Inside Equine Minds by EqPI

With a breeding career spanning two decades, "Hero" of Clovermeade Welsh Ponies has quite literally been at the beginning of many a child's pony fairytale. As a three-time Pony Hunter Sire of the Year and helping his breeder Cheryl Patton grasp the Pony Hunter Breeder of the Year title eight times - that's right... EIGHT - his legacy speaks for itself. Cheryl joins as our guest with her daughter Elizabeth to sha...

Qredit has not only proven himself as a top dressage horse and a top dressage stallion, but he also makes himself known to the other stallions at Hilltop Farm, hence the nickname "King Q." But once he's quickly said his piece, he goes back to being a laidback and uncomplicated dude. Quirks are not his thing - it takes too much effort to be weird! He prefers to be straightforward, to stick with the people he knows, an...

On Tour may have had a late start to his pony hunter career, completing his green year when he was 10 years old, but "Morley" wasted no time making a name for himself. Although his late arrival to the show circuit meant he had a bit more growing up to do than his competitors, his catch rider Kenzie Smith and her mom Heather Acker knew just how to hold his hand to build his confidence, keep him happy, and reach his potenti...

Where "Roy" lacks in the size department, he makes up for in personality, which fits perfectly with his reputation as the cartoon character of North Star Sport Horses. "He's so different from any other horse," according to his owner and rider Charlotte Jacobs. But with time, this small and mighty chestnut gelding taught Charlotte exactly what he needed, enabling him to soar far above the expectations she ha...

Sometimes all a horse needs is a confident, supportive hand to hold, so-to-speak. Alisa and Jason Berry were able to give "Porter" just that, allowing him to shine in record time in the 3'6" Amateur Owner Hunters. Building trust and building confidence were the building blocks of the Berrys' training program, enabling Porter to secure the USEF Grand Champion Horse of the Year title in 2024. 

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At the highest level, the best cutting horses don't just like to do their job - they need to do it. Kat Play is one of these special horses, and Monty Buntin, NCHA Hall of Fame trainer, understands how to support Kat Play's personality to maximize his instinct to separate the cow from the herd. As so many of the super successful horses do, Kat Play has his quirks, such as being claustrophobic and being particular about hi...

It may have taken a few years, but Keely McIntosh Minturn found Hilton's calling in Hunter World. Once upon a time, Hilton in hunters would have been unthinkable, but after he suffered a serious injury, Keely put Hilton in the amateur owner hunters to give him a step down from his jumper job. As fate would have it, he loves it! Then after Keely suffered her own serious injury, Hilton helped Keely build back her confidence, whi...

INXS (pronounced "In Excess"), a talented Grand Prix dressage horse, is learning how to harness his intensity without resulting in tension. Ali Potasky, who co-own INXS with Kathy Priest, has been helping him find his zen since the day she got him 5 years ago. He is enthusiastic, sensitive and wants to please so badly - almost too much. But with Ali's calming patience and her focus on helping him find confidence both...

Rumor has it Balou was "very, very, very, very difficult" as a young horse, but he is now one of the best show jumpers in the world, including two Olympic silver medals. Laura Kraut joins as our guest to talk about how she and her team meet his personality related needs. From giving him "soup," hacking him out, letting him choose how long he lunges and warms up for... it's all about keeping "Business B...

"Fio" is ready to conquer the world, but it's taken Anna Buffini some time to convince Fio that they have to do it together and that Fio cannot, in fact, compete in dressage without a rider - although Fio sometimes thinks otherwise! Fiercely independent and one of the most talented dressage horses in the world, the sky is the limit for Fio if she can learn to trust in Anna as her dance partner. Through patience and c...

When you think of a champion reiner, the words "chill, sweet, and forgiving" are probably not at the top of the list to describe them, but that's exactly what "Romeo" is! He is the perfect blend of talent and temperament to juggle his non-pro owner Bevin Zimmerman and Open trainer Jesse Gentile without batting an eye. As the "picture of 'willingly guided,'" Romeo does exactly what he&apo...

While he may give off jock vibes galloping around the cross-country course, Quantum is really just a big softy to those who know him personally. For people who really get to know him, he'll do anything, and it's these relationships that really give him the confidence he needs to be a top 5* event horse. Sam Cuomo, Doug Payne's head groom, talks with me about how she makes sure she's meeting Quantum's needs ...

Babylon is known as much for his boisterous personality as his talent in the hunter ring. In addition to collecting tricolors in the small junior hunters and performance hunter ring, "Crumbles" can be heard announcing himself in the morning on the way to the warmup ring and can be found pulling the fly masks and blankets off of his neighboring stall buddies. John French joins me to discuss how he's taken steps to ens...

When it comes to equipping "DJ" for Olympic-level dressage success, Nick Wagman says it comes down to two things: structure and sugar cubes! DJ is as sweet as they come, as long as you prove your trustworthiness first. The people on his team can make or break DJ's day (and Nick's bones!) if they skip a step in his strict routine or if they don't allow time for a trusting relationship to develop. But when al...

"Marvel" might have a cool, steady demeanor in the barn, preferring a good roll in the dirt over playing on the lunge line (even when he's cooped up at shows), but he is all business and ready to put on a show when he steps in the ring. Ty and Rhea Pole of Blue Collar Horse Company discuss what makes Marvel such a good candidate for giving the kids a ride to winning reining world titles.

*Disclaimer* The bre...

Anthony Patch, a failed racing thoroughbred better known as "Al" (#goalgo) to his fans, was bought as a "dangerous" four-year-old by Lainey Ashker as her next Eventing prospect. Despite his quirks (although the quirky ones are the best ones, according to Lainey), Lainey brought him up through the levels, teaching him everything from jumping corners to standing in ice boots. The pair competed at big tracks such a...

So Enchanted, known as Lex around the barn, has too many tricolors to list! In addition to a clean sweep at Pony Finals in 2016, Lex was 2022 USEF/Smartpak Grand Champion Pony Hunter of the Year. When you think of such a successful pony hunter - especially a small such as Lex - you likely think that the pony will just pack around anybody, but you'd be wrong in this case! While she won't do anything bad, Lex needs the righ...

You read that right.... BRIDLELESS. Brendan Wise and his gelding Villanueva Conrad (aka Lyric) are determined to do what many have deemed impossible. They're making a name for themselves for showing in the jumper ring with only a neck rein... And not just any jumper class, but the Grand Prix classes! What makes Lyric a good candidate for bridleless work? Are there personality prerequisites to do bridleless work? How does Brend...

We’ve all heard of stories of amazing horses who achieve success against all odds. Take Seabiscuit as an example. He lost his first 17 races. In fact, he was described as laid back, lazy and lethargic. He was only 15 hands tall and had short legs with knobby, crooked knees. Does that sound like a famous racehorse to you? And yet, Seabiscuit was the top money winning racehorse in the 1930’s, even setting a record! 

The phys...