My Best Friend Is Back...And I'm Telling Her EVERYTHING
6/5/202643 min
We just got back from Kentucky and I needed to debrief with my bestie so here we are 🐴
Dani has been behind the scenes at Running Springs for almost two years now and a lot of you have been asking about her so we figured it was time to bring her back on. We talk through how we met back when I was 16 through my old show horse Kalvin, how she ended up moving to Tennessee, and what she actually does to keep this whole operation from falling apart.
Then we get into the Kentucky horse show deep dive because there was a lot to unpack. I showed three completely different horses in the same show and we break down what that is actually like, how Denver's first western pleasure class went, what Aaron discovered about Kennedy that kind of changed everything for us, and the very real differences between riding Hollywood, Denver, and Kennedy back to back. Piaffe in a western pleasure warm up pen. We did that.
We also get into why western pleasure is actually a fantastic entry level discipline, and I break down the new AQHA level system for anyone who has been confused by the shift from novice to levels one, two, and three.
If you have more questions about the horse show world or anything else you want Dani and I to cover, drop them in the comments because we would love to make this a regular thing.
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0:00:00 Welcome back from Kentucky & meet Dani!
0:00:51 How Katie & Dani met through Kalvin
0:02:50 What Dani actually does behind the scenes
0:05:49 The Friends episode that describes life at Running Springs 😂
0:07:23 Showing three totally different horses at Kentucky
0:09:38 Denver's first western pleasure class & the Aaron conversation
0:11:07 Futurities & maturities explained
0:15:14 Riding Hollywood & the differences between all three horses
0:19:24 Kennedy's prep & what Aaron discovered
0:24:43 Aaron teaches Kennedy the piaffe & pirouette
0:32:08 Western pleasure as an entry level & defending the discipline
0:36:03 AQHA level system explained
0:40:33 Weezy, Penelopey & what's next
0:42:27 Wrapping up
#KatchingUpWithKatie #KatieVanSlyke #QuarterHorse #AQHA #WesternPleasure #WesternRiding #HorseShow #Denver #Kennedy #Hollywood #KentuckyHorsePark
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Hey y'all, I'm Katie! Welcome to my channel where I share my passion for horses, cattle and life on the farm. From equestrian care and outdoor adventures to everyday moments on the farm, I'm here to give you a glimpse into my world and hopefully inspire others to learn, and live life to the fullest.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsKatie Van Slyke· Host0:00
Welcome back to Catching It with Katie. We just got back from Kentucky. I am so whipped. I'm so tired. [laughs] Like, we got home Saturday, and then straight went into, like, mini fall watch, and y'all will have to stay tuned for more about that. But I have my bestie Dani on the podcast today. I mean, is this even a pod- yeah, it's a podcast.
Dani· Guest0:20
It's a podcast.
Katie Van Slyke· Host0:20
It's a podcast.
Dani· Guest0:21
Yeah.
Katie Van Slyke· Host0:21
We- we're just chatting. Um, and so for a little backstory, because she's a fellow horse girl, so we're gonna get into horse show stuff. But as a backstory as to, like, our relationship, uh, 'cause we've done one of these episodes a long time ago.
Dani· Guest0:34
Yeah, a long time ago.
Katie Van Slyke· Host0:35
Um, but when I was 16... I won't say how old you were.
Dani· Guest0:40
I would've been 21.
Katie Van Slyke· Host0:41
[laughs] [laughs] When I was 16, she was 21. She was, like, getting more into, like, university life, adulthood life, and so she was selling her all-around gelding, named Calvin, AKA Zippin On Top, and that's who became my youth career show partner. And when I bought him, my parents bought him, uh, he came down from Colorado, 'cause that's where he had been boarded and trained, and I was keeping him at home, and I was, like, having such issues figuring out his buttons, 'cause he was so- Unique ... unique.
Dani· Guest1:13
Yeah.
Katie Van Slyke· Host1:13
We'll call him Unique.
Dani· Guest1:14
Unique.
Katie Van Slyke· Host1:14
Um, and so Dani offered to help, and then my parents were like, "Well, we'll give you a ticket if you'll come, you know, hang out for the weekend and just show her how to ride." And so she came all the way from Alberta- Yeah ... to help me ride Calvin,