Jen Smith & Grace Bridges by Taylor, Harris Insurance Services

Send us Fan MailPiper and Cira Pace Malta speak with college equestrian coaches Jen Smith of Goucher College and Grace Bridges of Baylor University about their teams and what to expect if you want to ride in college. Brought to you by Taylor, Harris Insurance Services.Host: Piper Klemm, publisher of The Plaid Horse and Cira Pace MaltaGuest: Jen Smith has been the Director of the Equestrian Program at Goucher College in Towson, Maryland since 2013. Jen graduated from Lynchburg College in 2005 with a B.A. in Communications and has been with Goucher since 2007. Since that time, Jen has guided the Goucher Equestrian program to 10 consecutive Regional Championship Titles, and five National Championships. Jen also designed and implemented the Equine Studies academic program at Goucher. Jen serves on the boards of both the American National Riding Commission (ANRC) and the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association (IHSA), and is the IHSA Zone 4 Region 1 President.Guest: Grace Bridges is in the midst of her second season as the Baylor University Equestrian Assistant Jumping Seat Coach after being hired in July 2021. In the 2021-22 season, Grace helped the Baylor team to a number 6 final national ranking and an NCEA Quarter Finals appearance. Grace assisted in Baylor's 7-8 overall record and third-place finish in the Big 12 after Baylor went 1-1 at the 2022 Big 12 Championship. In her first 18 months, Grace has coached her athletes to multiple Big 12 and NCEA Rider of the Month awards and multiple All-Big 12 and NCEA All American selections as well. Grace was a standout student-athlete at the University of Georgia, graduating with honors in May 2020 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with concentrations in Management and Sports Management as well as earning the Excellence in Management Award from the Terry College of Business. Grace was also a two-time All-SEC First Team selection and two-time NCEA All American selection in Flat. Grace compiled five Most Outstanding Performer rides and was part of two SEC Championship squads during her time in Georgia. Additionally, Grace holds the NCEA record for individual Flat score in a single meet with a 99. In between her undergraduate career and the beginning of her coaching career, Grace was a working student for Kat Mulkey of Four Seasons Farm and Carly Anthony of Carly Anthony Show Jumping and then ventured into a professional riding job for Ron Danta and Danny Robertshaw of Beaver River Farm. Title Sponsor: Taylor, Harris Insurance ServicesSubscribe To: The Plaid Horse MagazineSponsors: Purina Animal Nutrition, Pacific Coast Horse Shows Association, America Cryo, LAURACEA, American Stalls, BoneKare, Show Strides Book Series, Online Equestrian College Courses, With Purpose: The Balmoral Standard, and American Equestrian Schooltheplaidhorse.comThank you so much for joining us today on the Plaidcast. This podcast is a labor of love, and every single episode exists because of this incredible community of riders, trainers, barn managers, parents, and horse lovers who show up in the barn, in the ring, and right here with us.At The Plaid Horse, our commitment goes far beyond the show ring. We believe deeply in the power of literacy and education and that every rider, at every level, deserves access to knowledge, stories, and ideas that make them a better horseperson and a better human being. Reading matters. Learning matters. And the stories we tell each other in this sport matter more than we sometimes realize.Whether you are a junior rider picking up your first copy of The Plaid Horse  Magazine, a professional trainer looking for inspiration, or someone who simply loves horses and everything this world stands for then this community is for you. You belong here.We build this together. Every article, every episode, every conversation is an opportunity to learn something new, to feel less alone in the challenges of this sport, and to be reminded of why we fell in love with horses in the first place.Until next time, keep reading, keep learning, keep riding, and remember that the horse world is better when we build it together. I will see you at the ring!