Kristen VanderVeen & Alise Oken by Taylor, Harris Insurance Services

Send us Fan MailPiper speaks with show jumping riders Kristen VanderVeen and Alise Oken, who will be representing the US at the FEI World Cup Finals in Basel, Switzerland on April 1-6, 2025. Brought to you by Taylor, Harris Insurance Services.Host: Piper Klemm, publisher of The Plaid HorseGuest: Kristen VanderVeen is one of the most accomplished American show jumpers over the past decade. At rank 60 worldwide on the LONGINES FEI List, she's the 6th highest-ranking U.S. Show Jumper and third highest-ranked U.S. female rider. Kristen is one of only 4 U.S. Show Jumpers who has won over 100 FEI competitions/Ranking Classes- sharing that accomplishment with McLain Ward, Kent Farrington, and Laura Kraut. Kristen has been extremely successful in grand prixs through the 5* level and has represented the U.S. in World Cups in Paris and Germany. Kristen will soon be heading to Basel, Switzerland, to represent the U.S.A. in the World Cup.Guest: Alise Oken is a 33-year-old show jumper from Charlotte, North Carolina. As a junior, Alise competed in the FEI North American Youth Championships and, in 2010, won the team silver medal. Alise competed in her first senior Nations Cup in 2014, and since then, has been a member of the U.S. Jumping Team that won bronze in the FEI Jumping Nations Cup CSIO3* in Lisbon and a part of the U.S. team that finished third in the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ of Sweden. In 2024, Alise competed for Team U.S.A. at the Longines League of Nations CSIO5* in Abu Dhabi and was a member of the fourth-place U.S. team at the FEI Nations Cup™ in Rome. Most recently, Alise was named to compete at the 2025 FEI World Cup Finals, which will take place in Basel, Switzerland.Title Sponsor: Taylor, Harris Insurance ServicesSubscribe To: The Plaid Horse Magazinetheplaidhorse.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!