Scott Cooper: Alright besties, we are welcoming Kyra Ley today. ⁓ Kyra, tell us a little bit about yourself, where are you from? What do you do? What are horses to you? All that. Hi, welcome to the new wait, how do I what do I know? Crysta Brown: ⁓ my god, another episode. Kyra Ley: Horses are everything to me. ⁓ they're all I think about, and I am a 28-year-old horse trainer from Montana. I grew up born and raised here in this town that I live in now, Shodo. ⁓ it's a little town just south of the Canadian border on the Rocky Mountain front. And ⁓ Scott Cooper: Mm-hmm. Hi and welcome to another episode of Horse Show Bestie. I'm your co host, Scott Cooper. Crysta Brown: Yeah Scott Cooper: Thing. Crysta Brown: And I'm your other co host, Crysta Brown. Hi Scott. Scott Cooper: Hi, Crysta. We were just about talking about how much we're struggling today. And this it's totally up to Lauren, our editor, if she wants to edit out what the what the nightmare just was that we tried to open with, but whatever. Anyway. What's happening, Crysta? Kyra Ley: Never wanted to be a horse trainer, never thought that that was in the cards for me. I went to school for a couple years, rode on the equestrian team, and then decided that wasn't for me. I moved back home and all I wanted to do was show horses. ⁓ but it is really hard to find a job in a small town that's going to afford this lifestyle. And my parents said, We're not paying for it anymore. So Crysta Brown: lots, actually. The weather is like halfway decent in Northern Ireland, which is wonderful. It's definitely like I think my moods are so weather dependent. It's like concerning for where I live. Because like I know. Cause literally like the sun comes out, I like feel that vitamin D synthesis and I am just like a different human. Like it's so good. ⁓ so yeah, it's all good. Scott Cooper: Yeah, that's that's not great. Crysta Brown: right. you Kyra Ley: I decided to start training horses instead. And I had always kind of trained my horses as a youth. And even though we worked with a trainer, I always had a horse at home that I was training. And then through my experiences and stuff on the equestrian team, then it was kind of like I had a couple people that, you know, were interested in sending me their horses. And so I just kind of was like, Okay, I guess we're going for it. I mean, in hindsight, it would have been great to work for somebody for a couple of years, but I was getting married and Scott Cooper: Yeah. Crysta Brown: May or may not be vetting a new horse. Right? Yeah. Scott Cooper: Will bubbles get a sibling in Ricky Bobby? Crysta Brown: Possibly. We'll see. ⁓ so Chris and I've we can talk a little. I mean, I I w maybe won't like share too much about this specific horse until it's final, just like respect for the owner in case they're not interested in that. But yeah, I don't know. We just we've been talking about it for a long time 'cause like it's really been hard not having a riding horse. Like it makes tip videos easier. It's just it all kinda helps. It's all a part of the thing for me. And I would love to do Scott Cooper: Okay, fingers crossed. Do we wanna talk about it? Do you wanna share any details? Mm hmm. Kyra Ley: We were not going to move. So it was like, all right, we're gonna just go for it. So here we are. Scott Cooper: Yeah. That's awesome. ⁓ and any like specialty as far as disciplines? Like what's your favorite? Kyra Ley: I focus more on the Western all-around events. I not because that's what I wanted to focus on, just because that's kind of the clientele that I got. Then I kind of stumbled into the pleasure versatility challenge that was never on my radar. And then we got a three-year-old, and I kind of like found out I was kind of good at that part of it. So then that made me realize that I really liked. Crysta Brown: like a ranch li riding ⁓ course. ⁓ but I need a pony for these things. So, ⁓ yeah, we're No, I know. Scott Cooper: Mm-hmm. And I stole your chip from you. Or I refuse to send them to you. It's more like it. Nice. Crysta Brown: I mean, if I had chip, you consider I literally could have done every class, which would have been amazing. But it's fine. It's fine. I'm getting over it. ⁓ but no, I'm excited. I think it could be really cool. And ⁓ I feel like a ranch rider makes sense for this area as far as outreach. I don't know if you saw, but we took Ricky Bobby for a little outreach situation. It was really fun. ⁓ we Kyra Ley: kind of the three-year-old year and developing that horse, like once they kind of know the basics, like maybe a pleasure background, but they're not gonna cut it as a high-end pleasure horse, and then teaching them the other events. And I really enjoy that process more so than anything else. Scott Cooper: I know, that was so cute. Crysta Brown: That's really cool. well, I think like most people, kind of came familiar with you through socials. Like I saw you were like super active for a while and then I heard you had a baby, right? And then now you're kind of coming back to socials. Like, tell me about that. Tell me about like what initially inspired you to get on socials and start sharing like horse training knowledge and all of that piece. And then tell me about now. Like our club, Stockhorse Ireland is really just trying to figure out, like, I don't know, we've really learned that we need to go to people instead of waiting for them to come to us. Like people aren't just sitting around like doing the hunter jumpery stuff and being like, What's Stockhorse Ireland doing? So like we need to kind of go and say, Hey, this is what we are, this is what we do. So, ⁓ yeah, like in lieu of a riding horse, I was like, Well, I mean, we could take Ricky if you guys want. So 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, Kyra Ley: Mm-hmm. Yep. Scott Cooper: ⁓ okay. Kyra Ley: Yeah. Yeah, so I started doing TikTok like springtime in 2024. And there was like a trend going around where it was like, ⁓ get to 10 10K and then you can get monetized. And I was like, that sounds like a really good idea. ⁓ and then it turned out to be a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. ⁓ you know, I had to put out videos that actually like had some meat and potatoes to them rather than just like, here's a cool edit of my horse loping around. Crysta Brown: I was like genuinely scared, Scott, because it's like he's a yearling. Like it can No, like we've moved him, like when we moved to the barn with the indoor, like he got moved then, but that's the only time in his life he's like traveled. So this was his second new destination and he was actually really good. Like started out nervy, which I totally like expected and was fine. But then they bumped us up. Scott Cooper: Right. And that was his first time off the farm. 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: Heard. Scott Cooper: Yeah. Crysta Brown: Yeah. Scott Cooper: Well that's good. Crysta Brown: right. Kyra Ley: And then people really started to key into that and really like that. And then it I kind of just noticed that there was a need for ⁓ just like, you know, in in the pleasure horse, show horse industry, there's not as much like content and ⁓ resources for people to just like have on the internet. You know, you find like in the reigning industry there's like, you know, a handful of trainers that have Crysta Brown: So we like get the imagine being me. And I'm like, how is this gonna go? Like he's an idiot. Like I love him. Like he's so stupid. And then we like park the trailer. We like go, hey, we're here. Like, where do you guys need us? What are we supposed to do? And they're like, actually, can you go four hours earlier than your original time? I'm like, like Scott Cooper: Okay. signed contract and 5 % commission. Find her on Facebook under the NAC Equine or check out her website at nac-equine-services.com. ⁓ Crysta Brown: Now back to the episode. Scott Cooper: With my yearling that needed those four hours to settle in. Mm-hmm. Crysta Brown: No, I'm like, I was literally like thinking to myself, like, cool, he's gonna stand here. I can do like a slow grooming process. He'll settle, he can get nervous and do a little bit of groundwork, tie him back up. And then it was like, oop, all that plan, psh, out the door. So yeah. It rains that, luckily, he's used to standing in the rain. So that did not bother him. Let me tell you, if my horses ever do come back to the states they're gonna be rainproof. If there is a horse show that rains out, my horse are gonna be Kyra Ley: Different ⁓ video services and that kind of thing. And so there's a lot of content for like in that industry, but not in ours. So that's where I kind of started to key in on like, here's some tips and tricks, like here's a video series on a lead change and teaching your horse to change leads or fine-tuning it and that kind of stuff. ⁓ and then about the time that I actually did get monetized, that's when I got pregnant and I just kind of lost all desire for it, to be completely honest. I was like, Scott Cooper: Mm-hmm. And it was raining. Crysta Brown: ⁓ Fine, 'cause Ricky's just like, yep, rain, another day. Not bubbles. She still screams and cries. Yeah. Scott Cooper: Yeah. Yep. That's awesome. Well and y ⁓ same girl. well and you were telling me about just the format of just their general shows. Like they're showing out in a grass field. How awes I'm sorry, that's awesome. First off, Chip would be trying to like graze the entire time we're doing a class, but still. Kyra Ley: There's so many bigger things in life, and now I'm gonna have a baby. And I'm like, you know, just kind of slowed down and focused on like the horses that I had in my barn. And, you know, I really kind of cut back, especially towards the end of my pregnancy. and then I had him just about a year ago. He was born in the beginning of July, so he's gonna be a year old, which is crazy. but then here recently, just kind of started to make some videos again. I was a little less busy, I kind of had Scott Cooper: Mm-hmm. Crysta Brown: Okay, but here's the thing. Wow. Okay, but I'm so glad you put that out there because I would like to say their shows, it's literally like less than ten bucks a class. And the reason is they're not snooty and shitty about where they show. So this is like a local county show, which is essentially like our equivalent of a fair. And there's no arena. Literally. It's that exact vibe, except for there's not even an arena. It's like a flat grass field. Kyra Ley: you know, sold a horse and ⁓ so then it was like, ⁓ well my workload isn't quite so high. So now I can try to kind of film a couple videos and get back into it. And it's like strangely addicting like when you put out a video that really hits and then, you know, you got all these people liking it and commenting on it. And you're like, ⁓ this is so much fun. And it really kind of just draws you back into it. ⁓ but I'm not like a creative person by like Scott Cooper: Or like your weekend local shows. Open shows. Yeah. Crysta Brown: ⁓ yeah. And then they just mark out with like string and like posts where the different arenas are. And people are cool with it. And they show up and they do their one class and then they leave. And nobody complains about the ground and it's raining. Kyra Ley: I just that's doesn't come naturally to me. So I really struggle with like, ⁓ what's like, you know, to put content out every day, like what are s what am I gonna film? What am I gonna do? Like I don't wanna do the same thing over and over again. so that's where my I kinda get hung up in that part of it. But Scott Cooper: That's that's not that much worse than like all the four H facilities I grew up showing in. Like someone's backyard garden that they're like, ⁓ turn this in an arena, let's just till it real quick. Crysta Brown: ⁓ yeah. I just like I get it when we have look, sometimes you've got an older horse you gotta be real careful what footing you put on, you know, maybe it's a horse that's been nerved Like ⁓ I it, there are circumstances as to why, but I think if we would get a lot more cool about the facilities we attend, our shows would be a lot more affordable because like y these people literally hauled in and hauled out for like fifty bucks. I mean Scott Cooper: Yeah. Yeah. I Yeah. ⁓ my god. I feel like I go in spurts. And honestly, my best content always comes at horse shows, which have been few the last couple of years, but like going to the world show and being ridiculous and nationals and all that, but that's not all the time. And I didn't have a horse at home or near me at all either. So was like, I it's interesting about TikTok and like Crysta Brown: Yeah, I mean, you're preaching to the choir. We get you 100%. Scott Cooper: Well, I will say and I acknowledge that like a weekend show, like multiple days, two days is gonna be different. You do need stalls, you do need whatever. But if you just wanna do a haul in one day done by two o'clock show, you literally need an open field and that's it. Like that's it. Crysta Brown: Yeah. Scott Cooper: definitely throws you into niches and then you're stuck there. I was like, none of these horse people followers want to hear shit about me going to the beach or surfing or working out or my triathlons. Like nothing. Every time I would put a video out like that, it would just flop. So I'm like, I'm not even bothered. So like I really got in spurts of like I won't post for like months. And now all of a sudden I have chip now, you know, twenty minutes away. So I can go post stuff all the time. So that'll be an interesting change. But like yeah, I feel you. Like sometimes you're just like, I don't know. Like yesterday I Crysta Brown: Imagine staying at home. Like, so like the way it is here, like so the county shows like kind of go all summer and they're all over the place. But like this show was 45 minutes from us. So people just like drive over, compete, go back home, sleep at home, and then maybe they come back for the next day, like on the Sunday too. But like that's just how it is. And anyway, yeah, what I took away from it. Wait, really quick though, I have to tell you about Kyra Ley: Yeah. Scott Cooper: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. I want more of that. Kyra Ley: Yeah. It's like I don't know how many times can I film myself like grooming this horse? Like this is literally all I do every day. I groom horses, I ride them and then I put ⁓ back away. Like Crysta Brown: How their working hunter classes go. I need you to like picture this, like imagine it in your head. I'm gonna do my best description. So first they all go through, they jump their course. Straightforward, we all get that. Okay, they jump and it like looks like a hunter course. It's like browns and greens and hedges and things like that. Then they come over and you think to yourself, like, cool, now I'm essentially watching a hunter under saddle class. Like they're all on the outside. But then they bring all the riders one by one to the middle, and then they have a ⁓ Scott Cooper: My God. Right. Right. Yeah. Crysta Brown: But it's hard too, because if you don't have somebody to like, okay, for me, like the tip content is what people want from me, of course. But like, if my husband's not around to film for me, I can't really do it effectively. Like it doesn't look as good if I try to like prop my phone on a jump standard. don't know. So it is really challenging, even though you want to make it. Kyra Ley: I I get it. Yeah. I mean, I can't tell you how many times I've filmed a video like with my Pivot and then I'll try to do the audio like with it, like through my headphones or through a microphone or whatever. And then I go back and my Pivot's like doing this the whole time. And then I'm not even in frame and you can't hear me, it's all muffled. And I'm like, Okay, well that was twenty minutes. I'm never gonna get back. Like Yeah. Crysta Brown: riding judge that gets on the horse and then tests and decides which horse he likes riding the best. Swear to God. Then after they unsaddle the horse and then they have to trot to a confirmation judge. And that's how they decide the winner of the class. It's like a four-step process. I was shook. I was like, God bless, I love you all judges, but you engage on my horse. No chance. Scott Cooper: Can you imagine? Crysta Brown: Forget it. 100%. Scott Cooper: I wish it wasn't so cringy to ask people to film. I I don't know how these creators do it when those like s I see so many videos where it is like such a b-roll thing. Like someone's following them with a camera as they're just like walking down the street or something. I I could never, I could never ask even my husband, I would be like this just th I don't know. It's so embarrassing to me. And yet, like that's the type of content I feel like sometimes gets views. But you're right with writing. Like even the other day I was trying to film some Crysta Brown: Yes. Scott Cooper: Can you imagine being a judge now that you're gonna be an NSBA judge? ⁓ just getting on one of those horses. Be like, ⁓ excuse me, Aaron Moses, let me grab this girl code or which what's their name? Girl code, right? Yeah, let me just grab girl code. Crysta Brown: ⁓ my god, no. No. Yeah, it would be fun on that one, but there's some of them horses in that pen. I would be like, no, thank you. He was trying to get one loped off and like wouldn't. I was like, ⁓ god. Anyway, it was an experience for sure. ⁓ and when they groom the horses, like think like Pinto, ideal pinto, like they have grooms that go out. They took picnic baskets with their grooming brushes. Precious. Precious. So anyway, that was my experience. ⁓ it's very interesting. But ⁓ Kyra Ley: No. Yeah. Scott Cooper: With me riding chip and like literally I had to like prop my phone up against a fence and then I'm in the frame. You're nine miles away. You can and you can only see like this much of it. So it's like when you go past the screen and then it's empty, and then a minute later you go past the screen again. I'm just like, I hate this. I hate this so much. I hate trying to create, and I also don't want anyone to watch me create, and I don't want to ask anyone ever to help me create besides Crysta. Like that's it. Mm-hmm. It's adorable. Yeah. Kyra Ley: Yeah. ⁓ Crysta Brown: You Complete diversion. Our guest today is Kyra Lay. And I'm really excited to chat with her. ⁓ I've kind of followed her on social media for a while now. She was like really active on socials for a time. She's got some stuff going on on her website, like trying to put resources out for people. And I think we need more humans like that. So I'm really excited to chat with her and let's jump into it. Yeah, that's where it's nice having each other for sure. Cause I'm like, I can make Scott do it. It's fine. But. Kyra Ley: Yeah. I I hate filming like in public or whatever. My phone's like down here and I'm like no one's watching me. It's like ⁓ it's yeah. Scott Cooper: Right. ⁓ my god, I hate it. I hate it. I hate it so much. It is so cringy to me. I hate it. Crysta Brown: Okay, but we were talking a little bit before about this, like a personal experience that I've had is, you know, it's hard to be a horse trainer. I think it's really hard to be a young trainer coming up because you've kind of got all these greats ahead of you. And you know, when the pool of clients is, you know, this big and everybody, I mean, why would you come to me when you could go to Sarah Simons? You can go to Shannon Waters. Like those people have. spaces available, like what would make you want to come into my barn? And I think it's really challenging. And I think something a lot of maybe the older generation doesn't understand, at least my story, is like the social media is how I live. Like that's how I pay the bills when like the client work isn't going to do it. Like at least for me, it's turned into now the video lessons and the things like that. But it's like, I wish I could have done it the traditional way. I wish I could have put. horse trainer out on the door and people would have brought horses to me and I could have made a living, but that's just not what it's looked like. So I'm really curious your journey in that way. Kyra Ley: Yeah. ⁓ yeah, it's truly very difficult, especially because I live out of the way, like, you know. Lots of people love to visit Montana. So I was like, ⁓ this is gonna be great. Like people will want to send their horse here and then they can just like vacation in Montana. ⁓ that has not been the case. But I know that if I lived in Texas, that it would be different. Like I would have probably a full barn if I lived in Texas because people are just like so that's the culture. Like they're so willing to like send a horse there. ⁓ but you know, I'm a big proponent of send the horse. Crysta Brown: Hmm. Kyra Ley: To the program that you think is going to be the right fit for you. And I'm not like, I'm not here to, you know, drag on any of those people because they're excellent trainers. Like they have very successful programs. Like, yeah, we had a horse with Aaron Moses because, like, I know that I'm not the pleasure trainer that he is. And also for us to go to Florida for any of those big fraturities or like Kentucky or anything, it's three days, you know? So it makes sense to have a horse there. Crysta Brown: For sure. Yeah. Kyra Ley: But you know, it's just like I think that sometimes a more individualized approach is kind of what I've been trying to push. Like, hey, I don't have 40 horses in my barn. Like you send your horse to me, I'm gonna be the one that's riding it. Like I'm gonna be the one that's helping you with it. ⁓ where you send yes, like you send a horse to that program. And again, not to drag on him, but like it. Crysta Brown: grooming, saddling, everything. Kyra Ley: might not be the top horse and the assistant's gonna get to ride it. Or, you know, it's just like, been there, done that, like I've trained with people. Like I was I was a non-pro before I did this, so I know how it works, you know? But ⁓ I kind of forgot what the question was. Scott Cooper: Well No, and I just but I wanna expand on something you said because like we have pointed out that like there's levels to this shit for the amateurs too as far as paying stuff. Like paying for a trainer is a luxury, but an Aaron Moses luxury is gonna have a much higher price tag than a Crysta Brown luxury. So ⁓ the but there needs to be that market too for those people. I mean Kyra Ley: Yeah. Crysta Brown: Ha I'm Ian. Kyra Ley: Well, yeah, it's just it's it's tough too 'cause it's like, I mean, at the end of the day, like even if I'm offering a smaller program, like, I can't really afford to charge any less because I still have to pay for like my rent and like my expenses. Like I still have to cover all that stuff. And so, you know, when you have more horses in the barn, then you have more employees and more, you know, but you have more wiggle room. Crysta Brown: I was gonna say. Kyra Ley: Like if you have 45 horses in the barn and you happen to lose three this month, no big deal. You have six horses in the barn, you lose three, that's a really big deal. And that's kind of where like the TikTok kit thing came in for me was like, okay, well, if I if there is a potential that I could earn just like a little bit of extra income from this, then like it's absolutely worth it. And it has been worth it. I mean, like, I did get a client from it and ⁓ a good relationship through that. And also, you know, I just sold a horse. So it's like, okay, well, even though the TikTok thing maybe pays me like fifty dollars or something in a month because I don't ever post anymore, but it like it did those things for me. So I'm like, okay, well, it does pay. So Crysta Brown: awesome. you Scott Cooper: Right. Crysta Brown: but it helps. Scott Cooper: Okay, let me ask both of you this same question. Would you want 40 horses in training and have the overhead and the staff and okay, yeah, they're both shaking their heads. No. Like it's not I don't think it's sustainable for a lot of people. And that's why people burn out that we have high mental health crisis rates within our equine community. Like, I don't I I like the like when we talk about with Chris like a different type of business plan because you can find a way to Crysta Brown: No. We need a different model. Scott Cooper: Right. You can make you can find a way to make money without a butt and a saddle. I mean, 'cause there's only one butt that can fit in one saddle at a time. So it's like I I like that you guys are thinking outside the box as far as as training and education and and profiting off this because you can only do that so far. And like think of like a retirement. Like I think of someone a trainer who's, you know, approaching retirement age. They could still keep doing video lessons if they had the knowledge and the ability to do it, but I don't Kyra Ley: Yeah. Horse trainers are notoriously terrible communicators, like just terrible. Scott Cooper: No many necessarily do. Right, exactly. But like Crysta Brown: respectfully, most of them can't open their email, like, God bless. Scott Cooper: Right. But someone like you but someone like you two, like you could be eighty years old and still be given P Vot lessons. So Crysta Brown: Well, that's, mean, you're, you're, you're new here, Kyra but like one of my obsessions is like the business model of horse training because it really. Okay. So like Scott, what you're saying, like, ⁓ you know, some of these bigger programs come with this one price tag and then maybe it's like a lower price tag, like a little bit, but honestly, they're also not charging enough, which doesn't leave a huge margin for me to then charge much less because like, I mean, Scott Cooper: Well, yeah, sure. Crysta Brown: Like that's what I find tricky about all of it. And like, especially as a young trainer coming in, it was like, can't undercut people and try to come in as like the lower cost option because I can't make it at that price point. Like I still have a max capacity of horses that I can work in the day without having help. So like, that's what led me to thinking. And also it scares me. Like people break a leg horse falls on them. Like something bad happens, which we risk ourselves every day. You. just don't have money. Like what do I do? And maybe you have a similar situation being in Montana. Like I'm in Northern Ireland. I don't have like a friend down the road that I could call and like go send a few horses to and they send them back. Whereas I think some of those pockets, like even Southern California, Texas, like people have more of a community of trainers. If you don't have that, what can you do? And so at least for me, Kyra Ley: No. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Crysta Brown: monetizing through socials and then like virtual lessons and stuff has really been the way. Are you offering like online services at this time or are you just using TikTok to kind of push your in-person services? Kyra Ley: So yes and no. I do have like through my website I have some video like training type videos that you can go on and watch. And ⁓ there's different series. Like I have one on showmanship and horsemanship, changing leads, ⁓ trail, like some more in depth and then also some more overview type stuff. and so it was originally like a Crysta Brown: Okay. Kyra Ley: monthly subscription type service. ⁓ and then again where I was pregnant and had a newborn and all that stuff, I was like, I am just not like committing the time to this that I feel that it's necessary to continue charging these people for this service. So ⁓ I changed it to just like a one time fee that if you want to go watch those videos, like just pay that fee and then it's ⁓ you have access to all of them. And then I also have like Crysta Brown: Mm-hmm. Yeah, that's what I do too. Kyra Ley: ⁓ a couple different options as far as like video critiques. You can send me your video and then I can say, you know, I I kind of form form it like a TikTok video where I like take your video, I voice over it, I say, like I rewind it and like, okay, in this spot, like I might zoom in or like pause slow motion, whatever. ⁓ and so that way we're kind of like watching it together and Crysta Brown: That's awesome. Kyra Ley: That's my video critique. It's usually like a shorter video, like your horsemanship pattern from the show or your trail pattern or whatever. ⁓ and then I do have another one that's more like a lesson type format, but it's not in real time, just because I think it's so hard to like line up schedules. And again, having a young kid, then you know, I kind of need to have somebody to watch him if I'm gonna like commit the time to sit down one-on-one with somebody. So it is Crysta Brown: Yeah. Yeah. Kyra Ley: a longer form video, you know, beforehand, we kind of talk about like, okay, these are the things that you want to try to work on. And so then you demonstrate that in the video. Then we go over it ⁓ on the phone instead of like in a like voiceover format. You know, we go over the video together on the phone and kind of talk about different exercises and like things you that you can do to ⁓ work ⁓ on. Crysta Brown: That's cool. Scott Cooper: Mm-hmm. Kyra Ley: whatever it is that you want to work on, whether it's trail or horsemanship or body position, lead changes, whatever. Crysta Brown: That's really cool. Yours are way more thorough than mine. I do video critiques, but my video critique is my lowest level product. So it's quick. So I send it in text. I love the idea of rewinding the video back and watching it with them. And also, the way you're doing your lessons is interesting, because I have some people who, A, either time zone just doesn't work out. And so I'm like, I'm sorry, I can't offer lessons to you. Or ⁓ I have people who their internet at their barn just isn't strong enough. I'm like, unfortunately, for the live video, be it like Pivo, FaceTime, WhatsApp, you really have to have good internet. That's like my one disclaimer on it. So I love that I'm like, now I can send people to you. That's great, because that's a much better option. Kyra Ley: Well, it just it I think that it works just a little bit better. Cause again, like to try to look at a grainy video on somebody's Pivot that like it's in real time and like sure it's in real time so you can help them with it in that moment, but it's also like, I don't know, I'm having a really hard time telling what's going on right now. So. Scott Cooper: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Crysta Brown: Yeah, if the video quality is low, yeah, it's just not. Kyra Ley: Yeah, or the communication, the sound, like technology can be tough. So yeah. Yeah. Yeah. For sure. Crysta Brown: Yeah, when it works, it's amazing, but when it doesn't. Scott Cooper: Yeah, because I was thinking about that when we were texting earlier and she's once so we could do a video together, like a video lesson. And now I'm thinking about it, I'm like, I have one bar of LTE at the barn, so I don't know how this is gonna go. Crysta Brown: That does make it almost impossible. Scott Cooper: Yeah, like I can't upload TikToks from the new barn. Like that just that doesn't work at all. But Kyra Ley: Yeah. ⁓ Crysta Brown: I have a lady though who put in a wifi box at her barn so she could do lessons and I was like, you're amazing and I love you and I'll be good to you forever. Okay, so. Scott Cooper: I love that level of commit. Right, exactly. Kyra Ley: We have Wi Fi at our barns so that we c you know, I can just like use my phone. Because inside metal buildings they don't work that great. So you know. Scott Cooper: Yeah. Right. Crysta Brown: Yeah. No, that's really cool. OK, ⁓ going back to kind of what you said about like the pockets of the industry, right? Like there are some pockets, maybe like Florida, Arizona, Texas. Like there are some places where it's like maybe East to whatever. But there's these pockets where it's like there's tons of trainers around. There's lots of horse shows. It sounds like you're in an area where that's so much the case. Do you? OK. Do you think about if there were maybe more horse shows around, I mean, there used to be some shows in Colorado that were really big. Do you have any thoughts of, do you think revitalizing some of the show community in that area would help support some of the growth? Or what are your thoughts in that way of the industry growth side? Kyra Ley: You know, it's something that I've thought a lot about and I've had a lot of conversations with different people about. I think it's just so incredibly difficult because ⁓ I mean, not just for us, but just like any pocket, like any place. ⁓ like it's Still so expensive to go to a weekend horse show. And so it almost is like, well, instead of hitting up 10 weekend horse shows this year, I would rather take that money and go to five of the big shows. Because I feel like I, you know, and I'm just I'm speaking for myself, I'm speaking for my clients, like I'm speak be speaking hypothetically. iron sharpens iron. If I go to a big show, I have a better trail pattern, like. Crysta Brown: right. Kyra Ley: I can really fine-tune and pick things out that I need to work on and I need to improve on because the end goal is always like the world show, the NSBA world show. Like we want, that's always our our big goal at the end of the year. So if we're going to a bunch of small shows and the trail patterns like aren't great, ⁓ or you know, like the horsemanship patterns fine, but it just like puts a different amount of pressure on you that you push yourself to be better. Whereas at the weekend show you're just kind of like, ⁓ okay, whatever, like it's just a weekend show. ⁓ and so then I, at least from our experience, have found it really difficult when we go to that horse show, then we go to the next big show and we're like, we're underprepared. Like we did not ⁓ school right at the last show. Like we didn't work on the things that we needed to work on, or like we didn't know that we needed to work on these things because they didn't come up because we were at a weekend show. So I think just from that Crysta Brown: Right. Mm-hmm. Kyra Ley: perspective, like it's sometimes when you look at the numbers, like, okay, well, again, for us, we have to drive really far to get anywhere. Like even an in-state show, the closest one's like five hours away. ⁓ so like ⁓ it's like okay, well, really the only thing that changes is we have to drive to Arizona or Vegas or Oklahoma or whatever. ⁓ but Crysta Brown: Wow. Scott Cooper: And Kyra Ley: we are there for longer, we get to show more times, like we get to have a horse show vacation or whatever. It's like the setup, the takedown, like we actually get to be there for a while. ⁓ so I think it's really hard to get away from that big show mentality and then grow the small shows again. ⁓ but I think really it's just like it's priced so many people out. Like there's people who don't want to go to those big shows. They just want to go to the local show. But again, it's so expensive to go to a weekend local show. And so it makes it really challenging for the person who's just doing it themselves. Like maybe they're working with a trainer, but they're just going to a couple shows a year. And then it kind of starts to feel like for what? Like maybe I go to the show and I don't enjoy myself, so why am I doing it? ⁓ and Scott Cooper: Wait. Kyra Ley: So I don't really have a good answer for it because I can kind of see all sides of it. ⁓ but thing that I do, ⁓ kind of like, I don't know if this is a hot take or not, but thinking of ⁓ I ⁓ when you go to a small weekend show, like you show one time, but we're throw showing to four judges. Like, why are we showing to four judges? Why are we showing to three judges? Like, if you go to a weekend show, you should show to two judges. Crysta Brown: you Mm-hmm. Kyra Ley: Because it does not take points to qualify for the AQHA World Show anymore. I don't know much about the paint side of it, so I don't know. Okay, so ⁓ like it does not take points. Like you all you have to do is go to four horse shows, you can stay qualify, like there's other methods of qualifying now. So points do not matter. There's no incentive fund anymore. Like, why do we need to show to four judges? Because now I'm paying that entry fee four times or three times or whatever. Crysta Brown: Right. Scott Cooper: No qualification here. Crysta Brown: No, there's no qualifying, no qualifying, none. Yes. And you're paying for each of those judges. Yeah. Right. Scott Cooper: Mm-hmm. Kyra Ley: But I get to show once. Like your weekend show, the best thing you could do would be to like split that up. You know, show to one judge. Like, I don't care. If I was gonna go to a weekend judge or weekend show and I was gonna school anyways, I would much rather show to one judge and pay that schooling fee one time instead of three times or whatever. ⁓ so that's just one thing that I don't quite understand. And the small shows just keep doing it, and I'm like, this is part of why. Scott Cooper: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Crysta Brown: That's a good point. Kyra Ley: the small show isn't making it is because why like what's the point? A lot of these people are gonna go to the world show anyways. So Scott Cooper: Yeah. I with with the for judge saying my I I'm not gonna call it a complaint, but like I I do wish that like maybe we would do it a little different because what I also dislike is going to like a two-day weekend show and ⁓ I don't I don't want like back myself in a corner here, but I'm gonna anyway probably. I don't like if I'm gonna go to a horse show ⁓ I'm staying at for multiple nights I probably want to show each of my events more than once. Like there's nothing I can remember a horse I went to a few years ago, and like I think it was a three-day maybe at most, like with one big trail day or something. But you showed once and then like you didn't show the class again Like I enjoy having a couple shots at a trail pattern, right? A do-over or a horse, even if it's different patterns. I don't care. Like it just feels like Crysta Brown: a do-over. Yeah. Scott Cooper: It was a lot of in bet downtime in between for doing a class one time. That being said, I also have ring steward enough where we do Saturday and Sunday are the same day with different shows and you're going till two AM both days and like that is also brutal. So like I I get it. There I I just think there's gotta be some in between that way and and and maybe that'll that'll very cool on. Kyra Ley: Yeah. I yeah. I think it gets really hard because like if you try to do like ⁓ Thursday, Friday, one set, Saturday, Sunday, then you you know, repeat and you have two Scott Cooper: Right. Kyra Ley: like separate shows. ⁓ not everybody can take off that much work. Like that's kind of the problem that you run into there. So Scott Cooper: Right, exactly. Right. And like get there on a Tuesday evening so I can take off work on Wednesday to practice on Wednesday and then start showing. Like it's yeah, it turns into a week circuit. You might as well just like go to the premiere or something. Like it's it's right, right. ⁓ yeah, while it rains. I know. Kyra Ley: Yeah, well it rains there, so maybe you don't want to get there. Crysta Brown: But I feel like something I've been thinking about for some of these regional smaller shows is maybe it would benefit some of these shows to niche down in classes. I don't know. feel like part of the reasons our show days go so long is because there are five million freaking classes. If you don't have the numbers to support those classes, it's like maybe there's nothing wrong with a specialty event. do like an all English show, do an all Western show, you know, but like specify the classes even that way it's like, I think when for me at least like once the show day is going into the wee hours of the night, I'm not having fun anymore. Like it is absolutely a job at that point. And I'm like, I am here because I'm paid for it. Because if I was an amateur scratch would be out. No. Scott Cooper: Matting. No. Kyra Ley: Yeah. Yeah. And your horse isn't showing good, like they're tired, you're tired. Yeah. No. And I've been I've been like on the Montana show committee in the past and Scott Cooper: ⁓ yeah, I'm done. Kyra Ley: I do know, like at least for our area, we have a lot more people that are interested in the ranch horse events. And so that is what takes up like a majority of the time. Like, and they do split it up. So the ranch horse stuff is maybe on I can't remember exactly how the last schedule went. Like maybe it's Friday, all day Friday, and then Saturday morning, and then Saturday afternoon the show horse stuff starts, and then it's on Sunday and then it's done. ⁓ Crysta Brown: Mm-hmm. Scott Cooper: Mm-hmm. Kyra Ley: All that ranch horse stuff takes a really long time. Now you can't get into the arena on Friday to practice because it's all taking all day long. Well, our horse show wouldn't make any money if it wasn't for those events because we can't afford the facility when it's just the show horse stuff because there's just not enough people who do it. So, like a specialty event sounds nice in theory, but how do you pay for it? Like these small organizations and we don't. Crysta Brown: Right. Kyra Ley: Again, like in our area, we don't have a lot of facilities that can host that type of event. So then it gets really expensive to reserve that facility for a show that's like, okay, well, maybe we have two or three people in the class. Yeah. Crysta Brown: Okay. Scott Cooper: Yeah. What if we go to the Ireland type of show and you just show in a mowed grass field and you haul in for the day? Crysta Brown: That's not so ideal. Yeah, so I was just explaining to Scott. we took my little yearling for a demo, but it was at like a typical like Irish county show, sorry, Northern Irish county show. And basically it's like our kind of county fair, but like maybe a little bit smaller. Like there's a pig barn, there's like tractors, there's stuff. And then you go to all the way to the back and it was the horse area. And like, it's literally like post and string is like the arena, right? And they have like I don't know, it probably five different arenas and there's like one little kind of lunging area over here. And for the most part, people haul in, take their horse out, do their one to two classes, sit back out. But like they showed the whole day for like less than 50 bucks. I was like, you know what? If we could all get really cool about a lot of stuff quickly, we could start having some low cost shows. Kyra Ley: Yeah. Scott Cooper: Mm-hmm. Kyra Ley: Yeah, I mean, I remember when I was a kid, like, you know, I we went to the Montana shows. Like we might hit a couple out-of-state shows, but it was like you got there, you, you know, s started showing the next morning. Like you didn't set up a tax stall. You just like tied your horse to the trailer and you just like worked out of your trailer. And then, you know, it was like so much less went into it. But at the same time, I look back on that time and I'm like. Crysta Brown: Yep. Scott Cooper: Mm-hmm. Kyra Ley: Ooh. Like there were a lot of times we were not having very much fun. And like the horse that I had, he was not cool with a lot of things. So I you know, like mules, ponies, tractors, barbecues, you know. ⁓ there was a lot of crow hopping and crying. But you know, it's just like I know that none of my horses in my barn would show up in that situation that you're explaining and be Crysta Brown: Right? Yeah, I know. Right, okay. Perfect. Scott Cooper: ⁓ yeah. Yeah. Crysta Brown: Ha ha ha Kyra Ley: chill about it. Like you take ⁓ to a horse show where everyone's zipping around on golf carts and segues and there's like a dumpster truck and like, you know, all the chaos of a horse show, chill. Fine. You take ⁓ like and put ⁓ in that environment where there might be some like pigs involved. No. They're out. Scott Cooper: Yeah. Crysta Brown: Yep. They're out. Scott Cooper: That reminds me that reminds me of the time at Rancho we were showing, and this is when ranch really started picking up and there was all breed classes and I think there was specifically mule classes, and so there were several mules. ⁓ my god, half the horses lost their ever loving shit over the mules. Like even the smell of them, they were just like that's not human or horse. Like it was so funny, actually. Yeah. Crysta Brown: the mules. Yeah. Kyra Ley: Nope. Yeah. Crysta Brown: Yeah. Kyra Ley: Nope, I yeah. The last time I hit the ground was from a mule. So not I wasn't on the mule. My husband was on the mule and I was on a naughty three year old and he came around and like I was riding in the pasture and he came through the gates and that horse saw that mule and I was already stepping off and he was like gone. Crysta Brown: Nature took over. Scott Cooper: I would love to know the psychology behind that. Like why are horses so terrified of mules? Kyra Ley: Ha ha ha. Crysta Brown: I think you're right though. do think some of it is like the smell. They're like, smells weird. I don't know what that is. Like, I don't know. They're just, horses are dumb. Kyra Ley: Yeah, it's the ears. Scott Cooper: But like but like they can love goats. Like Chip loves the little goats. So like why Crysta Brown: Bubbles is scared of sheep and we live in Northern Ireland. It's a real problem, let me tell you. OK, to kind of pivot a little bit, take you a different direction, talk to me a little bit about the horse training. So there was a time where you didn't consider yourself a horse trainer and then you were like, now I'm going to teach horses things. For me, I think it's a very different skill set going from like, Kyra Ley: Sheep everywhere. Yeah. ⁓ Crysta Brown: learning how to show. Now it sounds like you developed some of your own horses as like a younger person, but like there's a very different mindset when you're like, now my job is developing horses. Like what do you think are some of the lessons you've had to kind of learn along the way, maybe ask for help, you know, how did you get to where you are now? Kyra Ley: So I think that even within what we do, there's so many different facets. And ⁓ it's funny because my husband and I were just talking about this yesterday. Like anybody can call themselves a horse trainer, and really anytime you handle your horse, you're either training them or untraining them. So we're all horse trainers. Crysta Brown: Right. You're all trainers, whether you know it or not. We love you for it. Exactly. Job security. Scott Cooper: ⁓ I'm a major untrainer. I'm just gonna go ahead and say that. I am one I'm a professional untrainer. Yep. Kyra Ley: Yeah. And that's what keeps us in business. ⁓ that's what I tell my mom every day. I'm like, you know what? If I have to say it to you a thousand more times, it's job security. Like, that's fine. I will tell you to put your elbows in or whatever it is, sit down. but I think that you're you do have to shift your mindset because keeping the end goal in mind, like Scott Cooper: Right. Crysta Brown: Exactly. Scott Cooper: Right, exactly. Kyra Ley: What am I trying to make with this horse? And that might change. Like you might have a certain goal or what you think this horse is going to do. And then you're like, you know what? This actually is just not working. And you have to pivot and you might find something that that horse is better at. But again, that's your job as a horse trainer is to find what is going to work best for that horse. And you know, not every horse is going to fit in every program. Not every person is gonna fit in every program, and that's okay. That's why there's so many different horse trainers, right? Like it might be super successful with somebody else. That doesn't mean that there's anything wrong with that horse, even though there might be something wrong with that horse, and that's okay to say, but ⁓ you know, finding trying to be adaptable to the horses to a degree. ⁓ you know, I don't everybody kind of has like their program and like their steps that they run through. that's gonna work for every horse. So you kind of have to adapt. But again, what is the end goal? Is this horse gonna be an open horse that, ⁓ you know, I'm gonna show for a couple years before the owner steps on it? ⁓ Is it young horse that we're developing to like try to teach at some events and then sell it and then the next person's gonna kind of work on it some more before before the owner jumps on. What is the owner? Is the owner like a super capable amateur or youth? Is it a select rider? Is it a novice? Like, you know, you're always you always have to kind of keep those things in mind because when you're a non-pro, you're training your own horses, that kind of stuff, like you can kind of get away with a few things like, ⁓ well this horse is kind of silly about how you ask it to lope off on the right lead. But if you finesse it just right, you can make it look fine. And like even as an open exhibitor, like if you don't have somebody showing that horse, it's kind of easy to fall into that trap of like, ⁓ well, if I just kind of finesse this, like I can make it look good, but then the person following you cannot. So things like that that you have to continue to think about. And ⁓ you know, you ride horses differently depending on who's gonna step on them next. Like even if it's an old broke show horse, it's like, okay, well, we're not gonna change who this horse is. We're not gonna Crysta Brown: right? Kyra Ley: fix this horse. We can make things better. But thing that like, ⁓ is an Aaron Moses thing. He said, okay, well, there's a there's a leak in this tire and the air's gonna come out of it. And I'm just trying to make it leak a little bit slower. Like, you know, my mom would get on Lucy and try to show her in the pleasure and the air might start coming out of the tire a little bit quicker than it does when I show her. ⁓ ⁓ Crysta Brown: You Ha ha. Scott Cooper: Yeah, no. Kyra Ley: I kind of approach it with that mentality of like, okay, so when the owner gets on this horse, if they're like super green, novice, maybe a select, whatever, like I am trying to make this horse better, like fine-tune it so that way when the owner gets on it, everything stays put together. That horse knows its job, it knows what it's supposed to be doing, and it's not gonna take a little here and take a little there, and then things start to kind of unravel. ⁓ And then when that owner leaves, then you get back on and you put the pieces back together. And when you have somebody that's like super capable and like a great rider, that's as not as much of a problem. Like they can step on a green horse and it's not gonna like, you know, take it apart. But ⁓ you know, even for my mom, like we have this conversation all the time. She's out at the barn riding like five, six days a week. I never get on Roger, except at the horse shows, like I get on him, I warm him up for ten minutes and I go show him because that's just like Crysta Brown: That just scared me. I was like, wow, how? Kyra Ley: I love to wing it. That's like my specialty. good, bad, or not, I don't know, but ⁓ I'm pretty good at winging it. But ⁓ Roger, like she rides him all the time. So when she started showing Roger, she's on her sixth year now, like fifth year. I don't know. Anyways, Crysta Brown: Awesome. Kyra Ley: She was level one. And so Roger knew how much effort to give for a level one horse. And then she stepped into the level two. And so Roger had to step it up a little and she had to like learn how to make him do certain things a little bit better and expect more of him. And now that she's like kicked herself out of the level two and now she's in the level three, she's like, shoot, ⁓ I have to learn how to be a rider now. And so, like, you know, I think it's Scott Cooper: Yeah. Crysta Brown: You Kyra Ley: funny from like that perspective, like I never get on that horse. So I, you know, you're gonna have to figure out how to put it back together yourself or you're gonna have me ride him. But you know, we can't have you out here riding him every single day and expect that we're not going to fix some things. So I don't I don't know if that answered the question. Scott Cooper: That's such an interesting no, you totally did. I'm just like sorry, I'm just daydreaming about when I got to Karen's and I was like I was super naive. I it was my first time ever with a trainer. And to put like to have like restrictions on my riding was so weird to me at first. And you know what? Thank God she did. I was feral and I did not know anything. ⁓ you should see me doing trail for the first time. It was pathetic. ⁓ but she was like, You don't ride without Crysta Brown: You Scott Cooper: Eyes on me and like you do not lope your horse until I'm I have eyes on you. And it was just like I was really like, I was really offended. Honestly, I was a little pissed at first. And then after a while, I was like, all right, fine, accept the way it is. And then you get to the third stage, which is, ⁓ my God, I cannot ride without Karen. Like someone please watch me, someone please watch me, make sure I don't screw this up. ⁓ you know, and and we get to the point. Crysta Brown: Yeah. Kyra Ley: Yeah. Yeah, like Crysta Brown: And then by that phase, we're usually like, no, you can do it. Whereas like in that early phase, it's like, please let me have the reins every now and then. Scott Cooper: Right. Right. But ⁓ you know, in another barn too, it's like, you know, the runny joke that at some point you get the blessing that you can like ride on your own, which did not take me that long and that was nice. But then you you have that like pacifier of like, my god, what if I screw stuff up? Like I can't think of how many times I've ridden Chip and then like, you know, if it turns off at a show or whatever and I'm like, ⁓ god, what did I just mess up? And am I doing this right? And now with Chip at home and I'm like solo on him, I'm like Every t every single time I ride him now, I'm like, I wonder what this looks like. And like, is it trash? I've I have no idea right now 'cause I I I can feel it feels normal like what we've been doing, but I have no vantage point right now. So all that to say that trainers are invaluable. And as an amateur, I appreciate you. Crysta Brown: You Kyra Ley: Yeah. Well, and I thank you. Well, I think that it's ⁓ it totally depends on the horse, right? 'Cause like Scott Cooper: True, one hundred percent. Kyra Ley: You can have like a horse that's forgiving, good-minded, like just wants to be a good citizen. And like, okay, well, you're not gonna mess them up. Like, sure, it might not like be the greatest, but we can put it back together. Like, you're not gonna do anything that's going to permanently screw that horse up. However, there are horses that you can mess up, like because they're just not as good-minded, like maybe they're a little finicky, like. Scott Cooper: Mm-hmm. Crysta Brown: Mm-hmm. Kyra Ley: They just have a screw loose, like they just you know, I can ride the horse, I can put it together, like I can manage it correctly, and then that horse is okay and that horse is happy and it's sane, but you put somebody on it that like Yeah. Well it's just and it's not intentional or anything like that, but maybe they walk it up to the show pen without your plugs in. And that horse just cannot handle the extra noise. Like at the South Point, those frickin' like Crysta Brown: they start undoing that screw. Kyra Ley: little trolleys you push around or like the manure dumpsters. Nope. Like yeah. I mean I took a three year old to South Point for the first time at the beginning of the year and like I took his earplugs out at the end of the first day. I thought that horse was gonna just jump out of his stall. Like Yeah. Crysta Brown: Have the horses come unglued. Yeah. Scott Cooper: So we're chip hates outline. ⁓ my god, so it's not just Chip. That's Chip. Chip is the calmest horse on the planet ever. Like ever. He is so chill. The moment he gets on that property, he loses his mind. So we earplug him. And like there have been shows where, you know, I earplug him and then at the end of the day I take him out. He is climbing the stall walls because he cannot take it. It is so weird because he doesn't do that anywhere else or anytime. So we have learned that like Crysta Brown: That's Scott-sourced! Scott Cooper: The earplugs go in the second the trailer goes on the property and they do not come out until you stop at that first water stop away from Vegas. Like and that's the only way to keep ⁓ calm. That's so funny. Okay. I'm glad it's not just saying. Kyra Ley: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. There's there's some places that are just like that. And there's some horses that are just like that. And they might get better with age and experience, like a lot of them do. But some of them are just goofy. Like they just have a screw loose. And if they're in the right program, they can be managed. It can be taken care of. Like even a select lady can show them. But it's like, okay, get on, warm up. Go show, get off. Like a lot of times those horses have won world championships and like they're great horses, but Crysta Brown: That's the thing. Like a lot of them are badass horses, like, but they have to be specially monitored. Yeah. Yeah, you're right. There's horses where, you know, some of it is repetitions, right? Cause there are some horses where it's like, they are good-minded, but they're just in that green bean phase. And I find it really hard when it's like, ⁓ I don't know, let's say maybe my amateur, like, lets the horse like look over the rail. Kyra Ley: Yeah, they just Yeah, they're just finicky. So Scott Cooper: Mm-hmm. Crysta Brown: as they jog around, right? And it's like, okay, every time you do that, you're reinforcing that behavior. Whereas like, if you could just go away for a while, I can make him forget that that exists. But if you keep coming three times a week and letting him put that head over the rail, it's going to become bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger. And it's going to take even more to get them out of it. And I think that's the hard thing. It's like, It's not like I think of you Scott, like early with Karen. It's like, not like she was trying to be a big meanie. She's trying to help you get to your goal. She's like, the path to your goal looks like this. Scott Cooper: Well and Right, and and path to that goal needed her on his back ⁓ days a week than me his back, especially I'm learning the program and learning how to be a better rider So ⁓ I I it now in hindsight. It was just like I mean like it at first. Crysta Brown: Yeah. Yeah. But I think there's a lot of people that struggle with that. Like we have a lot of like amateur listeners. We have a lot of DIY amateur listeners as well. But like, I think that's one of those things that can be misunderstood if you like haven't had your horse in training before. And it's like, there's a process of getting the horses broken training. I think there's a process of getting the people broke too. It's like hard. Kyra Ley: ⁓ yeah. There's definitely like good trainer or like trainers that are really good people trainers. Like if you get a client from that person, like you know that client will never be an issue. Like they will never do anything without asking first, like they will be very well trained. Crysta Brown: Right? Scott Cooper: Okay, in that vein I wanna ask you too, what what gets clients the gold star with you? If you could give everyone a little gold star sticker, what are those behaviors or tendencies? Crysta Brown: Who? Kyra Ley: Pay your bill on time. ⁓ Scott Cooper: I knew someone was gonna say that first. Crysta Brown: Stop! I knew that was what you were gonna say! ⁓ it's unfortunately rare. Kyra Ley: Yeah. Well, I mean, it's like, you know, some trainers don't do their own books and so they literally have no idea. But when you do do your own books and like you're watching your bank account and like you know your budget and you like you're the one in charge of all that stuff and somebody doesn't like pay you and they're like, ⁓ well just give me the late fee. It's like no, like it's not about the late fee. It's about you paying me for like this last month because we went to a horse show the month before, and so now I'm like more or less giving you a loan right now. Crysta Brown: you Scott Cooper: Right. And I need to buy hay. Right. Crysta Brown: Yeah. Right. Like please, call your bank for a loan, not me. I can't afford it. Kyra Ley: Like I'm not a bank. ⁓ yeah. Yeah, so that would be one. ⁓ the other thing is just I guess like having a positive attitude, right? Because nothing grinds my gears more than when we get to the horse show and like either you don't put in the practice because you're out at dinner or like whatever things happen. Like I get it. This is this is our job. But it's their vacation. And so they are here to enjoy themselves. And that's great. And I love that. But don't come out of your class and tell me X, Y, and Z that your horse did wrong and how naughty they were, because it's like, I don't know. Like, yes, a horse absolutely can be naughty, and horses can do things that they're not supposed to, and they can learn the difference between the practice pen and the show pen. But like when we get a negative mindset about it, and then we bring that back to the stalls, and then we drag down everybody else at the stalls. That's where I start to have an issue. Like, okay, we need to reframe your mindset because in this negative mindset, your horse show is actually just gonna continue to get worse and worse and worse. It's actually not gonna get better. Like we have to reframe our mindset about this. Scott Cooper: Mm-hmm. Crysta Brown: Right. Yeah, I feel that 100%. In my life now, going to a lot of the horse shows in the States, it's like I'm in other people's programs. But you see it happen all the time. such a bummer when you see that happen for someone where it's like, they're really cool and they're good rider and they're so capable. ⁓ maybe this horse show just hits them in that wrong way and they just start on that spiral and then it just keeps spiraling and you're like, ⁓ baby, ⁓ ⁓ Kyra Ley: Yeah. And it's like it's absolutely okay to be disappointed. Like it's okay to like have a bad show and not like and be disappointed and like kind of in a bad mood about it. But it's like just don't bring everybody else down and don't start to put that blame on other people. Like, because that just isn't gonna help anybody. Crysta Brown: Scott. Scott Cooper: Ever had no. Communication. What's too much? What's too little? Kyra Ley: ⁓ don't text me after 8 p.m. and expect a response. yeah, actually that time has moved up to 7 p.m. now that we have a kit and like bedtime, you know. I do not mind communication, but like I said a little bit earlier, horse trainers are not notoriously horrible communicators. Like I can't tell you how many times like I've texted another horse trainer or like called them, never get a call back, never get a text back. Like, Crysta Brown: Valid. Scott Cooper: Yeah, yeah. Crysta Brown: Yeah, it's us too. Like, it's not just the amateurs. Yeah. Kyra Ley: Weeks later. Yeah, it's like it I don't know why everybody, you know, we're all just busy riding horses, I guess. ⁓ Crysta Brown: But see, that's what I tell people is I go, actually, I think it's often the mark of a good horse trainer because it's like, that means they're actually out on horses. Like if they have, if they have time to take your calls all day, something's amiss, baby. Something's not right. Kyra Ley: Yeah, they're not looking at their phone. Scott Cooper: Yeah. Kyra Ley: Yes. Yeah. No, for sure. ⁓ but I don't know, like if you're checking in with me every single day and like wanting a video or like wanting a picture or like I don't know, do you trust me? Yeah, like and I don't really have a problem with that. You know, I've had here and there in the past where like, you know, somebody's like, Okay, well you're not doing X, Y, and Z the right way or like I need a video of this, or like your farriers th doing this wrong, and it's like Scott Cooper: That seems like a lot, yeah. Kyra Ley: Okay, well you sent the horse to me because you trust me in my program, I thought. So if you don't trust the way that things are being handled here, like maybe it's best that you find somewhere else for the horse to go. Crysta Brown: Good for you. But that's so much easier said than done because like, A, that's exactly the right response. But when you are in broke trying to make it horse trainer mode, sometimes it's like, I can't say no to this money. But also you call me every night at six o'clock when I'm trying to have dinner with my husband and like, I'm trying not to go insane and like stop training altogether. So like, please, can we have some balance here? Yeah, that's really hard. Kyra Ley: Mm-hmm. Scott Cooper: Mm-hmm. Kyra Ley: Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Scott Cooper: I I apologize for those types of amateurs just on on their behalf because that's insane. I am I I am like the almost no contact client, I feel like. Like Karen has never received a a rogue text or call from me, like ever. Ever. Like I don't I don't I hardly even tell her. Maybe that's like too much, but like I used to like hardly even tell her about when I was coming for lessons on Saturday morning. I was just like, I just assume my horse is ready. Just yeah. Crysta Brown: You Kyra Ley: Yeah. Well, I think it's mostly like people that have never been in a program before, like maybe they've done it themselves all this time, and so then they have a hard time relinquishing that control when the horse goes to a trainer. ⁓ people who have had their horses in training forever, like they're usually a lot easier going 'cause they're just like, ⁓ I'll pay the bill. Like they'll let me know if something's wrong. Crysta Brown: Just jump on. Yeah. Scott Cooper: Mm-hmm. Crysta Brown: They know the drill. Scott Cooper: Yeah, I mean th that's what I would say now. I'm like, No news is good news. Like even Chip at this new barn with the farm manager, I'm like, every day I don't get a text from her, it means he's alive and he's fine. That's good with me. Crysta Brown: Yeah. Kyra Ley: hard to like if it's a young horse and you can see the progress, like see the changes being made. Like it's fun to send like a cool little update video of like, hey, look how good he's changing leads now or going over these poles or whatever. But then when it's a old broke show horse, it's like it's the same horse, just different day. Like that you're not gonna change it or make it better or anything like that. So Scott Cooper: Right. Right. ⁓ Mm-hmm. Kyra Ley: It is what it is. Crysta Brown: Yeah, no, yeah, it's a tricky thing because especially with those people that maybe haven't had their horse in training before, there is a process I think of like building trust together. I do think it's hard to when somebody's had a negative experience before. And so you're kind of like almost helping them recover from that experience. But it's also like, but I didn't do anything wrong. So it. Scott Cooper: Mm-hmm. Kyra Ley: Yeah, I I think that horse trainers, like, especially when you get on the social media side and you like look through the comment sections, like people love to like drag on horse trainers and how like they just take your money and they're abusive to the horses, and like they don't ride their horse as much as you they say you do. And like, I don't know how many times somebody's come to me and like, well, I sent my horse to this person to be started, or like. Scott Cooper: Right. Crysta Brown: Yes. Kyra Ley: put 60 days on it or whatever. And I don't even think they wrote it because like they wouldn't send me a video. Like every time I tried to get in touch with them, they wouldn't, you know, message me back. Like and I do think people get taken advantage of and that's like really unfortunate. ⁓ but not every person is going to treat you that way. Scott Cooper: Well, ⁓ I mean, I have mixed feelings about like quote unquote dragging people online because part of it is like I don't want that negativity on the world. But part of it is also like it's kind of your review. Like if if like if I'm thinking about if I came in this world Yeah, that's what I'm saying. It's like it's basically a horse training up. If I was to like go no one's starting rumors, I'm not looking for a trainer. But if I were like Crysta Brown: We need horse trainer yelp. Scott Cooper: I would wanna know what people said about them and like what their reputation was. And if I don't if I wasn't like a part of their immediate community and have second half knowledge of like what happens behind closed doors at shows or whatever it is or how they interact with clients, like I would be a little nervous going into that too. And like I don't know, it's one of those things where like you wanna give the up and coming people a shot too in the industry. Maybe they don't have as You know, they're not a Karen Qualls or a Sarah Simon, so they don't have the reputation that precedes them. So I I kind of see both sides of the coin. Crysta Brown: It's hard though, because I would say there are complaints about trainers that are so valid. Like I can't sit here and say like every horse trainer is perfect. People are liars. Like, no, there's definitely some things that aren't awesome. I was gonna say there also do be a lot of people where you hear both sides of that story and it's like, you were definitely in the wrong though. like, so anyway, all that to say, like I think the hardest thing is like, there's just not. Scott Cooper: Right. But there's also a lot of invalid ones. Right. Right. Yeah, one hundred percent. Yeah. Kyra Ley: Yeah. Yeah. Crysta Brown: regulation. I do really like the professional horseman's programs for that because at the very least you can sit there and say, at least that professional had a national director, a judge and two professional horsemen who vouched for them and said this person is someone of good character who's like doing a good job as a professional. So at least there's that if you go that route. But otherwise I do think it's hard because I do think social media, the problem is anybody can say anything. How do you find Scott Cooper: Mm-hmm. Kyra Ley: Very true. Crysta Brown: Like, do you find pretty, like, are your comment sections pretty positive place? Do you feel like you have a good little community? Do you feel like it gets negative at times? Kyra Ley: I feel like my follower base is really good and positive and like they follow me because they like the pleasure horse stuff and like they either understand it or they want to learn more about it and they're not gonna drag on it. But then it's like the videos that kind of like go beyond that that ⁓ you get a lot of negativity and like there's somebody on Facebook or some bot or whatever that keeps like reposting all my TikTok, like my old TikTok videos. Crysta Brown: Right. Yeah. I'm having that too! Kyra Ley: I know I saw it. And I like went and reported the page because I was like, they're not gonna do anything. They're not gonna take it down, but they don't care. No. So, but like I saw one of my old videos pop up and it was like this horse that I had gotten from a pleasure trainer, and like, you know, he didn't know any of the all-around events. And so it's like me riding him when I first got him, and then me riding him like a few months later, changing leads, whatever. And I that video blew up on Facebook, and like reading the comment section on that, I was like, Crysta Brown: They don't care, no, that sucks. Ugh. Kyra Ley: hard time sleeping that night because I was like these people are terrible like and some of it comes ⁓ it comes from like sometimes it's a place of like not knowing any better just like being totally uneducated some people are just like nasty to be nasty and it's just like I don't know I can I can't read it and not let it get to me ⁓ and that was kind of the thing with like Scott Cooper: Mm-hmm. Crysta Brown: ⁓ the Facebook ones, when they go bad, they go real bad. Kyra Ley: posting so much on TikTok is I was like, I can't like I'm not the type of person that can just like ignore these people. Like I either gotta block ⁓ like if they come and say something nasty one time, whatever. But if they keep coming back and coming back and coming back, block because I don't need you. Scott Cooper: Yeah, I'm the same way. I I cannot handle criticism. I just I can't. I know myself. I don't want it. Crysta Brown: Yeah. Kyra Ley: Okay, Scott, there's a different thing between not handling criticism and people being nasty to be nasty. Crysta Brown: Yeah Scott Cooper: I can't anything in between. I I can't handle even ⁓ the wrong luck. No. I don't want any of it. Crysta Brown: None of it. You don't want none of it. It is hard though, because it comes with the territory. Like I've seen some amateurs kind of be like, why don't more trainers put out resources? Like I want to learn, but like stuff doesn't exist. And I'm like, because people are horrible. Kyra Ley: Yeah, 'cause people will tell you that your horse is lame and that you're being abusive and that you tie its head down and like Scott Cooper: Yeah, right. Crysta Brown: Yeah, it's a lot to take. Scott Cooper: Or you have like crazy like spin-off fan club pages, like the like stuff on my TikTok keeps coming across these like Katie Vance like fan club pages and people just like using this as a platform to then like say, I'm like, you aren't even horse people and now you're like comforting on this whole situ. It's so weird. It's it's freaky. Like I I'm sorry, Katie, I'd love you so much, but I never want to get that big in the horse community because like people are freaks. Yeah, absolutely not. Crysta Brown: commenting on. Kyra Ley: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Crysta Brown: But like, respectfully, that's for me. So I was curious about your experience in the comment sections, because I don't know. I feel like the moon phase changes, and then all of a sudden my comments will go really negative. And then it'll be fine. For months, I'll have nothing but really good, constructive comments. It really seems to come in these weird spurts. My world isn't a negative comment spurt. The people will be saying lots of things. They'd be coming in with the hot takes. And it's fine. And I honestly... And to some degree, I do have some respect for the different perspectives, the lack of knowledge, the things like that. There is a line to which I'm like, delete block, you're out of here. But I've just been recently turning my phone off a lot. I've been completely taking, every app gets shut down except for phone, text, WhatsApp, because I need those for work. I just, I'm like, when I turn my phone off, all my problems cease to exist. I have a good life. It's really easy. Actually, I go out, I get to ride horses, I live my dream, and then I come home. I have a nice husband, cute little place. Like, it's all good. And it's like, I just literally have to turn it off because sometimes it just, it's just too much for me. It just is sometimes. Kyra Ley: Yeah. Yeah, they don't they don't know, they don't know what happens. Like really at the end of the day, like, do you feel right about what you're doing? Okay, like if you're not doing anything wrong, that person doesn't know. Like, you know, they're just being nasty on the internet. But I got the most hate for like the Lucy stuff, you know, when we were doing the pleasure. Crysta Brown: Really? Because she's a gorgeous moover Kyra Ley: ⁓ yeah, when we were doing the pleasure stuff. Well, a lot of people think she's lame. but you know, and then it's just the way they move. Like it's it's what they're bred to do. And then you see the stuff on Facebook. I I saw it like it's been a few months ago, but there was like a post going around of like, I think it was a two-year-old Western pleasure at the Congress, like back in the 80s. And it's like, and people are like, ⁓ my gosh, this is so much better. Like, why'd they move away from this? Crysta Brown: Gotcha. Lovely. Scott Cooper: ⁓ yeah. Crysta Brown: ⁓ yeah yeah yeah. And they're completely disengaged and their backs are dropped out. And I'm like, ⁓ you think that's better? Kyra Ley: And they're like galloping around the arena. Like you know, it's just it's just ⁓ well this horse doesn't move like that's out in the pasture. It's like, okay, well that's not the point. ⁓ that's actually not what we're trying to achieve. Like, you know, but ⁓ Scott Cooper: Right. Crysta Brown: They also don't jump six foot fences out in the pasture, so just saying. Kyra Ley: You know, or like do dressage maneuvers. I don't know what any of those are are called. But you know, it's just like it's not gonna f suit everybody and that's okay. ⁓ but I think there's like a line of okay, this person w can be educated and like can be like, ⁓ okay, yeah, I guess I see why you have their hip kicked over. Like, why are they loping sideways? Well. Scott Cooper: Right, exactly. Crysta Brown: Great. Kyra Ley: It's because they're stepping over, they're driving from behind, like, ⁓ that horse has no impulsion. It's like, yeah, I'm pretty sure if you got on it and like you felt that horse lope, it kicks your butt up out of the saddle because that horse is pushing off the ground. So just know. Crysta Brown: They had a lot. Scott Cooper: Yeah. I have found ⁓ every once in a while I'll put my phone in like D and D and then I'll forget to take it off. And like it's like the clouds open up and the sunshine, there's birds and I'm like, why does my life feel so good right now? I'm like, 'cause I forgot to take my phone out of D and D four hours ago and like life's great. No one's bothering me. So I highly recommend that. And then I open it up and there's sixteen texts from Crysta I'm like, Where are you? Crysta Brown: the birds. I mean, sometimes. ⁓ We obviously could talk to you all day. This has been super fun. before we let you go, do you have any parting thoughts, anything you really want to put out in the world? And then additionally, I want to hear where can people find you and how can they give you money? Kyra Ley: ⁓ send me your horses. No. ⁓ parting thoughts. ⁓ I don't know. I think again, not to like keep harping on the same thing, but like, you know, there's so many horse trainers out there. sometimes you need to find one that's close in proximity because you don't have the budget to send your horse out of state or whatever, like. Crysta Brown: Yeah, perfect. Kyra Ley: But there's different levels for everybody. And if you don't feel right in your current situation, whether it's like a coaching thing or your horse doesn't drive with that trainer, like, you know, don't make it personal between you and that current trainer. Just say, hey, like this isn't working. It's a business relationship. And find somebody who does get along with you and your horse and you guys communicate clearly and like, you know, you can You just jive with one another because there's so many different people out there. Like, don't be afraid to look for somebody that's gonna be a better fit for you and your horse. yeah, I guess that's that's it. Everything gets taken so personally in the horse world. And ⁓ it because like you get these really close friendships and relationships with your trainer, your clients, or whatever. And so it's kind of hard to be like, ⁓ you're just like leaving me, you're like, cutting off our friendship and now I don't want to talk to you anymore and I'm gonna mean like nasty torch. Yeah, yeah. And it's like, ⁓ don't do that. Like we can still be friends. Like it doesn't have to be that way. ⁓ so I guess that's my parting thoughts. ⁓ you can find me on TikTok, ⁓ KyraLey295 I think is my I don't know what my username is. Crysta Brown: Right. weird when I see you at the horse show, yeah. Scott Cooper: No. Crysta Brown: Yeah. Love that. We will link it. Yeah. Scott Cooper: That's fine. That's fine. We'll taggy. Kyra Ley: Not on Facebook. I'm not posting my TikTok videos on Facebook. So if you see them on Facebook, it's not me. ⁓ but I do have a Ley performance horses on Facebook. I don't post a ton on there, but you can follow me if you want. It has all my information. If you want to get a hold of me, call, call me, text me, email me, whatever. I also have a website that's leyperformancehorses.com. And ⁓ again, kind of has like if you're interested in Crysta Brown: You Scott Cooper: Good for you. Crysta Brown: Okay. It's a bot. Okay. Kyra Ley: Working with me, whether that just be virtually or you want to send a horse, like there's different, ⁓ there's like a form, a training form on there and some different online resources as well. So Crysta Brown: Well, thank you so much and listeners, please remember that you can't be all of the good that the horse show world needs, but the horse show world needs all the good that you can do until next time. Bye guys. Scott Cooper: Yeah.