Practical Horseman Podcast

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, USRiderThis Black Friday, give yourself the gift of peace of mind with USRider—the roadside assistance program designed specifically for horse owners. Whether you’re hauling to a show, trail ride, or simply heading home, USRider is there for you and your horses with 24/7 nationwide coverage. And right now is the perfect time to join. For a limited time, new members can save 20% on any USRider membership during our Black Friday promotion with code BFUSR25. Just go to USRider.org and enter code BFUSR25. Don’t miss your chance to protect yourself, your passengers, and your horses with the only plan built for life on the road with horses. Visit USRider.org today and ride with confidence this Black Friday! 

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.About This Episode’s Sponsor, DechraDechra is a global specialist in veterinary pharmaceuticals and related products. Our expertise is in the development, manufacture, sales and marketing of high-quality products exclusively for veterinarians worldwide. We are driven by our purpose of sustainable improvement of local animal health and welfare.Dechra’s equine portfolio is diverse and focuses on mobility, joint health, reproduction, anesthesia/analgesia, dermatology, ophthalmology and fluid therapy.Our key brands include Zycosan, (pentosan polysulfate sodium injection), Osphos (clodronate injection), ProVet APC (Autologous Platelet Concentrate) system, Ortho-kine vetirap, Equidone Gel (domperidone) and Vetivex Fluids.Dechra’s rapid growth is fueled by these key products and others in the portfolio, as well as recent highly successful acquisitions. We continue to grow because we understand the challenges veterinarians face and we give them what they need. Dechra provides continual training and support to help veterinarians help animals. For more information, please visit www.dechra-us.com or call (866) 933-2472.

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.About This Episode’s Sponsor, Kentucky Performance ProductsAre you seeing signs of vitamin E deficiency in your horse—stiff, sore muscles; neurological issues; lack of energy; poorly developed topline; weak immune system? Elevate® Natural Vitamin E can help. This powerful antioxidant is research-proven to maintain healthy muscle, nerve and immune functions. Additionally, Elevate is a highly bioavailable source of natural vitamin E that we’re excited to announce now comes in maintenance pellets, in addition to its trusted powder and liquid forms. For more information, visit KPPusa.com or call 859-873-2974. 

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.About This Episode’s Sponsor, EquinaviaSummer 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. The ride begins at Equinavia.com. You can also follow Equinavia on Facebook and Instagram.

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.About This Episode’s Sponsor, EquinaviaSpring is here—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. The ride begins at Equinavia.com. You can also follow Equinavia on Facebook and Instagram.