Horse People Podcast

Jim Seilsopour joins Horse People as official co-host in this episode, marking the show's shift from a guest interview podcast into something bigger: a mission to attempt every discipline in the world. Jim is a lifelong horseman with deep roots in fox hunting as a member of Santa Fe Hounds, plus a background spanning polo, ranch work, and riding across the globe from Iran to Mongolia. He and G...

Donna Brothers didn't just grow up around horses, she grew up as the daughter of one of the first licensed female jockeys in the United States. From learning to ride before she could remember to becoming one of the winningest female jockeys of the late 80s and 90s, Donna's path was never a straight line. She spent eleven years in the saddle before trading in her silks for a microphone, joi...

Randy Sarf is an entrepreneur, lifelong horse racing fan, and co-owner of LSU Stables. He's been going to the track since he was five years old, claimed his first horse at 18 with his bar mitzvah money, and has since built a portfolio that includes Hildebrandt's (a nearly 100-year-old ice cream company), and the Horse Whisperer Network, a media venture aimed at changing how fans experience...

Orchid Bertelsen spent the last 20 years building a career that took her from a law firm in DC to the Gucci sales floor, through digital marketing at Nestle, and eventually into private equity, where she now helps beauty brands grow profitably. A first-generation Taiwanese American who grew up without a safety net, Orchid learned early that the path forward meant working harder than everyone else...

Susan Friedland is a former middle school English teacher turned equestrian author based outside Chicago, Illinois. She traded the classroom for the page and has since written four books, including her latest, Marguerite, Misty, and Me , a deep dive into the life of beloved children's author Marguerite Henry. A lifelong horse-obsessed kid who grew up borrowing horses in Wayne, Illinois, Susan...

This episode features Danielle Henson, Sport Communications Manager at the U.S. Equestrian Federation, equestrian, Louisville native, and the person behind one of the most genuinely useful newsletters in the horse industry: CLICK HERE She talks about what it actually takes to build a career in the horse world when you didn't grow up with industry connections, how social media in equestrian spo...

This episode features Chloe Carabasi, a working actress, model, and social media creator who also happens to be an equestrian, former college polo player, and total horse nerd in the best way. Joining us as co-host is former guest Jim Seilsopour. Chloe shares her unique path from Pennsylvania hunter/jumper barns to doubling for Zendaya in major commercials, and talks about finding joy and communit...

Gideon sits down with Pierce Dargan, CEO of Equine MediRecord , local Irish councillor, and deputy mayor, to talk about what it takes to digitize equine welfare compliance in a pen and paper world, how COVID flipped adoption overnight, and where AI can actually make horses safer. Key topics discussed: Why Pierce ran for local politics, and what it means to shape real decisions like roads, schools,...

Michael Iavarone’s done what most horse people only dream about, he’s won the Kentucky Derby. He’s been in this game at the highest level, from Big Brown taking him to the presipice of racing to many G1 wins, but he didn’t grow up in it. He came from a working-class family, started out getting crushed at the betting windows, and somehow figured out how to buy the right horses at the right time. Th...

This episode is with Marissa Wells, who just became a 10-goaler in arena polo, a dream she's had since childhood. We talk about what that moment felt like, the years of consistency it took to get there, and what comes next. Marissa is great, a good friend and my first ever guest!! We get into everything from $800 horses to bodybuilding prep to what kind of horses are actually best for arena. Follo...

This episode with Jim is great, he's a one of a kind story teller with a one of a kind story and there's so much about this episode that will leave you nodding your head and thinking about the horses that changed your life. Jim shares stories that feel more like scenes from a novel: escaping the Iranian revolution, chasing foxes in a scarlet hunt coat, and riding reindeer with native peopl...

Intro: This episode's a little different. I was at this years Breeders’ Cup. One of the biggest races in the world!! Big shoutout to the media relations team for letting me be around the barns at Del Mar. I just was walking around, casually met the folks who make the sport run every day, and had some quick, honest conversations. These are the people who muck stalls at 4:30 a.m., ride babies before...

This one is personal. I got to ride with Gianna Aycock and Colby Coltrain during the Mongol Derby, and by the first night in training camp they basically adopted me. These two became my Derby older brother and sister, gear gurus, morale squad, and a big reason I made it to the finish line. In this episode, we finally sat down to unpack their whole journey, how Gianna went from riding anything she...

This episode is with Ross Colbert, lifelong horseman, investment banker, polo junkie, and 70-year-old finisher of the Mongol Derby. And not just any finisher. Ross crossed the line dead last. But what happened in those 10 days is the stuff you don’t hear about in the press releases. He got lost in the mountains, had his horse chased by dogs, was thrown, walked solo for miles, slept alone by a rive...

Intro: Madeleine Bunbury knew what she wanted early on, and it wasn’t what anyone else expected. After bombing her high school exams and getting kicked out, she found her way to a classical art school in Florence where she trained to paint portraits, then as soon as she could started painting horses instead. In this episode, we talk about how she went from couch-surfing in exchange for paintings t...

Intro: Lisa Lazarus is the CEO of the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA). From NFL negotiations to equestrian rulebooks in Switzerland, Lisa’s career has taken her across sports, continents, and now into the heart of American horse racing reform. We talk about what it means to rebuild trust in an industry that’s often under fire, how to change deeply embedded cultures without losin...

This one’s with Sheryl Sick, the Pacific Northwest Circuit Governor for the USPA and someone I’ve always looked up to in polo. She’s got a tech sales career that funds her weekends chasing the white ball and a story that includes everything from working at a seafood cannery in Alaska to hauling her own horses 10 hours into Canada. She’s proof you can build your own way into this sport, and she’s g...

This episode is so good. I sat down with Jutta Putz, a branding consultant and strategist who's carved out a niche helping equestrian businesses and startups go global. From growing up in a tiny Austrian town to building her career in Kentucky’s Thoroughbred heartland, Jutta’s story is one of persistence, clarity, and a deep love for horses. We talk about how she turned that passion into a car...

On this episode of the podcast, I have the distinct pleasure to sit down with UK stud veterinarians Kate and Tim, the husband-and-wife duo who kept horses (and wayward riders) in one piece during the 2024 Mongol Derby. We swap memories about wild ponies, mystery meat stew, and the not so surprise reveal that Tim moonlights as a racing-pigeon enthusiast and advocate. Plus, we track their jump from...

In this episode, Gideon sits down with Holly Caccamise, editor in chief of Horse Illustrated and Young Rider magazines, and co‑host of the Horse Illustrated Podcast. Holly shares her journey from equine science to publishing, her passion for print in a digital age, tips for getting started in the horse world, and why the Mongol Derby left her in awe. Key topics we discussed: Why Holly left the lab...

This episode features Kristy Donaldson, a high-volume recruiter at Chewy by day and a full-blown horse and Breyer model enthusiast by night. Kristy’s world is a fascinating blend of real horses, collectible horses, YouTube creativity, and early morning barn rides before work. We talk about her journey into dressage, her obsession with Breyer models, and how she balances the two worlds like a pro....

Intro : This episode is with Shelley Golan, a senior director at a leading fintech company, lifelong horse lover, and multi-time entrepreneur. Shelley shares her journey of reentering the horse world as an adult amateur after a long hiatus: a story that weaves through startups, motorcycles, autoimmune disease, and the pipeline of drawing horses as a kid to becoming a horse person. It’s about choos...

In this episode of Horse People , I sit down with Scott Cieslar, founder and CEO of Mad Barn, to talk about how he's building something pretty rare in the world, a business rooted in research first. Scott is laying the groundwork for a smarter, science-backed approach to equine nutrition. We dive into everything from why salt is wildly underrated to how a simple hay test could change your hors...

In this episode of Horse People, I’m joined by Josh Edwards aka Cowboy Josh a rodeo legend, entrepreneur, dad, and 3rd place Mongol Derby finisher. We talk about what it means to hang up the saddle after a career in the arena, chase freedom on the Mongolian steppe, and keep going after hard things even when you’ve already got the belt buckles to prove yourself. From the rodeo halls of fame to a qu...

What happens to America’s wild horses after they're rounded up? Why is the politics around public lands and wild horses so heated? And what does it look like when horses are given their freedom back? In this moving and wide-ranging episode, we sat down with Scott Beckstead , a lifelong animal advocate, law professor, and Chief Equine Program Officer at the Wild Horse Refuge the world’s largest...