Plan your future equestrian career on your terms.

My story

Over a decade ago, I was that young adult who stood in front of my parents refusing to go to college in pursuit of my equestrian career goals and Olympic ambitions.

After the threat of being ‘financially cut off',’ I begrudgingly started my undergraduate at Penn State University. Fortunately, my riding goals did not stop as I continued to work off the expenses of two horses, compete, join collegiate teams (and making lifetime equine connections in the process)… even gaining European training experience with an Olympic eventer.

At the same time, something unexpected happened: I developed a strong passion for international agriculture development. Working to address some of the globe’s most critical hunger and poverty issues through agriculture gave me a sense fulfillment I had never imagined.

Fast forward a few years — with a PhD from Cornell University and a few years full-time (non-equine) industry experience — and I am now working independently as a corporate sustainability consultant while also running a successful training and teaching business.

So how did this happen?

Despite my non-equine career providing incredible experiences…experiences traveling around the globe working with food security projects; collaborating closely with top executives at multinational companies; facilitating incredible impact to improve the lives of smallholder farmers; pursing a rigorous PhD; etc…

While I had a great career trajectory, I still didn’t feel fully fulfilled related to my horse-related dreams and passions.

And this is when I started building my training/teaching business…simultaneous to having my full-time career.

Aspiring equine professionals often build their ‘mental model’ of going pro from our Olympians or from other big-time success stories. The fact is that there are so many different paths to go pro. The trick is aligning your skills and ambitions with market opportunities. We also have to acknowledge those who struggle and fail (we often don’t see these stories publicly!) to strategically avoid these pitfalls.

Let’s find a time to chat and see what your path may look like.

—Emily

P.S. Cheers to embracing the dream