do you want to advance your riding or horsemanship, but don't have access to the ideal resources in your area? Does the idea of learning about horse training whenever and wherever, and at a price that won't break your horse bank, sound appealing to you? Check out WeHorse.com to access over 175 online courses with top trainers from around the world. We have courses on everything from dressage to groundwork to show jumping to body work. And as a member, you get access to everything. in our WeHorse library to watch whenever you want. Oh, and we also have an app, which means you can download a course or video to watch without Wi-Fi, which is perfect for those days at the prime when you want a quick dose of training inspiration before your ride. So what are you waiting for? Go to WeHorse.com and check out our free seven-day trial to access our WeHorse library and see if it's a good fit for you. We can't wait to see you in there. And now back to the episode. You have a post recently. It might have been like a month or so now, but you said in it, the courage to start again. And I just thought that, I mean, you were speaking to something a little bit differently in that specific post. It was, I think it was speaking about after you lost blue, the courage to start again with another horse, but it applies so much to all of it. I mean, if you have a bad day, the courage to start again the next day, you know, things like that. And it's just such good words to, to, you know, remember as an equestrian, because every day is a different day. And it's like, you focus on the horse in front of you, not the horse you had yesterday.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:20:35-00:23:14]
And it's so hard. I mean, literally yesterday, it took me like 10 minutes to try to get Paloma in the canter. We were just arguing with each other. I almost started crying and I did it. And then today it's like I put my leg on and she goes right into the canter. And that's just the young horse, the young horse journey. But. We need to talk more about the courage to start again. You go through double whammy. I mean, you know, losing three. horses in a matter of, in really a less than a year, it like, there was a point where I'm like, I don't, I don't think that I can do this again. Like if I am one more loss or heartache away from hanging up my boots and my, my helmet, I just cannot emotionally do this anymore. But for me, my love of the horse, like I love this. This is everything to me. I've worked my whole life to become a better rider, become a better horsewoman, a better version of myself. I knew that I'm not the type of person to give up. Like I'm not giving up. And I knew that Blue would not want that for me too, because he was the grittiest horse I think I've ever been around in my life. And I just didn't, I didn't think that that was a fair end for me, me personally. I didn't think that was a fair end to my abilities or what I'm capable of in the saddle. And, you know, there were definitely moments again in the beginning where it's hard to not have those emotions of like, I miss Blue as like Paloma's blowing sideways spooking. Like, you know, but that's also not fair to put on her because she's a completely different horse. So it's a very emotional. Emotionally charged experience. But then like everything, it works itself out and you start to see blue, like the separation between this is blue, this is Ryder, this is Leah, and this is Paloma. And they're all individual identities, but If you're starting, again after horse loss, after, you know, retirement, give yourself a pat on the back because it is so not easy to get your psyche right and get your mental health where it needs to be, to be brave enough to just like, okay, you know what? That's horses. And at the end of the day, That's horses. I mean, you haven't been in this industry long enough. If one hasn't died on you, colicked on you, gone lame on you, had to be retired early, like that is unfortunately the name of the game. And it's an expensive name of the game. But if you have the means and you have the drive and the motivation because you love the horse to try again. I think you deserve a huge pat on the back for that.

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:23:14-00:24:14]
Yeah, absolutely. I remember when I purchased my gelding after I had to retire my mare. And it took me a really, really long time to get over the fear that something was going to happen to him, too. You know, like everything that I went through with my marriage. I feel that. Yeah. You know, I just, it was so hard of like this on again, off again. Are you okay? Aren't you okay? Let me bring in this person. Let me bring in this person. You know, so many opinions. And then suddenly, you know, getting this other horse and then thinking, well, this happened too. And overanalyzing every step he took, you know, and it was just, it was. And I realized like, well, this isn't fair to any of us. You know, it's not fair to me to be doing this to myself. It's not fair to my gelding for me to be like, you know, like very critically analyzing it. Exactly. Oh, what are you doing?

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:24:14-00:24:18]
You know? Yes, yes, yes. You're preaching to the choir.

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:24:20-00:24:26]
But it's, I mean, it's easier said than done, but it is definitely one of those things to acknowledge.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:24:26-00:26:11]
It's so hard though. It is so hard. I mean, to this day, I've had Pia a year and I think I weekly zoom in on her hind end to make sure that she's even behind. Because with Ryder, I spent a year, is he even behind? Like zooming in on my videos, is he even behind? Is he even behind? You watch him on the lunch line. And I mean, if you look at any horse long enough, they're all going to be lame. So it's like at some point you have to just, you have to just take a step back and be like, right now in this minute at 1.52 p.m., she is sound. But it definitely, you have, I have a lot of PTSD. Because my mind, I mean, Leah fell a couple of times this past year, just from being a little dehydrated. And immediately I go to, she's going to die. It's over. It's she's going to die. And my husband is like, you have to stop doing that because she's dehydrated. She got fluids. Now she's fine. Or, you know, stop. Like when we bought Paloma and I was talking to the vet that did my PPE, I was like, do whatever you have to do. Like break her legs off when you go to flexor. Like we have to make sure, like, I don't care. And he's like, okay. I'll, you know, I'm going to make sure she's down for you. But he appreciated the fact that I told him what I'd been through. And I said, look, I have trauma from this. So do whatever you can be as thorough as you possibly can. So good team members obviously help. But I still to this day have to work on being like, oh, my God, she just took a wonky step. And it's like, OK, she's also like six and using her body for the first time. And she like tripped a little bit or she like took a wrong step. Like she's fine. So I totally can sympathize with you because it's an exercise in futility, but somehow we still convince ourselves that. Chronically something is wrong with every single horse that we must have.

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:26:11-00:27:18]
Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. I feel like I have been following you online since like showing Leah blogging days. Um, like I could wear like that OG badge. Um, and one of the things that I've always appreciated of it, you know, why I've always followed you is, um, because it does seem like you have consistently shared more than a highlight reel. And especially, you know, in recent years, probably in, you know, the last, I'll say five years, it's you've really been showing up with a sense of vulnerability online. And I would love to know for our listeners what that vulnerability has been able to do from like a community perspective, maybe good, maybe bad. But then also if there was a conscious thought when you. realize it's not going to do anybody, myself or the online space, any good if I just say everything's great when it's not, because it creates that feeling that when other people watch it, they think, well, shit, you know, not everything is good with me. What's wrong with me?

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:27:18-00:32:12]
Yes, yes. And there's nothing wrong with you. Whoever's listening, there's nothing wrong with you. I think I just felt inspired to start opening up like that because I was really tired of the notion that you are a schoolmaster, then it's easy. That you have a maid horse and then therefore you get on and you put the buttons in. And I, if I had a nickel for every time I'd heard that in my career with Leah, I'd be on a flight to Bora Bora right now because I just got so tired of that narrative coming from people that hadn't even ever ridden. You know, anything by far that was trained upper level, like the people that were in my life directly saying that behind my back about me. I can tell you like, yes, Leah had the buttons, but that mare, we bought her in 2013. And I feel like our best year together was 2019 because we were finally getting on the same page. And I feel like she made me a very effective rider. And without her, I would not have been able to go on to green horses like Rider Blue and now Paloma. I mean, she gave me that experience. And so that was my driving factor of like, I wanted to be the person. to be like, okay, for those of you that do have the made horse out there, how was your line of three tempies today? Was it like complete shit? Because mine was, um, couldn't even, couldn't even ride a line of threes. And that again, just kind of like escalated into like, I started to find my niche. I found my voice and I really tried to hold myself to that standard every day since those years with Leah. And I, there, of course, there's things you don't want to share online that, that are personal to you and all of your emotions. But I think I've learned the craft of being able to verbalize what feels comfortable and what feels safe. And inevitably, I never get hate on any of my vulnerable posts. Never. I've never gotten hate. It's always like if... Instagram picks up a reel that makes it go viral. And then it's like, you know, somebody that doesn't even follow me. That's typically where like the mean comments come from. But the more people started messaging me and commenting and being like, wow, I can really relate to this. I'm like, okay, like I'm onto something here. Because I know for facts, if you are a dressage rider, just a dedicated equestrian in general, you don't even have to ride. You're going to have bad days with the horses. And they are their own individual being. We are our own individual being. They have emotions, they have thoughts, and it's just not going to be sunshine and rainbows every single day. And... So. So like I said, starting that, like having that mentality with Leah on social media only opened doors into further going into the quarter horses and training with that. And like, of course, I was going to be honest with my community about Ryder because people would be like, wait a second. you're not riding him anymore. Like what's going on? And then I'm not going to say like, Oh, he went on to like a great home. People are going to be like, well, what happens? Like that's, that's shady. So not that I owe anyone an explanation, but I was looking at that, like how many people have to retire their 11 year old horse because they found a bone spur. In the left stifle. There's got to be more than just me that are like retiring horses young. I mean, case in point, like what you went through. And then going through blues, like that was, you know, a rare case, but he wasn't the only horse in the world to have to spend 45 days in the ICU. And being vulnerable like that has not only, I think, given me a place to use my voice, but it's given me a huge opportunity to connect with others and talk to people and listen to other people's stories, listen to what people have to say, you know, make a longer table, pull up a chair and let's have a conversation because. We're all in this together. And, you know, just because we constantly see the highlights and the happy. It doesn't mean that people aren't struggling, but it doesn't mean that we suck either. So, you know, if I can just help one person, one person in what I write, and if one person can leave my page thinking, wow, I can really, like, I'm in the same boat with my young horse or with my untraditional breed or with my schoolmaster, then I have done my job. And that's always been the forefront of my platform and really the center focus of the Blonde in the Bay is I want people to leave my page feeling better about themselves than they did. Before they read my caption or messaged me or had a short conversation with me.

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:32:13-00:32:21]
Absolutely. I loved when you said build a longer table and pull up a chair. Like, oh God, that's so good. So good.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:32:21-00:33:07]
Well, I mean, it's true. Like I said, in a world that tells you that you have to do it X, Y, and Z, I hope that I can show people like you don't have to do it that way. Like I've now I've taken, you know, an ex-Western Pleasure horse who is not gifted and talented for dressage. Had him almost schooling third level, the ex-roping horse at 18, a brand new career. And now the five-year-old half Western pleasure, half cow bread quarter horse and turning her into something else. And of course, you know, the horses, they have to have a special talent, I think, to go all the way up the levels, but there's no reason why any breed of horse can't do training first, second, maybe even third level. So if I can show people that it's totally possible, then my work is complete.

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:33:09-00:33:22]
Love it. Let's talk about that for a second. The Blue Duck Memorial Fund. I'd love to hear more about that. And then also the Blue Duck Memorial Dressage Clinics. Can you tell us a little bit about each of those, what they are, all the things?

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:33:22-00:37:39]
Yes. For sure. So we, I don't know which one to start first. We'll go with the clinics because I started those before the memorial fund. In 2023, a follower actually sent me the idea of, hey, have you ever considered a dressage clinic just for quarter horses? Well, no, I hadn't until that moment. And that idea that that follower brought me, I knew immediately I was like, that is awesome. And I want to run with that. So I threw together my first clinic for quarter horses and untraditional breeds, stock breeds. And the first year we had like eight rides per day. Catherine Abrams is my clinician and she is a great FEI dressage rider and trainer out of Virginia. She took her blue, her reigning horse, all the way from nothing to the Grand Prix. So she had extensive experience with developing untraditional breeds. A lot of her students have untraditional breeds too. So when I reached out to her, she was like, hell yeah. Like we had been friends from Instagram. a long time. So she was like, let's do it. So it started really small and it was a great first clinic. I learned a lot about, okay, like how to host events and whatnot for a horse specific, uh, art industry in our world. And then after that, it just started to grow. And I was like, okay, like I'm onto something here. So last year I changed, or in 2024, I changed the name to the Blue Duck Memorial Dressage Clinic because I just felt like that would be such a special way to honor Blue. And it's hard to believe that we're going on, this year will be our fourth year. And every year it continues to get bigger and bigger. In fact, this year we're doing three years because we had such a response last year. I had to do, I mean, it's going to be three days. I had to do a wait list last year, but we have riders that come from different parts of Texas. We have barrel racers, Western dressage riders, traditional dressage riders, and everyone is on quarter wars, Mustangs, draft crosses, Arabians, like different, all different types of breeds. And so that is like. So cool to see it continue to grow and to have an opportunity to offer an inclusive event outside of the screen. I think is a really special thing because I personally think it's one thing to like, to talk the talk, but it's a whole other thing to like walk the walk and be like, well, what are you doing? Like you're preaching all of this. What are you truly doing to bring people together? And like I said, pull up a chair at the longer table. So that has been. So rewarding for me. I can't wait for this year. I think I'm actually going to get to ride in one of my clinics. I rode the first year with Blue while Ryder was out, but since then, I have not ridden in any of my clinics. So I'm hoping to do that this year with Paloma. But we started the Blue Dot Memorial Fund after we lost Blue last, we started it last year. So we started working on it right after he passed, and then we officially launched it last year. We just felt such an overwhelming response. A dear friend of ours started a GoFundMe, unbeknownst to us. And that was probably one of the nicest acts of kindness that I've ever received in my entire life. I mean, so many people rallied around Blue. And Barrett and I just felt very called after to give back and do something of our own. So we started the Blue Duck Memorial Fund, which... We are working with our local equine clinic to, if they have a rare diagnosis or a prolonged case or, you know, anything of that nature, we can offer some financial assistance to help pay down people's invoices so they don't have to carry as much of the financial. burden. So that is also something really special that came out of Blue's passing that we are really excited to see grow in the future.

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:37:41-00:38:10]
I love both of those things so much. And like you said, speaking to the dressage clinic specifically, So needed because like it's one thing, as you mentioned, to talk the talk, but to walk the talk, you know, as well and to bring people together to to bring in a clinician who's been there, done that before. It's just so, so, so cool. And so needed. It's different. Yeah.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:38:10-00:39:43]
It's different because like, I mean, I've ridden in my fair share of dressage clinics throughout my career. And I just really wanted to kind of take a step out of that. And I think that training the untraditional horses sometimes requires a little bit more craft and creativeness and like ingenuity versus training something that maybe is more naturally like gifted for the dressage. So I wanted to offer that experience and I wanted a place where somebody could, I never wanted anyone to say like, well, I can't, I don't. I don't feel comfortable riding in that clinic because like my horse X, Y, and Z, like, no, like I, that's what I didn't want to happen whatsoever. As someone who does ride a quarter horse, like I want, people to say, I'm going to that clinic because I know that I'm going to get a lot out of it and nobody's going to care that I'm riding my barely broke, like barely broke Mustang or my quarter horse that is just now learning to go on the bit because everyone can learn something, even if you're just starting a new journey. I want, I just wanted that space of inclusivity. Or no one would feel not like embarrassed to be there. Because I think that that could sometimes be a thing too, like in our society. Like, well, I'm not going to spend my money on that because it's not even worth it. Like, no, it's worth it. And I'm just thankful that I've had the platform that has helped me, like, be able to offer that to my local community.

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:39:44-00:39:54]
Love it. You guys have some new things in the works, personally, professionally, all of the things. And I'd love to know what you're excited about right now.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:39:57-00:41:04]
Let's see. I think just excited about the future of our young horses, like my husband's young horse. He has a four-year-old that's in training with a friend of ours, and she's proving to be way cooler than we originally thought when we bought her. So that is, I'm really excited for Barrett. And that journey, I mean, he pretty much sacrificed blue and gave him to me. I'm excited to see and just, you know, I find my So as I'm saying that, my subconscious is saying, well, don't get too excited because, you know, the wheels could go off the bus. But that's like where I have to remind myself, no, it's okay to be excited about Paloma. And it's okay to have those aspirations and be okay. And I think we have two special young horses on our hands. And I hope that... I hope that God willing, they stay sound and they stay healthy and we're able to accomplish some cool things, whether that's in the dressage arena or just trail riding around the farm.

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:41:06-00:41:21]
Well, we are all very excited to continue following along with everybody's journeys, yourself, your husbands, the horses, your new farm, all of the things. Very excited to follow along. Maddie, we have four rapid fire questions we ask all of our podcast guests.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:41:21-00:41:22]
I remember.

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:41:22-00:41:30]
Already answered them multiple times. But we're going to ask them again. The first one is, do you have a motto or a favorite saying?

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:41:32-00:42:50]
Okay, so I'm changing my answer because I know I've given the same Eleanor Roosevelt quote two times, but I recently heard a soundbite from a podcast that Becky Moody did. And Becky Moody is an international Grand Prix dressage rider. I believe that Team Great Britain won bronze in Paris. So she is an Olympic medalist, I do believe. But she said something the other day that really stuck with me when talking about forces, obviously. Somebody asked, or what did she say? She said that her biggest pet peeve is when people blame the horse. Oh, he's being lazy. Oh, he's being this, he's being that. She said, that is just a big no. And then her next words were, horses go how we tell them to go. And that like stuck with me because I think we're sometimes it's real easy to be like, well, he's being or she's being spooky or she's being, you know, and then like you can take yourself out and say, well, but what am I doing? Like, what am I doing to help them build confidence? What am I helping? How can I be clearer for them? How can I communicate better? And so when she said horses go how we tell them to go, it was like, duh. But you just needed someone to literally put it in that terminology. And I just think that that is such a good line that anyone can use in any single discipline.

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:42:52-00:42:57]
So good. The second one, who has been the most influential person in your equestrian journey?

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:42:57-00:44:20]
I think I'm going to stick with the same answer. Definitely throughout my life, my mom and my longtime mentor, trainer, Ava Oldenbrook. And then, of course, since my husband and I have gotten together, you know, in the last eight years, he's really influenced me, too, in healthy ways to be like, you don't have to be such a perfectionist. You can. And he still to this day reminds me, hey, we bought Paloma for you to have fun. Remember? And so he kind of brings me back down to earth when I start to get like spirited. And when I start to get a little bit too perfectionist, perfectionist-y in my writing. So I'm very blessed that I have those three. And then, of course, like my trainer now, Krista Lutzinger, I mean, she's been... She's been a true blessing in my life the last year. And our friendship has really grown because of that. But her words and her encouragement and her willingness to not only learn the dressage, but also show me a brand new way of approaching Paloma and training and helping me refine my aids. And she's a barrel racer, but I have learned so much from her. So I just feel really lucky to have those four people guide me and influence me in this journey, especially now that I'm in the Young Horse chapter.

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:44:22-00:44:37]
So funny. My husband will come back from golfing and he'll be like, well, this went wrong and that went wrong. And I always say, well, remember, you do it for fun. And he'll say, take your own advice. And I'm thinking, crap. Exactly.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:44:37-00:44:50]
And we'll say that too. Like we have that same kind of dialogue, but I'm like, okay, in the moment, it's a little bit hard, but yes, I am doing this for fun. It is supposed to be fun. I am an adult amateur and I just want to have fun.

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:44:51-00:44:56]
Yes. Yeah, absolutely. The next one, if you could give a question, one piece of advice, what would it be?

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:44:57-00:45:55]
Going back to our first question, I think. I think my biggest piece of advice would be stick to what your version of success is. And if that makes you happy and brings you peace and fulfillment, it doesn't matter what anyone else says. Even if people have the best of intentions and want to see you like or believe that you should be doing something different than what you want to be doing, just stay true to your heart and stay true to yourself. Because Lord knows I did. And I couldn't be happier as to where I am right now in my riding journey. Your success is all that matters at the end of the day. Like your version of success is all that matters at the end of the day. And it doesn't matter what the person next to you is doing, the person in front of you is doing. All that matters is that if you feel fulfilled riding your quarter horse and training them to as best as they can be. Then you've already won.

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:45:57-00:46:03]
That advice can apply to all areas of life as well. You know, it's so good. Yeah. Exactly.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:46:03-00:46:04]
Exactly.

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:46:04-00:46:09]
Last one, please complete the sentence. For me, horses are...

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:46:09-00:46:19]
My piece. Horse it. And I would add on to that. And horses keep me grounded when the world feels out of my control.

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:46:20-00:46:28]
Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Maddie, where can people find you? How can they connect with you? We're going to put everything in the show notes.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:46:29-00:46:35]
Awesome. Just through the Instagram at the blonde in the bay with an underscore. That's me. That's the best way to find me.

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:46:36-00:46:54]
Perfect. We're going to put in the show notes. So if you're listening and you want to check out everything that Maddie is doing here, all the references that we've made, be sure to scroll down and click on that link. Thank you so much for joining me again, as always. It's been a pleasure. I just love chatting with you.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:46:54-00:46:57]
Likewise. Thank you for wanting me to come back.

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:46:59-00:47:33]
Thank you for listening to this episode of the Equestrian Connection podcast by WeHorse. If you enjoyed this episode, it would mean the world to us if you could leave us a rating and review, as well as share us on social media. You can find us on Instagram at WeHorse underscore USA and check out our free seven day trial on WeHorse.com, where you can access over 175 courses with top trainers from around the world in a variety of topics and disciplines. Until next time, be kind to yourself, your horses, and others.