Sydney Steverson didn't grow up in the show ring. She got bit by the horse bug at summer camp, had to put it down when life got complicated, and then made a beeline for the barn the day she crossed the graduation stage. No plan B. No "let me ease into this." Just: here we go.

In this episode, Sydney, an adult amateur eventer training in Virginia with her horse Superman, brings that same energy to the conversation. If you've ever wondered what it's like coming into a high-stakes discipline in your mid-20s and being told you're already too old, Sydney shares her candid but vulnerable take. We talk about the trainer search, the ego death that horses require, and what it actually feels like to be drift compatible with a 1,200-pound animal who thinks he knows better than you (and is usually right). We also get into her fall at her last show, the video she almost didn't post, and what the outpouring from her community revealed about what vulnerability can build.

Look forward to hearing more about:

• Growing up with horses, losing access, and coming back on her own terms
• The trainer search as a Black woman in a white-dominated discipline
• Relocating to Virginia to train, and what it cost and required
• Where she's headed: five-star aspirations, a lesson program, and getting inner-city kids near horses

Find Sydney:

• TikTok & Instagram: @bookipsies / @bookipsies_
• Facebook: Sydney Steverson

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Kinship is a two-day gathering for Black horse folks across every discipline. The FIRST event of its kind, Kinship is built on connection, mentorship, skill-sharing, and honoring the stories that shaped us. If you're looking for real community and real pathways forward in the horse industry, this is where you belong.

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