Cowboy is a state of mind.  Project Cowboy seeks the individual who best represents the spirit of the Cowboy. From equitation riders to rodeo competitors, mailmen to ranch hands, ordinary to extraordinary, The Project Cowboy search will find “The Great American Horseman”.

Three 2012 Events — Feb. 2-4 Cowboys Only at Horse Expo Pomona in California; June 7-9 Cowgirls Only at the Western States Horse Expo at Sacramento, California; and Cowboys and Cowgirls at Taking the Reins August 17-19 in Madison, Wisconsin.

Visit this link to watch a video about Project Cowboy! PROJECT COWBOY VIDEO!!

www.horseexpoevents.com

Learn about how two best friends landed their dream jobs working together with horses. Samantha Penley and Megan Cavan are lifelong riders who network with fellow horse lovers, attend horse shows and visit barns as part of their workday for Royal Champion Supplements.

Karen Braschayko for Equitrekking: What is it like being best friends and working together? What makes you a good team?

Samantha Penley and Megan Cavan: It’s a blast! We both know how blessed we are to get to work together and for such a great company like Royal Champion. It’s not every day you get to be around horses with your best friend while getting paid to use your skills towards something you’re passionate about. What makes us a great team is that we both put 150 percent into our jobs because we believe so much in the company and the nutritional formulas we’re selling. We want to be a part of Royal Champion’s growing success and are willing to go that extra step together to make it happen. We both also always put professionalism and work first, which is a must in both of our positions. But don’t let us fool you — we definitely know how to have fun and enjoy the perks of our job.

Samantha Penley and Megan Cavan working for Royal Champion.

Samantha Penley: I’ve been riding since I was six years old and have been infatuated with horses since I got my first palomino Breyer horse at age four. Growing up I attended summer horse camps and took riding lessons. Although I’ve never owned my own horse, I’ve been lucky enough to lease some amazing ones and volunteer my time to many talented endurance and dressage trainers.

I always knew I wanted to work with events and marketing, but I wasn’t confident it was possible prior to working for Royal Champion. While growing up I always worked at local stables mucking stalls and assisting with training horses. It wasn’t until after college and I got a job with the Del Mar Fairgrounds and the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club (Trakus, Inc.) that I realized a professional career in horses was an option. It was there that I got my first taste of what it was like to work with events and horses together.

Megan Cavan: I’ve been riding since the age of six also! I started leasing ponies, taking lessons at my local barn and went to pony camp every summer. By age 13 I had my first horse, a young Thoroughbred I called Mr. Bojangles who took me through the hunter circuit on the East Coast. I knew that when it was time to go to college that I may have to sell my horse, since it was time to focus on my studies and a job, but I quickly found out that I could turn my love of horses into my full-time job. At West Virginia University, I studied sport management with a minor in equine management and joined our Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) equestrian team. By my senior year I was the president of the team, learning about fundraising, horse show planning and management, and I gained valuable leadership skills which I carry through to my job today. At that point I knew that it may be possible to continue on this career path.

Equitrekking: Please tell us about one of your favorite riding adventures.

Samantha Penley: Oh gosh! There are so many! I’m a little bit of a thrillseeker when it comes to riding horses. I live for those long high-intensity trail rides where my horse and I have to work as a team to get through it. There’s something rewarding about being out on the open trail with my horse trekking through obstacles, rough terrain and weather changes that makes me really appreciate my horse and all of our arena training. One of my favorite adventures this year was riding through Montaña de Oro State Park with one of my good friends. We went on a four-hour trail ride through hills, valleys, sand dunes and beaches. We raced each other at full speed on the beach, which was so much fun! We were all exhausted by the end of that day.

Megan Cavan: I have to agree with Samantha! Some of my favorite memories led me outside the show ring and on adventurous trail rides with our ponies when I was younger. I went to summer camp every year growing up and was fortunate enough to become a horse counselor at the same camp. My most fond memories were taking my competitive young students out of the ring and on overnight horseback trips. We galloped up hills lined with peach orchards, took our ponies swimming in the horse pond and cooked s’mores by the campfire while our horses grazed in the corral next to us, same as I did when I was younger. Those trail rides always allowed us to bond with our horses and enjoy the great outdoors from the best place on earth — the back of a horse!

Equitrekking: What is Royal Champion, and what role do you each play within the company?

Samantha Penley: Royal Champion produces complete nutritional supplements for horses. These supplements are designed to aid all horses in optimal health, appearance and performance in one daily dose.

Both Megan and I have very rewarding positions that require all the skills we’ve learned though college, internships and past careers. As sales director, Megan is in charge of planning sales strategies for the entire company while managing over 60 sales representatives covering the U.S. I have the role of marketing director to plan events and promotions and to help coordinate the overall image of the company.

Equitrekking: Samantha mentioned that being heavily involved with social media helped land her job with Royal Champion. How do you use social media to stay connected in the horse world, and what are some tips for other horse lovers?

Samantha Penley: Prior to being the marketing director at Royal Champion, I worked for the Del Mar Fairgrounds and the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. I knew I wanted to work with horses from then on, but I also realized I needed to get more involved because horse jobs were hard to find and even harder to get. I decided to create a horse-related blog, TheHorsePedia.com, to educate myself and network with people in the industry. I used my blog and various social media outlets to study new online marketing trends and understand how the industry functioned. Within a year I was making contacts all over the U.S. and learning a great deal. I landed my interview with Royal Champion because they were able to look me up online and see that I was involved and obviously passionate about horses. My social media skills definitely got my foot in the door to at least introduce myself.

I would recommend that anyone wanting a job in the horse industry get online and start networking. If utilized correctly, having a presence online can definitely help you connect with the right people. Twitter is my favorite! You can connect with us on Twitter: @SamanthaPenley and @Royal_Champion_.

Equitrekking: We love Twitter too, so readers can connect with us @equitrekking and @darleynewman. What is your favorite aspect of your job? What are some highlights of having a job that places you around horses?

Samantha Penley: There are so many benefits. With this job there are numerous social obligations and sponsorship events to attend. We work very closely with Blenheim EquiSports, a show park facility that produces top-notch equestrian events throughout the year. We also are involved with the San Juan Capistrano Equestrian Coalition, the San Juan Capistrano Equestrian Council and many local barns in the area. Our job is all about networking and successfully representing our products. We take full advantage of attending fun events, local mixers and equine fundraisers.

The other, more obvious, benefit to working for a supplement company is you get to spend a lot of time at the barn or at horse shows since that’s where our customers are. If we’re not in the office planning marketing and sales strategies for the company, you can be sure to find us working at a vendor booth or checking in with our local sales reps at their barn.

Equitrekking: What are some challenges of working in the horse industry?

Samantha Penley: The only challenge we find is sometimes coming up with creative ways to connect with the horse world. For being such a small industry, it’s so spread out! Every state, every barn and every discipline goes about things differently than the others. Riders tend to stick with the groups they know, making the horse industry somewhat segregated.

Equitrekking: What tips would you give someone seeking a career in the horse industry? How can someone find a dream job in the horse world?

Samantha Penley: Definitely get online and network, network, network! You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to connect with people and find companies. This is a growing industry that is looking for educated and professional young individuals who can bring their talents to the table.

Megan Cavan: My tip is to focus on a college degree to gain valuable business knowledge with an emphasis in equine management or similar program. Many colleges are now adding equine courses and degrees, and this will give you the opportunity to intern in an equine-related field. Also, look into joining your collegiate equestrian team — you do not need to be a competitive rider to join!

Karen Braschayko is a freelance writer and horse lover who lives in Michigan.

Topics: dream jobs, dream jobs for horse lovers, equestrian employment, equestrian jobs, equestrian team, equine careers, equine industry, horse careers, horse industry, jobs with horses, Megan Cavan, pony camp, Royal Champion, Samantha Penley

“Whenever I get angry with my horse, I realize it’s usually because she just called my bluff. Solution: Less bluffing, more honesty.” – Robin Shen

We’ve made so much progress and I can’t wait to continue on with her!

*Special thanks to Carole Matson for letting me lease Sunee. She’s so lucky to have an owner like you who loves her dearly. =)

Meet Morgan.  She is a 10 year old Mare, Morgan/Quarter mix.  Her owner is Robin Shen of Enlightened Horsemanship Training.  Together they do miles of trail riding on adventurous landscape and training clinics weekly.  They are a very busy team as both travel up and down California showing off their skills and teaching people the techniques of Natural Horsemanship.  This past year Morgan’s trail riding miles increased, so naturally Robin began feeding her more nutrient rich foods in larger amounts to keep up with the energy she was expending.  Robin became very concerned because he noticed Morgan was not keeping on weight.  He started feeding her larger amounts of roughage and grain while decreasing her work level, but nothing changed and he didn’t know what else to do.

A friend of his recommended including Royal Champion in Morgan’s diet as the supplements would give her all the vitamins and minerals she needs, along with glucosamine, biotin, coenzyme Q10, and much more.   With all the essential ingredients, Royal Champion’s supplement could help with Morgan’s overall nutrition, performance, muscle tone, and give her extra joint and hoof support.   His friend suggested that Morgan was “missing some of those key things and needed Royal Champion supplements to help fill in the gaps.”   Often, a horse simply isn’t getting the nutrients they require from their diet and supplements can provide the missing nutrients and help to prevent deficiencies (along with numerous other health benefits).  Royal Champion is not a weight gaining supplement, but it is stocked full with all the vital nutrients to benefit the whole horse.  In many cases, healthy weight gain will occur by simply adding a complete nutritional supplement like Royal Champion to a horse’s diet.  Robin took his friend’s advice, and in just one month’s time he saw a dramatic improvement in Morgan’s weight and overall health.

It looks like we have another successful Royal Champion story!

Before Royal Champion:

After 1 Month on Royal Champion:

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R.C. – How long have you been riding cross country?

C.S. - I started in eventing when I was thirteen, so I’ve been doing it for 14 years now, however, I started in the Hunter/Jumper world when I was five and we did do foxhunts and Derby courses then too.

R.C. – Can you define cross-country jumping and why you love to do it?

C.S. - Cross Country combines galloping across terrain, and navigating through obstacles that involve solid jumps, ditches, banks, water, and any combination of the above! The horses don’t get a chance to see the jumps ahead of time. As a rider, I walk the course, plan my routes carefully and then hope to give my horse the best ride possible. There’s such thrill about developing the relationship needed to have your horse trust you that much that makes it all worth it – that’s what I love about it.

R.C. – Did you always know you were going to be a competitive rider?

C.S. - I come from a long line of riders, and started competing so young (5 years old) that I don’t think I’ve thought about much else! I did go to college and get a degree, but it seemed natural for me to end up in this line of work.

R.C - How many years of practice did it take for it to feel natural to ride a 1500lb animal over obstacles like fences, logs and creeks out in open land? Or does that every really feel natural?

C.S. – This question is interesting for me, because I’m actually a very careful, calculated, almost fearful person. I’m afraid of heights and many of the other adrenaline sort of sports (I leave those to my brother!), but I’ve been doing the horse thing so long that it does feel natural – I can’t remember a time when it didn’t.

R.C. – Cross country jumping is a real thrill seekers type of riding and it’s also only for the best of the best riders out there. Do you ever get scared when making those huge jumps over obstacles?

C.S. – Heck yes! But that’s when I really just have to trust my horse. There’s a particular table at one location that I’ve jumped successfully several times, however, every time I face that thing, I think “Holy Moly that things is huge!” Luckily my horse sees it as a normal jump and just takes the reins (literally), while I’m sitting up there holding my breath! There are also those moments of panic as the starter is counting down those last 10 seconds before you go off… you think about whether you did enough to practice… or too much… or have the right bit in… or the right conditioning program… or … or… or… It’s really amazing how many thoughts can pass through your head in those 10 seconds. I’ve gotten a lot better now though at shutting out those panic moments though.

R.C. - Do you have any advice for someone who is interested in pursuing the same path as you?

C.S. - It sounds so cliche, but I really recommend going to college, and then putting yourself into a good riding program as a working student. I think it’s important to have an education so you know you have something to go back to. I actually worked in the marketing/public relations field for a bit before deciding to compete and train full-time (I actually still do some freelance stuff, just to have a bit of bank-padding for when my lessons get rained out all week). I also think you have to put in your time as a working student – all the blood, sweat, tears, early mornings and late nights really will teach you what the sport is all about!

R.C. – What can we look forward to seeing from you over the next few years?

C.S. - I’d like to continue develop my business, C-Horse Eventing, with more teaching and training clients. (Subway) Prophet is really going well right now, so I’d like to continue to ride that wave as long as he wants to play the upper-level game, but also to get some youngsters in to fill his shoes. I’d also like to continue my education through the certification programs and perhaps even pursue a judges license!

Learn more about Cassidy here –> www.chorseeventing.com or visit www.Royalchampion.com.