Crysta Brown: All right. Well, we are here with Rick. How are you? Very good. So you're a part of YEDA For the uninitiated, can you give me like a little brief summary, like what is Youth Equestrian Development Association what do you do? Scott Cooper: Welcome back to another episode of Horse Show Bestie. I'm your co host, Scott Cooper. Ric Weitzel: Very good. Crysta Brown: And I'm your other co host, Crysta Brown. Hi, Scott. Scott Cooper: Hi, Crysta How are you? Crysta Brown: Good, how are you? Scott Cooper: ⁓ you know, I'm good. Surviving. It's been a crazy May, but we're surviving. ⁓ I mean, don't don't let's not dig into it. We do not need a therapy session today. I mean, I do. I do so badly. Anyone, if you have a therapist, like please send them my way. Make sure they're in network. That'd be awesome. But, you know, on top of all my previous medical stuff, like I just don't have the bandwidth to like shop for a therapist right now. But maybe Dr. J, maybe I should just text Dr. J. Crysta Brown: Really? Ric Weitzel: Sure, sure. So I'm Rick Weitzel. I'm one of three partners in YEDA ⁓ the CEO, Laura Smith, our CFO, Debbie Arnold, and then myself. ⁓ YEDA is a a ⁓ catch-riding ⁓ organization very similar to IHSA. ⁓ Crysta Brown: ⁓ okay. Well Ric Weitzel: If you're familiar with the collegiate type that that Robert Cashone, one of my mentors, started. ⁓ doing it for the youth now, and we're doing it for Western only. ⁓ so that's our focus. And and again, it's catch riding And so for those who don't understand how catch riding works, it's ⁓ the simplest terms, it's ⁓ Crysta Brown: Mm. How do you feel? Like I I mean, when people ask me, they're like, ⁓ my god, how is Scott? And then I realize they're talking about like your back and I'm like, Seems fine to me. Scott Cooper: how do I feel? That is such a loaded question. ⁓ physically, ⁓ that one's easy. ⁓ pretty good. ⁓ although I did get like a little chair massage the other day, and when he dug into my back with his knuckles, I was like, Whoa. Yeah, that was like the first time I really felt pain down there. Maybe it was good, maybe it's just tight. I don't know. ⁓ I can't I can't fathom that at this point. It's still like that problematic. But ⁓ physically. Crysta Brown: Just like physically. Yeah. Okay. Ric Weitzel: A pool of horses is brought to a horse show, the students have to draw a horse out of the hat and they have to show horsemanship in a pattern and then a separate class in rail. That's how YEDA does it. Okay. ⁓ and there's and there's leveling. Crysta Brown: You're like, Nope. Okay. Ric Weitzel: Very similar to AQHA and APHA ⁓ that we that we do walk trot, you know, ⁓ beginner, like a level one, we call it our Ruby division. So it and and so that's how we do how we separate it with the leveling. Scott Cooper: Doing okay. ⁓ my arm is fine. ⁓ it's still really tight. That's the thing I'm working on. It's like the bones don't hurt. And I'm like ⁓ yeah, like rotating it up and down and back and forth inside to side, like it's hard to like be ⁓ have my hand like flat on the ground and be like in a plink position or do a push up or something like that. So ⁓ yeah. Crysta Brown: Yeah. Like hard to move. Okay. So if a kid wanted to participate, do they need to bring a horse? Okay. Ric Weitzel: They do not. So you do not you do not need a horse to ⁓ be part of YEDA You need a coach and you need to be part of a a a facility or a lesson barn or or an acquaintance ⁓ that is a coach. Crysta Brown: Crazy 'cause when I had my wrist surgery, literally the exact same thing. And so I always modify with the fist. Scott Cooper: Mm-hmm. Yeah, that's kind of what I've been doing. But, you know, got cleared to lift the stuff and be back to physical. I have still not ridden my bike because that does scare me a little bit. For those cyclists out there that are listening, like when you clip your foot in, like, there's a tendency to know that you tip over because you lose momentum and like I don't I don't want to fall on my arm. funny enough, guys don't like crucify me for this, but Where where are you guys getting the horses from? Ric Weitzel: So most of the time it's the coaches that own the horses. Like in my own personal situation, and it was Debbie and Laura's until they retired from it and run YEDA full time. ⁓ you know, we have we have lesson barn with I have 40 head of horses here. And we Yeah, it's quite a bit. twenty-three to twenty-four of them are dedicated to my lesson program. I have a hunt seat program, I have a western program, then we still do training and and horse showing ⁓ also. Crysta Brown: Okay. Scott Cooper: ⁓ okay. Crysta Brown: Yeah. Scott Cooper: Nice. Crysta Brown: My gosh. Scott Cooper: It's been a month of clearance and I still not have ridden my horse. I it yeah, it's been insane. Like I imagine Crysta Brown: Yeah. It's just hard 'cause it your work time like this is a hard time for you, I think. Scott Cooper: Yeah, it's been it's been just like outside life has been insane the last four or five weeks. So ⁓ but yeah, that's gonna change this weekend. Ric Weitzel: But that's the way the the coaches work. So bringing together a pool of coaches to be part of YEDA. ⁓ and and that's how we our coaches ⁓ we our coaches to be invested in it. So ⁓ they the horses for ⁓ all students to use, if that makes sense. Crysta Brown: Hey guys, a quick word from our sponsors. Scott Cooper: For years, Naomi Clayton of NAC Equine Services has helped paint and quarter owners, breeders, and trainers streamline the often overwhelming process of marketing and placing horses in the great new homes. She has a proven background as a paint and pinto breeder and amateur show exhibitor, as well as nearly a decade of experience as an equine sales agent. NAC Equine Services doesn't just post ads. For each listing, she also creates a detailed marketing plan, organizes photos, Crysta Brown: That's crazy. How do you feel? I mean, you get to like start your journey as like a solo horseman. A DIYer, dare I say? So okay. So they don't get to ride one of their trainers' horses, right? Like do they have to pull a horse that they've never ridden before? Or how does that part work? Okay. Okay. Scott Cooper: I I am terrified. Y'all, I am terrified. I keep having these like small panic attacks. ⁓ like I don't I don't know how to be the one in charge. Like I'm yes, one hundred percent. I have I've done the boarding stable thing. I've had horse at home, like, but it's been oof, I'm trying to think. It's been eleven or twelve years since I ⁓ Ric Weitzel: Cov correct. Correct. Yeah. So you know, and so lesson horses, you guys, you know, it's it's their second career, right? You know, we we get horses ⁓ from from good friends and trainers and colleagues in the business to say, Hey look, you know, ⁓ you know, ⁓ you know, happy over here, he's great horse, but he just really can't compete at a high level anymore. Would you be interested? Yeah, and so that's that's how that's how I get a lot of my horses. Crysta Brown: But you've had horses on your own before. Scott Cooper: Mm-hmm. Crysta Brown: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Scott Cooper: creates sale videos and manages communication so you don't get bogged down in the details. Her commitment to professionalism and finding the right home shows in the countless clients who rave about their friendly, efficient and smooth experience from first contact to the final sale or purchase. Whether you're looking to sell or find your next partner, trust a service with real industry knowledge and reviews that speak for themselves. NAC Equine Services has competitive and transparent pricing, $50 listing fee, Crysta Brown: Long time. Yeah. Scott Cooper: had a horse just like in boarding. ⁓ and even then, like I wasn't showing on a big level, and also I had no money. ⁓ my god, that's why I had to sell her. so this round should be different. I have a very broke horse, a very seasoned horse, very accomplished horse who's a good boy. I luckily have more than 20 bucks in my bank account for the moment. Like, let's be real. That could that can change at literally any moment. and y'all, I got my horse trailer. Crysta Brown: Yeah. Right. Scott Cooper: I was just thinking, I'm like, my God, my gelding kinda sounds like a great candidate. Like do you have people who will just give the horse to you for the day and then take it back home or just bring it in for YEDA shows? signed contract and 5 % commission. Find her on Facebook under the NAC Equine or check out her website at nac-equine-services.com. Ric Weitzel: No no, no, I don't I'm not speaking for other coaches, but I think that does happen with some of the other coaches and their facilities. ⁓ for my own situation, ⁓ I own the horses. now some of the horses have been donated ⁓ to YEDA and I do keep those horses, ⁓ a few of them right now. And so that's kind of a good deal for some people too. They can they can get a little bit and I don't I don't know how much we want to go into that on on your podcast, but ⁓ but you do a little write on. Yeah, you could do a little write. Crysta Brown: Thank God. Yeah. Now back to the episode. I think that's really exciting. Like two horse trailer life, it's just freedom. Scott Cooper: I'm so stuck. ⁓ it's you guys, it's a 2002 Trails West slant load, bumper pull two horse did I say all the things? Two horse slant load bumper pole trail. Okay. It's adorable. I am in love with her. She's like in great shape. I do need to go get tires like literally today so that I can get those new tires before chip gets in the trailer. But ⁓ it's it was such a good find. Like I just put some messages out on different Facebook groups and someone messaged me and they had it and Crysta Brown: Yeah, iconic. Yeah. ⁓ my gosh, anything you wanted to go into. Scott Cooper: Yeah. Yeah. Interesting. Ric Weitzel: Yeah. Crysta Brown: Okay, gotcha. So okay, so we talk a lot about like the grassroots of the industry and like how do we on ramp somebody from that first touch point of like, ⁓ I'm curious about horses, all right? I think quarter horses are cool. Yeah. Yeah, I've got briars that I love. How do we get that person from that point into I want to buy a paint horse and go to paint horse shows? Like that's a very, I think it's a steep hill for a lot of people to climb. Right. Ric Weitzel: Right. Right. Yes. Right. Right. Exactly. Scott Cooper: I'd love a Briar horse, right. ⁓ again I had no time to go up the four hour drive it would be to get it. So I had someone deliver it, which was fine. ⁓ she said it pulled great. So ⁓ actually last night I hooked it up to the Rivian which we'll be pulling it and just pulled it around the neighborhood a little bit just to see. ⁓ my gosh, it's like it's pull so smooth. And guys, don't hate on me for the Riviain I don't care. Like, judge me how you want, but it tows so nice. Like that that truck is strong. Crysta Brown: Yeah, yeah. Ric Weitzel: It is. It is. Crysta Brown: And personally, feel like when you and I got to speak before about what YEDA offers, I like you guys are really trying to exist as that on ramp. Could you maybe speak to that a little bit? Ric Weitzel: Sure, sure. And I'm gonna throw some statistics at you. So ⁓ a few years back we we we did like a survey of our our students, okay, not the coaches so much, right? Eighty eight percent were first generation or first time horse enthusiasts. That's huge. Scott Cooper: ⁓ the one thing it's like it's gonna kinda burn the battery a little bit. So you'd have to charge more. But like like I said, I'm not going anywhere far, but really excited to have my little trailer that we can go on show rides and go to the beach and go to open shows. So yeah, it's it's a level of freedom and I'm just like, ⁓ my gosh, there's there's so much more on my shoulders now. So Crysta Brown: That's awesome. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Well how? Ric Weitzel: That is huge. And now of the students will float in, they'll do the YEDA deal, ⁓ then they'll they'll go back out. Maybe they want to ride them collegially. And so we we have a very clothes relationship with IHSA, ⁓ has been fantastic. And and we partner with a lot of those colleges. We have something like ⁓ think 12 colleges coming to recruit at YEDA Nationals next week. ⁓ ⁓ ⁓ yes, it is a process, Crysta and Scott. Crysta Brown: Right. Yeah. Well, it's a completely different skill set. Like just because you're like strong rider, strong horseman, like once you have to I don't know, like the skill of understanding like how to take care of certain bad things on your own, stuff like that, like it just comes from time and experience. So ⁓ yeah, no, I'm I'm excited for you though. I think it's it'll be good and I love that you got a little trailer. I think you're gonna have a blast. But when Scott Cooper: Nice. Crysta Brown: ⁓ my gosh. Scott Cooper: Mm-hmm. Ric Weitzel: It it definitely is. It they get into it, they get interested. Gee, now I want to lease a horse. ⁓ can I do that? And then that morphs into I want to buy a horse, you know, so and you know how the process goes. Now, as we go up the pyramid, of course, that gets less and less people because it it's it's costly business. You know, horses are expensive. Crysta Brown: Are you coming back to horror shows though? Cause like honestly creating content on my own is just not the same. Scott Cooper: I know, sorry. great question. I I don't know. I might ⁓ I was gonna say I might come to the world show, but at this point it's looking slim chances for that. Yeah, probably not. And also because the World Cup like hotels around there are crazy. so yeah, probably not World Show, but I don't know, maybe Nampa, maybe Nationals. I you know, we know we love nationals, so Crysta Brown: yeah. Mm-hmm. No, but I think it's really interesting to ⁓ come up with a model for ⁓ that creates less barrier to entry. ⁓ I ask, like, do you guys have show clothes requirements? Probably not. Yeah. Ric Weitzel: Yes. Crysta Brown: Heard that. Ric Weitzel: We do. So so what we do is We have every student must purchase a YEDA ⁓ Oxford shirt and it has the YEDA logo on it. And so it really simplifies it. We it funny, I had I had one of our one of my students here that showed for years in the AQA ⁓ said mom goes, thank God, I don't have to purchase any more ⁓ show outfits. You know, they're expensive, right? So every student, you know, wears a YEDA Oxford, ⁓ and you can wear a hat or a helmet, ⁓ you know, so that Crysta Brown: I know. ⁓ you know what? It just feels wrong if I'm at South Point and you're not there. I'm like, for what reason? Mm-hmm. Scott Cooper: lost all the money. I would have come to Vegas, but like we had a work event that Friday, so I wouldn't have able to leave till midday. ⁓ and then like trying be smart about my money and not have just twenty dollars in my bank account. ⁓ Chip had injections, he had his dental work done, like we had a bunch of big vet bills in in Maine up. Yeah, I was like, There goes my horse show money, ⁓ which Crysta Brown: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Scott Cooper: Mm-hmm. Crysta Brown: I ma'am ⁓ Okay. Ric Weitzel: That doesn't you know, it doesn't restrict or or change the way that you're judged. And ⁓ and then chaps or jeans. ⁓ most of the kids w go out and buy a pair of black chaps. Crysta Brown: So you were like, I have nothing. Thank you though. Scott Cooper: Four years ago Scott would have been like, Let's go in the red to go to this horse show and freak out. So we've learned a lesson. So ⁓ but it did look fun. How are ranch numbers? Crysta Brown: Right, right. You've learned a lesson. Yeah. Yeah. Love it. Ric Weitzel: So so it makes it real nice. So there's no there's no ⁓ you know, ⁓ y you you're not going out and buying the very expensive show clothes. We've made it so you don't have to. Crysta Brown: Small. I don't know. Zone two, I feel like maybe struggles for ranch numbers a little bit. And I I honestly don't know. I don't know. And maybe it's but I wonder if it's because they break up the classes. Like, I don't understand this about ranch people, but like Scott Cooper: Yeah, that's kind of what I noticed. I guess I have even like a granular question. So let's say I have a twelve year old that loves ride horses, reads, and they say, Dad, I wanna go ride a horse and I know about YEDA. What's my next move? Like what are we telling parents to do? Find a coach. Why is that? 'Cause like nationals, there's plenty of people on nationals. Ric Weitzel: Next move is find a coach. Find find a yeeta coach ⁓ out there. Crysta Brown: be it's probably because I'm coming from the perspective of like I'm always in an all around barn. if you can break up the classes, that means I can be pre better prepared, which is like good for me. But I think a lot of like people that just so the show the ranch, they would much rather come in do it all on a Friday versus like do one class a day kind of across is at least what I've seen. So I don't I couldn't tell you, but I think that's what it is. Because otherwise wait, mm do I wanna ⁓ Ric Weitzel: Now we no problem getting students. We always have tons and tons of inquiries of students saying, hey, I want to go do YEDA, I want to show YEDA. ⁓ Where trying to really focus the last couple of years is getting coaches to come on board. ⁓ be part of the YEDA membership. this is like a family. I gotta tell you, you know, we're very flat organization. The three of us run this organization, and and ⁓ we have personal to almost every coach that is part of our part of our Crysta Brown: Okay. It's fine. ⁓ I noticed the walk jog numbers n were not small, but are smaller than usual. And the novice am and the amateur numbers were much bigger than usual. Hmm. That's all I'm gonna say. Hmm. It was very interesting. I don't know, does bullying work? Hard to say. Scott Cooper: Go ahead. Ric Weitzel: You to group. we we want them to make money, we want them to be successful in their business, we find ways to try to make that happen. Just like when you and I talked, Crysta, I was like, hey, ⁓ a team together, we'll show you how to do it. You know, we you to be part of that, even though you were in Ireland, yeah. ⁓ Scott Cooper: Hm. Interesting. Crysta Brown: And then I said respectfully, I have no time. But I love the enthusiasm. But I mean, have you seen d okay, I feel like there are less lesson programs around than when I was growing up. Do you find that to be true? Ric Weitzel: Yeah. ⁓ yes. ⁓ absolutely. Absolutely. You know, I I think and and I'm just speaking again anecdotally here in the Cleveland area, Cleveland, Ohio, where I'm from, you know, there used to be like these little lesson barns all over the place. Scott Cooper: Yeah. Crysta Brown: Yes. Ric Weitzel: Man, they they just aren't there anymore. And that's how that's a lot of how a lot of these people got onboarded into horses. You know, ⁓ my gosh, you know, I I leased a horse, then I bought a horse, you know, and then and then that progress kept going. ⁓ it's it it's not it's not what it used to be. Not when and y you know, and I again you're you you two are a little bit younger than I am, but back in back in the eighties, I I ⁓ shoot, man, we were showing horses hot and heavy, and and there was lesson barns all over the place. Scott Cooper: Yeah, I'm looking at your coach's roster. And so are all of these essentially lesson programs, right? Okay. Ric Weitzel: Yeah, yeah, they really are. They're they're pretty much lesson programs. But, know, so many of the coaches we have one foot in in in both. You know, we have the lesson programs at home and you know, see at the quarter horse shows or the paint horse shows or the pinto horse shows. You know, I'll see them there too. Because, you know, especially some of the rules that AQHA has come out with, I can lease some of my AQHA horses and they just go show ⁓ They don't need extra paperwork. They can just go show walk trot Do whatever. Crysta Brown: Right. Scott Cooper: Yeah. I I was my follow up question was like, do you see kids that come in are showing YEDA and then eventually like, maybe I can go show a breed show if I have something to lease? That's awesome. Ric Weitzel: Yes. Yes. Yes. And in my program specifically, and I and I can I can pretty much speak for the other coaches too. ⁓ th they find ways to make that happen. You know, we we take those horses and go. Again, like I said before, maybe that horse can't show at that super high level anymore, but that horse still has value. It still has something to teach. Crysta Brown: Well, to bring up more negativity, ⁓ just kidding. ⁓ but like I have seen some criticism of elitism on our like Facebook. Scott Cooper: Yeah. That you guys that Crysta that you stirred the pot. Crysta Brown: I and I okay. Do I I do be saying some things sometimes, but like I feel like in the context of our conversations, like I can always explain myself. And I actually I'm totally okay with people disagreeing with things that we have to say. Like that's so valid. ⁓ but the only thing I have a hard time with is when people say that we don't support the grassroots. That one like hurts me in a different way because I like that's just such a So okay, this makes me think of some of the things I've heard because I I don't think it's a secret that we we all maybe have some concerns about our youth numbers at breed shows, right? Like I think we're seeing a big decline. And I'm curious just like your opinion of like I wonder okay, so we've kind of like two issues, right? Youth is smaller and there's fewer less in barns. So how are we jump starting these kids? Ric Weitzel: ⁓ yeah. Mm-hmm. Crysta Brown: passion of mine. Like I literally think all the time about like how can we create better on ramps to take that person from I think quarter horses are cool to going to their first quarter show. You know, ⁓ so like totally like no hate to anyone who like made comments like you're more than welcome to think that we're dumb. But I just I I don't know. I guess I wanted to just take a moment to speak to the fact that like I promise you, like just because ⁓ maybe before I ask about the youth, I'm curious, do you think there's fewer lesson programs because of the startup cost? Or like, what do you think is the difference there that we've seen so many of those barns shut down and go away? Ric Weitzel: Yeah, yeah. I Crysta, I I would think it would be the startup costs, you know. I I just you know, I think back ⁓ when I was a kid, how we ⁓ my dad ⁓ horses at the auction for five hundred bucks, you know. But i yeah, that don't happen no more. ⁓ but I think yes, I think it is the startup costs. Now Crysta Brown: Right. maybe I think horse trainers should be paid more, right? But equally, I think that's important because then I think they can offer more ethical pay to their assistants and I think they can take care of their families. And then I think they can make better choices. I don't think that's the responsibility of the amateur. I think that's the responsibility of the horse trainer to charge appropriately. That's why we talk about business models all the time. And I also think that it's our job as trainers to come up with offerings. Ric Weitzel: I'll tell you what I discuss with a lot of students and and I was a coach in the IHSA and was a board member for IHSA for years. And I'd talk to some of these students that maybe were on the horse trainer track. Okay. They they wanted to be a horse trainer and this thing and I'd say, Well, you know, what what do you plan on doing? And they'd tell me and I'd say, Hey, you ever thought about starting a lesson program? Crysta Brown: Okay. Ric Weitzel: man, I don't know, you know, it's ⁓ do I get the horses, that kind of thing. It it that is really a barrier. But i ⁓ some these lesson program or some of these trainers will have some horses there that are lesson horses. ⁓ And say to them, ⁓ why hire someone who maybe is an assistant trainer or whatnot and let them run your YEDA team, right? Crysta Brown: that support those people that maybe can't sup like afford that top tier service. And that's a lot of kind of what my mission has been is like, okay, what about the people that are going like, I want to invest in horses, but I don't want to do full time training. It's like, cool, let's do pivo lessons. Cool. Let's do you know, like there's other options and I hope to see our industry adopt more of those other options similar to how like the dressage community has really adopted a lot of that type of stuff. So all that to say, like I I Mm, mm-hmm. Ric Weitzel: I have I have two or three horses here, I can do some lessons. I mean, even with if shoot man, when I started here, I had two lesson horses and I just go back and forth giving lessons on them. You know, it it's a it's a good starting point if that's what you want to do. And and again, i it it is a moneymaker. It is something that they can do to financially support those horses that are living in their barn and ⁓ bring in new clientele at the same time. Crysta Brown: Yeah, I just want to put out in the world that like I think about that all the time. Like I really wanna see good for the industry. Right. Scott Cooper: Well, and it's like important to note too that the industry does not exist in a vacuum. So we are living in a world right now where gas is out of control, foods out of control. Like I was just buying horse supplies and like why is a Haynet twenty dollars now? This used to be four ninety nine. So the world around us is more expensive and we aren't making enough. So it's going to translate and it's gonna put pressure on other parts of your budget. So Crysta Brown: Mm-hmm. Right. Scott Cooper: Yeah, I just Okay. No, you're in. Crysta Brown: So then ⁓ sorry, go ahead, Scotty. So okay, so that makes perfect sense to me. Like I think it's hard with the lesson program I think can be more intimidating, although I often think they are more financially viable businesses once you get them off the ground. But I I do think it's intimidating to go out and like buy four creatures that eat when you're like still trying to gain clientele. Like all of that's really intimidating. Scott Cooper: Unfortunately that is just an issue. But like keep in mind it's not just the horse industry that's expensive right now. Everything is expensive and we're not making enough to keep up. So that's my that's my anti capitalism stance of the day. Crysta Brown: Yeah. Ric Weitzel: Yes. It is. Yes, yes. Right. Right. Yeah. Crysta Brown: Right. Well, you're a hundred percent right. And like if I I mean, yeah, in a perfect world, like every h horse trainer like had their bills paid magically by like, you know, some ancestor and we could all work for free and help people's dreams come true. But like that's just not reality. Like this is an extra thing. And, you know, people people gotta be living. And the only comment I did wanna speak to that I thought was interesting. ⁓ so I can totally see that. That's kind of what I ⁓ guessed was probably happening. But then I'm curious, like your perspective on our youth kids. Like, where do you think like why have we seen a shrink in the youth kid participation? Because I think some people would say, like, ⁓ kids these days just want to be on their phones. Do you think that's true? Ric Weitzel: Yeah. Yeah, yeah, right, right. I think there is more opportunities for students to do things, okay? So, you know, we've started the YEDA program. I've got a good friend of mine that I go to church with, she started this volleyball program. Crysta Brown: ⁓ I think on our TikTok, like I saw somebody kind of speak to like, we'll go to the WEC and like all the horse trainers are like Ferraris. And I was like, Do you know that it's not leased though? Do you know that it's not being leased by a client for the trainer? Like I I just just because something appears one way doesn't mean it's that way. And I have evidence that I will not give. Yeah. Scott Cooper: Ooh. Yeah. Ric Weitzel: Okay. And so you can see where I'm going with this. So now kids have a choice of, you know, and I hear it all the time. ⁓ we can't come tonight, I got dance, or I got band, or I got volleyball. I think there's so many opportunities for students to pick and choose what they want to do. I don't know if us in the horse business have done a good enough job of of figuring out, hey, this is this is this is something fun for you to do. You know, let's get here's the opportunity for. Crysta Brown: Right. Scott Cooper: Right. I mean I'm ⁓ I I mean I'm like a great example of that. Like I do be broke sometimes. And yet I was out here going to the majors, so don't yeah. Yeah. Crysta Brown: So just putting out there. Yeah. Sometimes Yeah. speaking of the grassroots, I think something so ⁓ relevant to that topic is YEDA which I'm gonna lie, I wasn't super familiar. It's the Youth Equestrian Development Association. But I think they have some really ⁓ unique ideas of how activate and engage our youth. ⁓ So ⁓ that's what podcast gonna be. ⁓ anyway, I think it'll be interesting. Ric Weitzel: Now yeah yeah, exactly. Exactly. Now Crysta Brown: Like the outreach, yeah. Ric Weitzel: Again, and I always reference back to my own personal situation, how we set this up, but again, I can speak for a lot of the other coaches. know, they on social media. They do summer camps. I I tell you that, that summer deal, I I get so many new students from my summer camps. I advertise it here locally ⁓ and and enough, know, kids come in and then the next year they're joining, they're doing lessons, and then the following year they're joining YEDA So that we we always I'm always thinking about trying to keep that pipe that pipeline. Crysta Brown: Yeah. Scott Cooper: Yes. Crysta Brown: Yeah. Scott Cooper: Yeah, we're super excited today. We're gonna welcome ⁓ Rick Weitzel He's the Chief Regulations Officer at YEDA ⁓ and yeah, we're gonna pick his brain about ⁓ they're all about, their grassroots movement, what does it look like? How do how are they helping the horse industry in a really unique way? ⁓ so really excited to see him. And also like shout out to Taylor Fabus. I would not know YEDA if it wasn't for her TikTok. So there's your shout out. ⁓ And that, we're gonna Rick. Ric Weitzel: line full. You know, kids are coming up all the way through that thing. And a lot of my other coaches do the same thing. And it's ⁓ I've even shared my summer camp program. I have a whole syllabus and I share it with other coaches. Again, I want you to be successful too. You know, because all it's going to do is help this industry grow. Scott Cooper: Mm-hmm. Crysta Brown: Yes. Mm-hmm. Scott Cooper: That's awesome. I when you're talking about like finding horses, I'm just thinking about like how many sale pages or sale ads I see every single day of horses that, you know, are just a l a little bit lame or they're just not world show quality. Like I think there's such a market for these horses to become good lesson horses. And I I think you can get pretty good deals on ⁓ even though everything's crazy expensive, but you know, relatively th there is that. I'm c I'm curious what Crysta Brown: Yeah. Ric Weitzel: ⁓ right, right. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Scott Cooper: What is becoming a you know how do I phrase this? Like, do you get on the YEDA team from a financial like what we we talked about financials being a big barrier ⁓ the horse world? What is a financial barrier to coming into a YEDA program? Ric Weitzel: Sure. You for the coaches or for the students? For the students r r really, and each individual coach or team sets their own prices and their own scheduling. So again, Mark, so that's gonna that's gonna be relative to what their what what they can do in their area. Okay. So California Scott Cooper: For the students. Gotcha. So it's kinda like less than pricing. Okay. Ric Weitzel: Right, right. Lesson pricing in California blood. And I had some students when I was here when I was coaching the college here that were from California and they're like, Man, this is great. You know, your lessons are only seventy dollars. I was paying a hundred and something in California. Yeah. Yeah. And they thought, man, this was golden, but this is the Midwest. Okay. So y you know, so everybody's a little bit different, what they charge. And we all discuss it. We we have the coaches convention every January and February at Crysta Brown: Yeah. Literally hundred thirty, hundred forty, yeah. Yeah. Scott Cooper: Yeah, me. Ric Weitzel: The Ohio Quarter Horse Association offices, and we bring our coaches in. We talk about this stuff. Hey, what are you charging? What are you doing? What are you doing for summer camps? How are you? Again, again, we're very focused on, yes, growing the youth, but we're also focused on making sure our coaches can do well in this business. Crysta Brown: Really? Scott Cooper: Yeah. Crysta Brown: So am I wrong for like I feel like what I'm hearing is like you guys are almost kind of a coaching support system? Like Ric Weitzel: Yeah. Yeah, I think I I think we I think we do ⁓ bring the couch out every once in a while for some of our for our people, but I think I need it too. But yeah. Yeah, I Yeah. Scott Cooper: Mm-hmm. Crysta Brown: No, but I just think that's great. Cause I think maybe one of the I don't know about downside, but like for me, a downside to so okay, little little bomby. ⁓ like I had a full blown lesson program when I was much younger. ⁓ but it kind of would happen by accident because I was very plugged into my local community where I grew up. And so, you know, there's always somebody who's like, you know, can my kid can ride? You know, that type of a thing. And it just kind of blossomed into lessons. Ric Weitzel: Yeah. Crysta Brown: But I feel like selling horses on Facebook was kind of new then. And I feel like you could pick up like I and also in the town I grew up in, there were three paint horse barns. I kid you not. Like it was just there was a lot of there was just more of us participating, I think. And so you could call around and find like a good lesson horse for like 5K. And it was like Ric Weitzel: Mm-hmm. Ye y yeah, yeah. Crysta Brown: Well, okay, at that price, I can like get involved and I can start this. But I do feel like even if you're like, okay, I can cross all those all those barriers. Like I want to run my lesson program. I think that's the way for me to be successful in my business as a horse trainer. I think it can feel lonely. Like you're kind of alone on an island. And so I like love that you're holding like you guys have like a conference for your coaches. Cause I'm like, Ric Weitzel: Mm-hmm. Crysta Brown: That's awesome. Cause then yeah, like you can get some business support and some like even coaching support if you can get some tips, some tricks, all the good things. Ric Weitzel: Right, right. No, no, absolutely. And we we would love to continue to expand that ⁓ as much as we can. We w again, we like talking to the coaches. We like we we want professionals in the horse business to come and be part of YEDA. ⁓ And n nothing against it. We don't want the four H mom, right? Crysta Brown: Mm-hmm. Ric Weitzel: We want someone with some knowledge, maybe has showed some to really advance these students onward and and and show You know, I I think one of one of the fallacies we get from a lot of our students, they come in and I don't care what yeah team they they're coming from, they say, you know what, gosh, I want to be a horse trainer. Scott Cooper: Yeah. Crysta Brown: Right. Ric Weitzel: You know, and and and I don't discourage it, but I do say, okay, you know, this is what it takes to to get that. You know, and ⁓ yeah I I think Scott you you show amateur, correct? You're a non pro still? Yeah, okay. Okay. So ⁓ it it's ⁓ Crysta Brown: Yeah. Scott Cooper: Right. Yep. Crysta Brown: He's gonna have you a trainer, just wait. Scott Cooper: Well, I mean, I went through my phase. I was gonna go to University of Finley to become a horse trainer and I ultimately didn't. And then in my early twenties I like, ⁓ maybe we'll get horse trainer and I'm for me, I'm glad I'm stayed amateur, but we need trainers. Ric Weitzel: Okay. Okay. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And University of Finley, you know, again, they're they're another team that Is partnered with us, another college that's partnered with us. come to our nationals, they recruit, they give away scholarship dollars. So it it behooves of them of any college or university to come ⁓ ⁓ and come and recruit these students. ⁓ this year's nationals, ⁓ we've got and I think I told you we have like 12 teams coming, but I think we have seven college ⁓ and universities bringing horses for us to use at Yeda Nationals. I know, and and these are Scott Cooper: Mm. Recall. ⁓ sweet. Ric Weitzel: nice horses. I mean there's a good ones. Scott Cooper: Well and I wanted to ask you like what does the Yeda show season look like and obviously and at at national as you said coming up, but I would love to hear about what what that looks like. Ric Weitzel: Yes. So our our so our our season starts like around September when school gets back in. It mirrors the IHSA schedule. We run until about April and then we we cut it off and then we get our our final ⁓ you know students who have made it to the nationals. Okay. So unlike IHSA, so we do s do things a f a little bit differently, more like the breed associations, you make it to nationals by the body of your work, not by okay, hey, I qualified my region or my district or whatever and then it's a tiered system from there. No, we don't do it that way. It's again, it's by the body of your work. So if you've had a great season all the way along, you're making it to nationals. Okay. If if if it what happens I see a little bit in IHSA is let's say you have a great great season, you make it to the regionals. You get a horse and I never say there's bad horses. I just say maybe you got a horse that maybe's a little more challenging or one you don't get along with well you didn't you didn't do Crysta Brown: Okay. Ric Weitzel: do so good. And so now you're out. And we don't feel like that's fair. We feel like e you need to you need to have that whole breadth of work that you've done through the whole season to be judged, not just one poor ride. Crysta Brown: Okay. Right. Well, and this makes me curious too of like maybe you're judging solutions. So like I took a couple teams to Youth World Games, which is a fabulous program, like just to start start there. but something we did find challenging is the kids were still scored to the regular APHA score card. So then if they pulled a phenomenal horse, like it like Ric Weitzel: ⁓ yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Crysta Brown: If you pulled a horse that doesn't have a strong showmanship pivot, like what do you expect the kids to do about that? You know? They all the way it worked for us was like they had a 30 minute practice and then they got on the horse. So it was challenging because there were kids that I felt like, well, they made the most of the horse they had. And I in a program where you're kind of doing a catch ride situation, it feels like how do we reward Ric Weitzel: Right. Right. Crysta Brown: them. Now I know you guys are horsemanship focused, so that helps. But even in horsemanship, right? If that horse doesn't know how to turn around and he flips his neck upside down, like are you judging them on how they handle that? Or is it like you really just need to try to draw the nice horse? Ric Weitzel: Yeah, no. Right. Mm-hmm. Yeah, and that comes to there's two there's two points to that. First of all, ⁓ hiring judges that really understand the catch riding stuff. And there there's some I tell you the the judges out there that we've been hiring have have really been phenomenal, being able to look through the horses. And then the other thing is matching. And we have some great people with YEDA that find ways to match horses. Okay. So we we got a group of horses over here that maybe don't have a pivot and you know are kinda a little rough when they move. Crysta Brown: Okay. Ric Weitzel: we don't match those up to the ones that really have the great pivot and a really pretty mover. Right. so that that is that is always a little bit of a challenge. And I heard this said to me one time was we don't want the best kid on the best horse. We want the best kid. Period. Crysta Brown: Mm. Ric Weitzel: Okay. And one of my judges said to me one time, she goes, You know, I'm gonna I'm gonna place the kid highest, the one that I wanna take home with re me to ride my two year olds. I said, Yeah, that's a good that's a good way to look at it. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. Crysta Brown: Hmm. Good way to think about it. Yeah. Cause I think that's hard to avoid because it's like, okay, well, how much of that incorrectness is like, okay, I'm thinking of like a horse that doesn't neck rein really well. Right. So like kid gets on, they try to turn left, and you see it all the time, right? Kid drags their hand across, horse flips its neck the wrong direction, and then they keep pulling. And you're like, it's not gonna get better, baby. Yeah. Scott Cooper: Yeah. Ric Weitzel: You're mad. Yeah. Right. Yeah. Yeah. They they they bind ⁓ up. It's not getting any better. Yeah, stop doing it. Yeah. Scott Cooper: Mm-hmm. Crysta Brown: But you know, it's tricky to kind of come up with that. Something you said there you match the horses to different horses. Is that cause they're and maybe I wasn't paying attention also highly likely. They're riding two different horses and so you guys match like the two draws. Ric Weitzel: So okay, so let's say we have a class of, you know, twelve students who are gonna go and show in the horsemanship, and let's say this is the rail portion. So we find twelve horses that match. basically all the horses in that group are very similar in the way they move and and and and do their stuff. Then when we go to the pattern cl pattern portion of the class, then we find maybe twelve more horses that match in the in the pattern portion of it. Okay. Are are we perfect? Well no, because I mean we see it every day at at regular horse. Yeah. Right. Crysta Brown: okay. Scott Cooper: Right. Crysta Brown: Okay. you've you're at mercy of what's donated as well. Yeah. Scott Cooper: ⁓ they're right. Right. Ric Weitzel: Right. ⁓ and so, you know, here a few years back w we had we had one girl that ⁓ I forget, I think she was from the the the the northwest, she came in. ⁓ she didn't have quite the the best draw in the world. She won the class. She won it. Yeah. So it tells you that she was she was pretty pretty good, pretty handy with with the horse that she drew. Crysta Brown: Okay. Scott Cooper: love that. That's like it levels the playing field a little bit and Ric Weitzel: It it it does. It and then because we do leveling in there and we have ⁓ and I have to count the divisions here. We have, you know, the walktrot division, okay, so we call that our opal riders, and then we have the the students who are just learning to lope, we call those our emerald riders. Then we have the students who are like the level one type kid, okay? Those are our Ruby riders. Then we maybe have those students that are up from that division, we call those the sapphire riders so those ones are a little handier and then our diamond riders is our is our open riders those are the students who've been showing maybe one at the congress maybe one at the quarter world ⁓ nsba world something like that those students then get into that group ⁓ and and that's and that and we we level the students we we match the horses Crysta Brown: That's really interesting. And I love that your divisions kind of match more of that on ramp. Because like as someone who's taken, you know, that like when I was young, like I had a couple lesson kids that went, like, maybe we want to lease a horse, like maybe we want to try this, you know. and they need that time in the walk trot. And for a long time in Paint, we didn't have a youth walk-trot division. And I was like Ric Weitzel: Yeah. Yeah. Crysta Brown: That's I'm so glad that's there now because at least in my experience, it was like, you know, for that, let's say twelve year old, you know, who's, you know, maybe they've been riding for two years, but mom and dad are like, they're really passionate about this. Like we'd like to go to a horse show to not have kind of that starting ground where if they get in some traffic, they're not gonna panic. You know. Whereas like sometimes you lope them all off and it's like, ⁓ my gosh, I hope the best for you. Ric Weitzel: Right, right. Yeah. Well, you know, we and we really we came up with the divisions we really matched what IHSA did. ⁓ you know, and I was on that board of directors for IHSA for quite a few years and and we always really, really wanted to make those divisions go, you know, match up and and and those levels work well. And it and now that AQHA has has done their leveling, we've just matched it to them. Crysta Brown: Okay. Which makes sense. Ric Weitzel: Which which we have to. I mean you know, we're we're partners with the AQHA, NSBA, Pen you know, all of We we we are partners with these guys and we want ⁓ we want ⁓ these to to get that feel. wow, this is what it's like to be at a big show, you know, to do something like that. And ⁓ you know, Quarter Association has allowed us to come in and put on a YEDA show at the Congress. Crysta Brown: Mm-hmm. Scott Cooper: Mm-hmm. Ric Weitzel: And and that's that that's pretty exciting for these students to see the Congress. They're like, Wow, this is really cool. You know, I wanna be there someday. Pretty smart. Scott Cooper: Mm-hmm. Crysta Brown: Yeah. No, I think it's great because I do think when it is different to see it in person rather than seeing a video online, right? But when you like see the difference in the horse flesh and you're like, ⁓ my gosh, like that transition was invisible. And you look at your own right and you're like, my transition wasn't so invisible. Like it gives you those kind of goals and those places to go. I love that they get to see that. ⁓ I'm curious, like Scott Cooper: Yes. Ric Weitzel: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Right. Crysta Brown: Clearly you're passionate about that kind of like on ramping, like helping them get from here to there. ⁓ and you've seen like success with your own students. ⁓ we have a lot of listeners who are like youth presidents in their club or their affiliate. Do you have any kind of thoughts for what you guys have seen be really successful for outreach? and like getting kids going that maybe would be relevant to somebody in that position? Ric Weitzel: ⁓ give me an example what what you're talking. You mean so like a a youth club president of like Yeah. Crysta Brown: Okay. I'm the youth director for Crysta Brown's house quarter horse association. And I currently have one youth kid. What do I do? I w I would love more. I would love to create activities for them, but like they just don't come to us. So like what should we do? Ric Weitzel: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I boy you know that wow. ⁓ you stumped me. ⁓ I y you finally have stumped me on a question. ⁓ you know, th the the traditional way is ⁓ you know, trying to find ⁓ coaches who are willing to to ⁓ get those students even even if you'd like to say you had one youth kid and you and I are friends and and gosh Crysta Brown: Yeah. Scott Cooper: Mm. Crysta Brown: Ha ha. Ric Weitzel: Rick's down the road here and he has a lesson bar and why don't you go ahead and get started over there and we'll get going. And you know what? And we've done that. I I I'm thinking about one of my one of my good friends up in New York. She sent her son down to ride with me for a year because she was unsure whether or not she really wanted to do this thing with YEDA. And we worked together for a year. Her son did very nicely. And she said, heck, she goes, I think I can do this. She started they have one of the most successful teams. ⁓ I think. Crysta Brown: ⁓ yeah. Mm-hmm. Ric Weitzel: here two years ago they were ⁓ our senior high national champion team so so so that's that would be one of my things i know sometimes in the horse business we're we're not we're a little suspicious of partnering with other people but i think we better start getting over that Crysta Brown: ⁓ wow. Scott Cooper: ⁓ nice. Crysta Brown: Mm. Well, and I wonder too, like, I almost think of like how has YEDA so successfully found pools of kids to bring in? Or I guess maybe what you're trying to tell me is like it's really the coaches that have done a good job of that? Okay. Ric Weitzel: It it is. Our our coaches. Our coaches are the ones who've recruited and done well. ⁓ i i and again, it's it's it's not the kid. I don't have any problem getting students. I we get inquiries all the time. Hey, where can I go? Where can I we've got to find more coaches. Crysta Brown: Which that's very impressive to me, 'cause that is not true for most of our clubs and affiliates. Ric Weitzel: Yeah. It's where can we find kids or or coaches who have lesson barns so we can do lessons, that kind of thing. You know, and one other thing that we've done, and actually we haven't, but one of the coaches came up with this. She was also a collegiate coach and she started a junior team. How ingenious was that? Now she's pipelining her students from her junior team right into her college program. Scott Cooper: Mm-hmm. ⁓ nice. I'm this I'm browsing the the website a little bit and I'm looking at your show schedule. There's a lot of shows. You guys do like three to four every month during, you know, the school year. That's really impressive. So it looks like it's mostly like Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia. Is that correct? Ric Weitzel: Yeah. Yeah. ⁓ Virginia, we don't have any teams in currently. ⁓ we're moving our nationals there, but we will. We have a pocket out on the East Coast, really good group of coaches out there. We have a pocket down South Florida, South Carolina, that kind of thing, Georgia. We've good group of coaches there. We had we have a had a decent group in Oklahoma that has since fallen off a little bit. And then we have that Northwest group who has done a phenomenal job out there. Scott Cooper: ⁓ okay, gotcha. Crysta Brown: Mm-hmm. Ric Weitzel: And that's Oregon, Idaho, Washington, that group. Yeah. Scott Cooper: Okay. And what does your national show look like? I know you said you mentioned it's coming up. Ric Weitzel: Yeah. So our national championship show is gonna be at the Virginia Horse Center this year. This will be our first year there. so we're pretty excited. Four days, ⁓ we call it the National Championship Week, tons of events for the kids. And if they're dragging l little brother and sister along too, we have tons of events for them because we want to get them interested in showing horses and doing YEDA. ⁓ yeah. ⁓ lots of opportunities. We have a royalty competition, the Arabian Horse Association sponsors for us. We have a chili cook-off ⁓ this past year. ⁓ ⁓ Sandy Jerwski from the APHA is helping us sponsor. Yeah, she's great, man. Crysta Brown: Love it. Wow. Yeah. Scott Cooper: I am. ⁓ we love Sandy. Ric Weitzel: She's gonna ⁓ help sponsor our our cowboy prom. You know, because it's in June and some kids are missing their proms and whatnot. So we do a cowboy prom. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Crysta Brown: So cute, you guys. That's so creative. I love that. Scott Cooper: I love this. Ric Weitzel: Yeah. So w yeah, we're trying again, it's a youth event, right? So we want youth to do and and then we try to make sure we have good prizes for ⁓ buckles for the winners. ⁓ NSBA has come in and given us bronzes for the winners of individual ⁓ yeah, it's awesome. AQHA comes in and spell over. I I'm gonna get ya. I'm gonna get you to join one of these days. I'm telling you, you're gonna have a team. You're gonna have to fly back and forth for nationals, but ⁓ Crysta Brown: My gosh. Scott Cooper: ⁓ nice. Crysta Brown: Can I join? ⁓ my gosh. Yeah, exactly. Ric Weitzel: AQH A comes in and sponsors some scholarships, colleges sponsor some scholarships. Scott Cooper: Yeah. Crysta Brown: So kids can earn scholarships while they show in YEDA Ric Weitzel: Yeah, so ⁓ my gosh, I can't believe I forgot to tell you about this. Okay, so we have the scholarship incentive program. Okay, so students join a team and then they can join the scholarship incentive program, and for every point they earn has a dollar value, and we bank it for them, and we do until their senior year. Crysta Brown: You're kidding. Ric Weitzel: And then they get a check on their c at their senior year when they graduate out of YEDA And some and it's not a ton of money. It isn't like it's gonna pay for all their school or all their internship. But it's you know, ⁓ forget who the student was last year, had a check for like twenty two hundred dollars. You know, and there were multiple students that had checks over a thousand dollars they went home with. Crysta Brown: No, but like dang Good for him. Scott Cooper: Hopefully. Crysta Brown: Yeah, but what's crazy to me is like okay, I'm just ⁓ I'll be so for real about it. Like it's kind of funny to me. Like I know a lot of our associations do a really good job giving out scholarships, but it's kind of like, well, by the time you buy the horse, buy the outfit, like you w probably wouldn't have been better if you just didn't show horses. But like I find it interesting that you guys are going, you don't have to own a horse and we're gonna give you scholarship money, and you get to like wear our shirt. I'm like Ric Weitzel: Right. Right. Scott Cooper: Right. Ric Weitzel: Right. Crysta Brown: Wow. So like it's really low investment and you're still offering a payback. I think that's really cool. Ric Weitzel: Yeah, yeah. Well and we're trying to keep it low investment. I mean everything's kind of expensive right right now, but ⁓ but ⁓ yeah and and I'll tell ya, Laura has been y you know, real advocate, our CEO has been a real advocate for us on having those shirts and really I I mean, just that was totally her idea. And in the beginning I was like, I don't know if that's gonna work. It's it's worked in spades, you know, so that's good, yeah. Crysta Brown: There's a cost to everything. I think that's great. Scott Cooper: From a business model, I'm curious, like, where does the funding come from? Like how where's the money for scholarships? Where your salaries and you know, I'm assuming you don't do this for free. Like, what's that look like? Ric Weitzel: Sure. Sure, sure. Well, and I tell you again, we're a very flat organization. It's just Laura, Debbie, and I. And so we keep costs down because we do a lot of the work. ⁓ you know, th we have you the the the nonprofit, we get donations in here, we work on grants, this kind of thing. And and I never realized how hard grant writing was until I started to have to do it. So ⁓ yeah, thank thank goodness for AI, right? ⁓ but but yeah, so that's that is a lot of it, Scott. We we do that from that business model. Now horse shows themselves, they do make money because we we run probably a dozen weekends. Scott Cooper: Yeah. Ric Weitzel: per year. Teams can also run shows as fundraisers. We allow them to do that. So especially in the Northwest, out east, they have to run the majority of the shows. We run a handful of shows here in the Midwest, but then we go out to Tennessee, go out down south and run a show, that kind of thing. So we do we do accumulate money from that ⁓ to pay for things like awards and and pay for staff and IT and computers and all that great stuff. So Scott Cooper: Mm-hmm. Nice. Crysta Brown: That's really interesting. I keep thinking about just that number that you said, like eighty eight percent were like first generation horsemen. I just like I I just like want to emphasize it again because I'm like that is really crazy because I feel Ric Weitzel: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, and it it and that's a and that's a couple years old, Crysta. And it it might be it might even be higher now. ⁓ Crysta Brown: This wild. Scott Cooper: Fantastic. Ric Weitzel: But but you know, in and students kinda come in, they do the horse thing for a little while, maybe they go to college and ride, maybe they get but the thing is, you know, i i we're we're what we're doing is we're producing horse enthusiasts into the future. Yeah, they may be doctors and lawyers later, but guess what they're gonna do in their spare time? Hey, I'm gonna get a horse, I'm gonna show a horse and that kind of thing. And that's what we want, right? Crysta Brown: Mm. Scott Cooper: They're gonna come back. Yeah. Yep. Crysta Brown: Yeah, exactly. Scott Cooper: Yeah. I'm Crysta Brown: Yeah, do you feel like your role ⁓ sorry, go ahead. Scott Cooper: No, I was just gonna point out that like both you and I are first generation horse owners. Like we did not come from horse families at all. And you know, we have both done other stuff and I we both now make it our own personalities and like like it that right. It's it it all comes back. So ⁓ Crysta Brown: Yeah. Ric Weitzel: Mm-hmm. Crysta Brown: Yeah. have a podcast about it. Yeah. ⁓ in YEDA you'll find your next generation of podcasters. ⁓ is definitely what you're looking for. ⁓ Ric Weitzel: Yeah. ⁓ Scott Cooper: Yeah, okay. Ric Weitzel: Yeah. Hey, I tell you what, yeah, I know we we we and we've hired some interns to come in and do different things for us and they've done a great job, you know, and and and handfuls. You know, the thing is I look I look over the ten years, because this is our ten year anniversary this year, we're making a big deal of it. And we look back at ten years and some of the professionals out there that we've reached out to them and they're doing well, you know, and it's cool. It's really cool. And there's not a not a ton, but you know, it's great. They've come through the through the through the program. Some some students have even gone. Crysta Brown: Yeah. Scott Cooper: Mm-hmm. I saw that. Crysta Brown: ⁓ wow. That's awesome. Scott Cooper: That's awesome. Ric Weitzel: gone on to the NC NCEA, right? ⁓ which is it's a little tougher. You know, you've got to be showing horses on a regular basis and doing YEDA. Hey, I applaud them. So. Scott Cooper: Nice. Crysta Brown: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. So I have a curiosity if you're okay, Scotty, with me like shifting gears a little bit. But ⁓ ⁓ curious because I think the message where I I got to chatting a little bit was we were talking about horse making and like reevaluating the horse trainer business model kind of a thing. ⁓ And I think it ⁓ Scott Cooper: Mm-hmm. Crysta Brown: Okay, something I've noticed as a horse trainer is now that I'm around the UK and Ireland, like riding schools are very much a thing. And honestly, they're much more profitable than those that are individually going and riding horses. ⁓ and some of that I think is a volume thing. ⁓ I wonder you kind of said you feel like every horse trainer should be partnering with YEDA be it their assistant, like running a team. Like, what does that look like to you? And where do you think like Partnering as a horse trainer with YEDA is going to benefit these different trainers and their businesses. Ric Weitzel: Sure, sure, sure. Well, there's actually a couple couple things. So w one thing is if let's say let's say I have a horse trainer, I have a a barn, a facility, and yes, I have a few ⁓ empty stalls in there, and I'm gonna throw some lesson horses in there, and I get my assistant trainer to run that portion of my business. Okay. There there's one way, and that's income, right? And I'll tell you another way too. Crysta Brown: Mm-hmm. Right. Ric Weitzel: How many people have you had over the years that I am not buying a new horse until something happens to old Trigger over here? Right? Okay, I'm not I'm not doing it, right? So I, you know, your horse trainer says, hey, look, Rick will take Trigger and turn him into a really nice lesson horse. He'll have a great life, he'll be fat and happy, and then you can buy something new. Well, who does that benefit? Well. Crysta Brown: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Right. Ric Weitzel: You know, it benefits that trainer as well. The the the rider gets a new horse to go show and now the horse trainer has a new horse in training and doing their thing. This other one's off the feedbill. Yeah. Yeah. So think there's I think there's some value to it. Now, look, it i if you're a horse trainer out there and you're winning, you're having great success and that's ⁓ power to you. Great. I love it, you know. But not everybody's in that boat. Crysta Brown: Makes sense. Makes perfect sense. Hm. Yeah. Scott Cooper: Mm-hmm. Crysta Brown: probably more than people might assume aren't in that boat. They're maybe just getting by. And so I do think there's a lot of value in like having conversations of like, how can we make it better? Like what can we, you know, as a trainer, like what can myself and like some of my peers maybe go, okay, like if I'm in the struggle bus, like maybe this is another option for me. Ric Weitzel: Yeah, yeah. A and and and that's and that's what I that's what again, in talking to students collegiately in the years past, hey, what do you plan on doing? Have you ever thought about doing lessons? Have you ever thought about doing that? To makes to get yourself going, get your get your ⁓ get yourself up and and your feet wet and and making money and being able to survive. You know, you can have your feet in both worlds. It's you can do that. Yeah. Yeah. Crysta Brown: For sure. absolutely. But I also think Scott and I have talked about this before. I think the role of coach is undervalued sometimes in our world. Like, I think we can almost act like having a lesson than program is lesser. And yet from where I'm sitting, I'm like, no, like we desperately need people that are gonna start people. Because if you've got a barn of thirty training horses, like what Ric Weitzel: Sure. Sure. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Crysta Brown: When do you have time for a beginner lesson? Like that's just not realistic for most people. Whereas, like if somebody is willing to specialize in that, I don't know. I just think that's so important to I mean, for everything that we've said before, so important to the industry. Ric Weitzel: It isn't. Yeah, it it's not. Yeah, no, I agree. I agree. Well, it's like I said, if you if you have if if if some some younger people maybe just started off doing lessons, a and I gotta tell you, I think and I really like doing lessons. I know a lot of people don't, but i you do you do kinda learn from your students being able to coach them through, Okay, how can I tell them to do this so it clicks? They have that aha moment. Crysta Brown: Yeah. And then it re clicks for me. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Ric Weitzel: Yeah. And you're like, Okay, do this and it works and you're like, ⁓ yeah, okay, I'm gonna try that too. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Crysta Brown: I need to do that too. Yeah, yeah, exactly. I get that. No, because I I do think in the process I mean, I do feel like oftentimes people disqualify themselves from training or coaching. Like I do kind of feel like more people are capable of being open exhibitors or trainers than maybe they allow for themselves. but I feel like it's okay to not know everything. You know, like if you have a a good teaching style, like you're a strong communicator and like you know how to be safe and how to keep others safer on horses, like you probably could like offer some value. And I don't know. I've talked to a lot of people recently that are kind of like, you know, I'm in this new phase, like my kids are getting older. Like part of me wonders if I should like maybe start teaching some lessons. And I feel like nine times out of ten, I'm like, honestly, do it. Like I Ric Weitzel: Yeah, right. Yeah, yeah. Crysta Brown: I know it can be intimidating to drop the Amy card and I totally respect not wanting to. Like, good for you. ⁓ but at the same time, it's like you'll live, you'll survive. Like it's gonna be a longer, harder road to get some of those trinkets, but at the end of the day, they're trinkets. Ric Weitzel: Well Yeah, and I don't know. I know that AQHA and APHA were kicking around this this Amy's giving lessons thing for a while. And I don't know if that issue is dead or not. I don't know if it adds value or not. ⁓ I don't know where the research ever was on that stuff. I I'd be curious if anybody really kind of looked into it to see if that would be, you know, something. I don't know. I ⁓ I don't know your opinion, Scott, about that. I mean yeah, you have your non pro card and you're out giving lessons. ⁓ you know. Crysta Brown: Yeah. Scott Cooper: yeah. Crysta Brown: Well, we kind of have a hot take on this podcast, which I'm actually thank you for bringing it up. I'd love to share it again. I personally something I think would really benefit our industries is I don't think we should have I don't think Amy Pro is ⁓ the right divide, right? Because some of those Amies are like professional AMMs. Like being an amateur, not being paid doesn't necessarily mean that you don't have the same skill set. ⁓ it just means that you don't make money off of it. And so Scott Cooper: Mm-hmm. Ric Weitzel: ⁓ yeah. Yeah, yeah. Crysta Brown: Personally, I kind of think like what dressage show jumping does where it's just like eighteen and over, like leveled. Now theirs is leveled by the course or the pattern. ⁓ but I think that would be like that makes sense to me for our world. I feel like it should be a like five leveled eighteen and over system versus ⁓ amateur and open, but also nobody cares what I think. So there's that. Yes. Mm-hmm. Ric Weitzel: Right, right. Scott Cooper: Yeah. Ric Weitzel: Well NRH A does a little NRH A does a little bit of that though, don't they? They they do that green green ra okay. Okay, yeah. So i mean there's there's examples of I mean there's always a template out there, right? But examples of that that it has worked. ⁓ you know, USEF has done some things like that. ⁓ you know, my wife is a dressage gal. She does the dressage and so ⁓ so a little bit familiar with with how they do that. ⁓ And yeah, it's ⁓ Scott Cooper: And roping. Mm-hmm. Ric Weitzel: Yeah, I I think it's it's a it's a good model to maybe try to ⁓ emulate, you know. Scott Cooper: Yeah, I mean, speaking as an amateur, I would love to be able to like give lessons and coach kids and like not that I want to make it my career. Like I do not want to make it my career. But I would like to help the industry by giving some of the knowledge I have. Does it make me as smart as you know the quote unquote professionals in the industry? No, not necessarily, but you know, I'm taking someone from but I'm taking someone from ground zero and giving them what I know. But Ric Weitzel: Mm-hmm. Crysta Brown: But you could do it. Yeah. Ric Weitzel: Yeah. Scott Cooper: Because of all the rules, like you can't really, although maybe if you just don't accept money, I don't know. That's a gray area. Like Ric Weitzel: Yeah. And I and and I don't know I I and again I might be totally speaking, incorrect here, but thought at one time like if you're a USEF deal, you can do like kids camps and you're and it's But I don't know if it's okay like in our world, in the in the Western world. Scott Cooper: I think that I think as long as you don't get paid, then it's fine. Crysta Brown: Yeah, paint and quarter, our rules are all related to remuneration. Can't receive any trade or pay for training, riding, coaching, ⁓ anything like that. There is a lot of gray area around it. but I think it's yeah, it's hard for us to be radical with anything, I think. Scott Cooper: Yeah. Ric Weitzel: Yeah. Around the camps thing, yeah. Yeah. Scott Cooper: Well Well and like also too, if I were to go to a show and help a youth kid out and be coaching on the rail, even if I'm not getting money or getting paid or anything, there will be someone that'll be like, Scott Cooper was coaching, I'm reporting him and be like and then it's just my word against theirs of like they can't prove that I didn't get paid. I can't prove that I did not get paid. So it's just like you know, it's Ric Weitzel: You didn't. ⁓ yeah, no. Yeah, you know, you'd have yeah, right. Right, right. You you'd have a problem with that. Yeah. Right. Right. Crysta Brown: It just gets messy and it's I think having that amateur card, it's unfortunately very valuable. So then I think it's like you would rather be above reproach. So like ⁓ maybe you could go volunteer. Like and I don't think I mean if you went and volunteered with like your local for H, like go volunteer with YEDA, like I don't think anybody's gonna care about that. But I think if you start like advertising it. Ric Weitzel: Yeah. Mm. Crysta Brown: I I don't know. I just it's it's the appearance of evil thing. It's gonna bring you a lot of trouble because somebody who's grumpy won something last week is gonna turn that in. So it's a hard one. Ric Weitzel: Right. Right. Yep, yep, yep. No, no, I no I get it. I get it. But but I think that that they're again, I don't know what the statistics tell us, but I don't know if it would help or not. But I I would just love to see more coaches. I I just that's my thing. You know, like like we were saying, the lesson barns are gone around the the metropolitan areas where you could go out of town and go ride. It they're just they're just not there anymore. Scott Cooper: Yeah. Crysta Brown: Yeah. Yeah. Ric Weitzel: I think YEDA is kind of maybe filling that gap a little bit by trying to promote this where we get coaches and try to get kids, you know, going and and and whatnot. But ⁓ but yeah, don't know what the answer is. Scott Cooper: If someone is looking Crysta Brown: Which is great. Yeah. Scott Cooper: If someone's listening that to become a YEDA coach or is just interested in like ⁓ they can do to pursue that, what should they do next? Ric Weitzel: Okay. If they if if they're interested, we would love to talk to them. I think we I think we do I think we do best if we pick up the phone and talk to ⁓ They can shoot us an email. Hey, this is my phone number. ⁓ give me a call. I'm thinking about starting a YDA team in this area. We can give you some of the geographic background. ⁓ yeah, hey, so and so is like a hundred miles from you and this is how it would work. we can even do and we've we've been able to do some things even with some some coaches in isolated areas ⁓ of this country and of other countries. We Crysta Brown: Ha ha ha. Scott Cooper: Okay. Ric Weitzel: We have said, Hey, if you do it this way, we can make that work for you to build ⁓ your business. Crysta Brown: That's really cool. Scott Cooper: Is is there YEDA for adults? Crysta Brown: Ha ha ha. Ric Weitzel: There is not. And no, it sounds fun. We we do Yeah, no, we do alumni, right? So and that's mostly for ⁓ college age students who maybe are still ⁓ part of a barn that is a YEDA barn, whatnot. we still do that. We don't veer into the IHSA's deal. ⁓ Scott Cooper: Okay. Let's get this going, Rick. Crysta Brown: Come on. Yeah. Ric Weitzel: Because they have teams, but ⁓ and I know I know the ever changing landscape of college education is going to force that at some point where, you know, the people are not going to traditional college and don't even get me started on how that whole that deal goes, but but I can I can I can put pontificate on that forever. But but I think that at some point it's gonna have to be addressed where, you know, I'm out here in this land and I'm going to Crysta Brown: Yeah. Scott Cooper: Yeah. Ric Weitzel: university online over here but I wanna be able to show in a in a collegiate or a cat catch riding type style. I think there's some at some point something's gonna have to happen there. We'll have to address it. Scott Cooper: Yeah. No, I'm just I'm tr thinking about the parallels between UDJ C and YEDA Yeah, of like so Crysta Brown: That's what I was thinking. Ric Weitzel: What what did you say? Crysta Brown: Have you looked into U D J C? Ric Weitzel: No. W tell me about that. Scott Cooper: Okay, listen to our podcast about it. It was, I don't know, two months ago, maybe three months ago. ⁓ it's United Dressage and Jumping Club. Yes, thank you. ⁓ but really trying to, for lack of a better word, combat u S E F and make jumping and dressage affordable, especially for kids and adults. ⁓ it just like there seems like there's a lot of parallels here of just like Crysta Brown: You'd love it. Ric Weitzel: Okay. Okay. Crysta Brown: Yeah. Well, yeah. And he has such an attitude. Like one of his videos recently that I really enjoyed, I was like, wish we talked about on the podcast. But he was like, I don't care if the braids look like crap. Like the point is that the kids do them, you know? Like I think it's very much about the developing of competent riders versus showing. Scott Cooper: Yeah. Ric Weitzel: Yeah. Scott Cooper: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Ric Weitzel: Right, right, right, yeah. That's interesting. ⁓ and it's dressage and jumping? Scott Cooper: Correct. Yep. So you guys got the western side covered, they'll they'll do the English. But like maybe a collab in the future. Ric Weitzel: Yeah. Crysta Brown: Yeah, 'cause their whole thing, he was talking about like the lesson barns hold like a quote unquote schooling show, but it's not. It's rated and it's four points. But like their goal is to get what did he say? It was like they want to have a local show within an hour drive of like anyone in the country is their goal. Because they like want to bring they're like, it's not reasonable for Like it's not reasonable for the average American to spend 5K to go to, you know, the zone two, right? But it it's reasonable for you to put the horse in the two horse trailer and drive an hour. So I think that's really their goal. So like a different way around it, but I think they're doing a lot that I find interesting of kind of making this more accessible, helping somebody get on rampant into the sport. Ric Weitzel: Yes. Well, that's and that's that's us. You know, we're w we're you know, we're yeah, yeah, probably running along together in different ⁓ in different worlds. But ⁓ yeah, yeah. I'll yeah, I'll I'll ⁓ I'll dig into your podcast there and and ⁓ Yeah. No, that's okay. I got plenty to do as it is. So but no problem. No, we c we can do that. Crysta Brown: Yeah. Scott Cooper: Yeah. Right, exactly. Crysta Brown: Yeah. Not to give you homework, but like ⁓ before we let you go, is there anything you like want really want to leave our listeners with? Anything that you want to touch on that we haven't gotten to? Like, have your moment. Scott Cooper: Yeah, yeah. Ric Weitzel: Well, I I think the one thing ⁓ I would like to is invite everyone, and I don't know when this podcast goes out, but ⁓ gonna have our national championship week June 4th through the 7th ⁓ the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, Virginia. ⁓ this is our 10-year anniversary. We have lots of things planned for students, we want visitors, ⁓ have a whole setup for people visiting. We'll give you give you a tour around, meet coaches, meet ⁓ leaders there ⁓ at YEDA. ⁓ you know you Yep, total self promotion here, but we want we want yeah, we we want be and again, I don't know when this podcast goes up, but we we would love to have you Scott Cooper: No, you just do it. Yeah. Crysta Brown: That's cool, yeah. It'll come out in like a couple of days, if we're being honest. Ric Weitzel: Okay, call us, text us, get on, and see us. We have some great people and we want to show you what YEDA is all about because I think ⁓ think if you came and saw what we do, and this is gonna be a humdinger of a show this year because it's our ten year anniversary. ⁓ we started a hall of fame for the horses, for coaches in the past. So this this is gonna be a blast. Yeah. ⁓ come come to YEDA Nationals. Crysta Brown: Cool. No, that's really, really cool. And if someone will like does want to get in touch with YEDA to like what's the best way? Where's your site? Like how can they find you? Ric Weitzel: Yeah, so it's ⁓ it's a sho YEDA. dot com so sh o w y e d a dot com and get on there kind of peruse our website a little bit ⁓ our emails are on there laura smith is the CEO she loves to talk about Edo almost more than me ⁓ Debbie Arnold very knowledgeable about the inner workings of our organization CR CFO and then there's me Rick Weitzel and I do a lot of the marketing and outreach and and ⁓ work with our partners in ⁓ in different associations Crysta Brown: Yeah. No, that's so awesome. Well, guys, we're gonna leave it there. And just remember that you can't be all of the good that the Horseshow World needs, but the Horseshow World needs all the good that you can do. Bye everyone. Scott Cooper: Thanks.