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 w ..read more

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 pla ..read more

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 ..read more

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. About Leigh Berm ..read more

This week’s Practical Horseman Podcast, sponsored by Purina, is with five-star eventer Lillian Heard Wood. She spoke with us in late October following her eighth-place finish at the Maryland 5 Star with her longtime partner LCC Barnaby. To give you a little more background on Lillian, she has 16 CCI5* completions, including top-10 finishes at the Maryland 5 Star and top-20 finishes at the Badminton, Burghley and Kentucky CCI5*s. Originally from Poolesville, Maryland, Lillian developed a passion for eventing while competing in the United States Pony Clubs. She spent 10 years as a work ..read more

Welcome to the PHOD pod, the Practical Horseman Podcast's Minisode series where we share audio clips from our subscription video site, Equestrian Plus. At Equestrian Plus, you can enjoy over 5,000 videos and get insider access to exclusive interviews and lectures, slow-motion demonstrations, and step-by-step tutorials taught by top-level pros in the hunter jumper, equitation, eventing, and dressage disciplines. On this week's episode, dressage and event rider Chelsea Canedy leads a short, guided meditation to realign yourself before interacting with your horse. She helps get you to a place whe ..read more

This week’s Practical Horseman Podcast, sponsored by Purina, is with professional hunter/jumper rider and trainer TJ O’Mara. He spoke with us in mid-October during the busy indoor season. To give you a little more background on O'Mara, he had a successful junior career, winning three equitation finals in 2016: the Excellence in Equitation Championship, the Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals - East, and the Pessoa/USEF Hunter Seat Medal Finals. In 2018, he turned professional while getting his college degree at the University of Kentucky. Two years later in 20 ..read more

This week’s Practical Horseman Podcast, sponsored by Horse Week, is with Hannah Sue Hollberg. The five-star eventer has a lot on her radar right now. Earlier this year, she took over the ride on Thoroughbred gelding Business Ben from fellow eventer Allison Springer and has spent the past nine months fostering a new partnership with him. The pair has some big dates on their competition calendar this fall—and hopefully another one in the spring of 2025.  Among her other talented horses are Capitol H I M and Harbour Pilot. Hannah Sue retired her longtime partner Harbour Pilot follo ..read more

This week’s Practical Horseman Podcast, sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim, is with health and wellness coach Ruben Mahboobi. He spoke with us last spring after the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event. In this episode, Rubee talks about what riders need to do to have balance in their lives and how that balance is the foundation of overall health. A healthy person, he says, who is balanced in body, mind, and spirit is a better rider and has more chance of achieving his or her goals. Though Rubee’s clients involve those at the tops of their fields, including four-time Olympian Boyd Martin, his advi ..read more

This week’s Practical Horseman Podcast, sponsored by SmartPak, is with international show jumper Laura Chapot. She spoke with us in mid-September after the Devon Fall Classic, following a busy summer competing along the East Coast. Laura comes from a prolific equestrian family. Her late father Frank Chapot was a six-time Olympian and longtime U.S. Jumping Team chef d’equipe. Her mother Mary Chapot is a two-time Olympian, and her sister Wendy is an active competitor as well. Gem Twist, a successful U.S. show jumping horse in the 1980s and 1990s, was bred and trained by Frank Chapot an ..read more